Home > Programs
> FSRN
> Fri., May. 12, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
Thanks to FSRN.org
for making the daily programs available to Pacifica.org
Today's lead stories:
Immigrant Rights Advocates Face Off with Minutemen on Capitol
Hill
Mobilization in Solidarity With Atenco Continue
200,000 AK47s Lost in Transport to Iraq
Palestinians and Israeli Respond With Non-Violent Protests
Nepal’s Parliament Steps Up Call to Bring Armed Forces
Under Civilian Control
Colombia’s Constitutional Court Lifts Total Ban on Abortion
FSRN Headlines
GAS PIPELINE EXPLODES IN NIGERIA
At least hundred and fifty people have died in an oil pipeline
explosion in Nigeria. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
The explosion occurred on Friday morning on a major oil pipeline
in a community near Lagos. Lagos police Commissioner Emmanuel
Adebayo, says between one hundred and fifty and two hundred
people have died. Some of the victims were believed to be
in the midst of the petrol scooping the fuel when the explosion
occurred. It is common practice in Nigeria for poor people
to go and scoop fuel from leaking oil pipelines. The pipelines
normally leak when vandals tamper with them or when they corrode
due to poor maintenance. About two thousand people have died
in the last seven years from oil pipeline explosions in Nigeria.
People scooping fuel at the risk of their lives is seen as
an evidence of the level of poverty in Nigeria where official
corruption has denied most of the country's populace a share
of the country's oil wealth. For Free Speech Radio News, this
is Sam Olukoya in Lagos.
MUSEVENI BEGINS ANOTHER TERM AS UGANDA'S PRESIDENT
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni took a radical stance against
western donors in his inauguration speech today. Once the
darling of the west, Museveni now blames Uganda's woes on
interference from donor countries. Joshua Kyalimpa reports
President Yoweri Museveni took power in Uganda 20 years ago
after an armed struggle. He has since transformed his government
from a military regime to an elected government, but the country
is still reeling from poverty and its associated problems.
yoweri Museveni's term in office would have come to an end
today as per the old constitution which placed term restrictions
on the president. The constitution has since been rewritten
removing the term limits clause,thereby allowing Museveni
to continue as president. The last presidential race was hotly
contested and the runner-up, Dr Kizza Besigye later challenged
the results in court. 10 heads of state including Zimbabwe's
Robert Mugabe, Paul Kagame of Rwanda,and Prime minister Meles
Zenawi of Ethiopia attended the celemony at the Kololo independence
grounds in Uganda's capitol Kampala. The leaders of the opposition
parties boycotted the ceremony arguing that attendance would
be an endorsement of dictatorship. Joshua Kyalimpa FSRN Kampala,
Uganda
LEBANON RESOLUTION AT THE UN
A United States authored UN Security Council Resolution on
Lebanon has been drafted and is set to circulate today among
the 15 member states at United Nations headquarters in New
York. The resolution calls on Syria to officially define its
borders and establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon, something
it did not do during its 29-year military presence in the
country. Jackson Allers reports from Beirut.
In the wake of Wednesday's massive demonstration in Beirut
of over 250,000 people opposed to a government economic reform
package, the news of the US-backed Security Council resolution
insisting that Syria resolve border issues with Lebanon is
welcome news to the Lebanese Premier, Fouad Siniora. Siniora
is facing popular opposition for pushing a sweeping economic
reform package to comply with World Bank and International
Monetary Fund requests. He has asked the US and its allies
at the UN Security Council to push for implementation of 2004
Security Council resolution, 1559, which would have Syria
fully recognize Lebanese sovereignty. Russia has sent indications
that it does not approve of the proposed resolution. Syrian
Deputy Foreign Minister, Faysal Mekdad told reporters in New
York this week that the U.S. and other Western countries should
stop meddling in the internal affairs of Syria and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, any issues to define Lebanon's borders are made
problematic by Israel's refusal to withdraw from the Shebaa
Farm region in southeastern Lebanon, which Syria says must
happen before it formally draws borders with Lebanon. Reporting
from Beirut, Lebanon, this is Jackson Allers for Free Speech
Radio News.
HUGE SECURITY HOLE IN VOTING MACHINES
Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, which has been criticized
for faulty electronic voting machines, faces new accusations
by computer security experts that the integrity of the machines
could be easily compromised. From Ohio, Quinn Bowman has more.
