Archive - Mar 20, 2009

• New Pentagon report shows sexual assault reports increasing
• Obama reaches out to Iran
• Sri Lanka fighting threathens humanitarian crisis
• U.S. surgeons fix smiles abroad
• Commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal: The Constitution and Other Illusions

• CBO says US deficit will be larger than expected
• Court rules military contractors must answer civil lawsuits
• African Union won’t recognize Madagascar coup
• Argentine farmers protest soy export tax
• Palestinian unity talks break with little unity

The Pentagon has released its latest report on sexual assault by members of the U.S. military—reported incidents are up 8% across the board, and nearly 25% in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon says that’s a good thing -- it means more victims are actually reporting assaults. Tanya Snyder has the story.

President Barack Obama released a video address to Middle East broadcasters today announcing his willingness to open talks with Iran:

“My administration is now open to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran, and the international community.”

The video marks the Iranian new year, carries subtitles in Farsi, and praises the achievements of the Iranian people . . . but it also warns that threats and violence will not advance US-Iranian ties. Joining me to discuss the latest development is Stephen Zunes, chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.

The Sri Lankan military says it’s poised to capture the last positions of the Tamil Tiger Rebels. But international concern is mounting over the humanitarian crisis there – the intense fighting has trapped thousands of civilians in the war zone. FSRN’s Ponniah Manikavasagam reports:

A group of American surgeons is traveling to developing countries, performing hundreds of free surgeries on children who have little or no access to healthcare. Rotoplast international is a San Francisco-based charity that operates in children with a cleft lips or palates. Those birth defects can cause respiratory infections and hearing problems, but plastic surgery can fix them. FSRN’s Manuel Rueda recently spoke to a team of doctors who visited Pereira, a small city in Colombia´s coffee country.