Archive - Jun 29, 2009

• Coup ousts Honduras President Manuel Zelaya
• Colombia´s Uribe visits President Obama
• "Special Report" Pro-government militias conduct nighttime raids against Iranian dissidents
• US Supreme Court backs reverse discrimination case
• Crucial ruling on banks´ lending practices

• Bernie Madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison
• Argentina’s ruling party suffers unanticipated blow at polls
• Beirut quiets down after weekend clashes in reaction to PM appointment
• Afghanistan: 41 private Afghan guards in US employ accused of  killing police chief
• Student loan repayments eased under new program

The non-binding referendum would have asked Hondurans if another vote on a new Constitutional Assembly should be included in the country's November elections. Roberto Michelleti, who was president of the national Congress was named Interim President amidst international condemnation to the coup. FSRN´s Luz Ruiz reports.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is in Washington today to speak with President Obama. Uribe will be pushing for the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and he´ll be talking with US leaders about US military aid to Colombia and joint anti-narcotics programs. Peace activists responded to his visit with a demonstration outside the White House. FSRN reporter Tanya Snyder has more.

Iran´s Guardian Council, confirmed the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadijenad today, after a partial recount of 10 percent of the votes.  Opposition candidates refused to participate in the recount, with two of them describing it as a ploy.
Protests over election results continued in Tehran´s streets this weekend, although violence against protesters has discouraged large demonstrations. However, on Sunday riot police clashed with some 3,000 demonstrators near a mosque in northern Tehran, dispersing the protesters with tear gas and batons
The security crackdown has made street demonstrations increasingly difficult to stage and dissidents are now shouting slogans against the government from the rooftops of their homes.
Human Rights Watch reports that this resulted in several night time raids against protester´s homes over the weekend.  FSRN spoke with Peter Bouckaert, the Emergencies Director at Human Rights Watch.

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in a reverse discrimination case involving 20 firefighters - 19 white and one Latino - in New Haven Connecticut, that may have wide-ranging impacts on discrimination in employment law. The case might also help fuel conservatives´ opposition to supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, as today's decision in Ricci v. DeStefano ruled against an earlier ruling Sotomayor upheld as an appellate judge. FSRN's Melinda Tuhus reports.

The Supreme Court also handed down a crucial decision on lending practices of national banks.  In a rare coalition, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia sided with the four liberal justices on the court to uphold states’ laws protecting against discriminatory lending practices.  FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.