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> Thur., Jan. 19, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Senate Committee Considers Indecency on Television
CPT Member Holds Hope for Hostages
Osama bin Laden Offers U.S. a Truce
Pakistan Responds to US Air Strikes
South Africa Considering Decriminalizing Sex Work
African American Hurricane Survivors Facing Housing Discrimination
Students Paid to Inform on UCLA Professors
FSRN Headlines
THE PHILIPPINES QUESTIONS JOINT FORCES AGREEMENT
A Philippine Congressional committee today called for the
scrapping of a security pact that allows large-scale military
exercises with United States forces within its national territory.
The move comes after U.S. officials refused to hand over four
American marines accused of rape. Girlie Linao reports from
Manila.
Philippine legislators say terminating the 1999 Visiting
Forces Agreement, or VFA, with the United States would allow
the government to renegotiate a better deal. The move comes
after the U.S. rejected a Philippine request for it to hand
over four Marines accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipino
woman in the northern city of Olongapo last November. The
refusal was in line with the VFA, which allows U.S. officials
to keep custody of an accused until the end of the judicial
proceedings. A local court has already issued arrest warrants
against the four Marines, who have been under the custody
of the U.S. Embassy in Manila since the charges were made.
The Marines were in the Philippines then for joint training
exercises in the former U.S. Naval Base of Subic in Olongapo
City. Legislators are also calling on the government to suspend
Philippine funding for all military exercises with the U.S.
until the trial of the Marines ends. For Free Speech Radio
News, I'm Girlie Linao in Manila.
PRE-ELECTION CLIMATE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
As the January 25th Legislative Council elections near, Palestinian
candidates and parties are reporting incidents of harassment
by Israeli forces. Manar Jibrin reports from the West Bank.
Palestinian candidate Bassam Al Salhi, Secretary General
of the Palestinian People's Party, was detained today for
several hours by Israeli troops upon his arrival from Jordan
to the Gaza Strip. In East Jerusalem, Israeli policemen stormed
a press conference by candidates from the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine yesterday and detained seven candidates,
charging that campaigning in Jerusalem is not allowed. Soldiers
also broke into a Hamas campaigning center in Jerusalem and
arrested Mohammed Abu Tair, one of three Hamas candidates,
along with seven others. These arrests come just days after
the Israeli Knesset voted to allow Jerusalemite Palestinians
to participate in the coming elections. The approved measure
permits campaign activities of all Palestinian parties, except
Hamas.
NOLA HOME DEMOLITION SETTLEMENT
A lawsuit about notifying New Orleans homeowners regarding
the possible demolition of their properties was settled in
court this week. The city of New Orleans has agreed to send
notices by mail and post public announcements before destroying
any homes. Christian Roselund reports.
Kirk vs. City of New Orleans was settled before US District
Court Judge Martin Feldman on Tuesday with little media attention.
The city agreed to mail a notice to the last known address
of a homeowner, who has seven days to appeal the demolition
by writing the city. The city had begun clearing the remnants
of homes out of streets in the city's lower 9th Ward in late
December, after giving notice on Christmas eve. Demolition
was stopped by residents and community organizers who, in
one instance, physically occupied a site being bulldozed.
Brandon Darby, an organizer with the Common Ground collective,
a plaintiff in the case, says that the city has only agreed
to a process that it was required to follow all along. [sound]
The city plans to start mailing notices out this week, and
demolitions are scheduled to begin again in early February.
For FSRN, I'm Christian Roselund.
ATTACKS CONTINUE IN THE NIGER DELTA
Militants in Nigeria's Niger Delta region continue to mount
attacks on oil facilities. In addition to a recent attack
on an oil flow station, two oil vessels and a tugboat have
been hijacked. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
The past weeks have seen a series of attacks on oil installations
in Nigeria's Niger Delta region. Most have been directed at
the Anglo-Dutch oil company, Shell Petroleum. A number of
soldiers guarding a Shell oil flow station were injured during
a Tuesday attack. On Sunday, four soldiers were killed during
an attack on another Shell facility. A previously unknown
militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta, claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and
says it intends to attack other western oil companies operating
in the region. The militants specifically mentioned the American
company, Chevron, as a potential target. Four foreign oil
workers who were kidnapped a week ago are yet to be released.
