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"West Bank - Peace Camp Slated for Dynamiting by Israeli's"
BBSN 03-04-27 - "West Bank, Mas’ha - As of just a few minutes ago, 50-60 sticks of dynamite were in place 25 meters from the tents at Mas Ha. There are currently approximately 17 people at the camp including human rights activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), International Womens Peace Service (IWPS), local Palestinians, Israeli peace activists, and two reporters from Voice of America. The plan for the camp and the residents right now is to flatten the tents and put the mattress pads on top to keep the tent from being torn apart by the blast. The civilians there will gather their things and move out of range of the blast."

"Rights Watch Northern Iraq: Civilian Deaths Higher Since War Ended"
BBSN 03-04-27 - "Arbil, Iraq, April 27, 2003 - The number of civilians killed or wounded since the war ended in northern Iraq is higher than it was during the conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. Extensive research at five hospitals and morgues in Kirkuk and Mosul suggests that the high civilian tolls can be attributed to general lawlessness after the collapse of local authorities; the ready availability of weapons and ammunition; and the vast stores of ammunition and ammunition components left behind by the Iraqi military, including landmines, rocket-propelled grenades, and other explosives."

"Rachel Corrie Parents: Fortieth Day Anniversary Message"
BBSN 03-04-24 - "Greetings to all of our friends in the Occupied Territories. We, the parents, sister and brother of Rachel Corrie, want to thank you for all you did for Rachel while she was working in Rafah and for all you have done to honor her memory since she died on March 16. We understand that you will be remembering her especially on the fortieth day anniversary of her death. Know that we will be thinking of all of you."

"ISM: Mas'ha Peace Camp Rafah"
BBSN 03-04-22 - "Rafah April 19, 2003 - Mas'ha Peace Camp was set up three weeks ago by local Palestinian farmers, activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS), and activists from various Israeli peace groups. The Palestinian farmers are land owners whose land is being expropriated by Israel through the erection of an apartheid wall. The Mas'ha locals made a call to internationals and two weeks later, internationals from the ISM and IWPS and Israeli peace activists arrived. The Israeli government claims that this wall is for security but when you look closer, you realize that this couldn't be further from the truth. Mas'ha village is isolated and located close to the 1967 'Green Line'. Relations between Israelis and Palestinians were traditionally good, with Israelis and Palestinians shopping together in the well-known local market. During both the first and second intifada there was no resistance to the occupation from Mas'ha. Clearly, there was no security threat from the people of Mas'ha."

"ISM Activists Open Abu Holi Checkpoint Near Rafah"
BBSN 03-04-22 - "Rafah April 19, 2003 - Three ISM members based in Rafah – Alison from Scotland, Francesco from Italy and Raph from London -- arrived at Abu Holi checkpoint, the main ingress to Khan Yunis and Rafah from the north, at 3:30 this afternoon. We were greeted by a queue of 25 vehicles and a crowd of people. Those at the head of the queue told us they had been waiting since 7:00 AM in the morning. The atmosphere was one of patient frustration, nobody knowing whether there might be a brief opening to allow them through."

"ISM: Mas'ha Peace Camp Rafah"
BBSN 03-04-22 - "Rafah April 19, 2003 - Mas'ha Peace Camp was set up three weeks ago by local Palestinian farmers, activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS), and activists from various Israeli peace groups. The Palestinian farmers are land owners whose land is being expropriated by Israel through the erection of an apartheid wall. The Mas'ha locals made a call to internationals and two weeks later, internationals from the ISM and IWPS and Israeli peace activists arrived. The Israeli government claims that this wall is for security but when you look closer, you realize that this couldn't be further from the truth. Mas'ha village is isolated and located close to the 1967 'Green Line'. Relations between Israelis and Palestinians were traditionally good, with Israelis and Palestinians shopping together in the well-known local market. During both the first and second intifada there was no resistance to the occupation from Mas'ha. Clearly, there was no security threat from the people of Mas'ha."

"ISM: Two More Palestinian Children Shot for being in their Homes"
BBSN 03-04-18 - "Rafah, Gaza Strip - April 17, 2003 - At 18:00 today Israeli army parked a tank in front of the Mosque in Rafa and began firing two bursts of machine gun fire down the street. They shot 7 year old Alva Omar in the shoulder while he was inside of his home and 17 year old Ahmed Radwan who was standing in the doorway of his house. Activists from the International Solidarity Movement have accused the Israeli army of consistently parking a tank in front of this Mosque and shooting randomly down the street of a residential neighborhood. In an attempt to prevent exactly what occurred today, the ISM activists had recently planned to set up a tent on the site where the tank parks."

