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> Fri., Oct. 14, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
WHO Says Avian Flu Does Not Spread From Birds To Humans Easily
Concerns Expressed Over Influenza Drug Supplies
Political Boundaries Prevent Some Kashmiris From Providing
Aid
Chile’s Export Profits Maintained At Expense Of Workers
And Environmental Protection
Millions More March Calls For Government Accountability
Police Open Fire On Demonstrating Students In India
FSRN Headlines
NALCHIK SEIGE ENDS
Fighting has ended been Russian troops and Chechen rebels
in the city of Nalchik. After a prolonged exchange of gunfire
and a hostage situation, Russian authorities say they have
regained complete control of the town. Rebel fighters attacked
a number of strategic police stations and government buildings
in Nalchik on Thursday. Over 100 people - including civilians,
police and rebels - are said to have died in the fighting.
ASYLUM RULING
A landmark legal decision has found the British government's
policy on the forced deportation of failed asylum seekers
to be unjust. A British court today ruled in favour of a Zimbabwean
asylum seeker's appeal against his forced deportation. The
test case has wide implications for other asylum seekers in
the same position. From London, Naomi Fowler reports:
It was a humiliating loss today for the Home Secretary Charles
Clarke. He had wanted to forcibly deport hundreds of Zimbabwean
failed asylum seekers but the repatriations were delayed pending
this appeal. The asylum and immigration tribunal ruled not
only that he had been wrong to claim that it was safe to return
Zimbabweans to Zimbabwe, but that his lack of interest in
what really happened to those sent back was 'alarming.' The
tribunal said evidence was ignored that Zimbabweans returned
to Zimbabwe from Britain are regarded as 'spies' and 'traitors'
by Mr Mugabe's regime. Many Zimbabweans are subjected to 'in-depth
questioning' by Mr Mugabe's secret police and have reported
ill-treatment. Campaigners say today's victory demonstrates
the failings of the government's asylum policy. Emma Ginn
of the National Coalition Against Deportation Campaign: 'A
lot of this is talked about on a presumption that we have
a fair and efficient asylum determination process, which is
so not true. Tony Blair has made these arbitrary targets on
deporting more people in a month than there are refusals in
a month, which I think is demonstration of the fact that the
asylum process has become disconnected with the protection
that people need. The government is considering appealing
against today's ruling. This is Naomi Fowler in London for
Free Speech Radio News.'
NEW SPY SERVICE
The US National Intelligence director John Negroponte has
announced plans for a new intelligence service to be administered
by the Central Intelligence Agency. Joseph Macdonald reports
from Washington DC.
The newly proposed National Clandestine Service will coordinate
all US foreign human intelligence efforts in a bid to regain
credibility after Iraqi and 9/11 intelligence failures. The
BBC is reporting that the new office will be led by an undercover
intelligence officer, known only as Jose. The unknown official
will report directly to CIA director Porter J. Goss. The National
Clandestine Service will be responsible for all foreign human
intelligence activities, including those currently under the
supervision of the FBI and the Department of Defence. This
new distribution of roles leaves the CIA in a dominant position
over the other agencies, but sources from Negroponte's office
say that the CIA will not interfere with the internal affairs
of the DoD or the FBI. How much real control the National
Clandestine Service will have over the different agencies
and whether it will be capable of pulling US human intelligence
efforts together without sinking into interdepartmental rivalries
remains to be seen. For Free Speech Radio News, I'm Joseph
Macdonald in Washington DC
FLAG DISPUTE
A long-time Catholic peace activist in New Haven, Connecticut,
was fired yesterday from his teaching job over his refusal
to permanently display the American flag in his classroom.
Melinda Tuhus reports from New Haven.
Stephen Kobasa has taught in Catholic schools in Conn. for
25 years, the last six at Kolbe Cathedral High School. He
never displayed an American flag in his room, because he believes
that the Gospel is his moral touchstone, not any nation's
laws or customs. Many of his students, upon hearing of his
dismissal, rallied in his support in the halls of the school.
And some teachers urged their colleagues to wear black armbands
today to support his freedom of expression. Kobasa did not
belong to a union, but the teachers' association at his school
declined to support him. (Audio :16) "The action taken
against me was so undocumented, arbitrary, and without any
justification -- though I sought one -- that it's impossible
for me not to think that loyalty to a nation is here being
placed over fidelity to the Gospel." No authority at
the school has explained why it suddenly became mandatory
for Kobasa to display the flag after six years. A statement
from the Arch Dioces of Bridgeport confirming Kobesa's dismissal
said in part "Our Catholic Schools provide a dynamic
learning environment in which respect for the opinions of
others as well as respect for school property are both key
components. The Diocese of Bridgeport has long believed that
the American flag is an important fixture in its Catholic
School classrooms." For FSRN, I'm MT in New Haven
CENTRAL AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCE ***cut for time***
At the conclusion of a Florida summit meeting held in the
wake of Hurricane Stan, Central American officials agreed
to promote plans for a military rapid reaction force to respond
to natural disasters. From Tampa, Mitch Perry reports.
