Tuesday October 9, 2007

• Rice Pushes Free Trade on Latin American Countries
• Nepal's Parliamentary Vote on Hold
• Egyptian Newspaper Strike in Response to Journalists’ Arrests
• Israelis Debate Immigration Laws After Neo-Nazi Arrests
• Code Pink’s Impact on Congress
• Ernesto "Che" Guevara: The 40th Anniversary of His Death

Headlines(6:00)

TURKEY WARNS OF POSSIBLE INVASION OF IRAQI KURDISTAN

Turkey is threatening to invade Iraqi Kurdistan as early as today. The
announcement of a possible military incursion comes after suspected
Kurdish rebels killed 13 Turkish soldiers on Sunday. Authorities in
the relatively peaceful region of Iraqi Kurdistan have for months been
reporting a build up of Turkish forces along the common border.

SUPREME COURT DISMISSES RENDITION CASE

The Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of a victim of the
CIA's extraordinary rendition program. German citizen Khaled Al-Masri
says he was kidnapped by CIA agents while on vacation in Macedonia,
flown to Afghanistan, tortured in a detention center, then dumped in
an Albanian forest months later with no explanation or apology. The
Supreme Court issued no statement when it dismissed Al-Masri's appeal
today. The move upholds a lower court's refusal to hear the case on
the grounds that it may expose "state secrets".

RECORD SETTLEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSUIT

An Ohio utility company has agreed to pay billions of dollars to
reduce toxic emissions from more than a dozen coal-fired power plants
in the Ohio River Valley. The Environmental Protection Agency calls it
the single largest environmental enforcement settlement in US history.
Evan Davis reports from Columbus.

The record settlement is the result of an 8 year old lawsuit against
the Columbus, Ohio - based utility company, American Electric and
Power, or AEP. The company has agreed to spend several Billion dollars
installing emissions control equipment in a number of its aging
coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia. The suit,
brought jointly in 1999 by a coalition of environmental groups and the
EPA, accused AEP of violating the Clean Air act by failing to reduce
emissions of Nitrous Oxide and Sulfur Dioxide, two pollutants known to
cause acid rain and a litany of other health concerns. Catherine
Turcer is with Ohio Citizen Action, the lead plaintiff in the suit:
(clip). Although AEP denies breaking any laws, the settlement does
include a $15 million dollar civil fine and another $60 million in
mitigation costs. AEP's trial was to have begun today. For FSRN this is Evan Davis in Columbus, Ohio.

CANADA TO TAKEOVER AFGHAN POLICE PAYROLL

Canadian military forces in Afghanistan have started paying the
salaries of Afghan police directly in cash; completely bypassing the
Afghan government. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

The decision to pay Afghan police salaries directly has raised
criticism in that it could undercut the already limited authority the
Afghan government has in the context of the ongoing NATO operation.
Canadian military officials argue that the move is not to compromise
the legitimacy of the Afghan authorities, but to bypass corruption
within local governments. Canada currently plays a major role in
training the Afghan national police. Anti-war activists calling for a
full troop withdrawal say that putting Canadian troops in charge of
police payroll only further entrenches the 6 year-long occupation. For FSRN, this is Stefan Christoff in Montreal.

SMALL ARMS TREATY NEGOTIATIONS

The United Nations is hosting diplomatic talks to reach an
international agreement on the arms control treaty. Haider Rizvi
reports.

More than 150 countries support the resolution to TO adopt global
rules and regulations to contain the international flow of guns and
other small weapons. The only country that opposed it was the United States, which has more
than a 35 percent share in the worldwide small arms market. Proponents
say an effective arms trade treaty would help prevent violations of
international humanitarian law and other serious human rights abuses.
According to the Small Arms Survey, a research group-based in
Switzerland, about 25 percent of the $4 billion annual trade in small
weapons is either illegal or not recorded as required by law. For
FSRN, I'm Haider Rizvi at the United Nations.

TRIPLE MURDER OF OAXACAN NEWSPAPER WORKERS

Mexico appears to be on its way to once again ranking as the
hemisphere's most dangerous country for media workers. The
gangland-style killings of three newspaper vendors in the southern
state of Oaxaca is the latest in a string of violence against the
press south of the border. Vladimir Flores has the story.

