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> Thur., Mar. 30, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Jill Carroll Released in Baghdad
Seattle Shelter Providers Question City’s Decision to
Cut Funds
Taser Guns on Trials by Sydney Police
Senate Considers Opposing Immigration Bills
House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Narcotics
Families Question Police Killing of Kashmiris
FSRN Headlines
UN SECURITY COUNCIL TELLS IRAN TO SUSPEND NUCLEAR PROGRAM
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved
a call for Iran to shut down it's uranium enrichment program
within 30 days. Iranian Ambassador to the UN, Javad Zarif,
speaking to UN radio yesterday: "Iran will want to cooperate
with the international community, but it does not accept pressure
or intimidation. We are allergic to pressure and intimidation
and we do not respond well to that." Iran maintains that
its nuclear program is to generate energy, not produce weapons.
US Ambassador John Bolten disagrees, but says the ball is
now in Iran's court. Representatives from the the U.S., China,
Britain, France, Russia, and Germany are holding talks today
in Berlin to contemplate possible further actions. The International
Atomic Energy Agency is due to report on Iran's compliance
in 30 days.
CRUDE PRICES HIT NEW RECORD
Meanwhile, the price of crude oil reached a new record high
today, at over $70 a barrel.
CHANGE OF VENUE REQUEST FOR TAYLOR TRIAL
The UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone has cited
security concerns behind its request to transfer the trial
of former Liberian President Charles Taylor to the facilities
of the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Taylor arrived
in Sierra Leone yesterday after his capture and extradition
from Nigeria and speedy transfer from Liberia. He is scheduled
to appear in the Freetown-based courtroom tomorrow.
CPE RULING IN FRANCE
France's highest legal body, the Constitutional Council, has
backed the government's youth employment scheme, ensuring
that the crisis that has hit the country will continue. Tony
Cross reports from Paris.
The council this evening ruled that the New Jobs Contract,
or CPE, doesn't violate the constitution. The body, which
is dominated by politicians from mainstream right-wing parties,
said that it had no reservations in declaring the plan legal.
That was a ruling against a claim by Socialist MPs that the
special contract, which allows workers under 26 to be fired
at any time, was discriminatory. Protests carry on, ahead
of another day of action next Tuesday. Today, students blocked
roads or occupied railway stations in or around at least eight
major towns. A number of high-school students have been arrested
during the protests. Only four high-school principals called
in police to carry out an Education Ministry order to reopen
schools this morning. Over 500 high-schools remain closed.
Now, the ministry has ordered universities to reopen tomorrow.
There are protests at 58 out of 84 of them. President Jacques
Chirac is expected to sign the plan into law tomorrow, but
officials say that he may propose a meeting of unions and
employers' representatives, similar to the one organised at
the end of the general strike of May 1968. For FSRN I'm Tony
Cross in Paris.
TRILATERAL SUMMIT IN CANCUN
President George W. Bush joins Mexican president Vicente Fox
and Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper for a meeting today
in the Mexican beach resort town of Cancun. Immigration will
top the agenda. This is the latest meeting of the so-called
"Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America"
since the agreement was signed by the three countries a year
ago. Results of today's meeting will be presented tomorrow.
A vast security operation is underway in Cancun. Maritime
restrictions prohibit boat traffic within one nautical mile
of the coast until the end of the summit.
BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE IN BRAZIL
At a major international conference underway in Brazil, developing
countries are calling for international legislation to ensure
that indigenous communities are given a share of the financial
benefits when their knowledge about plants and animals is
exploited for profit by big corporations. Haider Rizvi reports
from Curitiba, Brazil.
Brazil, India, and many other countries say they want an
international regime to protect their local communities from
companies that use their traditional knowledge or genetic
resources without sharing the profits. These nations back
the idea that companies interested in using indigenous resources
should not be allowed to have patent rights without disclosing
the source of their product. The United States and some other
rich countries oppose such measures. The UN Convention on
Biodiversity requires fair and equitable distribution of genetic
resources. The convention has been signed by more than 150
countries. Currently, more than 4,000 delegates are negotiating
various issues related to the implementation of the convention,
which aims to achieve substantial reduction in the loss of
biodiversity. The issue of how to protect traditional knowledge
from unfair commercialization is likely to pose a serious
challenge to the World Trade Organization, where intellectual
property rights rule supreme.
[top]
Jill Carroll Released in Baghdad (:40)
Car bombs and sectarian killings continued in Baghdad today,
but in a spot of good news, US freelance journalist Jill Carroll
was released nearly 3 months after being kidnapped and held
in captivity. Carroll’s father, Jim, says he’s
happy she’s been released, but that her captivity proved
to be a trying time for his family.
[top]
Seattle Shelter Providers Question City’s Decision
to Cut Funds (4:45)
A Seattle based regional plan to end homelessness in ten
years, is under fire from shelter providers who question the
city’s decision to cut funds for shelter beds on the
1st of April. The city’s rationale is based on a federal
model called “housing first”- but while no one
questions the goal, shelter providers do question the logic,
as the city faces a critical shortage of affordable housing.
Martha Baskin has the story.
[top]
Taser Guns on Trials by Sydney Police (3:48)
Australia’s Police Minister and the New South Wales
Premier decided to introduce twelve Taser guns for trial with
the State's riot police over the next six months, following
the race riots in Cronulla last December. Taser guns work
by shooting an electrical current at a range of up to 23 feet
away, electrically shocking and temporarily immobilizing the
targeted person. As all major muscle groups go into spasm,
victims fall to the ground and involuntarily urinate. Tasers
have been used in the US and Canada for some time, and FSRN’s
Cinnamon Nippard reports from Australia, where Tasers on police
trial.
[top]
Senate Considers Opposing Immigration Bills
(2:10)
Two versions of immigration legislation are up for debate
in the Senate. One bill, similar to the contentious HR4437
House bill, focuses only on border security and enforcement,
while another includes a guest worker program and path to
citizenship. Despite the expected embattled debate in the
Senate, controversy is growing as members of the House voice
strong opposition to what they call weak provisions in border
security and enforcement. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell
reports.
[top]
House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Narcotics (3:49)
In other news from Washington, the House Subcommittee on
Drug Trafficking held a hearing today to discuss narcotics.
While members of the House lamented about a lack of progress
on the issue, the Drug Enforcement Administration representative
noted that his organization has to deal with new challenges,
such as lack of cooperation by South American administrations
like Venezuela and Bolivia, as well enhanced heroine production
in Colombia and, the shrinking budget. Anastasia Gnezditskaia
has more from DC.
[top]
Families Question Police Killing of Kashmiris
(4:01)
Police in the Indian state of Gujarat killed four people
in an encounter on the 17th of this month, claiming the four
killed were militants. Two of the four killed were Kashmiri
youth, and their families claim they were innocent. Shahnawaz
Khan has more from Kashmir.
[top]
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