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> Tue., Dec. 27, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
US Islamic Civil Liberties Group Files a FOIA Request On Secret
Wiretaps
Four US Soldiers Face Rape Charges In The Philippines
Native American Tribes' Right To Claim Trust Dollars May Run
Out
West Virginians Protest Coal Industry
Tsunami Devastated Countries Mark One Year Anniversary
FSRN Headlines
PROTESTS IN BAGHDAD
Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad today, calling
for a review of the recent parliamentary elections. Unrest
has increased in Iraq after a period of relative calm surrounding
the December 15th vote. A number of groups are unhappy with
the elections, saying they were plauged by irregularities.
Preliminary results favor Shiite religious parties.
COALITION SHRINKS
In other Iraq news, Ukaranian and Bulgarian troops have completely
withdrawn from Iraq. Poland will continue it's military presence
there, despite a decision by the past administration to pull
out in early 2006. Polish troops will likely stay until the
end of next year, but the force will shrink from 1500 to about
900 soldiers.
GAZA BUFFER ZONE
Israel is set to establish and enforce a buffer zone in the
northern Gaza Strip; 3 months after it withdrew from the territory.
Laila El-Haddad has more from Gaza.
The buffer zone in the northern Gaza strip will dig more
than five kilometers deep into Palestinian land, encompassing
two major towns, according to the Israeli daily, Ha'aretz.
The Israeli army says the buffer zone - which will be enforced
by air strikes and artillery fire - is needed to prevent Palestinian
fighters from firing rockets into Israel. On Monday, two rockets
were fired at the Israeli town of Sderot, causing no injury.
Fighters say the rockets are to avenge Israeli raids in the
occupied West Bank, as well as its strikes against their leadership
in the Gaza Strip. In a pre-dawn attack today, the Israeli
air force responded by striking six roads in northern Gaza
and by dropping a bomb on a main street, blasting a massive
crater into the ground. Fighter jets also broke the sound
barrier over Gaza City throughout the night, causing thunderous
shock waves that rattled windows and shook buildings. In addition
to the sonic booms and the air strikes, the Israeli army has
threatened it will begin to cut off electricity from the entire
Gaza Strip to "break support for resistance groups",
a move that human rights groups have decried as collective
punishment. For FSRN in Gaza, this is Laila El-Haddad.
SUBWAY STRIKE IN BUENOS AIRES
Outsource subway workers are on strike today in Buenos Aires
to demand that the private subway company respect a collective
labor contract granted to the workers. Marie Trigona reports
from Buenos Aires Striking workers from a company that outsources
to the Buenos Aires subway authority protested this morning
by blocking ticket booths at stations throughout the city
and allowing passengers to ride for free. This prompted Metrovias,
the private company that runs the Buenos Aires subway system,
to quickly call for negotiations at the Labor Ministry. Union
delegates are threatening to block train lines if the Metrovias
company doesn't adhere to the demands of janitors and security
guards from three temporary employment agencies. Outsource
subway workers have staged strikes over the past three months
to demand increased salaries, better health benefits, and
a 6-hour workday. Janitors and security guards were awarded
the recognition of a labor contract in October after clashing
with police and while shutting down all 5 subway lines. At
deadline, the two sides were still in negotiations. For Free
Speech Radio News, I'm Marie Trigona in Buenos Aires.
MORE PIPELINE FIRES
Several oil pipeline fires have broken out in Nigeria's Niger
Delta region. This comes barely a week after the region recorded
three other oil pipelines fires which left some villages in
ruins. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
The latest fire incident is on a pipeline that conveys petroleum
products from a Niger Delta refinery to northern Nigeria.
An official of the state-owned oil company says there are
fires at several points along the pipeline. The cause of the
fire is still unknown, but similar oil pipeline fires last
week were blamed on militant youths. In one instance, a pipeline
belonging to the Anglo-Dutch oil company, Shell Petroleum,
was attacked with dynamite. A previously unknown militia group,
calling itself "The Martyrs' Brigade", claimed responsibility
for the attack. The attack forced Nigeria to cut its oil export
by seven percent. This slightly increased global oil prices.
Nigeria is the world's sixth largest oil exporter. All of
Nigeria's oil comes from the Niger Delta region, but the people
rank among the poorest in the world. Billions of dollars in
yearly profits from oil sales are mainly shared between the
Nigerian government and western oil companies. Local youths
are increasingly resorting to violence to draw attention to
their plight. For Free Speech Radio News, this is Sam Olukoya
in Lagos.
[top]
US ISLAMIC CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP FILES A FOIA REQUEST
ON SECRET WIRETAPS (2:28)
Today a prominent US Islamic group demanded information
from the government on who is being targeted in the domestic
spy ring being conducted by US intelligence agencies. The
move comes after it was revealed last week that the government
was secretly conducting radiation tests on Mosques throughout
the United States. Mitch Jeserich has more from Washington.
[top]
FOUR US SOLDIERS FACE RAPE CHARGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
(5:17)
Philippine state prosecutors today filed rape charges against
four U.S. marines for allegedly assaulting a 22 year old Filipino
woman. The rape occurred while marines were in the country
for military training exercises last month. Girlie Linao in
Manila reports.
[top]
NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES' RIGHT TO CLAIM TRUST DOLLARS
MAY RUN OUT (4:20)
American Indian tribes across the country may lose claim
to billions of dollars in trust monies at the start of the
new year. A statute of limitations established by Congress
in 2002 set December 31 of this year as the last day that
American Indian tribes can file claims against the federal
government for royalties and leases, the sale of land and
other negotiations handled by the Department of the Interior.
FSRN's Jim Kent spoke to tribal leaders and a legal consultant
who's handling several tribal trust claims against the government.
[top]
WEST VIRGINIANS PROTEST COAL INDUSTRY (3:47)
An accidental leak from a coal processing facility in West
Virginia two weeks ago sparked protests over the coal industry's
environmental practices. FSRN correspondent Evan Davis files
this report.
[top]
TSUNAMI DEVASTATED COUNTRIES MARK ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
(3:13)
Tuesday formally marked the disbandment of the armed wing
of Indonesia's Aceh rebels. Their 30 year long separatist
insurgency ended in the summer of 2005 after reaching a peace
agreement, spurred by last year's tsunami's devastation, with
the Indonesian government. In the agreement, the Indonesian
government would allow the Free Aceh Movement to form political
parties if they dropped their demands for independence.
Meanwhile, on December 26, people in Aceh, Thailand, Sri
Lanka and other places commemorated the one year anniversary
of the tsunami that wrecked havoc on their lives. One year
after a 9.15 magnitude earthquake unleashed deadly waves,
Thailand has finished rebuilding, but in Aceh and other parts
of Sumatra, reconstruction is still on going. From Jakarta,
FSRN correspondent Meggy Margiyono reports that bureaucracy
is one reason that rebuilding is slow going.
[top]
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