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> Thur., Apr. 27, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Senator Proposes Halting Funding for the National Security
Agency
Out of Iraq Caucus Holds Forum
Massive Marches and Rallies Planned for May 1: A Day Without
an Immigrant
Demonstrators Meet with Newmont Mining Representatives
A Look at Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf
Suspicions Over Uganda Sending Troops to the DRC
Death of Education in Iraq
FSRN Headlines
THOUSANDS DISPLACED IN SRI LANKA
The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, expressed serious
concern today over the situation of thousands of people recently
displaced by military air strikes in northern Sri Lanka. UNHCR's
representative in Sri Lanka, Amin Awad, said today that UN
agencies are working with NGO partners to determine the immediate
needs of the displaced and to provide a coordinated humanitarian
response.
FEMA SLAMMED BY SENATE COMMITTEE
A Senate-led investigation of the response to Hurricane Katrina
has concluded that the Federal Emergency Management Agency
should be shut down. A report released today by a Senate committee
says FEMA should be replaced by a National Preparedness and
Response Authority. The proposed agency would remain under
the Department of Homeland Security but would have more autonomy
and its leader would report directly to the President. The
report blamed FEMA for ignoring warnings, lacking preparation
plans, and responding inadequately to the hurricane and subsequent
flooding. Investigators found that FEMA's inefficiencies stemmed
from a loss of authority, a lack of funding, and incompetent
leadership. The report also criticizes the leaders of New
Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the Department of Homeland
Security.
RENDITION FLIGHTS
An investigation by European Union parliamentarians has concluded
that European territory was used by the CIA for the practice
of so-called 'extraordinary rendition.' Their report says
that the CIA is guilty of kidnaping and illegal detention
of terrorist suspects. From London, Naomi Fowler reports.
SIT-IN IN SEATTLE
(info and tape provided by reporter Mark Taylor-Canfield
in Seattle)
Anti-war demonstrators have ended a sit-in at the Seattle
offices of Senator Maria Cantwell. The sit-in began on Tuesday
when Cantwell's staff refused to schedule a meeting with seven
people who wanted the senator to explain her position on the
war in Iraq. Sit-in participant, Howard Gale: (ACT) Participants
in the Sit–in included: US Army Specialist Joshua Farris,
a veteran of the Iraq War; Stacy Bannerman, author of "When
The War Came Home" and wife of an Iraq War Veteran; Joe
Colgan, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2003; Abe Osheroff,
veteran of the Spanish Civil War and World War II; student
activist Adam Garcia; and Reverend Richard Gamble. The protesters
left the senator's office yesterday after Cantwell agreed
to meet with them on May 6th.
NET TO LOSE NEUTRALITY?
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a telecommunications
reform bill yesterday, rejecting two provisions that would
have preserved the unbiased flow of traffic on the Internet,
known as "net neutrality", and an amendment to ensure
that advanced cable and Internet services are made available
to all. The reform will open the door to the creation of a
tiered system, allowing Internet service providers to demand
extra fees for web sites that occupy more bandwidth. Opponents
of the new legislation say it will end the nature of the Internet
as we know it. The telecommunications reform bill will next
go to the House floor for a vote before it can proceed to
the Senate.
KEN LAY'S CROSS EXAMINATION
The highly-anticipated cross-examination of Ken Lay is now
underway in Houston. Lisa Cohen reports from the Enron trial.
[top]
Senator Proposes Halting Funding for the National
Security Agency (3:54)
A Senate Committee is in impasse over legislation on the
NSA spying program. Democrats opposed going forward on three
proposed bills, saying information on the proposal is inadequate,
while Committee Chair Arlen Specter said he’ll introduce
legislation that would stop funding the NSA. Meanwhile, the
House passed an intelligence bill that critics say expands
executive powers. FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.
[top]
Out of Iraq Caucus Holds Forum (2:19)
Members of the "Out of Iraq" Caucus held a second
forum today to discuss ending the war. The forum is a response
to a previously failed attempt by the Democrats to convene
a full debate and vote on the war. Two Iraqi citizens and
one US doctor serving as a Navy Hospital Corpsman during the
invasion testified at today’s forum. Anastasia Gnezditskaia
reports from Washington, DC.
[top]
Massive Marches and Rallies Planned for May 1: A
Day Without an Immigrant (2:05)
Massive actions, strikes and boycotts are being planned
for the first of May throughout the Americas. In Los Angeles,
2 major marches will take place: one during normal work hours,
the other at 3PM. Nativo Lopez is National Director for Hermandad
Mexicana-Latinoamericana and the National President of the
Mexican American Political Association, and is organizing
The Great American Boycott.
[top]
Demonstrators Meet with Newmont Mining Representatives
(2:36)
Protests outside the annual shareholder meeting of the world’s
largest gold-mining company, Newmont Mining, prompted company
officials to meet with activists from around the world. Demonstrators
gathered outside the Denver-based company to support community
activists from Ghana, Peru and Nevada who accuse Newmont of
environmental devastation, water contamination and the displacement
of thousands of people. FSRN’s Maeve Conran reports
from Colorado.
[top]
A Look at Pakistan’s President General Pervez
Musharraf (3:24)
Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf has
called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, urging him to
go ahead with the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline
– even if India has cold feet. The United States is
not happy with the project because it involves Iran, and some
media has reported that Washington is distancing itself fro
General Musharraf because of his defiance, as well as his
criticism of the US-India nuclear deal. Musharraf is a close
ally of both the US and Iran, with whom Pakistan shares a
physical and cultural border with. Masror Hussain has more
from Islamabad.
[top]
Suspicions Over Uganda Sending Troops to the DRC
(2:27)
The move by Uganda’s government to seek permission
from the UN to enter the Democratic Republic of Congo has
sparked debate and fears that it's another scheme to secure
a diplomatic invasion to plunder mineral resources in the
DRC. As Emmanuel Okella reports from Kampala, the decision
is raising eyebrows from both the Congolese government and
the Ugandan Parliament.
[top]
Death of Education in Iraq (3:39)
One day after her brother called for Iraq’s Sunni
insurgency to be brought down with force, the sister of Iraq’s
new Vice President Tareq Al Hashemi, was gunned down in a
drive-by shooting today in Baghdad. While news of her death
is grabbing international headlines, no one is immune from
the violence of Iraq’s guerilla war. The Ministry of
Education reports that between October of last year and the
end of February, 400 teachers and employees from the Ministry
have been killed, 170 have been wounded, and that 417 schools
were attacked - some were shut down. David Enders reports
from Baghdad.
[top]
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