Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Headlines (5:30)
FIERCE FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN MOGADISHU
Fierce fighting has erupted in Somalia after government troops tried
to search for weapons in one of Mogadishu's neighborhoods. Abdurrahman
Warsameh reports.

At least 17 people were killed and more than 100 civilians were
wounded as heavy fighting broke out this morning between unidentified
assailants and Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers
around the Shirkole neighborhood and the former defense ministry
building where the Ethiopians are based in the south of the Somali
capital, Mogadishu. A total of seven soldiers were killed. Two dead
soldiers who were dragged in the streets of the capital by angry mobs
are thought to be Ethiopians; but this can be difficult to determine,
as both Ethiopian soldiers and Somali government troops wear same
uniform. The sound of heavy artillery and small gunfire could be heard
throughout the capital. The fighting has died down as night fall but
is likely to resume at day time tomorrow. There has been an upsurge of
sporadic attacks in Somalia particularly the capital, Mogadishu, since
the Ethiopian-backed government forced Islamists from power in
December. The government has blamed remnants of the defeated Islamist
movement, who are in Mogadishu under clan protection, for the almost
daily attacks. For FSRN I am Abdurrahman Warsameh in Mogadishu.

POLITICAL STANDOFF RESOLVED IN ECUADOR
Ecuador's Parliament was on its feet again today after 54 of 57
members recently fired for blocking a referendum on a new Constituent
Assembly were replaced. FSRN´s Quito correspondent Joseph Mutti has
more.

Ecuador's Supreme Electoral Council effectively shut down the nation's
parliament on March 7th by removing 57 of its 100 members for
deliberately blocking a referendum scheduled by recently-elected
President Rafael Correa. The referendum on whether or not the people
of Ecuador want a non-partisan Constituent Assembly was originally
scheduled for March 18th, but had to be delayed by a month after the
57 deputies made a parliamentary vote approving the referendum
impossible. They were subsequently removed for interfering with
Ecuador's political process for partisan reasons and censured by the
remaining members of Parliament. There were clashes outside Parliament
as the fired legislators and their supporters attempted to enter
Parliament yesterday when 21 of the new 54 deputies were sworn in, but
Correa has a 70% approval rating in the nation and has vowed from the
outset that he would rid his country of the destructive party politics
that had turned Parliament into what he coined "a sewer of
corruption". Correa is seen as having gained an important victory in
this confrontation with the nation's legislature and his political
future is now generally agreed to be far more sound after the last two
weeks of crisis. He had previously threatened to resign if he was
unable to carry out his electoral promises. For FSRN, I'm Joseph
Mutti.

COLOMBIA REQUESTS EXTRADITION OF CHIQUITA EXECS
Colombia's Attorney General has announced he will make extradition
requests to the US for eight employees of Chiquita Brands
International. The banana company has already pleaded guilty in US
federal court to having paid some $1.7 million dollars to the United
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. The right-wing paramilitary group is
on the US government's list of terrorist organizations. Chiquita says
it made the payments in order to protect its operations in Colombia.
Both paramilitary organizations and guerrilla groups extort money from
agricultural operations in rural Colombia by demanding protection
money. The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC as its known
by its Spanish acronym, has been implicated in the deaths of several
union organizers and is responsible for some of the worst massacres in
the the history of Colombia's civil war.

UK BANS SOME CLUSTER MUNITIONS
The UK's defence secretary, Des Browne, has ordered a partial ban on
cluster bombs. The decision follows advice from government officials
and human rights campaigners, who say that these bombs put civilians
lives at risk. Manuel Rueda reports from London.

Cluster Bombs can be dropped by air or fired from the ground. They can
disperse their smaller bomblets over an area as large as four football
fields. Bomblets that fail to explode upon impact often become
de-facto land mines. Starting today, the British armed forces will
only hang on to so-called "smart" cluster bombs. In other words, those
bombs that have self-destructing mechanisms. Thomas Nash, coordinates
the Cluster Munition Coalition, he welcomes the new policy, but says
that it does not go far enough. (sound) "The cluster munition
coalition is saying very clearly ban the self-destruct cluster
munition as well as all the other cluster munitions. If you walk
through the fields of southern Lebanon you will see that there's
nothing about cluster munitions that makes a bomb smart." The Cluster
Munition Coalition says cluster bombs threaten lives long after
conflicts are over. Norway is currently leading efforts to create an
international ban on cluster bombs by next year. Over 45 countries
have signed an initial declaration, but so far, the US and Israel have
not shown any interest. Manuel Rueda, FSRN, London.

