What's in the News?

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I've been struck the last two days by things in the news. Some of them are contradictory, some may be sending vague signals, and some are just "huh?". So here goes.

The Contradictory
Labor Board Says Graduate Students at Private Universities Have No Right to Unionize. Yep, the National Labor Relations Board decided that the rapidly growing graduate student labor union has no right to organize at private colleges. The Republican-controlled board reversed an earlier decision by claiming that the graduate student workers were essentially students and not employees. Meanwhile to the south, Peru hit by major workers' strike. Over 150 unions are on strike against the "free market economic policies" of President Alejandro Toledo. It is estimated that some 300,000 protesters and 93,000 police were on the streets.

Bush is being roundly criticized for the US slowness (and lack of generosity) in dealing with the global AIDS epidemic. The Bus policy is largely conditioned on requiring programs to focus on abstinence as the primary way to stop the spread of AIDS. However, the UK has jumped ship - Minister rejects Bush reliance on abstinence, and backs generics use. This is truly an exploding tragedy which is reinforced by the finding that AIDS has reduced life expectancy in Africa to 33 years.

Is There a Message Here?
In a surprising move (to me), the House Votes to Block Aid for Saudi Arabia. Aid for Saudi Arabia was removed from a foreign aid bill because Representatives felt that the Saudis have "not been sufficiently cooperative in the U.S. war on terror." Well that should go down well at the "family dinner."

Also in a show of nose thumbing, the Senate Approves Tobacco Buyout and New Curbs. The vote comes the day after President Bush said that he did not support ending the current tobacco quota system that has been in place since the 1930's. The Senate measure passed by a large margin (78-15). The House has a similar, though less restrictive Bill moving through. Before we read too much into this, the bill(s) will most likely do little for small (independent) farmers, but will help out corporate tobacco - Phillip Morris in particular.

The buyout has been criticized as a boon for the rich since a recent analysis of the House plan by the Environmental Working Group found that more than 400 large quota holders would receive $1 million or more and that 10 percent of those eligible would receive 67 percent of the money.

The Senate plans to fund the buyout with assessments on manufacturers and importers; the House plans to use cigarette tax revenue.

A UK study warns the children should be limited to one hour of TV viewing a day or risk "being overweight, having high cholesterol, and poor cardiovascular fitness." Hey, let's just call it "couch potato syndrome."

After numerous delays, NASA Finally Launches Aura Probe. The purpose of the probe is to study provide a detailed study of Earth's atmosphere. The data is seen as critical for determining the processes, causes and effects of pollution global warming.

The mission seeks to improve understanding of how pollutants spread globally, to determine whether the stratospheric ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation, is recovering from depletion by manmade chemicals, and how Earth's climate is the changing as its atmosphere is altered.

Huh?
Goesh threw this one into comments yesterday, and I agree it is weird - 'Mossad spies' jailed over New Zealand passport fraud. "(U)p to four Israeli agents, who had attempted to create a false identity for 36-year-old Zev Barkan, another suspected Israeli spy, using a fraudulent birth certificate, a fake voicemail message and letter box, and concocted medical symptoms." Why in the world are agents of Mossad trying to infiltrate New Zealand? Who knows, but "Silvan Shalom, the Israeli foreign minister, said Israel was disappointed with New Zealand's reaction." Excuse me?! Israeli spies are trying to operate undercover, and illegally in New Zealand without the knowledge or permission of the NZ government, and Shalom is disappointed they chose to arrest these folks?

Israel also made the news on the leak that Israel plans to stop burial of Arafat at holy site. Apparently, Israel doesn't want hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Jerusalem to bury Arafat when he dies.

n the scenario outlined by the document, the Palestinian Authority could collapse and militant Islamic groups such as Hamas could seek to take control of the Palestinian government apparatus from their bases in the refugee camps.

According to reports of the leak, the document says exceptional steps may have to follow Mr Arafat's death - including a "broad" military operation in the Gaza Strip.

And Whoops, Israelis fired on food convoy. Israeli forces fired on a UN relief convoy in the Gaza Strip. The convoy included UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen, who had coordinated with Israel on the trip. The attack occurred after the food and supplies had been delivered, and Hansen and personnel took cover in nearby homes. They contacted an Israeli liaison officer, and the convoy was allowed to leave after about 30 minutes.

This can't possibly signal good news in Iraq - Iraq Premier Forms Security Service to 'Annihilate' Terrorists.

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi of Iraq on Thursday announced the establishment of an Iraqi security service to "annihilate" terrorist groups in his country, appealed to countries with large Muslim populations to send troops to Iraq and sought to dissuade any countries from negotiating with hostage-takers.

Allawi refused to elaborate on the security division, but in an effort to reassure Iraqi's stated:

In an apparent effort to allay fears that the agency would be a reincarnation of Saddam Hussein's feared secret police, the interior minister, Falah al-Naqib, told reporters that the agency would be staffed by professionals with "clean hands."

Posted by rowan at July 16, 2004 05:09 PM | TrackBack | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |