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> Wed., Mar. 8, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Immigrant Advocates Taking Action on Capitol Hill
Senate Committee Rejects Investigation into NSA Surveillance
Program
New Orleans Levees Being Built to Half-Century-Old Climate
Data
Madre Co-Hosts Panel on Women’s Rights Laws Around the
World
Domestic Violence Challenged in China
Women in Nicaragua Struggle Against Effect of Globalization
Oral, South Dakota Fights to Keep Legacy of Education Alive
FSRN Headlines
CONTINUING CRACKDOWN IN THE PHILIPPINES
Philippine police today broke up a rally marking International
Women's Day and detained a lawmaker and a labour activist
for leading the protest. Girlie Linao reports from Manila.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Manila today to
mark International Women's Day and again demand for President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation. The demonstrations
were the first to be held since President Arroyo lifted a
week-long emergency rule last Friday. The end of the state
of emergency, however, has not stopped the crackdown on the
government's opponents. Demonstrations without permits are
also still banned. Leftist Congresswoman Risa Baraquel and
Joshua Mate, leader of a militant labour group,were among
more than 1,000 people marching towards the Malacanang presidential
palace, but were blocked by police. When the protesters refused
to disperse, the anti-riot policemen began hitting some of
the male demonstrators with sticks to force the rally to break
up. Police then arrested Baraquel and Mata, literally dragging
the two into their vehicles. Baraquel was later freed without
any case filed, while Mata was released after police filed
illegal assembly charges against him. I'm Girlie Linao in
Manila.
HOUSE APPROVES PATRIOT ACT
In Washington DC, the House of Representatives last night
approved the re-authorization of the USA Patriot Act. The
bill will make 14 controversial provisions permanent and will
extend 2 others for an additional four years. President Bush
is expected to sign the bill into law before the end of the
week.
SENATE PASSES LIHEAP
In the Senate, an agreement was reached yesterday on the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. An additional
one billion dollars will be distributed to help low income
people pay for their home energy bills. Senators from warm
and cold climate states reached a compromise on how the funds
will be dispersed, with additional heating assistance going
to those who need it this winter and cooling assistance to
those who will endure scorching temperatures this summer.
ONGOING ECONOMIC CLOSURE IN GAZA
Food supplies are dwindling in Gaza's markets, three weeks
after the closure of the area's main crossing point for commercial
and humanitarian supplies. Laila El-Haddad reports from Gaza
City.
According to the UN, 1.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip
are experiencing severe food shortages as a result of the
economic closure that is now in its third week. More than
500 tonnes of produce grown in Gaza greenhouses had to
be destroyed in the last week because of the closure, a U.S.
government report said. The closure began just before the
new Hamas dominated Parliament too power. Last month, Israeli
prime ministerial adviser, Dov Weisglass, was quoted as saying
that the idea behind the closure policy was "to put the
Palestinians on a diet but not make them die of hunger,".
Flour mills have shut down, milk and cheese have virtually
disappeared, and essential supplies are expected to run out
by Saturday. For FSRN in Gaza, this is Laila El-Haddad.
STRIKES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY IN ECUADOR (*In first feed
only*)
In Ecuador, workers at the state-owned oil company are on
strike in three Amazon provinces. President Alfredo Palacios
has declared a state of emergency and has ordered the army
to take control of the region. The freedoms of expression,
association, and assembly have been suspended. The workers
are demanding 3 months of back pay and better working conditions.
This, as teachers, students, and small farmers began a 24-hour
strike today to demand the suspension of Ecuador's free trade
negotiations with the United States.
BUENOS AIRES MAYOR OUSTED
Lawmakers in Argentina's capital have ousted the mayor for
his administration's failure to enforce safety laws. Marie
Trigona reports from Buenos Aires.
A committee of Buenos Aires city deputies yesterday voted
10 to 4 to sack Mayor Anibal Ibarra on charges of negligence
and corruption. Relatives and friends of those who died in
the massive night club fire celebrated the verdict outside
the legislature, embracing each other and holding photos of
victims. Ibarra was suspended from office in November pending
an investigation into the accusations, along with charges
of irregularities in the city's licensing and fire inspections
of the club. Investigations indicate that the club was overcrowded
when a flare ignited highly flammable soundproofing material.