"Rights Watch: Post-War Oil Management Should Bolster Rights, Benefit Iraqis"
BBSN 03-04-18 - "Washington, D.C. - Iraq's oil must be managed in a transparent and accountable manner that meets humanitarian needs and ensures respect for human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 16, U.S. President George W. Bush called on the United Nations to lift economic sanctions against Iraq. But this would effectively remove U.N. oversight of Iraq's oil revenues through the Oil-for-Food program before a new and transparent regime is in place."

"NASA DELAYS SIRTF LAUNCH"
BBSN 03-04-18 - "NASA managers have decided to postpone the launch of SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket until no earlier than mid-August 2003. The delay will allow engineers enough time to change out one of the nine solid rocket motors attached to the Delta II rocket, which had multiple delaminations within the layers of material that comprise the engine-nozzle exit-cone liner."

"EAST TEXAS COLUMBIA RECOVERY SEARCH NEARS COMPLETION"
BBSN 03-04-15 - "As the Central Texas search for material from the Space Shuttle Columbia moved westward, the East Texas search began nearing completion. Air operations continued last week, and underwater searches were completed. Search teams have completed 98 percent of the underwater searches in Lake Nacogdoches and Toledo Bend Reservoir. Ground teams have completed 78 percent of their primary search area, and airborne crews finished 80 percent of their assigned area."

"Effects Based Shock and Awe Drug Policy"
BBSN 03-04-15 - "One clear line of thought has stayed on course throughout the US-Iraq war, that is "effects based operations" or targeting to accomplish the end military or political objective without obliterating everything else. It remains to be seen how at least 37,000 air "sorties" and the associated bombing will affect the worlds future after the US-Iraq War. US drug war policy for three decades has been more like the carpet bombing required in the Vietnam War to achieve a desired objective. And just like a policy of "destroy the village to save it", it's also been an utter failure."

"US to Side with Israel at UN - ISM: Where is the Outrage?"
BBSN 03-04-15 - "The United States, at the 59th Session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, said it would vote against a draft resolution on the Palestinian situation that repeatedly "strongly condemns" Israeli policies and practices. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the session, said the draft taints the United Nations itself "with bias and prejudice, polarization and mistrust."

"Rights Watch Iraq: Killings, Expulsions on the Rise in Kirkuk"
BBSN 03-04-15 - "Arbil - Dozens of civilians have been killed in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk since April 10, and looting and forced expulsions are continuing, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch said that U.S. and coalition forces have failed to bring law and order to Kirkuk and ensure the security of civilians, and therefore contravene the Geneva Convention provisions specifying the obligations of an occupying power."

"Israeli soldiers shoot another ISM activist in the head"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "Between 4:30 and 5:00 PM today Israeli snipers shot another ISM activist in the head. Tom Hundall from Manchester Britain is currently in critical condition in a helicopter on his way from Europa Hospital in Khan Younis to a hospital in Bir Sheva. He is 22 years old. According to Laura, the activists were being shot at while protecting some children from Israeli gunfire. Tom was in plain view of the sniper towers and was wearing a bright orange fluorescent jacket with reflective stripes. The nine ISM activists and many children were in the process of leaving the area. Sniper fire from the tower was hitting the wall close beside the children, who were afraid to move. Tom was attempting to bring them to safety when he was shot. There was no shooting or resistance coming from the Palestinian side at all."

"Israeli Army Shoots 2 More Civilians In Jibna, Rafah"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "Jibna, Rafah - April 10, 2003 - On the morning of April 10, Israeli soldiers shot and injured two civilian Palestinian brothers, both teenagers, in the Jibna area of Rafah, Palestinian witnesses say. According to these witnesses, at 6:00AM Mustafa Jaber, 19, was shot through the leg. Two and a half hours later his brother, Rushdi Jaber, was shot through the neck outside the local Mosque. He was walking to the Mosque to pray at the time. Rushdi is 15 years old and is in critical condition. His older brother, Mustafa, is expected to be fine. "

"PERIL IN PERU? NASA TAKES A LOOK AT MENACING GLACIER"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "An Earth-monitoring instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite is keeping a close eye on a potential glacial disaster-in-the-making in Peru's spectacular, snow-capped Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains), the highest range of the Peruvian Andes. Data from NASA's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is assisting Peruvian government officials and geologists in monitoring a glacier that feeds Lake Palcacocha, located high above the city of Huaraz, 270 kilometers (168 miles) north of Lima."

