News Segments

Before leaving for a week-long Memorial Day vacation, the Senate voted down a proposal to allow states to require the labeling of genetically modified products. Senate Republicans also blocked a vote on repealing a provision passed earlier this year that prevents federal courts from halting the sale and planting of genetically modified seeds, even if there are questions about their impact on the environment and human health.

This Memorial Day weekend, veterans, families and communities across the US are taking part in events to honor soldiers who have died while serving in the armed forces. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is calling for a moment of silence on Monday at noon eastern when officials will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. For many veterans and their families, it’s also a time to find ways to confront their past experiences and to heal.

An American-based agri-business company, Herakles Farms plans to open a large palm oil plantation in Cameroon’s South West Region. Herakles claims the plantation will create jobs and improve life for locals. But residents are concerned it will lead to loss of farmland and homes for thousands of people. Environmental  NGOs have also condemned the project, saying it will destroy the area’s rich forests and habitat for the country’s iconic wildlife. FSRN’s Ngala Killian Chimtom Reports from Yaounde.

Last weekend, Herakles Farms announced it was suspending work on its palm oil plantation following an order from Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.

In Oklahoma City, more funerals for victims of the devastating tornado that struck the area this week are scheduled for Saturday, including two for nine-year-old students at the Plaza Towers school which was directly hit by the storm. Officials in the city of Moore also said a memorial service would take place Sunday at the First Baptist Church. The area is continuing recovery from the storm and many residents have vowed to rebuild.Mumia Abu-Jamal has this commentary.

Today, President Barack Obama outlined his positions on the legality of drone strikes and targeted killing, his Administration’s aggressive prosecution of some whistleblowers and reporters, and new efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. His remarks came in a major speech that addressed his foreign policy and national security decisions at Washington DC’s National Defense University.

This week in Lima, Peru protesters have gathered outside a hotel where trade representatives and corporate lobbyists are meeting for the latest round of talks on an international trade deal, called the Transpacific Partnership, or TPP. The trade pact would govern a wide range of issues, including access to medicine, food safety, financial deregulation and the expansion of copyright rules.