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> Thur., Jan. 5, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Ariel Sharon
Bush on Iraq
Domestic Spying and the Constitution
Residents Block Home Demolitions in New Orleans
Mining Accident
Women Say No to War Campaign
FSRN Headlines
PADILLA TRANSFER APPROVED
The US Supreme Court has ruled that terror suspect, Jose Padilla,
canbe transferred to civilian custody, but that ruling will
not mean hislegal challenge to the president's indefinite
detention powers will bethrown out. From WMNF in Tampa, Andrew
Stelzer reports.
Padilla, an American citizen, was held for over 3 years without
chargeon suspicion of planning to explode a radioactive "dirty
bomb", butwas recently indicted on unrelated charges.
The Bush administrationhad been advancing an argument that
if Padilla is transferred frommilitary custody, his pending
Supreme Court challenge to Bush's powersto detain American
citizens without charge should be thrown out. Whilethe Supreme
Court justices overruled last months appeals court denialof
the transfer to civilian custody, they said they will considerwhether
to hear the challenge to Bush's indefinite detentions at alater
time. The case is set for review at a private meeting of thejustices
on Jan. 13th. Padilla now will be brought from a militarybrig
in South Carolina to law enforcement authorities in Miami,
wherehe will face charges that he conspired with Al-Qaeda
to committerrorist attacks overseas. For FSRN, From WMNF radio
in Tampa, I'mAndrew Stelzer.
SOUTH ASIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
The South Asia Free Trade Agreement, or SAFTA, came into effect
thisweek, lifting trade restrictions among the 7 member South
Asiannations. From New Delhi, Vinod K. Jose reports.
The area including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Maldives,Nepal and Bhutan turned into a free-trade zone on
the first day of2006. Nearly 23 percent of the world's population,
that is 1.5billion, lives in the South Asian region, which
is just three percentof the world's area. The free-trade pact
is considered to be by farthe most important decision taken
by the seven-nation member SouthAsian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) during its 20-yearexistence. A South Asian
free trade zone was first proposed twodecades ago, but the
initiative moved slowly because less-developedcountries feared
they would lose too much revenue from lower customsduties.
Proponents of the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement saythe
treaty will boost international commerce and trade in one
of theworld's poorest regions. Opponents are apprehensive,
saying SAFTAcould negatively affect small scale local industries,
agriculture andfishing. From New Delhi in India, I'm Vinod
K. Jose for Free SpeechRadio News.
KELLOGG TO USE GM SOY OIL
Cereal manufacturer, Kellogg, has announced that it will begin
usingan oil derived from Monsanto genetically-modified soybeans
in a numberof its products beginning this year. Although US
food manufacturers aretypically low-key about their use of
GM food in their products,Kellogg is touting the new GM soy-based
oil, Vistive, as a low-fatalternative to partially hydrogenated
soybean oil. The Food and DrugAdministration began to require
the labeling of food productscontaining trans-fats on Jan.
1st. The FDA does not require labelingfor genetically-modified
ingredients. Kellogg brands include Cheez-it,Pop Tarts, Nutri-grain,
and Morningstar Farms.
WTO POSTPONES GMO RULING
A panel of judges appointed by the World Trade Organization
has onceagain delayed a preliminary decision on genetically
modified crops.Naomi Fowler has more from London.
Many EU countries have been refusing to accept genetically
modifiedcrop imports for years; the issue has been the subject
of an intensebattle of wills between the European Union and
GMO-producing UnitedStates, Canada and Argentina. Millions
of dollars in trade are atstake. The United States has long
labeled European Union objectionsto and restrictions on genetically
modified food imports asprotectionism; they claim the restrictions
violate World TradeOrganization rules. But EU objections are
based on evidence they sayshows Europeans don't want GM food;
GM food is labeled in some EUcountries, unlike in the US and
surveys seem to show that Europeanconsumers reject GM foods
at levels of around 70%. Deadlines on afinal ruling on have
been extended ever since the WTO panel of judgeswas set up
in March 2004. The final ruling will now be in March. Thisis
Naomi Fowler in London for Free Speech Radio News.
