Newscast for Friday, April 2, 2010

New airport screening policies draw mixed reactions
The Department of Homeland Security announced new airport screening policies for overseas flights to the US. But the new procedures are being met with mixed reactions. Tanya Snyder reports.

Residents of Guam say US military expansion threatens culture, ecology
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The US is planning one of its largest realignments of military assets in decades. Over the next few years, the Defense Department will bring thousands of marines and personnel to the western Pacific island of Guam, a US territory. According to the Defense Department's Inspector General, the project will cost 16 billion dollars. Six billion of this has been pledged by the government of Japan, where many of the Marines are currently based.

But the move is meeting resistance from the people of Guam – who are concerned over ecological impacts, strains on infrastructure and cultural independence.

We go now to Guam, where we’re joined by two people. Hope Cristobal is a history instructor at the University of Guam, and a former Senator in the Guam legislature. Sabina Perez is a cultural activist and permaculturist from Guam. She has led delegations to the United Nations to advocate for Chamorro self-determination.

Local community group in Guam, “We Are Guahan”: http://weareguahan.com/

US Department of Defense’s Inspector General page on Guam: http://www.dodig.mil/Audit/guam/index.htm

India launches census count of more than one billion residents
The US is not the only country currently doing a census count. India has launched what it describes as the largest counting exercise ever. The 2011 Census of India began this week and aims to count more than a billion people in the next 11 months. Along with the Census details, officials are also collecting biometric data from every citizen to create India’s National Population Register. FSRN's Bismillah Geelani files this report.

Veterans of Falklands-Malvinas war still fighting for recognition and benefits
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the Falklands-Malvinas war between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The Falklands islands are in Argentine waters, but have been occupied since the 18th century by the French, British and the Spanish. Recently, England initiated off shore petroleum exploration near the Islands, which has renewed the centuries-old sovereignty debate. But while diplomatic conflict grabs international headlines, there's a lesser-known story connected to the Falklands-Malvinas island dispute. It has to do with veterans of the war and their ongoing fight for recognition and benefits, nearly three decades later. FSRN's Marcos Federman has more.

Correction
In Leigh Ann Caldwell's story on government contracting, she identified Tim Shorrock as working for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He actually works for the union that represents federal government workers, the American Federation of Government Employees. According to Opensecrets.org, that union spent 1 million dollars lobbying Congress last year, far less than the government contractors that are losing government contracts due to the move to insource government jobs.