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> Tue., May. 23, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
House Places Strict Sanctions on Palestine
Amnesty International Release Annual Report
India and Pakistan Hold Talks to Demilitarize Siachen Glacier
Sudanese Refugees Make Their Way Back Home
Jordan to Face Severe Long Term Water Shortages
Immigrants and Supporters Gather on 10th Annual Immigrants
Day
FSRN Headlines
ANOTHER VIOLENT DAY IN IRAQ
Two separate car bombs killed at least 10 people in Baghdad
today. The first blast targeted police in the eastern part
of Baghdad. The second bomb exploded near a market in Sadr
City. The Associated Press reports that at least 23 people
were killed across the country today. President George W.
Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet later
this week. The two are expected to discuss details of handing
over future security responsibilities to the Iraqi government.
ISRAEL ARRESTS HAMAS COMMANDER
The Israeli army arrested dozens of Palestinians in the West
Bank today, including a commander the armed wing of Hamas.
The Hamas figure, 41 year old Ibrahim Hamed, was captured
this morning in Ramallah after Israeli troops surrounded the
house where he was hiding and threatened to bulldoze it. Hamed
has been wanted by Israel for 8 years. Israel accuses him
of orchestrating a series of attacks which resulted in 78
deaths.
TOWN LOSES APPEAL AGAINST PATH OF THE SEPARATION WALL
Meanwhile, the Israeli High Court of Justice today rejected
an appeal by town residents to change the route of Israel's
separation wall near Jerusalem. Manar Jibrin reports.
The route of the Wall is planned in a way that enables Israel
to annex Palestinian lands between Maali Adumim settlement
bloc and the east of Jerusalem and isolates the Palestinian
areas and blocks the geographical contiguity of the West Bank.
On Monday, the Israeli High Court approved a section of the
Wall south of Qalqilia, north of the West Bank. The decision
isolates one thousand acres of Palestinian orchards behind
the Wall and includes the settlements of Beit Arieh and Opharim.
It will lead to the uprooting of 1100 olive trees that belong
to the Palestinian residents. Residents of the town of Al
Ezariyya today lost their appeal against the Wall's path.
The construction of the Wall is viewed by many Palestinians
as part of the unilateral measures Israel is taking to draw
its final borders, diminishing any possibility of a Palestinian
viable contiguous state. The International Court of Justice
in the Hague ruled in July 2004 that the Separation Wall is
illegal. Regardless, the Israeli government said it will accelerate
the construction of the Wall and complete 95% of its route
within a year. For FSRN from IMEMC.Org in Palestine, I am
Manar Jibrin.
IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION IN THE SENATE
The Senate today defeated an amendment submitted by California
Senator Diane Feinstein to allow all undocumented immigrants
living in the United States to become legal residents. Feinstein's
amendment would have removed the tiered system, which splits
undocumented immigrants into 3 groups. Several Senators who
would have otherwise supported Feinstein's amendment voted
against it to preserve the fragile coalition backing the larger
immigration bill. The amendment failed 61-37. The Senate today
also agreed to authorize the deployment of the National Guard
to the US/Mexico border. The entire bill is likely to receive
a final vote later this week.
SURGE IN MIGRATION VIA THE CANARY ISLANDS
The local parliament of Spain's Canary Islands has requested
military assistance to patrol surrounding waters. The request
comes as large numbers of would-be migrants have been arriving
in the Canary Islands by boat from Africa. An estimated 7,400
Africans have landed in the Canary Islands so far this year.
A record-setting 647 migrants arrived in the archipelago in
one day last week. The spike in migration to the Canary Islands
comes after Spain and Morocco began heavy immigration enforcement
activities along what used to be the most often travelled
migration routes into the European mainland. Many of the boats
landing in the Canary Islands set out from Senegal. Senegalese
authorities say they have captured over 1,500 migrants at
sea on their way to Europe since Thursday of last week. Spain
today asked the European Union for logistical support.
NEW CLIMATE CHANGE DATA
New scientific research on global temperatures indicates that
future temperatures may rise much further than previously
thought. From London, Naomi Fowler reports.
These two new studies (one in the US and one in Europe) used
historical records to assess the likely global warming rise.
Their findings challenge the consensus view of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, the global body which collates and
analyses climate research. They say current estimates are
far too low, by as much as 78%. Research groups both sides
of the Atlantic came up with similar findings. They've been
conservative in their research they say, but there will be
a likely temperature rise of about 5.8 to 7.7 Celsius by the
end of this century. Environmentalists are now watching to
see if how research will impact on the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change upcoming major study - and if these findings
will impact on global policy to tackle climate change. This
is Naomi Fowler in London for Free Speech Radio News.
[top]
House Places Strict Sanctions on Palestine
(2:35)
The House of Representatives passed legislation that places
strict sanctions on the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
On the day Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in DC
to meet with President Bush, rhetoric from both supporters
and opponents of the sanction legislation blamed Hamas for
violence, but defended Israel’s role in the conflict.
FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
[top]
Amnesty International Release Annual Report
(1:28)
Download longer version of the Amnesty International Report
(2:15) Amnesty International USA's Executive Director Larry
Cox hold a press conference today, to release the organizations
2006 Annual Report, which provides an overview of the state
of human rights around the world. Executive Director Larry
Cox says that human rights abuses at carried out by US military
contractors are damaging the US standing around the world.
[top]
India and Pakistan Hold Talks to Demilitarize Siachen
Glacier (3:57)
India and Pakistan began talks on the disputed Siachen Glacier
in New Delhi today. Located at an altitude of more than 15,000
feet above sea level, the Glacier is considered the highest
battlefield in the world. Shahnawaz Khan has more.
[top]
Sudanese Refugees Make Their Way Back Home
(4:43)
The United Nations Refugee Agency has started the repatriation
of thousands of Sudanese refugees, mostly from Uganda, following
the end of a 21-year-long civil war in southern Sudan. So
far, 27,000 of the some 174,000 Sudanese refugees in Uganda
have registered to repatriate. Over the weekend, about 200
Sudanese refugees, including women, elders and young people,
returned to their home villages in Kajo Keji County, in Southern
Sudan. FSRN'S Joshua Kyalimpa joined the returning refugees
on their journey back home.
[top]
Jordan to Face Severe Long Term Water Shortages
(3:52)
The Kingdom of Jordan has the highest rate of population
growth in the Middle East, but is one of the poorest in terms
of natural resources. Ministry of Water officials are already
predicting that the country will suffer from water shortages
this summer, but there is also a serious long-term problem
afoot. Jordan is one of three countries that depends on water
from the Jordan River basin, which includes the Dead Sea.
David Enders files this report from Amman.
[top]
Immigrants and Supporters Gather on 10th Annual Immigrants
Day (4:00)
The Senate is poised to vote by the end of this week on
its version of the controversial immigration reform bill.
Last week, the Senate approved amendments to the bill to make
English the national language, to build a 370-mile fence along
the Mexican border and to bar immigrants convicted of a felony
or three misdemeanors, including evading a deportation order,
from legalization. On Monday, hundreds of immigrants and advocates
gathered at the California state capital to mark the 10th
annual Immigrants Day, rallying in support of immigrant rights.
Ngoc Nguyen was there and files this report.
[top]
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