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> Thur., Mar. 10, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
First Congressional Hearing on Detainee Abuse in Over One
Year
Lebanese Prime Minister Re-Appointed to Post After Resignation
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Steps Down
Uganda Peacekeepers Ready to Deploy to Sudan
Multi-Candidate Election in Egypt Called a Masquerade
African Americans Placed At Risk By Current Health System
International Aid to Afghan Women Severely Lacking
FSRN Headlines
800-Thousand Workers Demonstrate in France
French labor unions say that 800-thousand workers demonstrated
around the country in a day of action. Tony Cross report from
Paris.
Guatemalans Protesting CAFTA, Congress Delays Vote
Guatemalan demonstrators, protesting the so-called Central
American Free Trade Agreement, were hit by police with tear
gas and a water cannon with blue dye as the national Congress
put off the vote on the treaty. Luz Ruiz reports from Guatemala
City.
Activists Ask FCC to Stop Issuing LPFM Licenses
Media activists have asked the Federal Communications Commission
to stop issuing low power radio licenses because a small group
is now collecting them for resale. Richard Atone reports from
Radio Volta in Philadelphia.
Congressional Leaders Set for Oil Drilling in Wildlife Refuge
Congressional Republicans are setting up procedural roadblocks
to legislation they have attached to the proposed budget that
would allow oil drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Dan
Stephens reports from D.C.
Bush Admin Pulls out of Another Treaty
The Bush administration has pulled out of a treaty that grants
jailed foreigners the right to see representatives of their
consular offices. State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher
said today that the Bush administration believes the World
Court has issued too many interpretations of U.S. criminal
law and added “we didn't want any more of them.”
Last year the World Court ruled that the United States government
should reconsider the convictions of 51 Mexicans now on death
row because they were denied their right to speak to someone
from the consular office after their arrests. The administration
said they would heed that ruling but want to avoid what they
consider to be too much external interference from the World
Court.
[top]
First Congressional Hearing on Detainee Abuse in
Over One Year (3:58)
An internal Pentagon investigation has concluded that military
policies did not lead to the abuse of detainees at Guantanamo
Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon's report did cite,
however, that abuse could have been stopped with more aggressive
oversight. The report was released at a Senate Armed Services
hearing today, which is the first congressional hearing on
detainee abuse in almost a year. Mitch Jeserich reports.
[top]
Lebanese Prime Minister Re-Appointed to Post After
Resignation (no sound)
Just 10 days after resigning, Lebanon's pro-Syrian Prime
Minister Omar Karami, has been re-appointed to the post today.
Citing a massive pro-Syrian Hezbollah rally earlier this week,
which drew half-a-million people, as well as strong backing
in the Lebanese Parliament, Karami says he hopes to ease a
political stand-off, by asking his opposition to join a new
government. But opposition leaders want an immediate withdrawal
of Syria's 14,000 troops in Lebanon before they consider entering
Karami's cabinet. Karami insists on dialogue between both
sides.
[top]
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Steps Down (2:50)
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Chief Executive, Tung Chee-Hwa,
has submitted his resignation after 8 years in office. Denying
claims he was forced down by China- the country which took
power of Hong when Britain returned the territory to Chinese
rule in 1997, Tung said instead he was stepping down due to
health reasons. Tung has endured a dramatic rise in unemployment,
one of the many effects of the Asian financial crises, as
well as protests calling for his resignation since 2003. Donald
Tsang, Hong Kong's Financial Secretary who has had a long
career as a civil servant since 1967, when Hong Kong was under
British colonial rule, is expected to fill Tung's post. Joining
us to talk about the developments in Hong Kong is Eleanor
Yuen, Head of the Asian Library at the University of British
Colombia in Vancouver.
[top]
Uganda Peacekeepers Ready to Deploy to Sudan
(3:31)
The Uganda people's defense forces (UPDF) have begun military
exercises in preparation for deployment to Sudan's Darfur
region. The army has been put on standby for deployment whenever
the UN gets approval to send them. The Ugandan soldiers would
be part of an international peacekeepers operation in the
Sudan. Joshua Kyalimpa reports from Kampala Uganda.
[top]
Multi-Candidate Election in Egypt Called a Masquerade
(4:04)
Protestors representing the banned Labor Party in Egypt
gathered in Cairo this week to denounce President Hosni Mubarak's
proposal to parliament to amend the constitution to allow
more than one candidate to run. Demonstrators say that Mubarak's
proposal is political masquerading, since the proposal grants
the government the right to limit the number of candidates
on the ballot to only three or four. Although the amendment
is currently under discussion in Parliament, many opposition
parties wonder whether it will be in their power, or their
interest, to run. Ursula Lindsey reports from Cairo.
[top]
African Americans Placed At Risk By Current Health
System (2:25)
Nearly 84,000 deaths in the United States could be prevented
if the black-white mortality gap were eliminated. According
to experts, health inequalities faced by African Americans
will require a systematic change -- at the federal and state
levels, in teaching hospitals and in health plans. Jenny Johnson
reports.
[top]
International Aid to Afghan Women Severely Lacking
(2:49)
Among the many rationales offered by the Bush Administration
for invading Middle East countries like Afghanistan and Iraq
was the need to support women's rights. Three years after
the US invasion, Afghan women are in the US protesting the
lack of attention to the needs of their countrywomen. Darby
Hickey has more.
[top]
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