News You Might Have Missed * January 3, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 1

Wed Jan 3 14:05:59 PST 2007

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  NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 3, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 1

  Important but overlooked news from around the world.
  NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org.

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QUOTED:

    "As fishermen and residents of the area, we will be ready to die
    for this cause."

    -- A Trinidad Fishermen's Association spokesman says plans for a
    huge aluminum smelter will destroy the local fishing economy.
    (see "Alcoa's Woes," below).

THIS WEEK:

    The Bush Administration is hiring lawyers, Dubai takes heat over
    fears of terror exports, gays in Turkey face a new censorship
    push, cigarette smokers and aluminum smelters alike are mired
    in a battle of the bans, and fast-food is fingered for a surge in
    childhood kidney stones and ballooning baby fat.

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TOP STORIES
.............................................................................

  > The Bush Investigations

    Ahead of an expected surge in Democratic subpoenas, the White House
    is hiring at least four new attorneys, the Baltimore Sun reports,
    including specialists in white collar and securities investigations.
    The Sun notes that this is a far cry from the "hiring spree" that
    preceded President Bill Clinton's impeachment.

    Republican are also launching a new PR firm to support any
    other officials and corporations caught up in the probe. Bush
    spokesman Tony Snow said the agency is "certainly independent
    of the White House."

  > Palestine by the Numbers

    The human rights group B'Tselem has tallied up the human cost
    of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2006. Israeli deaths by
    terrorism dropped to 17, including one minor and six soldiers.
    In Gaza and the West Bank, the Palestinian death rate tripled to
    660, of which 141 were minors, and 322 "noncombatants."

    The Independent (U.K.) reports that the Israeli government
    doesn't dispute the numbers, but rather the use of the word
    "noncombatant."

  > The Waters of Lebanon

    Layers of sludge "as much as two meters thick" drift offshore of
    Lebanon's capital, and citizens say the decades of backed-up raw
    sewage have made the Beirut River smell "unbearable."

    Critics blame government apathy and incompetence, the Daily Star
    reports, and complain that new treatment plants are years from
    completion. One conservationist said U.S. funding for 42 wastewater
    facilities has produced only a handful that are even "partially"
    functional.

Sources:

"Bush is bracing for new scrutiny"
Baltimore Sun, December 26, 2006
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.investigate26dec26,0,7071390.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

"Palestinian death toll triples this year"
Independent (U.K.), December 30, 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2112575.ece

"Untreated waste fouls Lebanese waterways"
Lebanon Daily Star, December 29, 2006
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=78076

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WORLD
.............................................................................

  > Dubai Exports Blamed for Terror

    Citing an "alarming lack of export oversight," the U.S. accused
    the United Arab Emirates of giving Iran and Syria access to
    electronics it fears could be used by Shia militias in Iraq
    to make explosives.

    Dubai Customs denied the charge, saying that it has been
    cooperating with anti-terrorism efforts, Agence France-Presse
    reports. The customs agency also said the United States did not
    share any details about suspect shipments, and that the accused
    company did not violate any export controls or break UAE laws.

  > Former Mosque to Stay Catholic

    A plea to turn the Roman Catholic cathedral in Cordoba, Spain,
    into an ecumenical temple open to all faiths has been rejected
    as confusing, the BBC reports.

    Originally a Moorish mosque, the cathedral is a U.N. World
    Heritage Site and a tourist attraction. Spain's Islamic Board
    said security guards often prevent Muslims from praying there,
    and called for joint use to promote co-existence.

Sources:

"UAE rejects U.S. criticism on export of sensitive material"
Agence France-Presse, December 29, 2006
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=125123&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17

"Spain cathedral shuns Muslim plea"
BBC (U.K.), December 28, 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6213665.stm

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HUMAN RIGHTS
.............................................................................

