Podcasts about fsrn

Sometimes, a billion bucks just isn't enough to kickstart the engine. (00:21) Asit Sharma and Mary Long discuss Fisker's bankruptcy and Wells Fargo's latest credit card bet. Then, at (17:22), Ailson and Bro tackle the listener mailbag, answering questions about retirement distributions, target date funds, and commodities. Learn more about the Range Rover Sport at www.landroverusa.com Got a question for Alison and Bro? Email it to podcasts@fool.com Companies discussed: FSRN, TSLA, WFC, GSG, DBC, GLD Host: Mary Long Guests: Asit Sharma, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the production of this podcast now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brasilonfire/under-the-shadow-of-the-united-states-a-podcastHistory is often lost in the past. Hard to grasp. Difficult to explain. The story of the US role abroad is often muddled or forgotten.In this podcast series on US intervention and revolutionary resistance in Latin America, independent journalist Michael Fox makes that history come to life, taking listeners to places in the present on a search for the legacies of the past. It's a search for the ghosts that still linger—and what it all means today. This is particularly important this year—2023—the 200-year anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, the US foreign policy that defined Latin America as its backyard, to do with what it would like. And yet, throughout the region there has been pushback — a revolutionary spirit of the past and ongoing movements in the present."Under the Shadow" is a highly produced, sound-rich, investigative podcast series that takes listeners across Latin America to the scenes of some of the region's most devastating, revolutionary, and historic moments — both good and bad. Season 1 — coming soon — dives deep into the past of Central America, uncovering the history of US intervention that still lingers in the region today.With first-hand reporting, profound interviews, and archival footage, each of the nine episodes stands alone. But they also fit together as part of a larger story of the legacies of repressive governments, revolution, and the role of the United States in invasions, coups, and the wars of the 1980s.Michael Fox is a longtime radio reporter, editor, and journalist who has spent the better part of the last 20 years in Latin America. He is the former editor of the NACLA Report on the Americas, the former director of video production at teleSUR English, and a former member of the steering committee of the daily radio news show FSRN. Last year, he reported and produced the highly successful investigative podcast series Brazil on Fire, about Brazil's descent toward authoritarianism under President Jair Bolsonaro. https://www.mfox.us/ The Real News Network (TRNN) makes media that amplifies movements and organizers fighting for a better future. We are a multi-platform digital newsroom based in Baltimore but reporting nationally and internationally. https://therealnews.comThe North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1966 to examine and critique US imperialism and political, economic, and military intervention in the Western hemisphere. For more than 50 years, NACLA has been a leading source of English-language research and analysis on Latin America and the Caribbean. https://nacla.orgHelp cover the production costs of Under the Shadow: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brasilonfire/under-the-shadow-of-the-united-states-a-podcastSeries logo image credit: Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen (MUPI)

NewsreportsA discussion with the presenters about the current situation facing refugees in Melbourne right now with over 60 refugees imprisoned in the Park Hotel in Melbourne and the on-going protests that are happening right now demanding their freedom. Interviews and DiscussionJacob Andrewartha sits down with long-time multimedia journalist and radio reporter Michael Fox to discuss politics in Brazil. The discussion focuses on far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, in particular his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and policy of environmental destruction, and the grassroots resistance to his government. Also discussed are the recent municipal elections that took place in November. Fox is a former editor of NACLA Report on the Americas, former director of video production at teleSUR English, and a former steering committee member of the daily radio news show, FSRN. Fox has reported extensively from across Latin America for NPR, PRI’s The World, DW, The Nation, Business Insider, The Intercept, AJ+, TRT World, The Real News and numerous other outletsHe is currently working on a 11-part podcast series titled "Brazil on Fire" that takes listeners across Brazil to cover Bolsonaro’s rise to power, the motivation of his supporters, and the communities that are holding on, resisting, or trying to fight back. You can read more about the project here.You can listen to the individual interview here via Green Left.

If you want to start podcasting, but don't know what to podcast about - how about reporting on the stories from around your neighbourhood? Hyperlocal media is growing to fill the gaps left by local newspapers that have either stopped publishing or cut staff to the point whereby local issues and interesting stories are no longer covered. Now, you don't need to get stuck in on the big stories that can bring some legal risks. But you can start interviewing local people about their jobs and hobbies etc. Your neighbourhood will be full of people doing interesting things. Tell their stories. So if you are keen...start a website and feature interesting stuff from your neighbourhood. Who knows where it will lead. Of course, do not publish anything that may cause you any legal issues. Just keep it fun and light, featuring ordinary people doing interesting things. Don't criticize anyone. A source of great information is www.FSRN.org and its how-to guides for reporters.