The emergency exits were locked and 194 people, mostly teenagers,
asphyxiated from toxic smoke. The impeachment trial of Ibarra,
has become a center of political tensions and national debate
as how to hold politicians accountable in a nations where
many complain leaders enjoy widespread impunity. Ibarra has
been banned from public office for 10 years. For Free Speech
Radio News, I'm Marie Trigona in Buenos Aires.
WOMEN UNDER-REPRESENTED AT THE U.N.
On International Women's Day, women's groups from around the
world strongly criticized the United Nations and its Secretary
General Kofi Annan for failing to ensure women's equal participation
in running the affairs of the world body. Haider Rizvi reports
from the United Nations.
Women leaders from more than 50 countries have sent a letter
to the UN chief in which they accused him of paying only lip
service to the issue of gender equality. In the letter, women
groups said the UN is going in the wrong direction by offering
only token representation of women on the organization's high
level expert panels and senior positions. They noted that
the new high level panel on the UN system wide coherence in
the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the
environment has only three women out of 15 members. The UN
is currently undergoing reforms to make itself more effective
and efficient. But women's groups say such an initiative would
be meaningless unless the organization ensures full gender
equality in its rank and file.
[top]
Immigrant Advocates Taking Action on Capitol Hill
(3:44)
Immigrant rights supporters are on Capitol Hill, intensely
lobbying lawmakers in the Senate who are crafting new legislation.
Rights advocates continue pushing for a bill that will provide
legalization, and are strongly opposed to legislation already
passed in the House of Representatives, which they say would
further criminalize undocumented immigrants. Leigh Ann Caldwell
has more from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Senate Committee Rejects Investigation into NSA Surveillance
Program (2:35)
The Republican controlled Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
voted to expand oversight of the National Security Agency's
warrant-less surveillance program. Republican members, however,
rejected requests from Democrats to conduct a full scale investigation
into the program. Selina Musuta has more.
[top]
New Orleans Levees Being Built to Half-Century-Old
Climate Data (2:15)
Hurricane specialists have found that the levees being rebuilt
around the city of New Orleans are being constructed to reflect
climate data that hasn’t been updated since the 1950s.
This recent discovery by Louisiana State University is the
latest in a number of challenges the Army Corps of Engineers
has faced in attempting to reconstruct the city's levee system,
which will not be ready to protect the city from another major
storm by the start of the 2006 hurricane season. Christian
Roselund has more.
[top]
Madre Co-Hosts Panel on Women’s Rights Laws
Around the World (2:29)
As part of the 50th United Nations Commission on the Status
of Women, Madre, a women’s activist group started in
1983 that traveled to Nicaragua to witness the effects of
the US sponsored contra war, co-hosted a panel with other
women rights organizations to discuss violence against indigenous
women. The panel heard how legislation protecting women and
human rights was increasing, but that such legislation rarely
translated to actually improving the lives of women in indigenous
communities located far from major cities. FSRN's Rebecca
Myles attended the panel and files this report.
[top]
Domestic Violence Challenged in China (2:13)
While legislation against domestic violence is ignored in
some parts of the world, the mere existence of domestic violence
continues to be denied in others. But, as FSRN’s Severine
Bardon reports from Beijing, things are beginning to change
in China.
[top]
Women in Nicaragua Struggle Against Effect of Globalization
(2:56)
The economic, social and psychological effects of globalization
have taken their toll on women in the third world. FSRN’s
Nan McCurdy spoke with coordinators! active in the women’s
movement in Nicaragua about their continued to struggle against
the consequences of globalization.
[top]
Oral, South Dakota Fights to Keep Legacy of Education
Alive (3:25)
As schools across the United States struggle to cope with
diminishing budgets and the educational pressures of the No
Child Left behind Act, one South Dakota community is fighting
to keep a dying legacy of education alive. FSRN's Jim Kent
visited with residents of Oral, South Dakota to discuss the
future of their community schoolhouse and what they're willing
to do to keep it open.
[top]
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