News in Brief: Census Results May Spell Bad News for Kucinich, and More

Census Results May Spell Bad News for Kucinich

Representative Dennis Kucinich may lose his House seat, according to The Hill. With Ohio losing two seats because of Census numbers, Kucinich told the newspaper, “My district could be absorbed into many other districts. It could literally disappear or I could end up with a new district with a core of my district intact.”

Kucinich says he respects the redistricting process. However, with Ohio Republicans in charge of both the Governor’s mansion and the Legislature next year, “redistricting lines will be drawn to favor GOP candidates,” according to The Hill.

Palestinians Take Israeli Settlement Fight to UN

Palestinians will bring their battle with Israel over settlements in the occupied territories to the United Nations, The Associated Press reports. According to the AP, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, “said that shortly after the New Year the Palestinians’ Arab allies would present a resolution that will ‘declare that the Israeli settlement building is illegal and must be stopped immediately.'” While the Palestinians do not think the resolution will amount to much, they nonetheless hope it sends “a tough message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they believe is not serious about pursuing peace.”

UN Reports Worsening Security in Afghanistan While Government Condemns Deadly Night Raid

Democracy Now! reports that “newly disclosed records show violence has increased in key areas across Afghanistan this year.” Southern Afghanistan, where “most of the fighting between the US-led NATO force and militants has taken place,” is said to be the most destabilized region.

DN! also reports that the Afghan government has condemned a deadly NATO-led night raid that killed two people in Kabul. While US officials said they targeted the building based on credible intelligence, “the Afghan government says two security guards were killed without provocation after foreign troops surrounded the compound.”

In Mexican Border Town, Last Police Officer Disappears

The last remaining police officer in the Mexican border town of Guadalupe is missing, the AP reports. Twenty-eight-year-old police officer Ericka Gandara of the border town of Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico has been missing since December 23. She is suspected to have been kidnapped by drug cartels, which are fighting the police in “bloody battles for control of the Juarez Valley where Guadalupe is located.”