The militants holding the oil workers are demanding compensation
for local communities in the Niger Delta affected by pollution
resulting from oil exploitation. For Free Speech Radio News,
this is Sam Olukoya in Lagos.
GLOBAL WARMING ENDANGERS PLANKTON
A global rise in the surface temperatures of oceans can have
a devastating effect on plankton...and marine life in general.
This, according to a recent study published in the scientific
journal, Nature. The microorganisms convert carbon dioxide
to carbon, thereby helping to curb the effects of global warming.
However, scientists found that higher surface temperatures
can rob plankton of the nutrients needed to survive. In addition
to its vital role in the carbon cycle, plankton forms the
basis of the marine food chain. Scientists warn that it's
endangerment could have far-reaching implications for life
on this planet.
[top]
Senate Committee Considers Indecency on Television
(3:59)
Family friendly viewing packages will soon be available
for cable television subscribers. The family option, plus
v-chip technology, which allows parents to block shows that
they deem unacceptable from being aired on their televisions,
will provide enough regulation to minimize indecent television
viewing by children. But some critics have different ideas
of how to keep children from indecent exposure. FSRN’s
Leigh Ann Caldwell reports from the passionate hearing that
took place today on Capitol Hill.
[top]
CPT Member Holds Hope for Hostages (2:52)
The fate of 4 hostages taken in Iraq nearly 2 months ago,
remains unknown. The 4 are part of the Christian Peacemaker
Team, or CPT, which seeks to offer an organized, nonviolence
alternative to war, and offers on-the-ground perspectives
from countries where armed conflicts are underway. Greg Rollins
has worked with the CPT Iraq Team since April 2004, and began
his most recent period of service there in October. He left
Baghdad for Amman, Jordan yesterday and will return to his
home in British Colombia tomorrow. Greg Rollins, your thoughts
as you make your way back home after living and working in
Baghdad for the past 3 months?
[top]
Osama bin Laden Offers U.S. a Truce (2:13)
Al-Jazeera aired audio tape today believed to be the voice
Osama Bin Laden, who had a direct message for the people of
the United States. Bin Laden indicated that attacks within
the United States are being planned, but he also offered a
long term truce if the United States would pull out of Iraq
and Afghanistan. Washington Editor Mitch Jeserich has these
details on the Al-Qaeda leader's message.
[top]
Pakistan Responds to US Air Strikes (3:18)
Islamabad has lodged a strong protest against the United
States government after US troops, occupying Afghanistan,
attacked a village in Pakistan, killing 18 civilians, including
women and children. While the response from Washington has
been very casual, Pakistanis throughout the country took to
the streets to participate in anti-US demonstrations. Following
the US attack, President Pervez Musharraf is now under an
immense amount of pressure from liberal-democratic opposition,
as well as from religious groups, for supporting what are
considered US imperialist designs under the guise of the War
on Terror. Masror Hussain reports from Islamabad.
[top]
South Africa Considering Decriminalizing Sex Work
(2:07)
Throughout most of the world, sex work is perceived to be
linked to organized crime, the exploitation of women and the
moral decline of society. Yet, despite laws and often harsh
policing, sex work continues worldwide, and South Africa is
just one of many countries considering changing its approach.
Terna Gyuse reports.
[top]
African American Hurricane Survivors Facing Housing
Discrimination (2:46)
For survivors of Hurricane Katrina, some struggles may have
just begun. A new report indicates that African Americans
displaced by Katrina experience alarming rates of housing
discrimination. Complaints have been filed in 3 southern states
against property managers and internet websites for alleged
housing discrimination. FSRN’s Christina Aanestad reports.
[top]
Students Paid to Inform on UCLA Professors
(2:15)
In Los Angeles, a UCLA alumni group is offering up to $100
per course for students to supply tapes, notes and other materials
exposing so-called radical professors with left-leaning views.
FSRN's Leilani Albano has more.
[top]
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