NYMHM: Beyond Abu Ghraib; Democrats' high-pork diet; Mexico stung by a sting

Wed Jul 18 15:10:07 PDT 2007

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 NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * July 18, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 29

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

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QUOTED: 

   "What is ironic is that at the same time lawmakers were crowing
   about no earmarks this year, they were surreptitiously drowning 
   agency heads in funding requests." 

   -- Government watchdog Steve Ellis says Democrats in Congress 
   didn't go easy on the pork after all (see "Top Stories," below). 

CONTENTS:

   *Top Stories*
     A Mexican drug sting bites back
     Abu Ghraib: the tip of the iceberg? 
     Democratic Congress: No skimping on the pork

   *War & Terrorism*
     Iraqi fatalities on the rise amid checkpoints, eye scans

   *Law & Justice* 
     Joseph Koney: Wanted for war crimes, betting on settlement 

   *Environment & Health*
     Bottled water revolt gathers steam

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TOP STORIES
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 > Mexican Drug Sting Bites Back

   A drug bust that netted $205 million gave Mexican President 
   Felipe Calderon bragging rights back in March, but has since 
   turned into a PR nightmare. 

   Zhenli Ye Gon, a Chinese immigrant and Mexican national, was 
   accused of importing tons of methamphetamine ingredients, but 
   turned the tables by claiming that the money was actually 
   illegal campaign cash, and that Calderon's operatives 
   threatened to ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004334.html 

 > Abu Ghraib: The Tip of the Iceberg?

   An exhaustive series of interviews with 50 Iraq war veterans by 
   two reporters with the liberal news magazine The Nation reveals 
   that attacks on innocent civilians are much more common than U.S.
   media suggest. They tell stories of living in constant fear of 
   IEDs, and a devolving view of Iraqi civilians who are 
   increasingly treated as "less human than us" ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004338.html

 > Democratic Congress: No Skimping on the Pork

   A report from the Center for Investigative Reporting exposes the
   hypocrisy of Democratic claims that the $463.5-billion spending 
   bill they passed in February was "earmark-free," or free of any 
   specific pork-barrel project money for their home states. 

   But within days of the bill passing, Democrats deluged ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004339.html

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WAR & TERRORISM
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 > Iraqi Fatalities on the Rise Amid Checkpoints, Eye Scans

   American checkpoints and database ID programs seek to stem the
   tide of insurgent attacks ripping through Iraqi society. 

   But the bolstered security programs come at a human cost.  

   U.S. soldiers have killed or wounded 429 Iraqi civilians at 
   checkpoints since June 2006, according to statistics obtained 
   exclusively by McClatchy News Service. The number has risen 
   each month even as more U.S. troops pour into Iraq ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004335.html

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LAW & JUSTICE
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 > Joseph Kony: Wanted for War Crimes, Betting on a Settlement 

   It was Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni who triggered the 
   indictment of Joseph Kony and other former leaders of the 
   Lord's Resistance Army by the International Criminal Court 
   in 2003. 

   Now Museveni wants the court to drop the charges, to the 
   consternation of the international community. Rather than 
   jeopardize the ongoing peace talks with Kony and his officers,
   who face 33 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, 
   Museveni offered ... 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004336.html

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ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
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 > Bottled Water Revolt Gathers Steam

   Green-minded cities around the world are encouraging
   residents to trade in their bottled water for tap water, 
   which is often the same thing. 

   The City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed a resolution 
   banning the use of bottled water at ... 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004337.html

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Editor: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson
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