Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Headlines (5:15)
ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS
Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned today shortly after some
of his government's key foreign policy measures failed to secure the
approval of the Italian Senate. Among the measures that failed to
pass - funding for the Italian operation in Afghanistan. In addition
to Rome's participation in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan,
many Italians have been galvanized against militarization domestically
by unpopular plans to expand a US base in the northern Italian city of
Vicenza. The Italian president is now responsible for deciding how to
replace the prime minister.

DENMARK TO WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ
Denmark today announced that it will completely withdraw of its troops
from Iraq by August. Most Danish troops are with the British forces in
southern Iraq...and those British forces will also begin to withdraw
soon.

BRITAIN TO CUT BACK ON TROOPS
British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the troop reduction today
in Parliament. From London, Naomi Fowler reports.

Tony Blair was absent during the last Parliamentary debate on Iraq;
the announcement today would normally be made by the Defense Minister,
but today it was the Prime Minister (sound) "'The actual reduction in
forces will be from the present 7,100, down from 40,000 at the time of
the conflict to roughly 5,500. However, with the exception of forces
which will remain at Basra palace, the British forces will be in a
support role. Over time, and depending naturally on progress and the
capability of the Iraqi security forces, we will be able to draw down
further, possibly to below 5,000, once the Basra palace site has been
transferred to the Iraqis in late summer." Troop withdrawal by one of
the US's biggest military allies flies in the face of Bush's 21,500
"troop surge." But Britain's controversial role in Iraq has utterly
dominated Tony Blair's final term in office. Due to step down this
summer, critics say he'd always wanted to announce withdrawals before
then – an attempt, they say, to protect his legacy and try to improve
his low popularity ratings over the whole issue. 132 British service
personnel have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. There's
no official death toll kept on Iraqi deaths. The Prime Minister has
refused calls for an inquiry into the failings of his Iraq policy.
This is Naomi Fowler in London for Free Speech Radio News.

COLOMBIA SCANDAL EXPANDS
Colombia has stepped efforts to secure some $12 billion dollars in
funding to continue Plan Colombia - a mostly military intervention in
the more than 4 decade long civil conflict in the South American
country. This comes as Colombia is in the midst of one of the worst
political scandals in its recent history in which Colombian government
officials are being linked directly to right-wing paramilitaries. The
scandal has implicated key political figures and, on Monday, led to
the resignation of Colombia's Foreign Minister. Five Senators were
arrested last week.

CAMPAIGNERS WARN AGAINST CONTINUING PLAN COLOMBIA
Back in this country - the Bush administration continues to support
Plan Colombia, but campaigners want Congress to examine Colombia's
human rights record before the vote to approve funding. Nan McCurdy
has more from the Capital steps.

According to the Latin American Working Group, the US has provided
more than four billion dollars in aid to Colombia since 2000 and
eighty percent has gone to the military. Reports of extra-judicial
executions by members of the Colombian military are commonplace as
well as attacks against human rights defenders who denounce abuses.
Renata Randon is Advocacy Director with Amnesty International USA
(sound): "Despite ongoing reports of human rights violations committed
by the military, ongoing reports of military-paramilitary
collaboration, and the infiltration of the Colombian state by
paramilitaries, a US-designated international Terrorist organization,
the US continues to provide billions of dollars in military aid to
Colombia." The coalition wants about hundreds of millions of dollars
of US military aid to Colombia to be redirected to social and economic
programs and to support the establishment and the protection of the
rule of law. Today marks the second anniversary of a massacre of eight
members of the Colombian Peace Community. No arrests have been made in
that case, despite assurances from the Colombian government. Critics
say the Bush Administration's 2008 proposed aid to Colombia shows they
are not willing to adopt a new approach despite the poor results of
Plan Colombia up till now. The onus is now on Congress to determine
how money is directed. For Free Speech Radio News, I'm Nan McCurdy.

CABLE NETWORK KICKS ELDER OUT OF CHAIR
And finally, Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas will no
longer be able to sit in the chair she has occupied for years in the
front and center of the White House press room. Helen Thomas has been
in the White House press corp for 46 years, asking questions since the
administration of John F. Kennedy. During the current administration,
Thomas has consistently brought up the invasion and occupation of
Iraq. An unnamed cable news channel will occupy the seat of the
86-year old correspondent when remodeling is complete on the White
House briefing room. Thomas says she'll still be at the briefings to
ask questions.

Features
UN Urges Philippines to Stop Extrajudicial Killings (5:00)
A United Nations official investigating a spate of political killings
in the Philippines said today that he was convinced that many of the
murders were committed by the military, which he criticized for being
in "a state of almost total denial." Philip Alston, UN Special
Rapporteur for Extra-Judicial Executions, urged the government to
re-evaluate its counter-insurgency campaign because some of its aspects
tend to abet the killings. Girlie Linao reports from Manila.

Tensions Escalate Between US and Iran (4:00)
Tensions between the US and Iran have intensified. The International
Atomic Energy Agency is expected to report that Iran has not suspended
its nuclear program, despite a United Nations imposed deadline. FSRN’s
Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.

Iraqis Weary of New US Security Plan (2:30)
As we mentioned in the headlines, British Prime Minister Tony Blair
announced today that as many as 1,600 British troops would be withdrawn
from southern Iraq, even as US troop levels are increased in the center
of the country. But the new security sweeps, which have failed to
prevent bombings and attacks and continue to kill dozens each day, have
left few Iraqis convinced that the new security plan will make them
safer. Salam Talib and Hiba Dawood have this report.

Disability Rights Organization Sues San Francisco (4:20)
For more than three decades, removing people with severe disabilities
from the nation's institutions has been one of the disability rights
movement’s main priorities. That's why the organization Protection and
Advocacy has filed a class-action lawsuit against the city and county
of San Francisco on behalf of more than 1000 current, former and
potential residents of Laguna Honda hospital, which it owns and
operates. The plaintiffs charge the city with forcing them to live in
the largest nursing home in the country, because they say it has failed
to give them decent housing and support services so they can live
independently in the community. Instead, the city is rebuilding the
1200-bed facility. Daveed Mandell files this report from San Francisco.

Mumia Abu Jamal Commentary: On the Anniversary of Malcolm’s Assassination (4:00)
And now, from his cell on Pennsylvania’s Death Row, a commentary by
Mumia Abu Jamal, on the anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination.