Archive - Feb 1, 2010

• Haitians and relief workers question role of US military in recovery
• Environmentalists use UN deadlines to call for stronger action on climate change
• Plan to negotiate with Taliban leaders gathers support from world leaders
  (click here for web only special)
• Obama releases $3.8 trillion budget, plans to cut deficit in half in five years
• Immigrants in Texas detention center begin hunger strike

• Protests turn violent in Kashmir after tear gas shell kills youth
• US simulates attack by Iran – missile defense system fails
• Teens among dead in Mexico massacre
• Al-Shabab joins forces with al-Qaeda
• World Food Program suspends aid in NW Afghanistan

Some schools in Haiti have reopened for the first time since the January 12 earthquake, but many provincial schools remain closed and officials said that children in Port Au Prince could be on the streets for months to come. Close to 90 percent of the capital's schools have been damaged or destroyed.

Also today, after a nearly five-day suspension, Medical evacuation flights have resumed from Haiti to the United States. The airlifts of some of the most seriously injured quake survivors were stopped after Florida's governor warned of a lack of hospital space and questions arose over federal and state logistics. The White House said flights resumed Sunday night.

People are also being treated on the US military and hospital ship Comfort. The US military maintains a strong presence in Haiti but on the ground the lack of visibility of US troops distributing aid has many Haitians puzzled as to what is the real purpose of their stay. Dolores M. Bernal brings us this report from Port-au-Prince.

Yesterday marked a UN deadline for countries to follow up on the Copenhagen climate change conference. Environmentalists are using what the UN calls a “soft deadline” for pledges of voluntary emissions reductions to call for stronger action on the part of the big emitters. Advocates, as well as climate scientists, are hoping to keep up the momentum on climate change action, amid fears of public and policy fatigue on the issue. FSRN'S Jenny Johnson reports.

(uncut version)

A top security adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai said today that the government is talking with Taliban leadership. He said the meetings were ongoing on the "local, regional, national and broader political level." This contradicts a statement released over the weekend by Taliban leadership that denied that they were talking with the Afghan government.

The news follows the international conference in London last week, in which US and NATO leadership endorsed the strategy of negotiating with Taliban leaders for an end to fighting in Afghanistan. Speaking at the conference, Karzai reached out to Taliban leaders, offering them a place in the political process. He also said they could be part of an upcoming nationwide tribal assembly. Some say negotiating with the Taliban is essential to long-term peace in the region. Others say the emphasis on negotiation ignores the deeper problems in Afghanistan.

This week FSRN brings you two different perspectives on the strategy of negotiation with the Taliban.

Today, we speak with Robert Naiman. He is policy director with Just Foreign Policy, a Washington-based nonpartisan group that focuses on shaping US foreign policy.

A top security adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai said today that the government is talking with Taliban leadership. He said the meetings were ongoing on the "local, regional, national and broader political level." This contradicts a statement released over the weekend by Taliban leadership that denied that they were talking with the Afghan government.

The news follows the international conference in London last week, in which US and NATO leadership endorsed the strategy of negotiating with Taliban leaders for an end to fighting in Afghanistan. Speaking at the conference, Karzai reached out to Taliban leaders, offering them a place in the political process. He also said they could be part of an upcoming nationwide tribal assembly. Some say negotiating with the Taliban is essential to long-term peace in the region. Others say the emphasis on negotiation ignores the deeper problems in Afghanistan.

This week FSRN brings you two different perspectives on the strategy of negotiation with the Taliban.

Today, we speak with Robert Naiman. He is policy director with Just Foreign Policy, a Washington-based nonpartisan group that focuses on shaping US foreign policy.

The President released his 3.8 trillion dollar budget for 2011. Coming under pressure, he proposes to reduce the looming deficit by more than half in 5 years. Obama says he'll do this and still be able to maintain the defense budget and funding for his top priorities. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.