Archive - Feb 2010

• More civilians die in Marjah, top Taliban commander reportedly arersted
• Police fire on anti-mining protesters in Argentina
• Department of Justice says no civil rights charges for cops who killed Sean Bell
• Lobbyists for banking industry shell out $ 30 mil to influence reform
• Maoist rebels attack police camp, dozens dead
• Burma sentences four activists to hard labor for “disturbing peace”

Today President Obama announced $8 billion in loan guarantees to help build a nuclear plant in Georgia. It would be the first nuclear plant built in the US in over 30 years. The president says a renewed focus on nuclear plants will help build the economy, but critics charge it could put both the industry and taxpayers at risk.  FSRN's Karen Miller has more.

Tomorrow marks one year since the passage of the $787 billion dollar stimulus. About one third of that money has been spent on direct assistance to states and individuals and on tax cuts. As FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, some analysts say women and people of color have not seen the benefits of the stimulus.

This week a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a group that uses direct action to end what it considers illegal fishing in the ocean, was taken into custody after he boarded a Japanese whaling vessel. The incident involving captain Peter Bethune has drawn attention to whaling practices and is part of an escalation of actions between Japan's whaling fleet and the activists. The Japanese government considers the actions of the group illegal.

FSRN spoke to Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd's ship, Steve Irwin. He spoke to FSRN by satellite phone from the ship about 500 miles from the coast of Antarctica. He began by describing what happened when Peter Bethune boarded the Japanese vessel.

In western El Salvador, the Izalco indigenous community is calling for constitutional reforms to protect land rights and to preserve its culture. When President Mauricio Funes was elected with the left-leaning FMLN party last year, he ended years of conservative rule in the country and ushered in hopes of a more progressive agenda. But the government has been slow to take action on this issue. FSRN'S Ricardo Martinez reports.

In Vancouver, protesters continue to raise awareness about the impact of the Olympic games on the city. On the Downtown Eastside, housing advocates erected an ‘Olympic tent city’ to raise awareness about affordable housing and homelessness. Activists also want to draw attention to significant civil liberties issues behind the winter games. Members of the Olympic Resistance Network point to a number of new laws enacted just for the Olympics that violate civil liberties. FSRN's Adam Vaughn reports.

Click here for the first story in Adam Vaughn's series on the Olympics.

And to hear Adam Vaughn's third installment on homelessness and gentrification go to the KBCS website:

http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer?pagename=specialreports

• Secretary Clinton calls for action on Iran while in Middle East
• Afghan civilians killed as NATO offensive pushes into Helmand
• Euro is devalued as economic crisis tests European Union
• Burma releases opposition figure, thousands still detained
• Colorado seen as indicator in medical marijuana policy