Newscast for Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Donors conference at The Hague focuses on Afghanistan
President Obama left today for the G20 summit in London, where world leaders will discuss the global economic crisis during the one-day meeting. Obama then heads to Strasbourg for a NATO summit, where about 25,000 French and German police are already mobilizing in anticipation of protests - nearly 1 police officer for every anticipated demonstrator. World leaders will discuss NATO's presence in Afghanistan during the meetings. Protesters are organizing a peace march on Friday.

Meanwhile in the Hague today, leaders from more than 70 countries gathered at an international donors conference focusing on Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai said he supports the new US strategy, and wants Pakistan and Iran to play a role in helping to stablize the region.

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US Secretary of State Clinton repeated Obama's calls for a reconciliation initiative in which people willing to break from Al Qaeda and renounce violence could reintegrate into society. Clinton also said past strategies to root out terrorism have failed, and pushed for more international cooperation and aid.

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Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister was also in attandance. He agreed that foreign troops in Afghanistan have not improved security there, and said Iran will participate plans for development and reconstruction and in the fight against drug trafficking.  At the meeting Tuesday, US envoy Richard Holbrooke met with an Iranian official, in an "unplanned, cordial" meeting, according to Clinton. The US is trying to secure the release of three Americans, former FBI agent Robert Levinson, women's rights advocate Esha Momeni and journalist Roxana Saberi.

HHS nominee faces Senate committee
President Barack Obama’s cabinet is nearly complete. Kathleen Sebelius (Seh-Beel-ious) appeared before a Senate committee today to present her qualifications to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Peter Granitz reports from Washington.

Congress takes up Consumer Protection Act
Congress is considering legislation to protect consumers from abusive credit card practices.  It’s an issue that has languished in Congress before, but advocates say current economic conditions have created momentum for strong consumer protection. FSRN’s  Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Florida farm workers carry on the legacy of Cesar Chavez
Today marks what would have been the 82nd birthday of Cesar Chavez. Eight states officially celebrate Cesar Chavez day to remember the labor leader, educator, and farm worker activist. He co-founded the United Farm Workers to improve working conditions in the California fields. Chavez died of natural causes in April of 1993, but his legacy lives on in various farmworker struggles. One of the groups picking up the torch is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in South Florida. On the line from Immokalee is Gerardo Reyes, an organizer with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, or CIW...

Global recession swells the ranks of Japanese homeless
Japan is facing its worst recession in decades.  The global financial crisis has taken its toll on the nation’s export-driven economy and corporations are laying-off tens of thousands of workers. Many of these newly-unemployed laborers are now living on the streets or in parks. FSRN’s Jason Strother has the story from Tokyo.