Monday, February 26, 2007

Headlines (5:12)
GUINEA'S NATIONAL STRIKE ENDS TOMORROW
Trade unions in the West African nation of Guinea have agreed to call
off a general strike in response to the country's president agreeing to
replace the prime minister. The nationwide general strike, which began
in January, turned into a political movement to demand the resignation
of the country's longtime president. Today, Guineans commemorated the
more than 110 people who recently died in the violent crackdowns
against critics of the president.

LIBBY JUROR DISMISSED
In this country, a member of the jury for the trial of former White
House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been dismissed due to exposure to
media reports about the court proceedings. Deliberations will move
forward with 11 jurors.

TXU BUYOUT
Private investors today announced plans to buyout a Texas energy giant.
Environmentalists say the deal could be a major step in the fight
against global warming, From Houston, Renee Feltz reports.

TXU is the largest energy provider in Texas, and until
last week it planned to meet the state's growing energy needs by
building 11 new coal fired power plants... a plan that drew intense
protest from a coalition of environmentalists, politicians and
religious groups. (protest sound) Those plans changed with today's
announcement that TXU has agreed to be purchased by a group of private
equity firms. The buyout followed lengthy talks with Environment
Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The groups support
the deal's conditions, including an agreement to build only 3 of the 11
planned coal fired power plants TXU. The new plan means a reduction of
55 million tons of carbon emissions per year. The bidders agreed not to
propose new coal-fired plants outside Texas and to support mandatory
national caps on emissions linked to global warming. They say they also
plan to invest millions in conservation and energy efficiency programs.
In Houston, I'm Renee Feltz for FSRN.

VA GENERAL ASSEMBLY EXPRESSES "PROFOUND REGRET" OVER SLAVERY
Virginia's state legislature has unanimously approved a resolution to
express "profound regret" over slavery and "the exploitation of Native
Americans". The measure, passed in what was once the capital of the
Confederacy, is the first of its kind in the entire country. Its
unopposed passage comes as Virgina marks the 400th anniversary of the
founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in this
hemisphere. Although compromises in the wording make it to fall short
of an outright apology, the resolution does at least recognize that
specific wrongs were committed. The resolution states that the spirit
of true repentance can (quote)"can serve to bring closure, to reconcile
and heal, and to recall and remind so that past wrongs may never be
repeated and manifest injustice may not again be overlooked". Two other
states - Missouri and Maryland – are considering similar measures.

ICJ CLEARS SERBIA OF GENOCIDE
The International Court of Justice has cleared Serbia of genocide
charges from crimes stemming from the war in Bosnia. The UN-backed
court did, however, fault Serbia for failure to prevent or punish the
Srebrenica Massacre. The court recognizes the Srebrenica Massacre as
genocide, but did not find a direct chain-of-command link between
Serbia's government organs and the armed forces that killed some 700
Bosnian Muslim men and boys in 1995. More than one hundred thousand
Bosnians died between 1992 and 1995 in fighting during the break-up of
the former Yugoslavia.

UK DEPORTATION POLICY CRITICIZED
Amnesty International has called on the British government to stop any
further deportations of foreign nationals they consider to be a 'threat
to national security' after Algerian authorities reneged on an
agreement that they would not arrest, torture or imprison two Algerian
men returned last month. From London, Naomi Fowler reports.

In 2005, the British government began trying to deport
15 Algerians who they considered a 'danger to national security;' some
were held for years yet never tried in a British court due to the
unusable nature of secret intelligence gained under torture; others
have been tried and acquitted, living under house arrest ever since and
fighting their deportation. Now that the first two Algerians deported
last month have been arrested and imprisoned in Algeria, Amnesty
International is again reminding the government that deporting people
to places where they may face torture or execution contravenes
Britain's obligations under international law. They predicted back then
that the British government's negotiations with the Algerian
authorities would fail to protect the men. Mouloud is one of the
Algerian men who did go to trial and was acquitted. His case for
deportation on the grounds of national security comes up next month:
(sound Mouloud) "I was very disappointed and amazed that Britain has
reached this stage. They have failed to convict me, it's like I'm a
failure, expose their weakness and their abuse, what they did and
everything. Because I'm an embarrassment to them, they just want to
shut me down once and for all and they know if they send you back to
your country where you'll be threatened to be killed and tortured, you
won't talk again." The Home Office maintains that the deportations do
not breach human rights law. This is Naomi Fowler in London for Free
Speech Radio News.

Features
Ballot Counting Begins in Senegal (3:17)
Senegal’s incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade was in the lead today
after voters went to polls on Sunday. International observers described
the elections as largely orderly and fair, despite a few reported
attacks on polling stations and ballot boxes. More than a dozen other
candidates are vying to take over the presidency from the 80-year-old
Wade who’s been in power since 2000, when he won in a landslide
victory. FSRN’s Ndiaga Seck has more.

Governors Weigh In on Federal Agendas (3:40)
US Governors met with the President and his cabinet this morning.
During that meeting, they expressed concern over a variety of issues,
including global warming, the overextension of the National Guard and
the lack of immigration reform. But on the top of the governor’s list
is children’s health insurance, a program facing funding shortfalls.
FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.

New Watada Charges Filed (3:45)
The Army has filed a new round of charges against Lieutenant Ehren
Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse to serve in Iraq. The
move was widely expected after the Lieutenant's first court martial
ended in a mistrial earlier this month. Watada is charged with missing
troop movement and conduct unbecoming an officer for public statements
critical the war in Iraq and the Bush administration. If convicted on
all counts, Watada faces up to six years in prison and a dishonorable
discharge from the military. Aaron Glantz reports.

Opposition to US-Iraqi Military Sweeps (4:30)
While giving a speech today, one of Iraq's vice presidents was knocked
flat but unharmed after a bomb was detonated in a nearby building. At
least ten people were killed in the attack, which came as a new US and
Iraqi military offensive entered its 12th day and met increased
opposition from Shiia leaders. Hiba Dawood files this report.

Democrats Renew Iraq War Proposals (3:00)
Democrats in Congress are renewing their efforts to influence the
course of the war in Iraq. After the non-binding resolution opposing
Bush's troop surge recently failed in the Senate, Democratic leaders
have new plans to restrict the President’s power over the war. Capitol
Hill reporter Yanmei Xie reports.

Groups Seek to Broaden Anti-War Movement (2:30)
Anti-war activists across Connecticut organized more than 20
simultaneous meetings over the weekend in a grassroots push to broaden
opposition to the war in Iraq. The meetings were bolstered by a live
conference call with U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, a presidential contender
who has taken the lead in opposing the habeas corpus-stripping
provisions in the Military Commissions Act. From Westport, Connecticut,
FSRN's Melinda Tuhus reports.