September 16, 2002
US Attack on Iraq Looms Closer (4:00)
The White House continues to press world leaders for UN action against Iraq in the coming weeks. The Iraqis say they cannot comply with US demands. Pundits and anti-war activists say the US refuses to talk to the Iraqis, and they see a US attack as inevitable. Meanwhile companies with close ties to the Bush Administration are poised to gain from a new US war on Iraq. Josh Chaffin reports from Washington.
Kashmir Overlooked in Indian Elections (2:17)
This past weekend in the Indian administered region of Kashmir, elections were held for the local representatives to the Indian parliament. While the election period has seen much violence and death, with both India and Pakistan blaming the other, as FSRN correspondent in Delhi, Vinod Jose tells Deepa Fernandes, the desires of the Kashmiri people were not at issue in this election.
Indian Women Protest Brutal Sentence (2:32)
In other India news, yesterday thousands of women angrily protested in a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh over a local council verdict that sentenced a young woman to be gang raped for supposedly committing adultery. Brinda Karat of the All India Women’s Party and a member of the Indian Parliament representing the Communist Party of India, Marxist was at the protest and spoke with Deepa Fernandes.
Miami Muslim Medical Students Arrested (3:37)
Officials at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami were scheduled late this afternoon to hold a press conference regarding the 3 Muslim Medical Students who were detained for over 18 hours on Friday for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Miami. The men were arrested after a waitress reported them as suspicious. The men were ultimately released and have yet to be charged with a crime. But yesterday the President of Larkin Hospital – where the men were about to enroll as interns -said that the hospital is “uncomfortable” with the notoriety surrounding the students and the incident, and so the hospital will NOT allow them to enroll in the medical program, despite the fact that they have done nothing wrong. From Tampa, Mitch Perry reports.
Movement Against Webcast Royalty Fees (4:39)
On October first, radio stations must start paying royalty fees to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for copyrighted recordings heard on webcasts. The RIAA lobbied Congress to institute the webcasting fees in 1998, which are based on the number of listeners per song. But webcasters say the royalties are too high for web-only stations and small, over the air stations, sometimes exceeding the their total annual budgets. Some stations also find the law’s song selection rules too restrictive. Leigh Robartes has more from the Reclaim The Media event, which wrapped up this weekend in Seattle.
Boston Rallies Against Marijuana Prohibition (4:11)
An Anti-Drug war and Marijuana prohibition rally took place on the Boston Common this past weekend. The 6-hour event featured live bands, speakers and vendors selling anything pot-related. Chuck Rosina has more from Boston.