AUDIT REPORT SLAMS USDA
The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department
ofAgriculture (USDA) has issued a report blasting the department'snegligence
to properly oversee field trials of experimentalgenetically
engineered crops. The recently-released audit report foundthe
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, has
failedto comply with the agency's own operational procedures
and even afederal law passed in 2000. APHIS is the agency
that overseesbiotechnology regulatory functions for the Department
of Agriculture.The stinging 75-page document details cases
of official negligence andlack of oversight, particularly
with respect to monitoringexperimental test fields used to
grow plants engineered to produceindustrial ingredients or
pharmaceuticals. The Office of the InspectorGeneral found
that APHIS failed to exercise proper control over thesetest
sites, did not conduct the inspections that it publicly stated
itwould perform, and - in some cases - did not even know the
locationsof experimental fields. The audit report concluded
that the agency'scurrent regulations, procedures and policies
"do not go far enough toensure the safe introduction
of agricultural biotechnology".
[top]
Ariel Sharon (4:58)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is hanging between life
and death today, following a massive brain hemorrhage Wednesday
night. Doctors say two out of three patients with his condition
die. Until his stroke, Sharon's new Kadima party was expected
to finish first in a general election set for March. But now
that party's future is uncertain. Sharon's reputation as a
hawk made it possible for him to forcibly remove some Israeli
settlers in occupied Palestine. He's been involved in every
Israeli war since the country's founding: among other things,
he directed the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and was found responsible
for a massacre of Palestinians in two refugee camps. Over
the course of the last year, he pushed a policy of unilateral
disengagement-pulling Israeli settlers out of some far-flung
areas, while consolidating Israel's grip on other settlements
in Palestine that are also illegal under International law.
While Sharon's life may be saved, his exit from Israeli politics
seems all but certain—that throws into play not just
the future of his Kadima party, but Israel's entire policy
toward Palestine. Joining us to discuss the situation is Chris
Toensing, editor of the Middle East Report.
Chris Toensing, what does this do to the new center-right
party, Kadima, that Ariel Sharon was in the process of building.
Can it stand on its own two feet yet? (audio- 4:58 Interview)
Chris Toensing is editor of the Middle East Report.
[top]
Bush on Iraq (2:20)
Today was the bloodiest day in Iraq since elections. Two
massive suicide bombings killed at least 130 people, and 5
U.S. soldiers died in a roadside bombing. Last night President
Bush, pressed his message that the United States is making
progress in the fight against terrorism-he spoke about plans
and prospects for reducing U.S. troop levels in both Iraq
and Afghanistan. Anastasia Gnezditskaia reports from DC.
[top]
Domestic Spying and the Constitution (3:43)
U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey held an emergency town
meeting last night at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington,
MA. on the issue of the Bush Administration's Domestic Surveillance.
This was the first public meeting of it's kind to discuss
the ramifications of this practice on our constitutional rights.
Chuck Rosina files this report from Boston.
[top]
Residents Block Home Demolitions in New Orleans
(1:41)
In New Orleans, roughly one hundred organizers and residents
of the lower ninth ward physically blocked bulldozers to stop
the demolition of damaged homes there. There is a court injunction
in effect barring such demolitions until a judge rules on
whether it is legal for the city to destroy homes without
notifying their owners. This morning, Curtis Muhammud of the
People's Hurricane Relief Fund confronted a heavy equipment
team: (audio- Curtis Muhammud) Muhammed arrived on the scene
after getting a call from a local homeowner who saw crews
removing property from the street. A crowd showed up shortly
thereafter, effectivley ending demolition for the rest of
the day. A class action suit against the planned demolitions
has moved from the State to Federal Courts due to its constitutional
ramifications. Citizens are demanding the right to be notified
about the demolition and removal of their property-they say
they have the right to decide whether their possessions are
"debris" or not. They say they fear that bodies
of loved ones are still in the debris. This is the voice of
Ishmael Muhammed at the demolition site: (audio-Ishmael Muhammud)
A hearing on the status of the legal case will take place
in New Orleans City Council Chambers at 10 am tomorrow. A
federal court is also expected to issue a decision on the
class action suit tomorrow. FSRN reporter Christian Roselund
recorded recorded the audio for this story.
[top]
Mining Accident (2:16)
Randal McCloy, the only survivor of Monday's explosion at
the Sago coal mine in West Virginia, is in critical condition
after 42 hours trapped in the mine. Meanwhile, the Charleston
Gazette is reporting the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration
filed 200 safety violations against the mine in the past year.
Families of the 12 victims are discussing lawsuits against
the company, and elected officials are demand answers about
whether the blast could have been prevented. From Washington,
DC, Ingrid Drake reports.
[top]
Women Say No to War Campaign (2:35)
Today, women across the planet are launching a campaign
to pull US troops out of Iraq. The "Women Say No to War
Campaign" aims to gather 100,000 signatures of support
by International Women's Day on March 8, and deliver the signatures
to politicians in Washington DC and elsewhere. Leilani Albano
reports.
[top]
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