HURRICANE RELIEF ACT PASSES HOUSE
The House of Representatives today passed the Gulf Coast Hurricane
Housing Recovery Act by a vote of 302 - 125. The measure frees up
federal money specifically aimed at easing the housing crisis in areas
devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

MAOISTS AND MADHESI BATTLE IN NEPAL (cut for time)
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At least 25 people are dead and around 50 are injured following a gun
battle between Maoist guerrillas and Madhesi activists in Nepal. The
shootout came after the two groups argued over a venue for a public
meeting. PC Dubey reports.

The clash erupted this afternoon when armed Maoists suddenly began
putting up their own stage for a public meeting at the same venue in
the southern Nepalese town of Gaur where preparations were already
complete for a forum of Madhesi activists. The Madhesi meeting was
announced a week ago while Maoists decided to hold their own only
yesterday. Eye witnesses say Madhesi activists dismantled the Maoists'
stage. This enraged the guerrillas, who began firing upon the Madhesi
activists. The latter were also armed and retaliated, triggering the
bloodshed. The deceased and injured have yet to be identified. The
local government has since slapped a 14 hour curfew on the area,
deploying a large contingent of security forces. But fear of more
Maoists-Madhesi violence looms large. Madhesis make up half of Nepal's
27 million population, but are sorely under-represented in national
politics. They began an uprising three months ago to win greater
political rights and end the domination of minority highlanders over
Nepal's political scene. As the Maoists' guerrillas are also led by
highlanders, Madhesis are skeptical of their willingness to share
equal power. This has strained their relations and even caused
violent outbursts like the one witnesses today. Ironically, Maoists
were the first to espouse the Madhesi's desire for self-determination,
but quickly jettisoned the cause once they became part of the
political mainstream. I am PC Dubey for Free Speech Radio News.

Features
House Panel Approves Subpoenas for Top White House Aides (2:00)
House Democrats have set up the stage for what could become a battle
between Congress and the White House. Democrats voted to allow
subpoenas of administration officials and administration documents
pertaining to the firing of 8 US attorneys, who Democrats say were
terminated because they would not use their positions for partisan
political objectives. The White House originally refuted any direct
link to dismissing the attorneys, but thousands of emails released by
the Department of Justice appear to link Attorney General Alberto
Gonzalez and former White House chief consul Harriet Miers to the
firings. Now, the House wants sworn testimony from top White House
aides.

Rank and File Democrats Struggle with How to Vote on War Supplemental (4:00)
Democratic leaders are still trying to shore up enough votes to pass
the war supplemental before the full House tomorrow. And as DC Editor
Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, rank and file Democrats are struggling with
how they’ll vote.

New US Military Strategy in Sadr City Sparks Local Outrage (3:00)
Four years into the war, the US military is trying a "new" strategy to
secure the violent Iraqi capital. But for many Iraqis, it is too little
too late. This is especially true in Sadr City, a part of the capital
US troops have mostly avoided since fighting ended between the military
and the Mehdi Army, a Shiite militia controlled by Muqtada Sadr. Hiba
Dawood files this report.

Al Gore Urges Lawmakers to Take Action Against Global Warming (1:30)
Former Vice President Al Gore returned to Capital Hill today, urging
law-makers to take action to fight global warming. He spoke before
committees of both Houses of Congress. His first stop was the House
Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee. Gore called for legislation to
raise fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, ban incandescent light
bulbs, and enact a moratorium on the construction of coal fired power
plants. Gore also supported legislation that would allow homeowners and
small businesses to sell unlimited amounts of solar and wind generated
electricity back to the grid at fair prices.

NASA Climate Watch Scientists Says White house Censors Speech (2:00)
A NASA climate watch scientist is alleging that the White House has
been tampering with his scientific reports and censoring his speech. He
testified before the House Government Reform Committee. Yanmei Xie has
the story from Capitol Hill.

Critics Say Halliburton’s Plans to Move to Dubai Linked with Influencing World Trade Policy (3:50)
Energy services giant Halliburton recently announced it is relocating
its corporate offices to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The move is part
of a global shift away from US dominance of the energy market, and
towards state-owned oil companies in the Eastern Hemisphere. But, as
Renee Feltz reports, companies like Halliburton are working to shape
world trade policy in this region. The result could be a downturn in
use of the state-owned oil company's profits for social good in order
to maximize profit.

New Report Indicates West Papua More Disadvantaged than Ever (2:50)
The troubled Indonesian province of West Papua was granted special
autonomy status in 2001, which in theory allows Papuans a degree of
self-rule. Six years on, a report released by the Baptist Church in
Papua says Papuans remain more disadvantaged than ever. Erica Vowles
reports.