Unknown assailants opened fire on three newspaper vendors yesterday as
they traveled on a major highway in a truck belonging to the Oaxacan
daily, "El Imparcial". All three of the newspaper vendors died from
multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Motives for the attack are
unknown at this time. The newspaper reports that its managing director
received an anonymous phone call hours after the attack telling him
(quote) "you're next". The ambush occurred in the region of the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, an area heavily patrolled by both police and
soldiers in the context of a large operation to combat organized
crime. For FSRN, I'm Vladimir Flores in Oaxaca City.

CIVILIAN COURT TO EXAMINE LT. EHREN WATADA'S PETITION

And finally, the second court martial of conscientious objector 1st
Lt. Ehren Watada has been put on hold while a civilian court weighs a
constitutional challenge. Watada's military trial was scheduled to
open today, but a federal judge in Washington state halted the
proceedings to consider Lt. Watada's "double jeopardy" claim. The
lieutenant's petition argues that the second court martial violates
his constitutional right to not stand trial twice on the same charges.
His first court martial on charges of refusing deployment and conduct
unbecoming an officer ended in a mistrial earlier this year.

Features
Rice Promotes Free Trade Agreements with Latin American Countries(2:14)

In yesterday’s CAFTA developments, a national referendum in Costa Rica was held on the Central American free
trade agreement. Currently the yes on CAFTA is leading with 51.5 per
cent of the vote, and the opposition is calling for a mandatory
recount.US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, addressed members of
the Council on Foreign Relations and pressured Congress to ratify Free Trade Agreements with several Latin American Countries. In Washington, DC Naji Mujahid has more on the Rice story.

Nepalese Parliamentary Vote is on Hold(4:10)

The Nepalese parliamentary vote scheduled for November 22nd is delayed
indefinitely. Maoist rebels are demanding the government abolish the
monarchy and hold elections for its parliament with a fully
proportional voting system. The former Indian foreign minister Shyam
Saran will be sent to Nepal in hopes of negotiating a new deal between
the Maoists rebels and the Nepalese government. PC Dubey reports from
Kathmandu.

Egyptian Newspapers Strike in Response to Journalists’ Arrests(2:27)

On Sunday, 23 Egyptian newspapers did not go to print. The papers
struck in protest against the crackdown on press freedoms by the
Egyptian government. The move follows the sentencing of seven
journalists in September to prison on charges ranging from misquoting
the justice minister to spreading rumors about the ill health of
79-year-old President Hosni Mubarak. Aya Batrawy has more from Cairo.

Israelis Debate Immigration Laws After Neo-Nazi Arrests (4:40)

Israeli police recently announced the arrest of a group of teenagers
they call a neo-Nazi cell. The teenagers are all Russian-speaking
immigrants. The arrest has prompted a public debate about Israel’s
immigration laws and the failed assimilation of some Russian immigrant
youth into Israeli society. Daniel Estrin reports from Jerusalem.

Code Pink’s Impact on Congress(4:16)

Code Pink, the peace activist group has established a permanent
presence on Capitol Hill. These activists dress in pink, sit in hearing
rooms and speak out publicly against the war, often leading to arrests
or being thrown out of the committee room. The group is dramatically
raising the anti war movement’s visibility in Washington. FSRN's Leigh
Ann Caldwell takes a look at the impact the protestors are having in
Congress.

Ernesto Che Guevara: The 40th Anniversary of His Death(2:11)

Yesterday, hundreds of people from all over the world made the
pilgrimage to the now tranquil town of Vallegrande, Bolivia. The
gathering marks the fortieth anniversary of Ernesto Che Guevara’s
death. Che Guevara, an Argentine doctor, joined the Castro brothers
insurrection in the mountains of south east Cuba, and became one of the
revolutions top commanders. Years later, he was assassinated in
Vallegrande by the Bolivian military while trying to train rebels in
Bolivia. Bolivian president Evo Morales spoke at the gathering, while
in Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez unveiled a statue of the
revolutionary.