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> Thur., Apr. 8, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Condaleeza Rice Testifies Before 9-11 Commission
UN Spinning Condaleeza's Statements
Behind the al-Sadr Movement in Iraq
Presidential Elections in Algeria
Part 1: Afghanistan’s Booming Drug Trade: An Iranian
Perspective
FSRN Headlines
Retirement Funds Decreased in Private Sector?
Congress is poised to ease funding requirements for most of
the country's private retirement funds, despite record deficits
in many of corporate America's pension plans. Sarah Turner
with the Worker's Independent News Service has more.
Ethnic Albanians Recieve Compensation
Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are celebrating the ruling by a
High British court awarding damages for two Albanian families
whose relatives where killed by British NATO peacekeepers
in Kosovo in 1999. Jackson Allers from Pristina, Kosovo.
Factory Workers More at Risk
Health threatening accidents at chemical plants and refineries
around the United States Health are on the rise since September
11, despite industry claims of tighter safety controls. From
KPFT in Houston, Erika McDonald reports.
Union Busting at Indian Reservation Casinos
Protesting union busting tactics at Indian casinos, labor
activists, clergy and civil rights workers rallied around
the Aqua Caliente Tribe's Spa and Resort Casino today. Currently,
the tribe owned gaming facility is exempt from federal and
state standards for workers. Dolores Huerta, co-founder of
the United Farmworkers Union along with Cesar Chavez, says
employee surveillance in a casino is understandable but the
employers are also monitoring union organizing. Tribes, negotiating
with California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger, are hoping
to increase the visibility and number of slot machines at
the gaming facility in exchange for the state's request for
revenues from the Indian casinos.
[top]
Condaleeza Rice Testifies Before 9-11 Commission
(4:05)
Today National Security Advisor Condaleeza Rice testified
to the 9/11 Commission. Rice defended the Bush administration
by saying the country was not at war before 9/11 and that
the available intelligence was not specific enough to have
averted the attacks. Our DC editor Mitch Jeserich was at the
hearing and he brings us this report.
[top]
UN Spinning Condaleeza's Statements (2:08)
Meanwhile, after today’s testimony and question-answer
session of Condaleeza Rice, FSRN sought reaction from analysts
and family members of those killed in the attacks of September
11. Karen Mitchell reports from our DC bureau.
[top]
Behind the al-Sadr Movement in Iraq (4:16)
The Defense Department today announced that President Bush
is considering a proposal that will mandate some 15,000 US
troops remain in Iraq, many of whom have departure dates fast
approaching, in an effort to quash the escalating rebellion
in Iraq. Today Shiite armed supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
took control of parts of more Iraqi cities. The attacks on
the foreign troops also spread beyond just the Americans,
with eight South Koreans, three Japanese and two Israelis
kidnapped by insurgents. In a video, captors armed with automatic
rifles and swords threatened to burn the Japanese alive if
Tokyo does not withdraw from Iraq within three days. Japan
said it had no plans to pull out. Meanwhile the commander
of US-led foreign ground troops in Iraq said his forces will
crush supporters of al- Sadr, which lead our Baghdad correspondent
Aaron Glantz to investigate who makes up the Shiite movement
behind the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
[top]
Presidential Elections in Algeria (4:02)
Today Algerians went to the polls to elect a new president.
According to analysts, this election is another stage-managed
race between two candidates who will maintain the corrupt
political system that has done little to resolve the social
and economic crisis of the late 80's. And despite the army's
declared neutrality, the two main candidates have strong backing
from factions within the military establishment, as Khalid
Rais reports from Algeria.
[top]
Part 1: Afghanistan’s Booming Drug Trade: An
Iranian Perspective (4:33)
Afghan President Hamid Kharzai has wrapped up a donors conference
in Germany where he was requesting money to rebuild his still
devastated country. Kharzai said Afghanistanneeds money to
crack down on farmers who grow drugs. Many say these farmers
are starving and have little other option. Afghanistan’s
booming drug trade supplies two-thirds of the world’s
heroin and funds the insurgency against the US in Afghanistan.
But it’s neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran
that bear the greatest burden. Nearly half of the drugs pass
through the porous 570 miles of the Iranian border. As Iran
fights a losing battle with thousands of traffickers and two
million addicts, residents in the Iranian town of Taybad on
the border of Afghanistan survive on selling opium. Fariba
Nawa visited the region and brings us the first of two reports.
[top]
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