Archive - Mar 30, 2009

• Attack on police school in Lahore, Pakistan
• Palestinians mark Land Day
• Progressive Leaders Summit in Chile
• Inter American Development Bank holds its 50th annual board meeting amid calls for new priorities
  
• Administration prepared to give more money to auto industry
  
• Arizona activists remember Cesar Chavez by fasting in protest of Maricopa County sheriff's policies

• Khmer Rouge commandant’s trial begins
• Sudanese President slams ICC at Arab Summit
• Another soldier convicted of murdering four Iraqis
• Activists arrested ahead of G20 in London
• American journalists detained in North Korea to face charges
• Obama increases wilderness protection areas by 2 million acres

The Inter American Development Bank continues it's 50th annual board of governors meeting in Medellin, Colombia. The bank is seeking a replenishment of its capital to the tune of over $150 billion. This, after receiving a reprimand from US legislators over its failure to account for almost $2 billion. A coalition of civil society organizations gathered at the meeting to protest the IDB's policies and practices and to demand greater transparency. One of the non-governmental organizations present at the meeting is Amazon Watch.

The American auto industry was the recipient of some tough love from the Obama Administration. The president pressured Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors to resign amid inadequate assimilation plans. But, President Obama promised another hand out of taxpayer support should the car companies find themselves in need. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

This week, America remembers Mexican American labor leader and civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez. March 31st marks what would have been his 82nd birthday. Activists in Maricopa County, Arizona are using the occasion to voice their opposition to the policies of Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. The sheriff's critics say his crusade to enforce federal immigration law is violating the civil rights of Maricopa County's Latino population. Evan Wyloge reports from Phoenix, Arizona.

Over the weekend, Chile's resort town of Viña del Mar hosted the first ever progressive governance summit to take place in Latin America. The summit began in 1999 when then-president Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair brought together heads of states and high ranking officials with affiliations to socialist, social democratic, and labour parties around the world.

Arab heads of state gathered today in Doha for their 21st annual summit meeting to discuss a number of contentious issues facing the Middle East region; with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict topping the list. The meeting reiterates an Arab peace intitiave with Israel, based on a land-for-peace formula, while Gaza struggles to recover from devastating Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinians marked "Land Day", a yearly commemoration of when Israel grabbed thousands of acres of Palestinian-owned land for the construction of illegal settlements. FSRN's Rami Almeghari has more.