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> Thur., Mar. 25, 2004
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
CARICOM Meets About Haiti
Colombian President Uribe Visits DC
Human Costs of Plan Colombia
9/11 Families Want Answers
Disability Rights Advocates Converge on DC
Update on Keyse Jama Deportation Case
FSRN Headlines
Call for Coup of Pakistan President Musharraf
A tape, purportedly the voice of the number-two man in Al-Qaida,
Ayman Al-Zawahri, has surfaced -- and is calling on Pakistanis
to get rid of self proclaimed President Musharraf. Last week
the Pakistani military claimed to have Zawahri surrounded
in a small village, launched missiles to flush him out, only
to find he escaped in a maze of tunnels. Pakistani media are
reporting a serious deadlock in the Waziristan jirga where
a new and bloodier fight is expected to start in the next
24 hours with serious chances of spillover into the rest of
the country. The Pakistani army has challenged to wipe out
an entire sub-tribe, as a result of this threat. Zawahri's
message is an important development in light of the upcoming
South Asian games to begin on March 29th. Today the Pakistani
Interior Ministry issued a report that the city of Islamabad
and its airport have been placed on red alert. Paramilitary
and regular troops are patrolling the capital and the government
is anticipating an attack to stop or postpone the event.
Tony Blair to Libya
Tony Blair is making history today as the first British Prime
Minster to set foot on Libyan soil since Winston Churchill
in 1943. Naomi Fowler reports from London.
Shell To Lay Off Workers in Nigeria
Shell Petroleum, the Anglo Dutch oil Company, is set to lay
off 20-percent of its work force in Nigeria. But the company's
Nigerian workers say they will resist the plan. Sam Olukoya
reports from Lagos.
US to Veto UN Condemnation of Hamas Leader
At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte is
poised to veto a Security Council resolution condemning the
Israeli government’s assassination of a senior Hamas
leader. Haider Rizvi reports from the U.N.
Yucca Mountain's Funding Examined
Funding for the nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain was scrutinized
today on Capitol Hill. Celie Jenkins reports from D.C.
[top]
CARICOM Meets About Haiti (2:00)
Today, the Associated Press reports that, according to Jamaican
officials, exiled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
will take permanent asylum in South Africa - but not until
it holds general elections next month. Meanwhile, as Jamaican
Prime Minister PJ Patterson hands over the chairmanship of
Caricom to Antigua and Barbuda's new Prime Minister, Baldwin
Spencer, at the community’s Fifteenth Inter-Sessional
Meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis tonight, Aristide’s temporary
asylum and the debate about interim Haitian Prime Minister,
Gerard Latortue’s presence at the meeting are expected
to dominate the talks. FSRN talked with Andaiye, a member
of the Global Women’s Strike, who told FSRN what grassroots
movements like hers were calling on their governments to do.
[top]
Colombian President Uribe Visits DC (3:51)
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe leaves Washington today
after his fifth visit to Washington in his 18 months in office.
Uribe met with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary
of State Colin Powell and had brief meetings with members
of Congess. He also met with President George W. Bush, who
renewed his commitment to free trade negotiations with Uribe
and an extension of aid for the U-S-backed Plan Colombia.
While this aid will increase this year, there were questions
for Uribe about his administration’s human rights record.
David Enders reports from Washington D-C.
[top]
Human Costs of Plan Colombia (3:39)
One of Uribe’s objectives in Washington is to renew
Plan Colombia, the $2.5 billion dollar package of military
equipment and training, aerial fumigations and social investments
- that ends in September next year. Colombia’s foreign
minister Carlona Barco said that one of Uribe’s messages
in Washington is –“ continue following us and
let’s finish this job well’. However, while Uribe
some of his ministers lobby the Bush administration to fund
a newer version of the Plan until 2009, many Colombians who
have suffered 3 and 1/2 years of the US-sponsored anti-drug
project say that Plan Colombia is a failed attempt on all
counts. Nicole Karsin files this report.
[top]
9/11 Families Want Answers (2:00)
This week the 9/11 Commission heard long awaited testimony
from some of the top officials from both the Clinton and Bush
administrations. However, as Karen Mitchell reports from our
DC Bureau, several family members of 9/11 victims still have
many questions still left unanswered.
[top]
Disability Rights Advocates Converge on DC
(3:42)
This week several hundred people with disabilities converged
on the nation's Capitol to protest what they call the federal
government's bias of placing people who need living assistance
into institutions and nursing homes. On Monday the demonstrators
temporarily shut down the Department of Human Services building
and on Tuesday 129 people were arrested for acts of civil
disobedience on Capitol Hill. Mitch Jeserich has more from
Washington DC.
[top]
Update on Keyse Jama Deportation Case (3:41)
The case of a Minneapolis Somali man who was arrested nearly
four years ago could affect thousand of immigrants in the
US. The High Court made the announcement on February 24th
regarding the immigration case of Keyse Jama. Jamas’
case has been the center of conflicting Federal opinions.
Now Jama vs. INS will decide whether he and other Somalis
can be deported back to Somalia – even though the war-torn
country has no US-recognized government. From KFAI in Minneapolis,
Carey Biron and Kristin Lerstrom have the story.
[top]
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