Winding up a two-day conference in Key Biscayne Florida Thursday,
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a news conference that
meetings with foreign ministry officials from Panama, Costa
Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize
achieved ``useful progress toward increasing cooperation.''
Most of the ministers agreed to recommend to their home governments
increased coordination in areas like intelligence sharing,
operational procedures and deployments for natural disasters
such as Hurricane Stan. Mudslides from that storm have buried
as many as 2,000 people in Guatemala, and affected close to
a 3rd of the population due to damage to roads, crops and
housing. But the multinational military force is far from
a done deal. Participants said some of their countries' constitutions
might not allow them to deploy troops abroad Also, Honduran
Defense Minister's insisted that a multinational battalion
-- of 700 to 900 members -- is needed to fight gangs that
he said are obtaining weapons from drug smugglers. Nicaragua's
Defense Minister objected, saying that the armed forces of
Central America do not have legal powers to capture or extradite
suspected gang members or drug traffickers. Mitch Perry, FSRN,
Tampa
[top]
W.H.O. SAYS AVIAN FLU DOES NOT SPREAD FROM BIRDS
TO HUMANS EASILY
European Union experts held crisis talks on bird flu to
examine the risk migratory birds might pose for the region.
This according to a report from Reuters. The meeting was expected
to approve measures to combat the spread of the disease by
requiring EU member states to reduce contact between poultry
and wild birds in high risk areas. This could include keeping
poultry indoors. However, the World Health Organization says
all evidence so far shows that the H5N1 virus does NOT spread
easily from birds to infect humans. The agency is calling
on rich countries to be more generous in providing financial
and technical assistance in efforts to combat bird flu in
Asia. W.H.O.’s regional director in Asia says that while
a global pandemic is possible, it is also preventable. GIRLIE
LINAO IN MANILA REPORTS.
[top]
CONCERNS EXPRESSED OVER INFLUENZA DRUG SUPPLIES
While supplies of the drug Tamiflu are being snapped up,
the flu vaccine maker, Roche is allegedly refusing to allow
the production of a generic alternative. Invented in the Bay
area, Tamiflu, is a pricey brand name version of a vaccine
used against bird flu. Grace Turner has the story.
[top]
POLITICAL BOUNDARIES PREVENT SOME KASHMIRIS FROM
PROVIDING AID
This morning an aftershock measuring 5.3 on the richter
scale again jolted the quake devastated region surrounding
Kashmir. Saturday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed
more than 25,000 people-- most of them on the Pakistani side
of Kashmir. Some say the toll could exceed 40 thousand. Now
rescuers are shifting their focus from continuing the search
for survivors to preparing for continued threat of exposure
from cold and thunderstorms. Bad weather has already hampered
the movement of supplies region. U.N. undersecretary-general
and emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egelund, says that good
coordination is key to providing relief efforts despite the
obstacles. (Jan Egeland Audio) Meanwhile Kashmirs on the Indian
side are eager to help out the people in Pakistan adminstered
Kashmir. The region is divided between India and Pakistan
by a ceasefire line, and movement across the line is not allowed.
From Indian administered Kashmir Shahnawaz Khan has more
[top]
CHILE’S EXPORT PROFITS MAINTAINED AT EXPENSE
OF WORKERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Chile's vast export industry has come into question by non-governmental
organizations due to the serious labour and environmental
conditions faced by workers. Chile is rapidly becoming one
of the worlds major producer of agricultural products and
salmon consumed in Europe, Canada and United States. Local
NGOs charge that poor labour and environmental conditions
give Chile an unfair economic advantage or social dumping
that keep its single crop export industry growing and maintain
low prices. FSRN's correspondent in Chile Jorge Garretón
explains.
[top]
MILLIONS MORE MARCH CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
This weekend scores of people are expected to converge in
Washington DC for the Millions More March and rally, in commemorating
the ten year anniversary of the Million Man March. Ten years
ago about a million black men of various ages and backgrounds
came to the nation's Capitol calling for personal responsibility.
But Free Speech Radio News Correspondent Selina Musuta reports
that this year organizers of the march are calling for government
responsibility.
[top]
POLICE OPEN FIRE ON DEMONSTRATING STUDENTS IN INDIA
Students from the Garo tribe, living in the hills of India's
north-eastern state Meghalaya, have been staging protests
against planned educational reforms that have created divisions
that some feel have marginalized ethnic groups. The proposed
changes include a centralized education board and appointments
of pro-administration people in key positions. The tribal
students fear the changes would make education gradually inaccessible
for them. But security forces reacted violently to demonstrators…
opening fire on students killing 17 and injuring hundreds.
Vinod K. Jose has more.
[top]
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