Thursday, March 22, 2007

Headlines (5:00)
MEXICAN LAWMAKERS DEBATE MAJOR REFORM TO SOCIAL SECURITY
Mexico's Chamber of Deputies is behind a wall of riot police today as
the lower house of congress debates major reforms to Mexico's Social
Security system for public workers. Rank and file members of Mexico's
national teachers' union and the union of health care workers bitterly
oppose the package of reforms that would severely impact the pension
funds of all public workers. Organized labor, retired workers, and
activists groups have been mobilizing in Mexico City for days ahead of
the vote. Teachers in the southern state of Oaxaca closed 13 thousand
schools today as part of a one-day shutdown against the measure.
Although the legislation has the support of the majority of Mexican
deputies, the reforms are highly contentious and today's session is
likely to run late into the night.

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MAY FACE IMPEACHMENT
Political tensions in Romania have resulted in a parliamentary
recommendation to suspend the president. Elise Hugus reports from
Bucharest.

President Traian Basescu has violated the Constitution and interfered
with the course of justice, according to a report from a special
Parliamentary Commission. Investigators found that Basescu ordered
illegal wiretaps and privileged his political allies. The head of the
Romanian Secret Service resigned this week over the allegations. The
embattled President faces not only suspension, but possible
impeachment and jail time. Parliament will hold a vote of confidence
to decide the President's fate next week. A power struggle between the
President and Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu has kept Romania's
Parliament from reaching consensus for the past several months. In
light of the political crisis, the Prime Minister has called to
postpone elections for the country's representatives to European
Parliament. Romania has been a member of the European Union since
January first of this year. The current presidential term ends in
2009, but with new laws aiming to increase transparency in government,
a popular referendum may decide the next president of Romania. For
Free Speech Radio news, I'm Elise Hugus, in Bucharest.

SOUTHERN NEPAL UNDER CURFEW AFTER MAOIST-MADHESI GUNFIGHT
A curfew is in effect in an area of southern Nepal after a gunfight
yesterday between Maoists and a local Madhesi rights group claimed the
lives of 28 people. PC Dubey reports.

A red alert has been sounded throughout southern Nepal, the bastion of
the movement to secure greater rights for lowland Madhesis. Nepalese
Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and top leaders of the ruling
8-party alliance today flew to Gaur; the scene of the bloodbath. The
officials paid their condolences and vowed to punish the culprits. The
Maoists leader, Prachanda has called for a ban on the Madhesi rights
forum and demanded the arrest of its leaders. Reports say most of
those killed yesterday were Maoists. Maoist guerrillas dwelling in UN
monitored camps in the region walked out and staged rallies against
the massacre at noon today. Upendra Yadav, the head of the Madhesi
Rights Forum accused Maoists of collaborating with the government to
unleash a campaign of terror against their activists to undermine
their movement for proportional representation within national
politics. Nepal's political scene has long been dominated by the
country's highlander communities. The situation in southern Nepal has
turned extremely volatile, with both Maoists and Madhesis vowing to
take revenge. Meanwhile, the government stands aside as a mute
spectator. I am PC Dubey for Free Speech Radio News.

BLAST INTERRUPTS UN PRESS CONFERENCE IN BAGHDAD
An explosion in Baghdad rattled a press event today as UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took
questions from reporters. A rocket or mortar caused the blast which
struck about 300 feet from the location of the news conference, inside
of the heavily-guarded green zone. The UN Secretary General
half-ducked behind the podium and appeared flustered immediately after
the explosion. The Iraqi Prime Minister did not flinch. Today was the
first time Ban Ki-moon has visited Iraq since assuming the top
position at the United Nations.

WEST WEIGHS IN ON PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT
The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators has reiterated its
conditions to acknowledge the new Palestinian unity government, as
renewed infighting in Gaza has killed at least one Palestinian and
wounded 17 others. FSRN's Rami Almeghari has more.

The international Quartet for the promotion of peace in the Middle
East reiterated yesterday its demands that any Palestinian government
should recognize Israel, renounce violence, and accept past signed
agreements as pre conditions for lifting an economic embargo. It also
welcomed the Palestinian unity government, which hopes to put an end
to internal violence that has claimed the lives of hundreds of
Palestinians over the past several months. In a statement, the Quartet
announced the approval of a temporary mechanism for international
assistance to the Palestinian people for the next three months. The
measure could channel funds to non-Hamas ministers. The statement also
maintained that the Quartet would take steps to develop a more
sustainable international assistance mechanism for the long term.
Palestinians welcomed the Quartet's position, but say it is not
enough. Meanwhile, the new Palestinian interior minister, Hani
Alqawasmi (an independent) is due to hold talks with Palestinian
security officials Thursday to draw up a plan to restore order and
prevent recurrence of Fatah-Hamas infighting. For Free Speech Radio
News and IMEMC.org, this is Rami Almeghari, reporting from Gaza.

Features
House and Senate Prepare to Vote on Iraq War Supplemental (4:00)
The House of Representatives takes up debate on the Iraq war
supplemental, unsure if the measure will pass. Meanwhile, the Senate
prepares a similar spending bill, calling for a timetable for a troop
withdrawal. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Congress Sees First Piece of Immigration Legislation This Year (1:45)
Congress saw its first piece of immigration legislation introduced
today. The 900-page document, co-sponsored by Democratic Representative
Luis Gutierrez and Republican Jeff Flake could, among other things,
allow people without US immigration papers to obtain a 3-year visa,
which they could apply to renew for another 3 years. Guest workers
would then have to return to their home countries. Those already living
here would have to pay back taxes, fulfill language and other
requirements, including what is being called the “Touch-Back”
provision, if they choose to establish permanent residency. Touch-Back
requires people to return to their home countries before applying for
residency.

Oversight Hearing for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (2:40)
A Senate panel voted in favor of subpoenaing top White House officials
to question them about the firings of 8 US attorneys, just one day
after the a House panel voted to do the same. President Bush has said
that he will oppose any subpoena of his staff and vows to take it to
the courts. As Democrats and Republicans call for the resignation of
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Department of Justice is coming
under fire from Congress, where there’s a growing interest in charges
of political interference within other divisions of the Justice
Department. Today the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the
Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held an oversight
hearing on the DOJ’s civil right division. FSRN Karen Miller has more.

New Report Say the World’s Top Rivers are Threatened (4:40)
As the world marks UN World Water Day today, a new report released by
the World Wildlife Fund indicates that the world’s rivers are
increasingly threatened, and drying up on every continent. Five of the
ten rivers listed in the report are in Asia, along with Europe’s
Danube, La Plata and the Rio Grande in the Americas, Africa’s Nile-Lake
Victoria and Australia’s Murray-Darling. The report appeals to
governments to defend rivers as a way to ensure habitats and economic
success. FSRN Host Aura Bogado spoke with Karissa Wong, Program Officer
for the Global Freshwater Program at the World Wildlife Fund.

Water and Sanitation Crisis in Africa (4:00)
A new global campaign is being launched that seeks to end water
poverty, and address the water and sanitation crisis throughout Africa.
Activists are calling on Germany, which hosts of the G8 this year, to
explicitly acknowledge the slow progress in extending access to
sanitation and water, and recognize that water and sanitation are basic
human rights. FSRN'S Joshua Kyalimpa reports.

Indian Land Trust Issues Persist (4:15)
The Bush Administration has come to Congress with $7 billion and a plan
to settle all Indian claims against the government for mismanagement of
land trusts. The offer was rejected outright by plaintiffs who continue
to demand an accounting of hundreds of billions of dollars of missing
trust funds. Mary Kathryn Rountree reports.