Newscast for Friday, April 24, 2009

Protests dwindle, but criticism of World Bank, IMF meetings still high
Every year the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold spring meetings at their headquarters in Washington DC while protesters demonstrate outside. But this year will be markedly different because not much protesting is expected. Yet that hardly means there’s consensus around their policies. Many still argue that these organizations do more to create poverty than to help and those opposed to their policies don’t want to see the World Bank and IMF’s power grow in the wake of the global recession. Tanya Snyder reports.
Supporters of community-based radio voice solidarity in Washington
Congress may soon vote on a bill that would give more communities across the country access to low-power FM radio stations. Supporters of the bill say the Local Community Radio Act holds the promise of bringing diverse genres and voices to communities. They are gathering in the nation's capital this week in hopes of convincing lawmakers of the importance of local, independent media. In Washington, Sam Greenspan reports.
West Bank conference to support non-violent resistance hit with violence
Demonstrations took place in the West Bank today in honor of Basem Abu Rahma, who was killed by Israeli forces during last week's protest against the Israeli separation wall in Bil'in. The protests coincided with the fourth annual Bil’in conference for nonviolent resistance against the separation wall and settlements in the West Bank. A handful of officials from across the world took took part in the conference alongside activists with the objective of expanding nonviolent resistance in the face of violence.  FSRN’s Ghassan Bannoura has more.
FSRN's Ghassan Bannoura was one of those injured while reporting this story for us. He suffered from tear gas inhilation by a tear gas bomb. Ghassan reports he is doing okay.
Senior military analyst describes "unimaginable" destruction in Gaza
An internal investigation by the Israeli military concluded this week that it did not violate international law during the Gaza war. The investigation was meant to look into some of the most controversial actions of the war, including shooting at medical workers, the use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas and the shelling of homes and hospitals.The Israeli report concluded that many of these "unfortunate incidents were unavoidable" and that civilian deaths were "rare mishaps".  But international human rights organization Human Rights Watch charged that "the Israeli Defense Force statement is an insult to the civilians in Gaza who needlessly died and an embarrassment to IDF officers who take military justice seriously." HRW said that the IDF is not able nor willing to monitor itself and called the investigations "a cover-up for serious violations of international law." FSRN spoke to Human Right Watch Senior Military Analyst Marc Garlasco in Gaza just one week after the war ended and this is what he found.
Taliban retreat from Buner following deployment of Pakistani troops
In Pakistan, Taliban militants pledged to leave the Buner region, located just 60 miles away from the capital Islamabad. This followed the implmentation of a truce between the Pakistani Government and Taliban leaders in the Swat Valley. The Taliban promised peace in the area and to lay down weapons in exchange for Sharia Islamic law in Swat. But now the Taliban are looking to extend Sharia in more areas. FSRN's Catherine Komp reads for our correspondent in the region, Gabe Matthews.
The Armenian Genocide: 94 years on
As we end our newscast today, we remind listeners that today is the anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide, which began 94 years ago today. That's when the Ottoman Empire arrested 250 Armenian intellectuals in what is now Istanbul, Turkey. It's estimated that as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a four year period at the hands of the Ottomans. But Turkey has remained defiant that genocide ever took place. In a speech today, President Obama also stopped short of calling it a genocide, but referred to it as "one of the great atrocities of the 20th century." And with hopes of moving forward, this week Turkey and Armenia said they were nearing a historic reconciliation after years of tension following Turkish President Abdullah Gul's visit to Armenia last fall, marking the first time a Turkish leader visits Armenia. FSRN recently spoke with Serj Tankian, founder of the Axis of Justice. He explained what's on his mind as another anniversary of the Armenian Genocide rolls around.