CANADIANS QUESTIONING ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN This past weekend marked the highest combat-related death toll for Canadian troops in a twenty-four-hour period since the Korean War. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Canada has an estimated 2300 troops operating in Afghanistan; the majority are directly involved in ongoing combat activities in southern Afghanistan dubbed “Operation Medusa”. Four Canadian soldiers were killed in gun battles on Sunday. Another died Monday due to a U.S. air strike in an incident that has been described as “friendly-fire”. Sid Lacombe of the Canadian Peace Alliance. (audio) “We will see more Canadians coming home in body bags and we will also see more Afghan civilians being killed. As we have seen over the course of recent weeks there have been a number of cases.” Military officials estimate that NATO forces have killed over 200 Afghan fighters since the beginning of “Operation Medusa”. Major political parties in Canada are calling for the full withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Settlement: Canadians Wronged Indigenous People The Canadian Government & the Anglican Church of Canada have recently struck a deal to share the costs of the over 12,000 of law suits filed by indigenous people who were abused at residential schools. The deal will force the Anglican Church to pay 30 per cent of the settlements amounting to over $25-million dollars, Ottawa will pay the other 70 percent. Stefan Cristoff reports from Montreal, Canada. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and The Right of Return (3:49) As much of the world's focus has turned toward the Israeli withdrawal of illegal Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon – the majority of whom were displaced through the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, continue to demand their right to return to their villages, towns and cities throughout Palestine. Mohammed Shublaq and Stefan Christoff visited the Lebanese refugee camps and file this report. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Who Will Prosper from the Security and Prosperity Partnership? (4:00) The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) is a tri-lateral North American initiative between the governments of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Ahead of a summit between President Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Canada next week, FSRN's Stefan Christoff brings us a report on the impacts of the SPP on North American border controls and migration. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Quebec Hearings on "Reasonable Accommodation" A series of government-initiated public hearings on cultural differences and immigrant integration began this week in Quebec. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Immigrants in Quebec have faced a growing political storm throughout the past year, as a Provincial debate on what is referred to as ‘reasonable accommodation' has attracted international headlines. A series of public hearings will occur throughout the coming months in Quebec, as part of the state commission lead by two Quebec academics who are not new immigrants. Nazila Bettache is with No One is Illegal Montreal. (sound) “Using the term accommodation simply put really, sort of implies to me a hierarchy of identities, where by, the identity the one that has been framed in the mainstream media as the so-called Quebcoies national identity, so the identity of the white settler prevails and the action of quote / unquote, “allowing” the expression of religious or faith based identity that of the quote / unquote “new-comer” is an accommodation to begin with.” Debate on immigration in Quebec reached extremes in the past year, when the rural town of Herouxville passed a resolution which demanded that “new arrivals, abandon the way of life from their countries of origin, as it cannot be recreated” in Quebec. Civil liberties groups throughout Canada slammed the resolution as racist. For Free Speech Radio News, this is Stefan Christoff, in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canada May End Military Mission in Afghanistan Canada's Minister of Defense stated yesterday that the country's military mission in southern Afghanistan will effectively end in 2009, a potential blow to NATO military operations there. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Canada's Defense Minister announced in a national TV interview that Canadian military forces will halt their military mission in Afghanistan in 2009 unless parliament votes for an extension. Canadian troops are currently engaged in a NATO-led military campaign in the southern province of Kandahar. Most of the 70 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan have occurred in the past year – a fact that has contributed to increased questioning of Canadian participation in the 5 year old mission. Polls show that on a nationwide level, the majority of Canadians favor an alternative to the NATO-led combat operation in Afghanistan. Jaggi Singh is an activist with Block the Empire in Montreal. (audio) “People involved in the anti-war movement in Quebec and in Canada have demanded an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan. This mission itself is problematic in so many ways, particularly in so far as it's essentially serving a mis-guided war on terror led and directed by the United States.” British military officials recently estimated that hundreds of civilians have been killed in the past 6 months. In June, the Associated Press reported that civilian causalities caused by foreign troops outnumbered those caused by militants. Neither NATO nor US forces keep track of civilian deaths. For Free Speech Radio News, I am Stefan Christoff, in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Indigenous Activists Blockade Mining Operation In Ontario, a dispute between indigenous protestors and a Canadian mining corporation has reached a new level of tension. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Algonquin protestors set up a blockade two months ago along on a road leading toward disputed territory in Ontario after learning that the Canadian mining corporation Frontenac Ventures planned to begin operations on the land. The proposed uranium mine is unpopular with both native and non-native local communities. Ontario mining laws stipulate that a corporation can explore territory for a potential mine after informing provincial authorities of their intent. Algonquin community leaders say they never received prior notification of the mining company's plans. They argue that the lack of communication on the matter constitutes a violation of Canadian law regarding indigenous land claims. Lawyer Christopher Reid represents the Algonquin in this case. (audio) “This is aboriginal title land which is protected under section 25 of Canada's constitution. The Algonquin people have never surrendered this land, they have lived on this land and occupied it and governed it since long before any settlers arrived here.” Despite past legal precedent, an Ontario judge on Monday ordered that the mining corporation Frontenac Ventures, “shall have immediate, unfettered access to the property”. The Algonquin demonstrators plan to remain at the protest camp on the access road and have vowed to keep the mining company out of their territory. For Free Speech Radio News this is Stefan Christoff in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Police Infiltrators in Canadian SPP Protest (2:40) A controversy surrounding the trilateral North American summit in Canada between President George Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón, has been making headlines throughout the week in Canada. Quebec Provincial Police are accused of sending agent provocateurs into the demonstrations opposing trilateral summit. Quebec police officials admitted that undercover agents dressed as protesters infiltrated the demonstration. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Demonstrations Against Trilateral SPP(4:13) The trilateral summit between President George Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon closed in Montabello, Canada yesterday. During the summit over one thousand protesters converged to oppose the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The accord is a trilateral trade and security initiative which critics say will be a blow to labor, health, environmental standards and more. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from the streets of Montabello. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

