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> Fri., May 7, 2004
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
Rumsfeld Testifies About Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
Fallujah on Alert to Resist any US Patrols
Religious Clashes Kill Over 600 in Nigeria
Inside an Indian Outsourced Call Center
Police Investigation of Thai Violence
FSRN Headlines
FL Officials to Disqualify Felon Voters- Again
Florida state officials are being vigilant about removing
convicted felons from voting rolls leading up to another anticipated
Presidential election. Poll watchers say as many as 40-thousand
people will be disenfranchised, many of them African-American
and Democratic voters. Mitch Perry reports from WMNF in Tampa.
Kosovo Peacekeepers Promoting Sex Trade?
A scathing 56-page report released by Amnesty International
accuses the United Nations and NATO peacekeepers of "propping
up" the sex trade and trafficking of women in Kosovo.
Fatima Kataline has more from Pristina.
A Million Displaced by Sudan Conflict
Senior United Nations officials are urging members to support
efforts in Sudan where at least 1-million people have been
displaced in a bloody ethnic conflict. At the U.N., Haider
Rizvi reports.
Germany Producing GM Crops
Secret farm projects throughout Germany are producing genetically
modified crops in no less than 7 of the country's 16 states.
Martin Vogl reports from
Cologne.
SD Court Rules Gov. Rulings be made Public
The South Dakota high court ruled pardons issued by the governor
must be made public. Jim Kent reports from Pierre.
[top]
Rumsfeld Testifies About Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
As Britain is investigating fresh charges of abuse of Iraqi
prisoners after a newspaper interviewed a soldier who said
he had witnessed savage beatings, today Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld testified to two Congressional committees
over the US abuse of Iraqi detainees. Rumsfeld, despite reports
otherwise, indicated that abuse of Iraqi detainees is not
widespread and that detainees and civilians have been treated
in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. However in the
exchange that follows, Rumsfeld tells Senator Ben Nelson that
last night he saw more photos indicating that the world had
yet to see the worst. But questions not answered during the
hearings covered exactly what roles private contractors played
in the abuses. Mitch Jeserich reports.
[top]
Fallujah on Alert to Resist any US Patrols
The UN Security Council has started unofficial talks on
issuing a new decision supporting the formation of a new Iraqi
provisional government and the situation of the American occupation
forces after handing over the authority officially on June
30. This as the UN special envoy to Iraq, al-Akhader al-Ibraheimi,
arrived in Baghdad yesterday to continue his consultations
to form this provisional government. Meanwhile two foreign
journalists - a Pole and his Algerian colleague - were killed
in a shooting ambush south of Baghdad today. And while US
troops conduct offensive operations against rebel cleric Moqtada
Al-Sadr in cities south of Baghdad, residents of Fallujah,
to the west of the capital, say they will fight again if Marines
attempt to patrol their city. David Enders reports from Fallujah.
[top]
Religious Clashes Kill Over 600 in Nigeria
Authorities in Nigeria have issued a shoot on sight order
against anyone causing religious trouble in central Nigeria.
The Red Cross confirmed today that more than 630 people have
been killed in clashes between Christians and Moslems in Yelwa
town. The crisis, which resurfaced last Sunday, has forced
Muslim residents of the locality to flee saying the area is
too unsafe. As FSRN’s Sam Olukoya reports, religion
remains a volatile issue in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous
nation.
[top]
Inside an Indian Outsourced Call Center
Outsourcing. It's the new political buzzword for sending
US jobs overseas to undeveloped countries like India and China.
Outsourcing allows corporations to cut costs and maximize
profits by using cheaper labor. A recent flurry of studies
have been released by think-tanks to refute the claim that
the loss of jobs is harming the American economy. One report
by the Information Technology Association of America says
outsourcing is of "great benefit" to the US. The
US Chamber of Commerce reported there's been "more heat
than light" on the issue, and the World Bank has also
chimed in, supporting cheaper labor overseas. Miles Ashdown
takes us to Bangalore, India, a high-tech hub in the subcontinent
where many of your customer service queries may be handled.
[top]
Police Investigation of Thai Violence
It has now been one week since more than 100 Thai teenagers
were killed in southern Thailand, after they apparently tried
to steal weapons from police outposts. It was the bloodiest
day of violence for Thailand in recent years. In response,
the Thai government formed a fact finding commission to investigate
the attacks, particularly one incident at an ancient mosque
in Thailand's deep south. Doualy Xaykaothao traveled there,
and has this report.
[top]
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