May 10, 2006
Headlines (5:50)
FIRST DAY OF COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE ABUSES IN NEPAL
Two weeks after Nepal’s king gave up some power in the face of countrywide protests, a high-level government commission today began looking into a wide variety of abuses that took place during the past year. From Kathmandu, Carey Biron has more.
MAPUCHE PRISONERS STILL ON HUNGER STRIKE
In Chile, four Mapuche Indians convicted of setting fire to disputed land are in a very delicate state of health, as they enter the 60th day of a hunger strike. From Santiago FSRN’s Jorge Garretón has the story.
HUMALA’S VISA REVOKED
The United States has revoked the 10-year visa of Peru’s leftist presidential candidate. Diletta Varlese reports.
MOVING THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN UGANDA
The Ugandan Army says it has so far resettled about one hundred thousand formerly displaced persons from 50 camps in the war ravaged Northern part of the country. Emmanuel Okella reports from Kampala.
ANTI-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE OVERTURNED
In New York Federal District Court yesterday, the U.S. government was found guilty of violating freedom of speech rights by demanding HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness groups to sign on to an anti-prostitution pledge. In New York, Rebecca Myles has more.
SLAVERY REMEMBRANCE DAY OBSERVED IN FRANCE
France today commemorates Slavery Remembrance Day. The new national holiday comes 5 years to the day after the French government passed a law to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity.
Features
The Violence at Anbar Province (2:44)
Yesterday was another bloody day in Iraq. A car bomb in Tel Afar killed 17 people and injured 70, and another car bomb in Bakuba killed 11. As the occupation continues, the Iraqi province of Anbar remains one of the most hostile. Free Speech Radio News correspondent David Enders reports.
Safety and Supply Concerns in Iraq’s Hospitals (1:52)
About 3,500 US Army soldiers have been ordered to stay in Germany while the US considers its security conditions in Iraq. The soldiers were scheduled to leave early this month and begin operation in June or July. Officials have warned, however, that the troop’s deployment has not been canceled, and that they will be sent to Iraq at a later time. As security issues plague the country, doctors and pharmacists appear to have been the victims of a series of kidnaping and killings throughout Iraq. In Baghdad, the owner of a pharmacy was killed along with his assistant. And in the northern city of Kirkuk, attackers killed 3 Iraqi policemen and injured 7 others in an attempt to free and insurgent from the city’s main hospital. FSRN’s Salam Talib interviewed Dr. Ali Faleh, a physician in Kirkuk, about the situation at the Kirkuk Hospital.
Groups Push for Varying Proposals for Bush Administration Position in Iran (3:50)
The European-3: France, Germany and Britain, are working on a new nuclear proposal for Iran, after talks at the UN Security Council have slowed. Meanwhile, groups are sending proposals to the Bush Administration suggesting what action to take next, ranging from diplomacy to regime change. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
Congress Agrees to Finalize Tax Cuts (2:00)
Republican leadership in the House and Senate agreed last night to finalize reconciliation of tax bills previously passed by both chambers of Congress. Among other provisions, the legislation would extend tax cuts pushed by the Bush Administration for another 4 years. FSRN’s Darby Hickey has more from Capitol Hill.
Confusion Persists Over Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (4:08)
Seniors and disabled US Americans have until Monday to sign up for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Millions of people have yet to join, and many aren’t aware that they face life-long financial penalties if they don’t so. President Bush and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have spent the past 3 days in Florida, the state with the highest population of retirees in the country, defending what many health care advocates have called a disastrous enrollment period, in a last minute attempt to get enrollment numbers somewhere close to initial estimates. From WMNF in Tampa, Andrew Stelzer reports.
The Controversy at Gallaudet University (4:08)
Gallaudet University, the world’s only university in which all programs are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students, is embroiled in controversy. The appointment of Dr. Jane Fernandes, who served as Provost for 6 years, as President, has spurred round the clock protests from students, faculty, and staff. On Tuesday, Interim Head of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees Celia May Baldwin, resigned from Gallaudet’s Board because of what she calls the stress of an emotional presidential search process that has sparked angry protests and threats. FSRN’s Selina Musuta reports on the controversy from Gallaudet University where students have spent the last week camping out on the front lawn of the Northeast DC campus.
