Archive - Nov 16, 2007

• Musharraf's Efforts to Stay in Power Thwarted by Pakistani Judges
• Australian Coroner: Two Indonesian Soldiers Can be Prosecuted for War Crimes in Balibo Five Case
• Canada's Supreme Court says U-S War Resisters Will Not be Given Refugee Status
• Democratic Presidential Debate Moderators Attempt to Spur Confrontation
• NYC Performance Arts Group Stages a Theater Series about Impeachment

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• Washington Rally Demands Prosecution of Hate Crimes
• House Passes FISA
• UN Committee Approves Deathn Penalty Moratorium
• Cyclone Devastates Bangladesh

"A Question of Impeachment" is a 5-week event sponsored by the New York
City-based Culture Project. Each week, a different article for
impeachment will be addressed by figures in the fields of journalism,
entertainment, the military and academia. The series asks whether the
President should be impeached, and what individuals should do when
their representatives won't act. FSRN correspondent Zoe Sullivan sat in
on a Culture Project rehearsal and has this report.

In this week's Political Round up, we bring you the highlights and
lowlights of last night's Democratic Presidential Debate. For the past
few weeks, the media has been focusing on the candidate's verbal
attacks on each other. Last night's debate fed into that media cycle,
attempting to evoke confrontation among the leading candidates. But it
resulted in a verbal rejection by the audience. FSRN's Leigh Ann
Caldwell reports.

The Senate failed to pass two Iraq war-funding measures today: One
offered by the Republicans, which would have provided 70 billion
dollars for the President to continue to fight the war. It received 45
votes in support. The Democratic version received 53 votes, still short
of the 60 votes needed to pass. The legislation would have provided the
President with 50 billion dollars for the war but also included date to
begin troop withdrawal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will
not provide the President with any more funding until next year. As a
result, the President may have to pull money from the Pentagon
budget.Republican Senator John Kyl of Arizona says Republicans will not
allow the Democrats to provide funding with withdrawal provisions.

Two former Indonesian soldiers could be prosecuted for war crimes,
following the release of an Australian coroners report today. The
subject of the report was Brian Peters, one of the five journalists
killed in Balibo in East Timor in 1975. The corner said there was
sufficient evidence that the killing of Peters, along with newsmen
Malcolm Rennie, Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham and Tony Stewart, was
deliberate. She said the murders constituted war crimes and she's
referred the case to the country's top courts. Erica Vowles reports
from Sydney.

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf's appointment of a
caretaker government late last night has drawn immediate criticism from
leaders of the opposition. They claim that free and fair elections are
impossible under martial law because political parties are not
permitted to organize - and over half of Pakistan's higher judiciary
has been fired. Musharraf's efforts to stay in power for another term
hit yet another snag today as three of his hand-picked Supreme Court
judges have recused themselves from hearing legal challenges to the
imposition of martial law. Devin Theriot-Orr reports.