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> Thur., Nov. 3, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Lewis “Scooter” Libby Arraigned
White House Remains Silent on Eastern European Secret Prisons
Paris Still Burning
House and Senate Continues Budget Reconciliation
Evictions Looming in New Orleans
Victims of Police Violence Remembered on Día de los
Muertos
Attacks on Immigrant Workers in Northern Ireland
FSRN Headlines
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
The fourth Summit of the Americas will open tomorrow in Mar
del Plata, Argentina. All 34 heads of state from the Americas
will attend the summit...except Fidel Castro. Kasim Tirmizey
reports from Mar del Plata.
The creation of a hemisphere-wide free trade zone, known
as the Free Trade of Area of the Americas agreement will be
a featured topic at the talks this weekend. Support for the
agreement has recently lost steam, as major economic powers
like Venezuela and Brazil have voiced opposition to it. THE
FTAA agreement has also received heavy criticism from social
movements, NGOs, and unions. They are hosting a parallel conference
called the People's Summit and are planning marches and demonstrations
for tomorrow. The Central Argentine Workers union has called
for a nationwide general national strike this Friday and Saturday.
This is Kasim Tirmizey of Free Speech Radio News in Mar del
Plata, Argentina.
PERU-CHILE BORDER DISPUTE
Peru and Chile have become tangled in a border dispute, after
Peru's Congress approved new sea border with Chile. FSRN's
Jorge Garretón has more from Santiago.
Today in Lima Peru's Congress approved legislation to redraw
its southern sea border there by claiming nearly 12,000 square
miles of rich fishing banks. Many Chileans are concerned that
Peru's fishing fleet and Navy could venture into Chilean waters
and create a potential conflict. The government of President
Ricardo Lagos says the Chilean government will continue to
recognize an international treaty singed in the 1950s that
established the sea border between the two countries. In this
weekend's Summit of the Americas in Argentina, President Lagos
will hold bilateral meetings to discuss the border issue with
regional leaders and U.S. President George W. Bush. A bilateral
meeting with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo is not on
the agenda. The Peruvian government is expected to recognize
the newly redrawn border as early as Monday. For FSRN this
is Jorge Garretón in Santiago.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA BORDER DISPUTE
A border dispute in the Horn of Africa has many international
observers worried. The current border between Ethiopia and
Eritrea was established by a peace agreement signed in 2000,
after two years of bitter war. The United Nations' Mission
in Ethiopia and Eritrea says that both countries have recently
mobilized large numbers of troops and heavy equipment within
the Temporary Security Zone. The United Nations Security Council
met to discuss the matter today. This comes at a particularly
tense moment for Ethiopia. Street battles in Ethiopia's capital
erupted on Tuesday between police and supporters of the opposition
candidate from last May's presidential election. Local doctors
say that more than forty people have been killed after three
days of unrest. The US dept of State has issued a statement
calling on the Ethiopian government to release all political
detainees arrested in recent weeks.
LOOMING FOOD CRISIS
In Southern Africa - the effects of drought, AIDS, and poverty
have prompted the World Food Programme to appeal for urgent
donations of $150 million to prevent a food crisis. Na'eem
Jeenah reports from Johannesburg.
Ten million people in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique,
Lesotho and Swaziland are desperate for food aid and many
could face death from starvation. The WFP said it was short
of the $400 million required to help feed people in the six
countries. Zimbabwe is the worst affected country, with 4.3
million people needing assistance. Economic collapse has compounded
the food crisis in Zimbabwe. There, church leaders accuse
the government of favouring ruling party supporters in food
distribution. Meanwhile, World Food Programme officials say
children in rural areas are already showing signs of malnutrition.
The WFP is now calling on oil-rich nations in the Middle East
to donate, as they have yet to contribute anything towards
the food aid programme. For Free Speech Radio News, this is
Na'eem Jeenah in Johannesburg.
FOOD-FOR-OIL FALLOUT
India's ruling Congress party today issued a legal notice
to the United Nations in reaction to the Volcker Committee's
investigation into Iraq's oil-for-food programme. Vinod K
Jose reports from New Delhi.
Paul Volcker's report on the food-for-oil scandal accused
India's Congress Party and foreign minister, Natwar Singh
of bribing Iraqi authorities under Saddam Hussein in the oil
deal. Both have denied the charges. The Volker report implicated
over 2000 companies in the food-for-oil scandal, including
several Indian corporations and officials. The opposition
Hindu right wing BJP party is demanding the resignation of
the Foreign Minister Natwar Singh. The legal notices issued
today by members of the Congress party question why they were
named in the report. The Congress party is demanding an unconditional
apology if the UN fails to disclose the relevant material.
From New Delhi, this is Vinod K. Jose for Free Speech Radio
News.
[top]
Lewis “Scooter” Libby Arraigned (:57)
Lewis “Scooter” Libby has been arraigned and
pleaded innocent to federal charges today in connection with
the outing of CIA operative Valeria Plame. Ted Wells is Libby’s
lawyer.
[top]
White House Remains Silent on Eastern European Secret
Prisons (3:59)
White House officials have not rejected a story in the Washington
Post yesterday that reported the CIA maintained secret jails
through out Eastern Europe; and top Congressional and intelligence
officials are silent on the issue. At least ten countries
in Eastern Europe are denying that they house secret CIA jails,
but the European Union and the International Red Cross announced
that they will investigate whether the reports are true. Mitch
Jeserich has more from Washington.
[top]
Paris Still Burning (4:13)
All night rioting in mostly immigrant towns around Paris
left at least 300 cars burned. Last night was the worst violence
in the past week’s clashed between youth and police,
while Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was involved in
talks between police and immigrant group representatives.
France's right-wing government is now facing a major crisis
after the week of urban violence. Riots sparked off by the
deaths of two teenagers have opened up divisions in the government's
ranks and is reminding the country of decades of neglect of
low-income housing projects, which often house families of
immigrant origin. FSRN Tony Cross has more from Paris.
[top]
House and Senate Continues Budget Reconciliation
(3:03)
The House and Senate continued to work toward completion
of their budget reconciliation bills today. In the Senate,
an amendment to prohibit drilling the Alaska National Wildlife
Refuge was defeated, while the House Republican leadership
continued to press for deep cuts to social programs. Darby
Hickey reports from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Evictions Looming in New Orleans (1:50)
Eviction court opened yesterday in New Orleans for the first
time since Hurricane Katrina, and hundreds of tenants crowded
into court to defend themselves against immediate eviction.
Jenka Soderberg reports from New Orleans.
[top]
Victims of Police Violence Remembered on Día
de los Muertos (3:13)
Many Mexican-Americans celebrated Día de los Muertos,
or Day of the Dead this week, a Mexican tradition that honors
loved ones in the other world. In the small community of Vista,
California, about 120 residents came together to remember
five Latino men in their 20's and earlier 30s fatally shot
this year by Vista deputy sheriffs. Luis Perez and Miles Ashdown
report.
[top]
Attacks on Immigrant Workers in Northern Ireland
(2:57)
Northern Ireland was one of the 3 EU member states which
did not place any restrictions on its labor market after last
year's wave of enlargement - and saw an influx of migrant
workers come in, mainly from poor former communist countries.
The country, which has no real history of immigration, is
still fighting with sectarianism and prejudice against foreigners.
Migrant workers have been blamed for many regional problems,
treated like scapegoats and subject to racist attacks. DSz
reports from Derry, northern Ireland.
[top]
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