Home > Programs
> FSRN
> Tue., Jan. 24, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
Thanks to FSRN.org
for making the daily programs available to Pacifica.org
Today's lead stories:
Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Alito Nomination to Supreme
Court
Hamas & Fatah Running Neck to Neck
Canadian Election - Conservatives Won!
Iraq Proves Perilous For Iraqi Journalists Too
Humans Rights Fledgling in Jamaica
Mumia Abu Jamal Comments: Chocolate City Dreams and Vanilla
Realities
FSRN Headlines
INTERIM REPORT ON CIA RENDITION FLIGHTS AND SECRET PRISONS
The European organization investigating allegations of CIA
operations within its territory submitted its preliminary
report today. The Council of Europe found evidence that European
airspace and airports were used by the Central Intelligence
Agency to secretly transport prisoners to third countries
known to practice torture. The investigation found that European
governments almost certainly knew of the rendition flights
passing through their airports. Allegations of CIA-administered
secret prisons within Europe could not be substantiated with
hard evidence. The interim report comes after a 3 month study,
with a final report expected after further investigation.
GUANTANAMO RULING IN NYC
A federal judge has ruled that the Pentagon must release the
names and nationalities of hundreds of men detained at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba. From New York City, Geoff Brady has more.
In yesterday's ruling, Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff of U.S.
District Court in Manhattan ordered the Department of Defense
to disclose the names and nationalities of hundreds of detainees
held at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The verdict
is the result of a lawsuit filed by the Associated Press under
the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. The Pentagon had
previously released more than 500 transcripts of the military
tribunals to the news agency, but names and other identifying
information were blacked out. The judge's ruling in the lawsuit
was made final this week, after the he rejected the government's
argument that the secrecy measure was to protect the privacy
rights of the detainees. The Pentagon must now hand over uncensored
documents to the Associated Press. The government has until
tomorrow to appeal the ruling. For Free Speech Radio News,
I'm Geoff Brady in New York.
U.S. MILITARY TO RESUME EXECUTIONS?
The U.S. military may begin to carry out death sentences,
after nearly 45 years since its last execution. Nicholas Killion
reports from Washington DC.
The United States Army has recently changed its death penalty
regulations, in what an internal document describes as a "major
revision". The changes now permit court martials and
military tribunals to hand down death sentences and the executions
may be carried out at any U.S. military base. David Elliot
of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty fears
this would give the military too much jurisdiction: [audio
clip] The new regulations would allow executions at the U.S.
Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, where the cases of suspected
"enemy combatants" are heard by military tribunals.
For Free Speech Radio News in Washington, D.C., I'm Nicholas
Killion.
STUDY ON DAY LABOR
Researchers at UCLA, the University of Illinois, and the New
School have released the first comprehensive study of working
conditions for day laborers. Kelly Barnes reports from Los
Angeles.
Over 26-hundred day laborers in 20 states were surveyed for
the study. Nearly half of the workers cited nonpayment and
underpayment of wages, and denial of food and water breaks.
One in five reported being subjected to violence by employers.
Hazardous conditions, faulty equipment, and a lack of protective
gear and safety training contribute to alarmingly high rates
of worker injury. The study's authors say employers rely on
day laborers for their most dangerous tasks, and then deny
them medical care. A significant number reported being arrested,
cited, moved along or checked for immigration status by local
police. Reports of harassment by police and private security
were greatest in the Midwest, which also ranked highest in
nonpayment or underpayment of wages and violence and insults
towards day laborers. The study's authors recommend increasing
the number of day labor community centers to combat the striking
patterns of violence and abuse. In Los Angeles, I'm Kelly
Barnes for FSRN.
CHINA EXAMINES CHEMICAL PLANTS
The Chinese government has partially released the results
of a survey to determine the safety conditions at the country's
chemical plants. Severine Bardon reports from Beijing.
Chinese environmental authorities have concluded that dozens
of chemical plants operating in the country may be a security
threat. More than a half of them are located along China's
two major rivers. Zhou Shenxian, China's new environment chief,
made a clear statement on this situation today, although he
did not release the names of the plants that did not meet
security and environmental standards. Even more alarming is
the fact that Zhou, who came into office after a massive benzene
leak poisoned the Songhua River, insisted today on playing
down the consequences of this accident. In opposition to the
United Nations Environment Programme, he asserted that the
ice melting in the spring would not release more toxins in
the Shonghua river. It seems that China still has a long way
to go to satisfy its own youth. A poll released today in Chinese
newspapers reveals that half of the young Chinese people polled
want more effective controls on environmental pollution in
the upcoming Chinese New Year. For Free Speech Radio News,
I'm Severine Bardon in Beijing.
[top]
Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Alito Nomination
to Supreme Court (4:05)
The Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to confirm
Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Democrats voiced
strong opposition asserting Alito would reverse personal liberties,
increase presidential powers, and side with the most conservative
judges. Republicans showed strong support for Alito, claiming
that Democrats are playing politics on the back of the judiciary.
Leigh Ann Caldwell has more from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Hamas & Fatah Running Neck to Neck (3:00)
Palestinian voters head to the polls in parliamentary elections
this week - their first time in ten years. Polls suggest that
the group Hamas is running neck to neck with the ruling party
Fatah, the party of President Mahmoud Abbas and former Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat. As Irris Mackler reports from Hebron,
despite fear of violence and corruption, Palestinians in the
West Bank are eager to participate in the electoral process.
[top]
Canadian Election - Conservatives Won! (1:57)
Canada's Liberal Party has been defeated in a federal election.
Forming the next government will the Conservative Party of
Canada, led by Stephen Harper, which won the largest number
of seats in a field of five major parties. Harper's Conservative
Party has opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Their
party platform promises tax cuts, more police and harsher
sentences, and a stronger military. From Toronto, CKLN's Kristin
Schwartz has more.
[top]
Iraq Proves Perilous For Iraqi Journalists Too
(3:02)
The deadline set by the captors of US journalist Jill Carroll
passed on Friday with no further word of Carroll's fate. As
violence continues, the instability of daily life in Iraq
often goes unreported as the sort of background noise behind
other stories, but the kid napping of Carroll underscores
the dangers faced by journalists, especially for Iraqis. FSRN's
Salam Talib and David Enders file this report.
[top]
Humans Rights Fledgling in Jamaica (4:00)
After a lengthy deliberation, Jamaica's Director of Public
Prosecution charged 6 police officers who were involved in
the 2003 murder of 2 men and 2 women in the rural town of
Kraal. The 4 victims had guns planted on their bodies after
the officers killed them. Yet despite what some have deemed
the toughest case against police officers brought to trial,
all 6 officers were acquitted in the week before Christmas
last year. Ian Forrest takes a look at what this means for
the fledgling human rights movement in Jamaica.
[top]
Mumia Abu Jamal Comments: Chocolate City Dreams and
Vanilla Realities (3:21)
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin recently apologized after being
admonished in the mass media for imploring local residents
to re-build a "Chocolate New Orleans" in a speech
he gave on Martin Luther King Junior Day. But, as commentator
Mumia Abu Jamal points out, backlash to Nagin's comment might
indicate more about those who heard the words rather than
the person who said it.
[top]
|
Listen
to the show 
Help
stream
download