"NASA HELPS LINK GAMMA RAY BURST & SUPERNOVA"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "Scientists have discovered one of the brightest and closest gamma ray bursts on record is also a supernova. Scientists obtained the first direct evidence linking these two types of explosions, both triggered by the death of a massive star. NASA's High-Energy Transient Explorer satellite (HETE) initially detected the burst on March 29, 2003, in the constellation Leo. For more than 30 seconds, the burst outshone the entire universe in gamma rays, and its optical afterglow was still more than a trillion times brighter than the sun two hours later."

"NASA Mars Rovers Will Investigate Two Sites of Interest"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "NASA has chosen two scientifically compelling landing sites for twin robotic rovers to explore on the surface of Mars early next year. The two sites are a giant crater that appears to have once held a lake, and a broad outcropping of a mineral that usually forms in the presence of liquid water."

"Undercover Israeli Special Forces assassinate 2, injure 4"
BBSN 03-04-11 - "Tulkarem April 10, 2003 - On Thursday, On April 10, an undercover Israeli special forces team assassinated two Palestinian men in the middle of the lunchtime rush in Tulkarem’s downtown market area. The Israeli forces came dressed as civilians and were traveling in a Palestinian plated mini-van. At least two other Palestinian men were arrested, one of whom may have been injured. One man standing inside the hospital gate (approximately eighty meters away) at the time of the operation was shot in the leg."

"Rights Watch Iraq: Protect Government Archives from Looting"
BBSN 03-04-10 - "New York -- U.S. and allied forces should prevent Iraqi government offices from being ransacked because government documents will undoubtedly be key evidence in future war crimes trials, Human Rights Watch urged in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld today. Families who have been expelled from their homes, particularly from the areas around Kirkuk in northern Iraq, will also need to rely on government records to establish their property claims, ethnic identities and place of origin."

"West Bank: Israeli Bulldozers Pushing the Envelope in Mas'ha"
BBSN 03-04-09 - "Anna could hear the contractor instructing the bulldozer driver to bulldoze the camp in general and Anna in particular. I wonder if the driver who killed Rachel got an order like that. After all, he was a soldier and is supposed to just carry out orders. According to the driver himself, "I only stop if I'm ordered to stop". Instead of bulldozing either Anna or the camp, the driver today in Mas' Ha came within inches. So maybe they can see. Anna and the camp held it's ground."

"International Aspects of U.S. Energy Security"
BBSN 03-04-09 - "Alan P. Larson, Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion Washington, DC April 8, 2003. "Mr. Chairman, distinguished Committee members, I am pleased to be here today with Deputy Secretary of Energy McSlarrow to discuss the international aspects of U.S. energy security."

"Rights Watch: Iraq's Civilians Face Security Vacuum"
BBSN 03-04-09 - "New York - U.S. and coalition forces must not allow a security vacuum to develop in areas of Iraq under their occupation, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned about reports of widespread looting and lawlessness in areas outside of Iraqi government control. Human Rights Watch is also concerned about the potential for violent reprisals by Iraqi civilians against those suspected of supporting the government of Saddam Hussein."

"Rights Watch: U.S. Plans for Iraq Tribunals "A Mistake"
BBSN 03-04-08 - "Iraqis responsible for past crimes should be prosecuted before an international tribunal, not the U.S.-sponsored, Iraqi-led judicial process outlined at the Pentagon today, Human Rights Watch said. A tribunal composed of Iraqi jurists selected by the United States would not have the capacity to adjudicate the staggering scope of crimes by the Iraqi government, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes."

"Rafah - Gaza Strip: The ISM Battle of Tel Zorab"
BBSN 03-04-08 - "Yesterday in Rafah 11 ISM activists (from England, Scotland, the US and Italy) engaged in a major confrontation with the Occupying Israeli Army operating in the south of the Gaza Strip. At 5 pm the activists were having a meeting at the ISM Rafah headquarters when they received word that armoured bulldozers were demolishing Palestinian homes in the Tel Zorab area. Immediately, they broke up the meeting before scrambling to gather their equipment (fluorescent clothing, megaphones and banners) before piling into a large taxi."

