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> Fri., June. 27, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Medicare Bill Before Conference Committee
Oil in Chad
Kashmiri Voices Forgotten in Conflict
Racism Dictates City Construction Contracts
IMF Pressures Turkey
Medicare Bill Before Conference Committee
11 Democrats this morning voted against a Medicare prescription
drug bill saying that it held only “empty promises”
for senior citizens. This as the Medicare bill is now behind
closed doors in Congress, having passed through both chambers
of Congress it is now up to the Conference Committee to hash
out the differences in the bill. Democrats accuse Republicans
of trying to privatize Medicare. Host Deepa Fernandes spoke
with Mark Weisbrot is the co- director of the Center for Economic
and Policy Research.
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Oil in Chad
President Bush yesterday called for Liberian president Charles
Taylor to step down while various media reports today are
suggesting there is a possibility of US troops being sent
to the African nation. With Bush scheduled to travel to Africa
next month, many Africa policy experts are questioning this
sudden public US interest in the African continent, Bush yesterday
also pledged about $US100 million to help Kenya and other
countries fight terrorism and told African business executives
that trade is the most powerful engine for fighting poverty
on the continent. Oil exploitation in Africa is undoubtedly
one area that the Bush Administration is tapping into, with
ongoing controversy regarding projects in Angola, Nigeria,
Equatorial Guinea, Congo Brazzaville and Sudan. However, in
Chad, where significant reserves of oil have been found in
the south of the country, a new World Bank-sponsored approach
has been adopted for the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline, which
will go into operation later this year. Chad is a very poor
country, where 75% of the population go without access to
health-care or potable water, and with an annual capita income
of $230. So any oil revenue accrued by the government could
be of massive benefit to the nation. Yet, controversy nevertheless
rages over the social and environmental impact of the project.
Rupert Cook reports.
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Kashmiri Voices Forgotten in Conflict
In meetings between President George Bush and Pakistani
president General Pervez Musharraf at Camp David this week,
the two presidents have focused on the need for bilateral
talks between India and Pakistan. The US announced that Musharraf
has committed to “a hundred percent effort” to
stop cross border terrorism, which India accuses Pakistan
of perpetrating across the shared border into Kashmir. But
as preparations continue for talks between India and Pakistan,
Kashmiri separatist groups are demanding a seat at the table.
They insist Kashmir is not a part of either India or Pakistan.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, one of the leading
separatist organizations in Kashmir, has started a campaign
to involve the voices of the Kashmiri people. Shahnawaz Khan
reports.
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Racism Dictates City Construction Contracts
Yesterday, black representatives of Seattle's construction
industry and community allies, held a demonstration in front
of the city's mass transit agency, Sound Transit, to protest
the way in which federally funded contracts are awarded. Members
of the group say the that over 97% of the city's construction
contracts go to white, male owned companies, pointing to a
"pattern and practice" of discrimination. Members
of Seattle's Black Contractors Assoc. call the problem systemic,
and say it is totally unacceptable. If the issues are not
addressed, the group threatens to shut down job sites, one
at a time. Correspondent Martha Baskin has the story from
Seattle.
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IMF Pressures Turkey
The International Monetary Fund is stepping up its pressure
on Turkey to privatize its economy. Speaking at an economic
forum in Mediterranean port Antalya Tuesday, the IMF's Turkey
Representative Odd Per Brekk demanded Turkey act more quickly
to restructure its economy as it tries to pay off the country's
more than $100 billion debt. Even before the new IMF pressure,
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party had already
decided to freeze wages and speed up the country's privatization
process. But as Ezgi Saritas reports from Izmir, trade unions
are taking to the streets in protest
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