Monday, October 29, 2007

• US Congress Considers Resolutions on Genocide in Darfur as Peace Talks Collapse
• Director of the IAEA Says There's No Proof of Nuclear Weapons in Iran
• SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Case of Prisoner's Stolen Korans
• Argentina Overwhelmingly Elects its First Female President
• Month-Long Land Rights March by Poor Farmers Reaches Indian Capitol
• Wildfires Don't Level the Field for Rich and Poor in San Diego
• Anti-War Protesters Hold Vigil Outside World Series Championship
• Huge Anti-War Rallies Launched in Boston and Across the US

Dial-Up Listeners Click Here

US Congress Considers Resolutions on Genocide in Darfur as Peace Talks Collapse

On this third day of peace talks on Darfur, the United Nations and African Union sponsored conference has fallen apart – largely because the two main rebel groups have boycotted. The rebels say they won't talk to the Sudanese government because they don't trust their intentions to negotiate. As the peace talks crumble, the US Congress is voting on legislations to address the dire situation of genocide in Darfur.

FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Director of the IAEA Says There's No Proof of Nuclear Weapons in Iran

Anti-Iran rhetoric from the White House has intensified over the past weeks. The Bush Administration has reconfirmed that they consider Iran a state sponsor of terrorism. Last, week Vice President Dick Cheney warned that if Iran did not change course, it should be prepared for "serious consequences." The United States has also levied the most comprehensive sanctions against the country in nearly 30 years. Many political observers consider these actions by the US government a prelude to a new war with Iran.

Leading up to the Iraq war, the Administration was worried about weapons of mass destruction; in Iran, weapons are once again at issue – this time nuclear. But just as the White House did not have proof that Iraq possessed W-M-Ds, currently there is no proof that Iran has nuclear weapons capability. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad maintains they are only seeking to develop nuclear energy.

Mohamed El Baradei, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency addressed the subject this weekend on CNN's Late Edition. He acknowledged that in the past, Iran has procured nuclear material and conducted experiments without reporting it. But Baradei says there is no evidence to support a comprehensive nuclear program.

Baradei, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, went on to say that the hard-line talk from the US is not helping the situation. He said by controlling the "nascent enrichment capability of Iran," the International Atomic Energy Agency hopes to create conditions that will allow the U-S, Iran and the rest of the International community to come to the negotiating table.

SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Case of Prisoner's Stolen Korans

Today the Supreme Court heard the oral arguments in the case of a prisoner who says his prayer rug and two copies of his Koran were stolen by guards. The justices will decide if he is able to sue the government.

FSRN Correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

Argentina Overwhelmingly Elects its First Female President

Argentina's first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, was elected president last night with 43% of the votes. She will take over the reins from her husband as the first democratically-elected woman president in Argentina's history. Fernandez received twice the votes of her closest rival, another female candidate. Fernandez and her husband, Nestor Kirchner, are considered the political power-couple of Argentina –sometimes referred to as the "Clinton's of the South."

Marie Trigona reports from Buenos Aires.

Month-Long Land Rights March by Poor Farmers Reaches Indian Capitol

A massive protest rally involving tens of thousands of India's landless farmers has arrived in New Delhi. They have been marching to the country's capitol for nearly a month. The rally called "Janadesh" or "the peoples' verdict" began in the central Indian city of Gwalior on October 2. The marchers claim their land is slowly being taken by powerful development groups, displacing thousands.

Bismillah Geelani has more:

Wildfires Don't Level the Field for Rich and Poor in San Diego

Savage wildfires have devoured Southern California, devastating entire neighborhoods and the sense of security of thousands of residents. Over 360-thousand acres where burned, causing seven deaths and the loss of 1 thousand, 589 homes.

Under the ochre sun and still-smoky air, the flames may have razed homes, but it did level the great disparity between the have´s and the have-not´s in San Diego County.

Mariana Martinez and Alonso Rivera file this report from San Diego.

Anti-War Protesters Hold Vigil Outside World Series Championship

As the Boston Red Sox were on the way to winning the World Series, an estimated 100-thousand antiwar demonstrators turned out at rallies across the country – including one at game three of the championship. About 50 protesters marched on Denver's Coors Field in an attempt to capture the attention of the mainstream media. They occupied a street corner in front of the stadium for about an hour, and were surrounded by hundreds of baseball fans wearing Rockies and Red Sox apparel.

Special thanks to contributor Blake Wesley from Denver.

Huge Anti-War Rallies Launched in Boston and Across the US

Meanwhile, from Philadelphia to Seattle and Fargo to Grass Valley, California, larger regional rallies were accompanied by smaller, more localized protests. Organized by United for Peace and Justice, protesters called for bringing troops home from Iraq now, no attack on Iran, funding human needs and defending civil liberties.

Melinda Tuhus attended the rally and march in Boston, and filed this report.