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> Thur., Dec. 22, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Preliminary Agreement Reached in NYC Transit Strike
Day Laborers Continue to Organize
Critics Discuss “Operation Community Shield”
Iranian Brain Drain taking its Toll
Portland Against New EPA Water Rules
Concern Over Plutonium Pits
Indian Workers and Unionization in New Service Sector
FSRN Headlines
PATRIOT ACT EXTENDED
The Senate agreed last night to extend the expiring provisions
of the USA Patriot Act for another 6 months. From Capitol
Hill, Mitch Jeserich reports.
With just ten days remaining until 16 of the most controversial
measures of the Patriot Act expire, Senate negotiators struck
a deal to extend it as it is until the middle of next year.
Last Friday the Patriot Act reauthorization bill was blocked
by a Senate filibuster as some lawmakers believed that it
lacked enough judicial oversight on how the Patriot Act is
used. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle say an additional
6 months should give Congress enough time to reach an agreement.
Some of the sun-setting provisions include sections that give
the FBI access to library, medical and business records and
to allow the FBI to use roving wiretaps. Also set to expire
is the sneak and peak provision that allows the government
to enter one's premises without notifying the occupant until
several months later.
PADILLA TRANSFER DENIED
An appeals court has ruled against the Bush administration's
request to transfer a high-profile terrorism suspect. From
Tampa, Andrew Stelzer has the details.
Saying the Bush administration has risked its credibility
before the court, appeals court Judge J. Michael Luttig, yesterday
denied the US Justice Department's request to transfer terrorism
suspect, Jose Padilla, from military to civilian detention.
Padilla was held for 3 years without charge on suspicion of
planning to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb".
He was recently indicted on an unrelated count. But Padilla
has a case pending before the Supreme Court, challenging the
extent of the president's power to hold so-called "enemy
combatants" without charges. The Bush administration
had argued that the transfer from a military brig in South
Carolina to law enforcement authorities in Miami would render
the case before the Supreme Court moot and should be dismissed,
but the judge ruled against the transfer and said the Supreme
Court hearing should take place. The decision also questioned
why the administration used one set of accusations before
the court for 3 1/2 years to justify holding Padilla without
charge, but another with a Florida grand jury last month.
The judge said it created the appearance the government may
be attempting to avoid high court review of the case. The
appeals court also rejected the government's request that
it set aside a ruling that allowed Padilla to be held as an
enemy combatant without being charged. Wiping out that ruling
would have made it virtually impossible for the Supreme Court
to review the case. From WMNF in Tampa, I'm Andrew Stelzer.
HAITIAN AMERICANS URGE RELEASE OF IMPRISONED PRIEST
In Miami, family members and supporters of jailed Haitian
priest and human rights activist, Gerárd Jean-Juste,
gathered yesterday to call for his release on medical grounds.
This, after dozens of Congressional representatives made a
similar plea to the Haitian government last week. Father Jean-Juste
is reportedly in poor health and a U.S. doctor who recently
examined him in prison has indicated that he may be battling
cancer.
HAITIAN ELECTIONS
Meanwhile, election officials in Haiti have indicated to the
BBC that the country's January 8th presidential elections
may be postponed again. This would be the fourth time that
the elections have been delayed. Haitians have been unable
to pick their own political representatives since the elected
president Jean Bertrand Aristide was forced from power in
Feb 2004.
GOVERNMENT CRITICS CHARGED IN ETHIOPIA
In Ethiopia, 131 people were formally charged yesterday with
crimes against the state. Charges include conspiracy, high
treason, and genocide. While many of the accused were charged
in absentia, those present at the hearing were among those
detained during multiple days of political unrest last month.
Demonstrations erupted throughout Ethiopia's capital in early
November in response to widespread allegations of election
fraud. Dozens of protesting supporters of the opposition CUD
party were killed by government security forces during the
November unrest and hundreds were detained. Among those charged
yesterday with crimes against the state are opposition leaders
and supporters, staff from non-governmental organizations,
and a number of journalists. The charge of high treason is
punishable by death.