The electronic voting machine manufacturer whose former chief
executive promised an electoral victory for President Bush
is again facing serious criticism. Several computer science
experts who have studied Diebold Election System's voting
machines warn that the electronic systems are wide open to
tampering attempts. Finnish computer expert, Harri Hursti
recently discovered a new security problem with Diebold's
system while working for Black Box Voting, a non-profit company
that works to ensure fair elections. Diebold says the security
hole was left intentionally by programmers so that the system's
software could be easily updated. Experts who have studied
the flaw say that anyone with simple computer components and
access to the machines could tamper with the systems without
leaving a trace. Bragblog.com, a website that reports on electronic
voting issues, reports that the flawed touch screen machines
were used just 2 weeks ago in Ohio's primary election. Several
states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and Iowa
use the Canton, Ohio-based company's machines. For Free Speech
Radio News, this is Quinn Bowman in Athens, Ohio.
TAX CUTS PASSED
The Senate has passed legislation that extends capital gains
and dividends tax cuts for two additional years. This amounts
to 70 billion dollars in tax cuts. All but 3 Republicans supported
the tax cuts, saying it will spur spending and help the economy.
All but three Democrats voted against the bill saying that
it helps only the wealthiest Americans. The tax cuts will
apply to all income brackets, but those making over seventy
five thousand dollars a year will save the most. The bill
will now head to the President to be signed into law.
[top]
Immigrant Rights Advocates Face Off with Minutemen
on Capitol Hill (3:16)
The Congressional debate on immigration is expected to resume
in the Senate on Monday. After political wrangling, Democrats
and Republicans have agreed on how to proceed with the legislation.
Meanwhile, the Minutemen have converged on Capitol Hill voicing
staunch opposition to the Senate bill and undocumented immigrants.
As FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, immigrant rights advocates
countered their claims.
[top]
Mobilization in Solidarity With Atenco Continue
(3:40)
Solidarity actions and protests continue over the violence
in Atenco, outside of Mexico City last week, where more than
200 people were detained in a massive police operation that
claimed the life of a 14 year old. In the latest international
act of solidarity with the prisoners, protesters locked down
the front of the Mexican Embassy in London today. Meanwhile,
mobilizations continue in the Mexican capital. Vladimir Flores
reports.
[top]
200,000 AK47s Lost in Transport to Iraq (3:16)
The US government has lost track of over 200,000 machine
guns that were supposed to be used by the Iraqi police. The
99-ton cache of AK47s was to have been secretly flown out
from a US base in Bosnia. But the four plane loads of arms
have vanished. This development, along with the escape of
five Iraqi inmates from a newly-built high security prison,
is raising new questions about the competence of US occupation
forces. Aaron Glantz and Salam Talib report.
[top]
Palestinians and Israeli Respond With Non-Violent
Protests (1:45)
Israeli fuel cutoffs have sparked a severe shortage in Palestine,
and the Israeli closure of the Gaza border has led to a number
of deaths due to the lack of medicine. FSRN’s Saed Bannoura
reports from Palestine, from one of many sites where Palestinians
and Israelis are responding with non-violent protests.
[top]
Nepal’s Parliament Steps Up Call to Bring Armed
Forces Under Civilian Control (3:45)
In Nepal, members of the newly reinstated Parliament stepped
up demands this week to bring the country's armed forces under
civilian control. During King Gyanendra's five years on the
throne, the army was largely responsible for keeping him in
power. But despite the success of April's people power revolution
in forcing the king to give up direct rule, some worry that
the Parliament may already be too late. Carey Biron reports
from Katmandu.
[top]
Colombia’s Constitutional Court Lifts Total
Ban on Abortion (3:10)
After 13 months spent considering two legal challenges submitted
by 29-year-old lawyer Monica Roa, Colombia’s Constitutional
Court ruled 5-to-3 in favor of lifting the total ban against
abortion. Women health rights defenders across Colombia celebrated
the decision, which legalizes abortions in cases of danger
to a woman’s life, to the fetus, or in cases of rape
and incest. Nicole Karsin has more from Bogotá.
[top]
|
Listen
to the show 
Help
stream
download
