• Minnesota Tribes Express Concern About New Border-Crossing ID Requirements
• Judge Rules Interior Department "Unreasonably Delayed" Indian Trust Fund Accounting
• Republicans Debate One Last Time Before Super Tuesday
• Israeli Supreme Court Rules Fuel Restriction Not Causing a Crisis in Gaza
  
• Wheat Shortage in Pakistan Threatens Country's Food Supply
• United Airlines Mechanics Prepare to Vote to Join the Teamsters

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• Army Suicides at Record Level
• Families of Indian Farmers Who Have Committed Suicide March for Debt Relief
• 1,500 Arrested in South African Church Raid
• HRW Annual Report Criticizes US Backing of Undemocratic Regimes
• New Biolab at Lawrence Livermore Worries Some Local Residents

A Minnesota tribe is raising concerns
about new boarder crossing rules. Starting January 31st, all people
traveling into the United States will be expected to carry a passport
or an accepted form of photo identification and proof of citizenship
– like a driver's license and birth certificate. This change is
part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that is set to go
into full effect in June of 2009. W-T-I-P's Barbara Jean Meyers has
more.

Nine-thousand 3-hundred United Airlines
mechanics are set to vote on whether they want to leave the Aircraft
Mechanics Fraternal Association in favor of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters. Several disgruntled mechanics have said the
Teamsters would better represent their interests. But the Mechanic's
union could face desertification if they don't get a 50 percent
majority to favor the move. Correspondent Max Pringle reports.

A federal judge ruled yesterday on a
long-standing lawsuit filed by Indian landowners against the Interior
Department. The lawsuit alleged the Department mismanaged Indian
trust funds – to the tune of 100-billion dollars. The federal judge
ruled the Interior Department "unreasonably delayed" its
accounting for the money. The judge partly blamed Congress for not
appropriating sufficient funds to figure out where the missing money
went. A hearing will be scheduled in the next month to discuss ways
to solve the accounting shortcomings. In an interesting historical
side note, the original judge assigned to the case, Judge Royce
Lamberth, was removed by US Court of Appeals. The Court claimed he
lost objectivity after he issued a ruling saying the Interior

The Israeli Supreme Court reaffirmed
yesterday its November 2007 ruling that Israeli cuts of Gaza's power
and fuel supplies does not harm the civilian life of the population –
and Israel's methods do not have to be altered. The court responded
to a petition filed by 10 human rights groups. The Israeli government
has argued the fuel limitations will create popular pressure against
Palestinian militants, who continue to fire rockets at Israel –
arguably because of Israeli sanctions against Gaza. FSRN's Rami
Almeghari has more.