Death toll continues to rise in Iraq
On Sunday, the third anniversary of the war in Iraq was marked by more killing in the war-torn nation and protests throughout the world.
The war has cost the lives of at least 2,314 American servicemen to date. President Bush has said that about 30,000 Iraqis have been killed; however, this figure is far lower than estimates from other groups.
Sectarian violence also continues to plague the country with drive-by shootings, kidnappings and execution-style murders, which have escalated since the bombing of a Shiite shrine on Feb. 22. This has led politicians in and out of Iraq to claim the country is in a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. The Bush administration and U.S. military, however, paint a different picture.
“We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more,” Ayad Allawi, the former Iraqi interim prime minister, said to the British Broadcasting Corporation. “If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is.”
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of anti-war protesters gathered on streets in the United States, Europe and Asia. However, these numbers were lower than expected and a far cry from the millions who gathered to protest the war at its onset and first anniversary.
Source: The Associated Press
Labor unions in France picket against unjust firing practices
Political unrest is once again sweeping across France as about a half a million people hit the picket lines Saturday in response to a new law making it possible for businesses to fire anyone without cause within two years of employment. The volatile situation could worsen as labor unions threatened a one-day general strike across the nation. Meanwhile, opposition socialist leaders have warned the protests could intensify.
“When youths take to the street, you don’t know what can happen,” said socialist party spokesperson Julien Dray according to the AP. “By digging in its heels, the government is creating the conditions for troubles (that can have) dramatic consequences.”
Currently, worker protections in France are strong, making it difficult to fire employees once they are hired. Some politicians argue that by making it easier to terminate workers, companies will be less wary to hire more workers.
Unemployment rates in France are around 23 percent for young people – a figure that skyrockets to 50 percent in depressed, ethnic suburbs, which were the locations of weeks of rioting last year.
Source: the AP
-Compiled by Senior Staff Writer Michael Tracy