  > Gay Censorship Battles in Turkey

    As its editor stands trial on morality charges, Turkey's only
    gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine said in a statement that the
    action negates freedom of speech of all homosexuals. The magazine,
    published by an NGO previously threatened with closure, ran a
    special edition in July on pornography, Adnki.com reports.

  > Philippines Named "Housing Rights Violator"

    Hundreds of thousands of the poorest Filipinos have been evicted
    or made homeless, according to Bulatlat magazine, as polluted,
    crowded shantytowns are privatized, occupied by troops and
    demolished. An activist group say the government allows "systematic"
    violation of housing rights across the country.

  > Bahrain Labor Law Ignored

    Dozens of migrant workers in Bahrain have been injured or killed
    after being hurled from the backs of open trucks in traffic
    accidents, Gulf News reported. An activist says a ban on such
    transport practices is routinely ignored.

Sources:

"Turkey: Editor of gay magazine to stand trial"
ADNKronos International (Italy), December 27, 2006
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.371356085&par=0

"'Enforce ban on firms transporting workers in open vehicles'"
Gulf News (United Arab Emirates), December 30, 2006
http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10092966.html

"RP is 2006 housing rights violator"
Bulatlat (Philippines), December 31-January 6, 2007
http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-47/6-47-up.htm

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SMOKING BANS
.............................................................................

  > Butts Out Around The World?

    In Hong Kong, a longtime smoker insists his regular chess games in
    the park will remain tobacco-friendly, despite government promises
    to enforce a new ban on lighting up outdoors.

    Ohio bar owners had mixed reactions, from disdainful to supportive,
    to a shipment of empty matchboxes listing a suicide hotline phone
    number, and promoting a new smoking ban there.

    And in Pennsylvania, a pair of bar and cafe owners backed by R.J.
    Reynolds lost a lawsuit claiming a local smoking ban hurt their
    businesses, and violated a weaker state law. The judge suspended
    the ban until May, asking legislators to clarify the situation.

Sources:

"Smoker ready to defy ban in parks"
The Standard (China), December 29, 2006
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=34980&sid=11523984&con_type=1

"Bar, restaurant patrons can smoke till May"
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 23, 2006
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_485550.html

"Campaign: Smoking ban not matter of life, death"
Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 23, 2006
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1166866974220980.xml&coll=2

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ALCOA'S WOES
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  > "We will be ready to die for this cause"

    A year of "stormy protests" has caused Alcoa to scuttle a proposed
    $1.5 billion aluminum smelter in Trinidad, Reuters reports. New
    plans to build the plant further south have prompted equally fierce
    opposition by villagers afraid that pollution and emissions would
    devastate the local fishing economy.

    In Texas, a labor union is feeling the effects of an air pollution
    lawsuit that has forced Alcoa to decommission and upgrade a power
    plant there.

Sources:

"Alcoa smelter gets cold shoulder in Trinidad"
Reuters, December 29, 2006
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=39650&newsdate=29-Dec-2006

"Alcoa to shut down three units of power plant"
Temple Daily Telegram (TX), December 29, 2006
http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2006/12/29/37204

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FAST-FOOD CHILDHOOD
.............................................................................

  > A Plague of Baby Fat and Kidney Stones

    A third of America's three-year-olds are overweight, largely among
    low-income families without easy access to fresh fruits and
    vegetables, the Boston Globe reports. But the problem is deepened
    by sedentary lifestyles, and poor examples offered by obese adults.

    Doctors say the fast-food habit may also be causing a surge in
    childhood kidney stones. The painful condition, usually only found
    in adults, is often caused by an excess of salt and lack of water,
    according to the Baltimore Sun.

Sources:

"Obesity battle starts young for urban poor"
Boston Globe, December 29, 2006
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/12/29/obesity_battle_starts_young_for_urban_poor/

"For children, a painful trend"
Batimore Sun, December 29, 2006
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.kidney29dec29,0,7029664.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

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Editors: Julia Scott and Josh Wilson
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