"Rights Watch: Who Was Ali Hassan Al-Majid AKA "Chemical Ali"?"
BBSN 03-04-08 - "New York, April 7, 2003 - Iraqi General Ali Hassan al-Majid, a cousin of President Saddam Hussein, was the architect of the 1988 genocidal Anfal campaign against the Iraqi Kurds, which resulted in the murder and "disappearance" of some 100,000 Kurds. Al-Majid was widely known in Iraq as "Chemical Ali" for his repeated use of outlawed chemical warfare, as documented in the Human Rights Watch book on that campaign, Genocide In Iraq: The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds. He was later in charge of Iraq's brutal military occupation of Kuwait, and commanded Iraq's military forces in the south, where he was reportedly killed by U.S. and coalition forces."

"Two US Senators Call for Internationalizing the Rebuilding of Iraq"
BBSN 03-04-08 - "The war in Iraq is still on, but it's not too early to think about what the United States should do to win the peace that will follow. There may be difficult days ahead, but we are confident in the rightness of our cause, the skill of our soldiers and the certainty of our victory. Last December we traveled to northern Iraq and visited key allies in the Middle East. Nearly every leader we met stressed the importance of gaining international legitimacy for our efforts in Iraq."

"Rachel Corrie: Appeal to US Congress"
BBSN 03-04-08 - "The US Congress is currently considering a bill calling on the US government to conduct a "full, fair and expeditious investigation into the death of Rachel Corrie" who was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Rafah. To date the government has only called upon the Israelis to conduct an investigation, in spite of the Israeli military's record of using such "investigations" to white-wash similar incidents."

"Rights Watch Iraq: Soldiers Describe Mistreatment by Commanders"
BBSN 03-04-05 - "Arbil, Iraq, April 4, 2003 - Iraqi soldiers deserting their units and fleeing into Kurdish-controlled areas are escaping not just U.S. bombing raids but also ill-treatment by their own commanders, Human Rights Watch said today. Many of the 26 soldiers interviewed by Human Rights Watch in recent days spoke of extremely low pay and meager food rations in their units. Some said they had chosen to desert now because their units were beginning to retreat farther from Kurdish-controlled territory in anticipation of a joint U.S.-Kurdish advance from the north."

"American Shot in Face By Israeli Soldiers"
BBSN 03-04-05 - "Today at about 6.30 pm Brian Avery, 24, of New Mexico was shot in the face by a burst of machine gun fire from an Israeli Armoured Personnel Carrier. The circumstances surrounding his injury are as follows: Today the Israeli army of occupation operating in the Jenin area imposed its second day of curfew on the people of the city. Groups of young men and boys continued their resistance to the curfew by venturing out onto the streets to throw stones at tanks and other military vehicles."

"Thousands of New NASA Mars Global Surveyor Photos Released"
BBSN 03-04-04 - "The winds of Mars leave their marks on many of the 11,664 new pictures being posted on the Internet today by the camera team for NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission. In one image the pattern of sand dunes on a patch of southern-hemisphere desert resembles scales on a fish. On a larger scale, full-globe Mars images show wispy water ice clouds shaped by winds as the seasons change. Other new images reveal details of features such as gullies, landslides and seasonal frost."

"Rights Watch: Iraqi Landmines Found in Mosque"
BBSN 03-04-04 - "Washington, DC, April 2, 2003 -- Iraq has violated international humanitarian law by storing antipersonnel landmines inside a mosque in Kadir Karam in northern Iraq, and placing them around the mosque before abandoning the area on March 27th, Human Rights Watch said today. The British demining organization, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), reported that it entered the mosque today [April 2] and dismantled more than 150 mines."

"NASA ANNOUNCES SPACE STATION UPDATE & SPACEWALK PREVIEW"
BBSN 03-04-03 - "The progress of the sixth expedition to the International Space Station and the next spacewalk (EVA) will be discussed during a Mission Status Briefing on Monday, April 7 at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, at 11:00 a.m. (CDT); noon EDT. Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit. The crew is in the fifth month of their mission. They are due to return to Earth in May on the Soyuz vehicle currently docked to the Station."

