Newscast for Tuesday, January 31, 2012

US drone program under scrutiny after Obama acknowledges covert program

President Barack Obama has acknowledged for the first time that his administration has ordered drone strikes in Pakistan and other countries overseas. The statement came in an interview Monday night. The officially covert program has been drawing international attention, as civilians in Pakistan protest the strikes and as activists in the US protest where the drones are manufactured and controlled. A suspected US drone strike Monday killed between 9 and 13 people in southern Yemen raising more questions about the legality of carrying out these attacks when no official war has been declared. From Washington, DC. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.

For more information on US drone strikes, including civilian deaths, visit the Bureau of Investigative Journalism:
http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drone-data/

As attacks in Syria continue, UN Security Counsel considers plan to end violence

Today in Syria, security forces fired on protesters in the suburbs of Damascus, Homs and Idlib leading to more killings, according to activists. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had surrounded towns and mortar shelling in Homs led to civilian deaths.  The continuing violence comes as the UN Security Council considers a plan to seek an end to the political killings and violence in Syria that has gone on for more than ten months. The draft proposal, backed by the Arab League, calls for an end to the violence and a transition to democratic rule that would require President Bashar al Assad to handover power, according to media reports which cited drafts of the plan. But China and Russia, both permanent members on the Security Council, have criticized the proposal. Speaking today in Jordan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called for countries to come together on the plan.

“The current meeting in the Security Council is crucially important. I sincerely hope that the Security Council members will be really united this time, speak and act in coherent manner, reflecting the wishes of the international community and reflecting the urgent and aspirations of the Syrian people.”

Several European countries - including Britain and France - have backed the Security Council plan. The United States has also pushed for approval. US Representative to the UN Susan Rice speaking Monday:

“The situation is deteriorating, it’s increasingly grave, more and more innocent people are dying. We’ve seen horrific reports of women and children and their bodies on display as a consequence of government-sponsored violence. That needs to end.”

Discussions on the Syria measure are expected to continue this week at the UN.

In Bahrain, international community quiet as crackdown on dissent continues

In contrast to diplomatic action on Syria, the United States and the international community have been far less vocal about the situation in Bahrain, where human rights groups say detentions, torture and political repression continue.  An independent commission of inquiry into the government crackdown released findings in December that documented a pattern of abuses and noted a “culture of impunity.” Activists within Bahrain point to key US military installations in the region and Bahrain’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia, a US ally, as reasons for inaction. For more, we’re joined on the phone from Manama by Nabeel Rajab with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Florida’s Hispanic voters present diverse and shifting demographic

Republicans in Florida are heading to the polls today to vote for their presidential nominee. Though polls show Mitt Romney with a wide lead in the swing state, some Republicans are concerned about recent attacks made by rival Newt Gingrich that labeled Romney as "anti-immigrant," a term that could potentially damage Romney if he were to go on to challenge President Obama. Thirteen percent of Florida’s voters are Hispanic and the state has one of the highest populations of undocumented immigrants. FSRN's Kelly Benjamin has more.

Florida law could erect obstacles for minorities, students, low-income voters

As the political clout of Florida’s Latino voters continues to grow, other key voting groups are also expected to weigh in on the race. But voting advocates say a new law passed last year in Florida threatens access to the polls for some. The law comes into effect just in time for the 2012 election cycle when Florida is expected to be a battleground state. Groups throughout the state are asking officials to overturn provisions of the law they say make voting harder for minorities, students and people with low incomes.  FSRN’s Janelle Irwin reports.