March 25, 2003
War Carnage
Over the last day fighting has turned gruesome in Iraq, FSRN Correspondent Gareth Schweitzer just filed this report from near Najab in Iraq.
Official War Spin Continues
Meanwhile, the Pentagon and the President have been in overdrive today telling the American people and the world that the war may take longer than expected, but they will be victorious. Ian Forest has been following the story.
POW Controversy
The Pentagon reports the US/UK invasion forces have detained more than 3000 suspected Iraqi combatants as prisoners of war. The Iraqi military has captured at least 13 US or UK combatants. The US is asking for humane treatment of its troops, invoking the 1949 Geneva Convention rules of combat. Human Rights groups say the Bush Administration is applying the Geneva Convention selectively. With that story, and an update on the status of detainees at home and in US-occupied Cuba, Josh Chaffin reports from DC.
UN Under Fire – Humanitarian Crisis Escalates
As US and British troops advance on Baghdad, international relief workers are struggling to provide the city’s trapped inhabitants with food and medical supplies, ahead of what promises to be a long and bloody siege. Elsewhere in Iraq, humanitarian efforts have suffered setbacks in recent days. Iraq’s second largest city, Basra, was in chaos after water supplies were partially cut, and ships carrying aid to the southeastern port of Umm Qasr are being held up while troops sweep for mines. Meanwhile, at the United Nations, the Security Council met behind closed doors today for a debate over a controversial proposal to use Iraq’s oil revenues to pay for an expanded relief program. Susan Wood reports from the UN, read by Matthew Finch.
Filipino Overseas Workers
The Bush Administration has labeled the Philippines, as the second front in the war on terrorism and President Arroyo has pledged her support in battling terrorism. But Filipino overseas workers in the Middle East say their claims are being put on the back burner. Simba Russeau files this report.
Bush’s Other War – Drug War
And while the Bush Administration fights its war in Iraq, it is also maintaining pressure on another war front – the so-called Drug War. This as activists, legislators, and tribal representatives from throughout Latin America and the world recently gathered in Merida, Mexico for the Out of the Shadows conference. The goal of the conference was to construct a vision for peacefully ending the so-called drug war. Although the reasons stated for legalizing drugs varied from person to person depending on their background, there was one point of common ground–the war on drugs is not working and it does more harm than good. Andrew Stelzer reports from the Yucatan.
