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> Wed., Apr. 14, 2004
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
Najaf Anticipates US Assault
9-11 Hearings: Cheerleaders of the Patriot Act?
Ariel Sharon in DC: New Shift in Middle East Policy
South Korean Presidential Elections
Racism in School System in Faith, South Dakota
FSRN Headlines
South Africans Go to the Polls
South Africa’s polling stations have closed for the
day and the Independent Electoral Commission says there was
a high voter turn out for the country’s third democratic
elections. Na’eem Jennah reports from Johannesburg.
Cheney Goes To China
Vice-president Dick Cheney’s stop in China today focused
mainly on Taiwan. Free Speech Radio News’ Severine Bardon
reports from Beijing.
CARICOM Nations Say US and France Blocking Probe on Aristide
Ouster
He Caribbean Nations want the UN to investigate the overthrow
of the elected Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide –
but the US and France are blocking the move. Haider Rizvi
reports from the UN.
Venezuela Recall Movement Still Afloat
Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of Venezuela's President
Chavez’s defeat of a right-wing coup attempt. Greg Wilpert
is in Caracas.
[top]
Najaf Anticipates US Assault (4:29)
Pressure is mounting on the United States and Britain over
the Fallujah onslaught. Today Human Rights Watch announced
it is launching and investigation into the accusations of
excessive force and civilian deaths in the Iraqi city. Meanwhile,
the Philippines today said that it is considering pulling
out its 100 troops from Iraq while Russia plans to dispatch
airplanes to evacuate over 800 of its nationals. This as Iraq's
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani has warned
the Occupation forces not to assault the holy cities of Karbala
and Najaf. In a statement, Sistani said the religious authority
should use its weapon to defend Iraqis rights if the Occupation
forces entered the two cities. American troops have surrounded
Najaf -- which holds the shrine of revered Imam Ali and are
threatening to invade it. From Baghdad, Aaron Glantz has the
story.
[top]
9-11 Hearings: Cheerleaders of the Patriot Act?
(3:54)
The 9/11 Commission finished its two days of public hearings
this week by questioning from CIA Director George Tenet and
FBI Director Robert Mueller. Both of them, along with most
witnesses in past the month, have praised the Patriot Act
for breaking down walls of communication between surveillance
agencies and for easing surveillance restrictions in order
to stop a potential terrorist act. However, civil liberties
groups are not as convinced. FSRN DC Editor Mitch Jeserich
reports.
[top]
Ariel Sharon in DC: New Shift in Middle East Policy
(4:00)
President Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
today at the White House where he said that Israel has a claim
on some West Bank land that Palestinians say is theirs, while
also negating any right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Today’s meeting is seen as a shift in policy that could
have major implications for Middle East peace negotiations
and Palestinian rights. We begin with Sharon speaking at a
joint White House news conference and then get reaction from
Nadia Hijab, Executive Director of the Palestine Center in
Washington, DC.
[top]
South Korean Presidential Elections (3:44)
Today South Koreans took to the polls after the opposition
controlled parliament impeached President Roh Moo-Hyun on
charges of election fraud. North Korea has been the most outspoken
about South Korean politics since the impeachment of President
Roh Moo-Hyun last month. According to some reports, the North
Korean state media has urged South Koreans to vote against
the conservative party as a change could have significant
impact on Pyongyang's aid. But since the impeachment, President
Roh’s popularity has risen among South Koreans with
massive street protests against the impeachment bill across
the country. Some South Koreans and Korean Americans say that
anti-impeachment is not pro-President Roh, but support for
the Democratic Labor party. Miae Kim reports.
[top]
Racism in School System in Faith, South Dakota
(4:09)
Faith, South Dakota, a rural community that borders the
Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, has been the center of racial
complaints over the last two months. Allegations of racial
discrimination in the Faith School system first hit the local
media in February. Within weeks, the death of a Lakota teenager
in the school’s playground added fuel to an already
simmering fire of racial unrest. FSRN correspondent Jim Kent
reports on the little town where people are reluctant to talk.
[top]
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