Newscast for Friday, January 4, 2013

Congress passes aid for Sandy survivors as advocates call for mitigation to prevent future damage

In Washington, the newly sworn-in Congress passed the first of several bills on Friday to authorize aid money for survivors of Superstorm Sandy. Many lawmakers from New York, New Jersey and other impacted states criticized Republican leaders for delaying the vote for multiple months after the storm. But others faulted the federal disaster relief programs for waste and inefficiency, and for not prioritizing mitigation efforts that could prevent future damage. On Capitol Hill, FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.

Leaders of Sudan and South Sudan meet in Addis Ababa as multiple conflicts threaten thousands in region

Today, leaders from Sudan and South Sudan met in Ethiopia in an effort to resolve issues that have led to renewed fighting, stalled oil production and the displacement of tens of thousands of people. Relations between the two countries have been tense since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Both countries signed a deal in September to pull back military from a disputed border region, but attacks continued, according to the governments of both sides. Local residents also continue to face violence and military conflict in South Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile.  For more on the talks today, we go to Khartoum to speak with Munzoul Assal, associate professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Khartoum. He joins us via Skype.

Canadian protest, Idle No More, pushes for indigenous rights, political change

Since launching in early December, the Idle No More movement continues to spread across Canada and around the world. Originally, participants started the protest movement to draw attention to several controversial pieces of legislation in Canada that make changes to government and Indigenous relations. Indigenous people are now using the momentum to highlight many issues of colonialism that affect their communities. The demonstrations coincide with a  hunger strike by the Chief of the Attiwapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario. Theresa Spence is on her 25th day without food, demanding a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. FSRN's Aaron Lakoff has the story from Montreal.

Mendoza family in California secures reprieve from deportation, but seeks long-term solution

As President Barack Obama gets ready to take the oath of office for his second term, many are closely watching for action on immigration reform.  The Obama Administration deported more than 400,000 people in 2012, a record number. But less than 7,000 were convicted of violent crimes, and many were deported for immigration violations. Tens of thousands were parents of US born children. Immigrants across the country face the threat of being split up due to us policies. In September 2011, we documented the plight of one such family, the Mendoza’s in California. FSRN’s Vic Bedoian updates us on the family’s intense negotiations with the government that led to a temporary reprieve.