Archive - Nov 19, 2007

• Kurdish Leaders from Iraq Intensify Efforts to Boost Oil Revenues
• US Army Recruiters Encounter Resistance in US High Schools
• IPCC Releases Final Report, Ahead of International Summit on Carbon Emissions
• Congress Takes a Break, Leaves Much Work Incomplete
• Israeli Travel Restrictions Leave Palestinians Struggling to Get Timely Medical Care

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• STACKED PAKISTANI SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS MUSHARREF
• FRENCH STRIKE CONTINUES
• ANTI WAR ACTIVIST OUSTED FROM CANADA
• MARYLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT FORCES IMMUNIZATIONS
• SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS ANNUAL PROTEST

Military official argue that violence in Iraq has dropped 55 percent
since the US troop surge. They also claim civilian casualties are down
3-quarters and that attacks on US troops last week were at their lowest
levels since January 2007.

Despite this, violence levels in Northern Iraq remain high – and the
military says the cause is Al Qaeda forces fleeing the central part of
the country. This comes as the Regional Government of Northern Iraq is
attempting to restart its oil industry.

Congress is now on its two week Thanksgiving recess. They left
several important and contentious pieces of legislation on their plates
when they left the Capitol. And they only have one month left before
winter break when they come back.

FSRN Correspondent Matt Laslo has this report on what Congress has
been up to, and what they still need to do before the New Year rolls in.

On Saturday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released
a major report – summarizing all their findings on global warming
released in the last year. The report not only coalesced the scientific
aspects of the United Nation's Sponsored Body's work, but it creates a
roadmap for policy-makers to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The IPCC released the Synthesis report ahead of a summit on climate
change, scheduled to begin on December 3rd in Bali, Indonesia. The
Indonesian meetings are intended to pick up where the Kyoto Protocol
left off.

Democratic Senator John Kerry says a Congressional delegation is
planning to attend the meeting to show there are forces in the United
States that support the organization's work.

Although it isn't over yet, 2007 has already become the deadliest
year for American troops in Iraq. As the conflicts grind on, the U.S.
military needs to find replacements for the nearly 3 thousand, nine
hundred men and women in uniform who have died. Tens of thousands of
soldiers have been severely injured or finished their military hitches
and not re-enlisted.

On top of this loss of military personnel, the number of U.S. Army
soldiers going AWOL has jumped 80 percent since the United States
invaded Iraq. The Pentagon announced this weekend that about 4,700
soldiers deserted this year – a 42 percent jump since just 2006.

Without a draft, recruiters are looking to replace these lost soldiers in high schools all over the country.

A 12-year-old sick boy died today at Gaza Children's Hospital after
his referral to treatment outside the region had been delayed. This,
because Israel has tightened controls on the movement of Gaza
residents, calling them a "hostile entity." Today's is the sixth
medical death in the past few months linked to Israeli restrictions on
travel.

FSRN's Rami Al-Meghari has more.