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> Tue., Jan. 17, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Senate Judiciary Committee Postpones Alito Confirmation Vote
Clarence Ray Allen Killed by Lethal Injection
Opposition Maoists in Nepal Say They will Defy Ban on Organizing
Diplomatic Rift between US and Australia over Pharmaceutical
Benefits
Home Health Care Workers Rally in Harlem
FSRN Headlines
ACLU FILES SUIT AGAINST NSA
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today against
the National Security Agency, charging that the agency's domestic
spying operation violates several key tenets of American democracy.
Quinn Bowman reports from Washington DC.
The ACLU today filed a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit
that challenges the legality and constitutionality of the
National Security Agency's domestic spying program. The Bush
administration says the program is limited to gathering crucial
information on terror suspects who communicate with American
citizens. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of itself,
various non-profit groups, and several journalists and academics.
It charges that the NSA program violates the 1st and 4th amendments
of the Constitution and the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero says the program
represents an unprecedented power grab by the executive branch
and predicts the lawsuit will have serious implications. [ACLU
clip] "We do believe that this lawsuit goes squarely
at issues related of our democracy and the rule of law. We
do expect given the salience of this issue that this would
be a case that would end up before the Supreme Court."
James Bamford, an expert on the NSA and client in the lawsuit,
said that this covert program, which is still in operation,
mines vast amounts of data from an ever-growing web of individuals,
many of whom have nothing to do with terror suspects. For
FSRN, I'm Quinn Bowman in Washington DC.
HAMAS LEADER ASSASSINATED
The targeted assassination of a Hamas leader in the West Bank
today could add to the climate of tension in the run-up to
the Jan 25 elections. Manar Jibrin reports from the West Bank.
Israeli soldiers today assassinated Thabit Ayada, a 24 year-old
leader of the Al Qassam Brigades; the military wing of Hamas.
The assassination occurred during an Israeli invasion of the
West Bank city of Tulkarem. An exchange of gunfire was reported
prior to Ayada's death. A similar assassination of an Islamic
Jihad leader last October in Tulkarem sparked a cycle of violence
in the region that took weeks to calm. Hamas has vowed revenge
for the killing of one of its leaders. The violence comes
as Palestinians in the occupied territories and Jerusalem
are busy with political campaigns in preparation for the January
25th legislative assembly election. Hamas is favored to win
elections in a number of West Bank cities and towns.
ANTI-U.N. PROTESTS IN IVORY COAST
Protests against the presence of United Nations peacekeepers
erupted in Ivory Coast today. The West African nation has
been divided since 2002 between rebels in the north and the
government in the south. Supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo
demonstrated in towns throughout the south after international
mediators appointed by the UN, called on parliament to step
down. The demonstrators laid siege to the UN compound in the
Ivorian capital. UN troops responded using tear gas and firing
warning shots. Reuters reports, in the town of Daloa, UN vehicles
have been attacked and homes of UN workers have been looted.
The UN peacekeeping mission is to oversee the peace process
and provide stability during the elections scheduled for later
this year.
DROUGHT SCORCHES HORN OF AFRICA
A severe drought continues to bake countries in East Africa.
After months of alerts, the World Food Programme now estimates
5.4 million people in the Horn of Africa are in urgent need
of emergency food aid. Pastoral and agro-pastoral communities
have been particularly hard-hit, as livestock numbers have
dwindled for lack of water and grazing land. In drought-stricken
areas of Kenya, over 30 people have reportedly died from starvation-related
diseases in the past 2 months. The drought comes after two
consecutive failed rainy seasons and the next rainy season
is months away.
COMPOSITE DIALOGUE TALKS IN NEW DELHI
The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan met in New Delhi
today to begin a fresh round of bi-lateral talks. The two
countries are expected to discuss progress on the two year
old peace process. Shahnawaz Khan has more.
This is the third round of talks in the so-called Composite
Dialogue process between India and Pakistan since a peace
process began two years ago. Analysts say this round comes
at a delicate time, as the two sides accuse each other of
stalling the process. India blames Pakistan for aiding terrorism
in India, while Pakistan says India is not making any headway
on the Kashmir issue. On the first day of talks, Indian Foreign
Secretary Shayam Saran raised India 's concerns over terrorism
while his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohamad, raised the
issue of India commenting on the unrest in Pakistan's Baluchistan
region. The two sides today reviewed the progress on the peace
process and other confidence-building measures. After the
success of trans Kashmir Bus Service, that was launched last
year, the two sides have decided to launch two more bus services
and rail links connecting cities in the two countries. For
Free Speech radio News I'm Shahanwaz Khan.
[top]
Senate Judiciary Committee Postpones Alito Confirmation
Vote (3:52)
The Senate Judiciary Committee vote scheduled for today
on Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court
has been postponed until next week. Although Democrats on
the committee called for the delay, it doesn't appear the
Democratic caucus is united enough to stall the Alito nomination
with a filibuster. Nevertheless, numerous advocacy and civil
rights groups are calling for such a parliamentary move to
stop Alito from replacing Sandra Day O'Connor on the bench.
Washington Editor Mitch Jeserich spoke to some of those groups
about their views on the Democrats and the confirmation process.
[top]
Clarence Ray Allen Killed by Lethal Injection
(3:53)
Rallies and vigils were held across California last night,
to protest the execution of death row inmate Clarence Ray
Allen at San Quentin Prison. Officials at the prison said
they would have revived Allen against his wishes, even if
he had a heart attack a minute before the execution - because
they [quote] "believe in the sanctity of human life"
[unquote]. Allen was killed this morning, the day after his
76th birthday, by a double dose of potassium chloride and
was pronounced dead at 12:38 AM. FSRN's Vinny Lombardo was
outside San Quentin, where over 500 death penalty opponents
gathered.
[top]
Opposition Maoists in Nepal Say They will Defy Ban
on Organizing (3:34)
Nepal's opposition parties and underground Maoist front
organizations say they will defy the government's indefinite
ban on political rallies and meetings, which was set into
place by the country's King Gyanendra yesterday, after fresh
Maoist strikes killed more than 30 Royal Nepalese Army men
just outside the capital of Kathmandu over the weekend. Nepal
has endured a civil war for the last fifteen years, and Maoists
control a huge area in the country's interior, and run a parallel
government in regions under their control. Fearing a complete
overthrow, King Gyanedra seized the executive powers last
February. FSRN's Vinod K. Jose has more.
[top]
Diplomatic Rift between US and Australia over Pharmaceutical
Benefits (4:52)
Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS, was
created by Constitutional Referendum, when Australians went
to the polls in 1948 and voted for the plan. The PBS is subsidized
by the Australian government, and pharmaceuticals listed under
the scheme are made accessible and affordable for all Australians.
But now, the PBS has come under attack by the United States
through it's free trade agreement with Australia, and the
newly formed Medicines Working Group met in Washington last
week to discuss details of the agreement, which having not
been made public and are subject to much speculation. Cinnamon
Nippard has more from Sydney.
[top]
Home Health Care Workers Rally in Harlem
(3:09)
In commemoration of the life and struggles of slain civil
rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, politicians from
across New York State's political landscape came out in solidarity
with Home Health Care workers and who held a rally in Harlem
to demand a living wage. From the Big Apple, Ian Forrest has
the story.
[top]
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