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> Thu., Sep. 7, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair To Step Down Within A Year; Congress
Split Over Support For The President’s Plan To Try Detainees;
Thousands Rally On Behalf Of Immigrant Labor Rights; Turkey
Prepares To Send Troops To Lebanon As UN Peacekeepers; Palestinians
In The Midst Of A General Strike; Federal Class Action Lawsuit
Filed On Behalf Of Security Officers
Headlines (4:45)
IRAQ TAKES OVER PART OF ITS MILITARY
US-led forces handed over control of parts of the Iraqi Army
to the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a ceremony
today in Baghdad. A time line for the complete Andover of
the Iraqi Armed Forces to the country's government has not
yet been established. Also today, insurgents carried out 5
separate attacks on police targets in the Iraqi capital, killing
at least 15 people and wounding many others.
D.U. LAWSUIT
Ten US National Guard veterans of the war in Iraq have filed
a lawsuit in a New York federal court over the use of depleted
uranium. FSRN's Rebecca Myles has more.
The federal lawsuit filed by the ten veterans of Operation
Iraqi Freedom seeks adequate compensation for injuries sustained
from depleted uranium. The suit claims the United States Army
is negligent for not advising troops of the danger of depleted
uranium on the battlefield. The ten returned to Fort Dix in
2004 with symptoms of migraines, facial swelling, and blood
in the stool and urine. One of the plaintiff's is correction
officer Augustine Mattos who said prior to a hearing for the
lawsuit the army resisted testing them. (sound) "We went
to the medical staff who were handling our cases, they are
like case workers at Fort Dix. We asked them to give us a
depleted uranium test, first they said there was no test.
Then they asked why we wanted a test. We said because we are
having all these symptoms." After yesterday's 2 hour
hearing, District Judge John Cotterall has 30 days to rule
on whether the lawsuit will proceed. For FSRN, I am Rebecca
Myles reporting from New York.
NATO CALLS FOR MORE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
NATO'S top commander today urged member states to send more
troops to Afghanistan. This, as a growing death toll is fueling
debate within Canada about involvement in the occupation.
Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.
Canada maintains one of the most significant NATO-lead forces
in Afghanistan with approximately 2300 troops. Growing anger
throughout the country at the increasing Canadian death toll
in Afghanistan & the U.S. killing of a Canadian soldier
has forced organizers of an international air-show in Halifax,
Canada to remove the participation of a U.S. war plane. The
A-10 Thunderbolt II plane, which has been pulled from the
Halifax International Airshow, is the same type of plane that
took the life of a Canadian soldier on Monday. Growing anger
at the militarization of the Canadian role in Afghanistan
is present throughout the country. Stewart Neatby of the Halifax
Peace Coalition in Nova Scotia. (sound) "There have been
military families in Nova Scotia that have spoken-out critically
about the mission, who call for a removal of Canadian troops."
This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News
in Montreal.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REACTS TO SECRET PRISONS ADMISSION
Members of the European Parliament are demanding that the
Bush administration reveal the locations of CIA secret prisons
within EU territory. This comes a day after President Bush
admitted for the first time that the CIA operates secret prisons.
The European Parliament spent months on an investigation into
so-called "black site" prisons within its territory
after the Washington Post broke the story late last year.
Romania and Poland have both been named as possible locations.
EXPLOSION AT INDIAN MINE KILLS AT LEAST 50
In Eastern India, Fifty-four miners are believed dead after
an explosion and fire at a coal mine. PC Dubey reports.
Coal mines in Jharia of the eastern Indian state of Jharkand
have a long history of hazardous conditions. A horrible blast
and fire in one of the mines today resulted in a massive cave-in
which trapped some 54 miners. Rescue teams could only save
four of the 58 miners who had descended down the 1400 meter
deep mine just yesterday. 54 are feared to have succumbed
to the methane and monoxide gases unleashed by the blast fueled
fire. Some dead bodies have been retrieved but the fire and
fumes are hampering the rescue operations. Experts reveal
the carbon monoxide readings taken in the pits show the presence
of the deadly gas at levels that has the potential to cause
death in two to three minutes. The cause of the explosion
and fire are unknown at this time.
IVORIAN GOVERNMENT RESIGNS AMID TOXIC WASTE
The government of the West African nation of Ivory Coast has
resigned due to a scandal over the dumping of toxic waste.
Last month, a Panamanian ship, chartered by a Dutch company,
dropped off a load of toxic waste which was dumped in various
locations around the Ivorian capital city. At least three
people have died from the chemical fumes and hundreds more
have become ill.
Features
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair To Step Down Within A Year (2:56)
Tony Blair's position as Prime Minister and leader of his
party remains volatile after the resignation of eight of his
junior government ministers yesterday. Blair has said he will
step down in the next 12 months but has not yet offered an
exact date for his departure. From London, Naomi Fowler has
more:
Congress Split Over Support For The President’s Plan
To Try Detainees (3:55)
JAG officers from three branches of the military express concern
over the President's plan to try detainees. And as FSRN's
Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, Congress has the job to approve
the program, but many lawmakers remain split in their support.
Thousands Rally On Behalf Of Immigrant Labor Rights (3:34)
Camp Democracy that was launched in Washington, DC on the
5th of September, is holding an immigration rally today that
is expected to attract more than a hundred thousand people.
The rally is held right after the Labor Day because it aims
to stress that immigrants' rights are an inseparable part
of the rights of American workers as a whole. Anastasia Gnezditksia
brings us this preview.
Turkey Prepares To Send Troops To Lebanon As UN Peacekeepers
(4:11)
The Turkish parliament has agreed in principle to send troops
to Lebanon as part of the UN peace-keeping forces. UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan declared that one thousand Turkish troops
should make up the seven thousand troops to come from European
Union countries. Turkey is in the midst of negotiating membership
to the EU. Ozlem Sariyldiz reports from Ankara.
Palestinians In The Midst Of A General Strike (2:48)
Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territories have continued
today, with five Palestinians killed since last night in Gaza.
The attacks come in the midst of a general strike throughout
Palestine to protest the international economic blockade that
has resulted in the non-payment of salaries for over six months.
Federal Class Action Lawsuit Filed On Behalf Of Security
Officers (2:34)
Current and former security officers at one of the nation's
largest private security firms have filed a class action lawsuit
in federal court in San Francisco alleging withholding of
overtime pay. The proposed class includes thousands of workers
and could result in millions of dollars in liabilities. From
San Francisco, Max Pringle reports.
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