"Tulkarem: Israeli Army Invades Refugee Camp; Stand-Off Outside Hospital"
BBSN 03-04-02 - "In the small hours of this morning the Israeli Army and border police invaded Tulkarem Refugee Camp with attack helicopters, tanks, APCs, hummers (special forces vehicles) and hundreds of soldiers and border policemen. After taking control of the camp, they began to round up the camp's entire male population between the ages of 15 and 45. At dawn the men were marched in groups to the Tulkarem Refugee Camp's School for Girls where they were held until for varying periods of time before being taken away in trucks."

"Ed Rosenthal Marijuana Mistrial Hearing Continues April 8th"
BBSN 03-04-02 - "BBSNews - 2003-04-02 -- The hearing to determine whether Judge Breyer will declare a mistrial in the case of Ed Rosenthal will continue next Tuesday, April 8th. Today Breyer heard testimony from three of the jurors about "extra-judicial" information that was discussed during and after the trial. At stake for next week is whether the juror who sought extra-judicial information, Marney Craig, will be given immunity when she testifies. Craig may be asked to give the name of the attorney she contacted, and concerns were expressed that she fears reprisal if held in contempt of court --such fines, and possibly jail -- if she withholds the name in order to protect her friend."

"Rafah: Israeli's Invade - "Bulldozers Clearing the Way"
BBSN 03-04-02 - "At about 9:30 this evening a large Israeli force of tanks, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers backed by attack helicopters began their invasion of Rafah, with the bulldozers clearing the way for the other vehicles. The seven ISM activists in Rafah (from the US and the UK) were staying in houses in danger of demolition by the Israeli Occupation forces when the invasion began. They are monitoring the invasion from the houses in which they are staying and report seeing several missiles fired from helicopters followed by explosions and hearing the sirens of Palestinian ambulances."

"Vietnam: UN Delegates Should Condemn Internet Arrests"
BBSN 03-04-01 - "BBSNews - 2003-04-01 -- New York, March 31, 2003 - Vietnam's use of espionage charges against peaceful dissidents clearly violates Vietnam's international human rights obligations and this practice should be strongly condemned by delegates at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights now meeting in Geneva, Human Rights Watch said today. "Vietnam has signed UN treaties protecting the right to free expression. Yet it's locking up citizens using the Internet to express their views," said Brad Adams, executive director for Asia at Human Rights Watch. "This is going on while Vietnam is participating in deliberations of the United Nations' highest human rights body."

"Rafah: Successful Start to Anti-Terror Campaign in Tel e-Sultan"
BBSN 03-03-31 - "Gaza Strip, Sunday - This evening 9 international activists (from the US and the UK) began a campaign against a curfew that the Israeli Army of Occupation has imposed upon the Tel e-Sultan area of Rafah for the last three weeks. The location and timing of the action was significant to the ISM because it was two weeks ago, on the 16th of March, that the American ISM activist Rachel Corrie and a 50 year old Palestinian man were murdered in Rafah by Israeli soldiers. A week prior to the murders, the Israeli Army had declared that anyone who ventured out after 6:00 pm onto the street in the Tel e-Sultan area of Rafah that faces the Al-Mawassi base would be shot on sight. The curfew time was later changed to 5:00 pm."

"Human Rights Watch: U.S. Using Cluster Munitions In Iraq"
BBSN 04-01-03 - "Washington D.C., April 1, 2003 - U.S. ground forces in Iraq are using cluster munitions with a very high failure rate, creating immediate and long-term dangers for civilians and friendly soldiers, Human Rights Watch reported today. While use of the weapon has not yet been confirmed by official U.S. military sources, it is evident from television images and stories from reporters embedded with U.S. units that U.S. forces are using artillery projectiles and rockets containing large numbers of submunitions, or cluster munitions. When these submunitions fail to explode on impact as designed, they become hazardous explosive "duds"-functioning like volatile, indiscriminate antipersonnel landmines."

"NASA DETECTS ONE OF CLOSEST AND BRIGHTEST GAMMA RAY BURSTS"
BBSN 04-01-03 - "The Universe clearly works weekends; delivering one of the brightest and closest gamma ray bursts yet on Saturday, March 29, at 6:37 a.m. EST. NASA's High-Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) detected the burst, signaling the birth of a black hole, in the constellation Leo. For more than 30 seconds, the burst out shone the entire Universe in gamma rays, and its afterglow was still over a trillion times brighter than the sun two hours later. This was the brightest burst yet detected by HETE and is in the top one percent of all bursts in terms of intrinsic brightness."