FSRN Weekly Edition for May 16, 2014
- FCC officially proposes new internet rules; four months of public comment
- Grief turns to anger in Turkey; more than 100 miners still missing after blast
- U.S. pushes for energy integration as Mexico finalizes Energy Reform legislation
- Dramatic rise in ranks of U.S. “permatemp” workers: Employment study
- Abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls becomes hostage stalemate situation
- Tribal People’s Dream School Marks 25th Year in Mindoro Island
FCC officially proposes new internet rules; four months of public comment
The Federal Communications Commission held A closely-watched vote Thursday that could affect the future of equal access to the internet and allow internet service providers to charge more for faster content delivery. Jaisal Noor reports from Washington.
Grief turns to anger in Turkey; more than 100 miners still missing after blast
In Turkey, public grief after nearly 300 people died in a coal mine explosion Tuesday is turning to anger against the government. Turkey’s four largest unions held a general strike Thursday as police clashed with protesters in the nation’s major cities as well as in Soma, the site of the accident. Nicholas Clayton has more from Istanbul.
U.S. pushes for energy integration as Mexico finalizes Energy Reform legislation
Lawmakers in Mexico are due to take up legislation to fine tune the details of a sweeping reform package passed late last year that opens up the country’s energy sector to private, foreign companies for the first time in decades. The foreign press heralded the move, but the energy reform bill lacks clear public support at home. And while allowing for-profit and foreign companies to access Mexico’s oil and gas reserves was in itself controversial, the U.S. has plans for its southern neighbor’s energy sector which go far beyond what Mexican lawmakers debated in Congress. Shannon Young explains.
Dramatic rise in ranks of U.S. “permatemp” workers: Employment study
The number of workers classified as temps grew 41 percent from 2008 to 2012, according to a recently released study by the National Employment Law project. What some critics call “modern day sweat shops” of disposable workers, temporary staffing agencies are not just supplying secretaries and office clerks. They’re now dominant players in many industries like fast food and janitorial services. And because temp agencies are technically employment middlemen, there’s little accountability when problems arise. That’s something California lawmakers are looking to address, as FSRN’s Larry Buhl reports from Los Angeles.
Abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls becomes hostage stalemate situation
Experts from the US, Canada, Britain and China are assisting Nigerian authorities in the search for more than 200 school girls abducted a month ago by the militant Islamist sect, Boko Haram. The dynamics are complicated by the military’s own record of human rights violations. But while foreign and domestic officials focus on military action as the solution, the Nigerian government also has the option of dialogue with the militants. Sam Olukoya is in Lagos.
Tribal People’s Dream School Marks 25th Year in Mindoro Island
In the central Philippines, indigenous groups make up about 10 per cent of the population. In recent decades, their unique way of life has been largely eroded by Western influences, their native lands increasingly appropriated by powerful, more formally educated people. But one tribal group is marking 25 years of educating youth in a system that values and preserves their culture. Madonna Virola reports from Mindoro Island.
Photo credit: Alan Levine via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.