NORTHEASTERN STATES AGREE TO LIMIT EMISSIONS
In environmental news, governors from seven northeastern states
have announced a first of its kind pact to set legal limits
on greenhouse emissions from power stations. Rebecca Myles
reports from New York.
Under the pact, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,
the participating states have agreed to curb carbon dioxide
emissions, starting in 2009, by cutting emissions by 10 percent
by 2019. The plan was endorsed New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut,
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. It is open to other states,
but Rhode Island and Massachusetts have declined to sign,
citing concerns of increased energy costs to the state. The
bipartisan pact is being seen as a break with the Bush administration
and is the initiative of New York Governor George Pataki who
began work on it in 2003. It was originally due to be announced
at the time of the Climate Change conference in Canada earlier
this month. Under the RGGI, the signatories must proceed with
required legislative or regulatory approvals to adopt the
program. For FSRN, I am Rebecca Myles reporting.
[top]
Preliminary Agreement Reached in NYC Transit Strike
(1:33)
On Thursday afternoon, New York's metropolitan transit authority
and Transit Worker Union (TWU) leaders agreed to resume talks
and make moves to get the city's transport systems up and
running again. State Mediator Richard Curreri announced the
decision at a press conference shortly before air time.
[top]
Day Laborers Continue to Organize (2:26)
While debate over immigration was prominent in the House
of Representatives this past week, local communities continue
to grapple with the issues locally. The bill passed in the
House Saturday would treat undocumented workers as felons,
and no provision for guest worker programs touted by President
Bush were included. Kristy Li Puma Herrera and Darby Hickey
bring us an update on how undocumented workers in Northern
Virginia are dealing with the limited options presented to
them.
[top]
Critics Discuss “Operation Community Shield”
(2:19)
While immigrant workers continue to organize locally, other
undocumented immigrants have been the target of the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement's newer plan called Operation Community
Shield. FSRN’s Anastasia Gnezditskaia reports from DC,
where the National Immigration Project has been discussing
the deportation of the alleged gang members and the new immigration
bill just approved by the House that threatens the legal status
of undocumented immigrants.
[top]
Iranian Brain Drain taking its Toll (3:11)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranked Iran as having
the highest rate of “brain drain” in the world
among some 61 countries in 2004. The IMF reports that every
year, more than 150,000 educated Iranians leave the country
in the hope of finding a better life oversees. FSRN's Iranian
affairs correspondent Saeedeh Jamshidi has more.
[top]
Portland Against New EPA Water Rules (2:57)
The Environmental Protection Agency last week announced
new safety requirements for U.S. cities with unfiltered water
supplies to prevent disease caused by a water-born pathogen.
The city of Portland, Oregon is resisting these requirements,
and has said they will go so far as to sue the federal government
to prove that their water should be exempt from the new regulations.
FSRN’s Julie Sabatier has more.
[top]
Concern Over Plutonium Pits (3:46)
There’s growing concern about the Department of Energy’s
rationale for consolidating Plutonium-238 production in Idaho.
A Congressional conference report says consolidating production
will free up space for producing nuclear bomb cores at Los
Alamos, New Mexico. As FSRN’s Leigh Robartes reports,
this raises questions about the US’ role in future nuclear
weapons proliferation..
[top]
Indian Workers and Unionization in New Service Sector
(3:16)
A decade after business process outsourcing, or BPO, became
the most lucrative job opportunity for a large number of young
graduates; left-leaning Indian parties have called for forming
trade unions to protect workers’ interests. But the
employees themselves have distanced themselves from the idea,
and have also denied the claim made by established union leaders
that any attempt to form a trade union or association by BPO
sector employees is being curbed by the threat of dismissal.
And, as FSRN correspondent Binu Alex reports from Ahmedabad,
efforts are now underway to establish India's first nationwide
union of IT workers by end of 2006.
[top]
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