Thursday, January 17, 2008

• Nobel Peace Laureate Reestablishes Contact with Burmese Military Government
• Massive Demonstrations and Violence Continue in Kenya
• The Iraqi Government's Official Outreach to Baathists May Seem Luke-Warm, but the Bush Administration Sees it as a Victory
• Democratic Presidential Hopefuls and Political Organizers Look ahead to Nevada
• Study Pins Human Activity as Main Cause of Coral Reef Decline

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Massive Demonstrations and Violence Continue in Kenya

Today was the second day of mass community action in Kenya, protesting recent elections many claim were rigged. The government's ban on demonstrations has not hampered opposition leaders, led by Raila Odinga, from continuing with the mass action.

Kenyan authorities say 600 have been killed since the elections, but others claim the number is as high as 1000. Odinga has said, "The government and the police have turned [the] country into killing fields of the innocent."

In the midst of this national tension, the country seems unsure about the best way forward. John Bwakali reports from Nairobi

The Iraqi Government's Official Outreach to Baathists May Seem Luke-Warm, but the Bush Administration Sees it as a Victory

The Iraqi Parliament has passed a law granting a modest "welcome back" to members of Sadam Hussein's Baathist party. They were expelled from government posts en masse when Hussein's government fell. Critics say the original sweep was too broad and unfairly penalized many party members who were only trying to save their own lives.

The new law will allow former Baathists to hold low-level positions in the new government. Reintegrating Baathists into public life is one of 18 benchmarks the U-S has laid out to measure governmental progress in Iraq. The law is being hailed as a milestone and a sign if success by war supporters. FSRN correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington

Democratic Presidential Hopefuls and Political Organizers Look ahead to Nevada

Now to election news: Candidates are preparing for two key primaries coming up Saturday. Most Republicans are focusing their efforts on South Carolina – where John McCain and Mike Huckabee are expected to lead polls. Only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are actively campaigning for Saturday's caucuses in Nevada. The state will be the first in the West to officially weigh-in on the presidential hopefuls. And that's were Democratic Presidential candidates are focusing their attention.

Politicking in Nevada can be difficult as many residents are transient. The state is also diverse in demography as well as geography. But political organizers are seizing the national political spotlight to energize their support base and carry momentum into the National race. FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Nobel Peace Laureate Reestablishes Contact with Burmese Military Government

The government of Burma says a bus conductor was killed in a small bomb blast yesterday. It's the fourth such bombing attack since the New Year. The military government blames ethnic rebels, likely from the state of Karen. There the Karen National Union has been fighting for decades for greater autonomy for ethnic Karen people.

In other news from the country, Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with her country's military junta for about an hour late last week - establishing contact with the government for the first time in nearly two months. The Nobel Peace Laureate has been under house arrest for the past 12 years, and was taken from her lakeside home in the nation's capital to meet with a military liaison. From Burma, Zack Baddorf has more.

Study Pins Human Activity as Main Cause of Coral Reef Decline

A groundbreaking study of coral reefs was released this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. The Canadian-led study singles out a combination of human activities, such as agriculture and development, as the primary cause of degradation in Caribbean reefs. KPFA environmental correspondent Jude Fletcher has the story: