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> Fri., Apr. 18, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Chaos in Baghdad
Bush Administration and Muslims
Nigerian Elections Tomorrow
IMF Squeezing Turkey
Seattle Man Free
Chaos in Baghdad (1:56)
Tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad
today following morning prayers to protest the US occupation
as the United states works to install an interim military
government. The Guardian reports that Iranian President Mohammad
Kahatmi accused the United States of “taking an aggressive
stance” saying that Tehran “ will not recognize
a US installed administration in Iraq.” This, on the
heels of a discovery of a mass grave, containing at least
1500 bodies outside of the northern Iraqi town of Kirkukk.
Human rights groups suspect the graves hold the bodies of
Kurds. Meanwhile Baghdad is in chaos, most of the population
don’t have water or electricity, US bombing has destroyed
the telephone networks and many public buildings, and looting
has destroyed much of what was left. Tony Cross reports from
the wreck on the Iraq capital.
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Bush Administration and Muslims (4:20)
Today Good Friday religious services at the Pentagon were
delivered by the Christian Evangelist Franklin Graham, the
Son of the Reverend Billy Graham. Many Muslim groups have
expressed outrage at what they say amounts to a government
endorsement of an influential religious leader who claimed
shortly after the September 11th attacks that Islam is a "
very evil and wicked religion". Nadja Middleton looks
at the difficulties the US government is having in winning
over the hearts and minds of Muslims.
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Nigerian Elections Tomorrow (4:58)
Tomorrow Presidential elections will be held in Nigeria.
The two Presidential front runners, current President Olusegun
Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari are both former military rulers
of Nigeria. Their prominence in these elections has spurred
criticism that democracy has yet to take root in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria is the 6th largest exporter of oil in the
world, the country is among the 25 poorest countries in the
world. And has some of the lowest living standards in Africa.
Nigeria depends on crude oil exports for more the 95% of its
export income. The revenue produced in Nigeria stays mainly
in the hands of a small elite, which as Dena Montague reports
from Lagos, makes many Nigerians wonder if oil politics will
lead to the failure of democracy.
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IMF Squeezing Turkey (4:43)
The IMF's executive board met today to approve a new installment
of 700 million dollars to Turkey as part of the $1.6 billion
IMF agreement. Signed last week, Turkey agreed to stick to
economic reforms demanded by the IMF which many have said
will force Turkey to privatize public utilities, sell off
forests and cut jobs. While the agreement is meant to pull
the country out of recession after two serious financial crises,
as Ozlem Sariyildiz reports from Ankara, Turks are worried
this IMF deal will hit the poor hardest.
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Seattle Man Free (3:40)
In a surprising about face, Justice Department lawyers this
week dismissed all terrorist conspiracy charges against James
Ujaama, an African-American held in a Seattle federal detention
center since last summer. In exchange for a plea agreement,
the government charged Ujaama with what he'd admitted doing
all along - providing support for a girl's school and other
charitable causes within Afghanistan. The law the prosecution
relied on, the International Economic Emergency Powers Act,
was not raised in the case until recently. The law was amended
in 1999 to make it a crime for US citizens to contribute goods,
technology or other services directly to Taliban controlled
Afghanistan. From Seattle, Martha Baskin has this story.
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