AFGHAN TORTURE CONTROVERSY An investigative report published this week in one of Canada's top newspapers has accused Canada's Conservative government of complicity in the torture of Afghan prisoners and has created a national controversy. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Canadian support for the mission in Afghanistan has wavered as the war drags on and an investigative report published this week by The Globe and Mail has sparked intense debate. The report alleges that Afghans detained by Canadian soldiers and transferred to Afghan jails have been beaten, whipped, starved, frozen, choked and subjected to electric shocks during interrogation. Graeme Smith is the Globe and Mail reporter in Kandahar who broke the story. [Graeme Smith Clip] “The people told me that they were often beaten with electrical cables, this was the most common complaint. Others said that they were electrocuted and one man make a particularly graphic description of being electrocuted with a hand-crank generator and flopping around on the floor like a fish.” Opposition political parties in Canada are calling for the resignation of the Defense Minister. An internal Canadian government report made public yesterday outlines that Canadian military and governmental authorities have been aware of the torture committed by subordinate Afghan authorities prior to the publication of the Globe and Mail report. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

CANADIAN DEFENSE MINISTER REPLACED Canada has a new Defense Minister as a result of changes made in the Prime Minister's cabinet. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Canada's Minister of National Defense Gordon O'Connor was the first to go in a re-shuffle of the country's Conservative Cabinet. O'Connor has been implicated in a number of scandals regarding the behavior of Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan. In April, the Globe and Mail newspaper released a detailed report documenting the torture of former Afghan detainees while in government custody in Kandahar. The report held Canadian military forces responsible for the transfer of detainees to the Afghan cells where the torture took place. Opposition political parties and anti-war activists have been calling for the resignation of Canada's Minister of Defense ever since. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter MacKay, has replaced Gordon O'Conner as Defense Minister. O'Conner has been demoted to the portfolio of National Revenue. The move is widely regarded as the result of mounting pressure on the Conservative government over the controversial Afghan military mission. But anti-war activists in in Canada argue that the shift in the cabinet offers no fundamental change to the political direction of the government. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canada: Hearings Over Immigration Spark Debate(3:26) In Canada, a series of government-sponsored hearings on the cultural rights and religious practices of new immigrants, particularly Muslims, has ignited fierce debate. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

RUSSIA AND CANADA EYE ARCTIC WEALTH Canada may soon join Russia in exerting claims to parts of the Arctic. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. The planting of a Russian flag last week on the North Pole seabed could be opening salvo in a scramble by northern countries to claim arctic territory. The U.S., Russia, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all indicated an interest in parts of the North Pole. With the retreat of polar ice caps due to global warming comes an emerging drive to claim and access the Arctic's vast reserves of gas and mineral wealth. Canada's Conservative government in Ottawa recently announcing plans to establish a major military sea port in the far north, as an attempt to assert political control in the melting north. At the same time, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay criticized the recent Russian territory grab. (audio) “This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and plant flags and say ‘we are claiming this'.” Lost in the recent international debate are the Inuit, an indigenous people to the Arctic territories estimated at 150,000 people, who continue to maintain sovereignty over certain Arctic territories. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

PIPELINE DEAL STRUCK IN CANADA The Canadian government and the Dene First Nation of northwestern Canada have reached an agreement on the controversial Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. The proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline once described as “the biggest project in the history of free enterprise” in Canada has been a major source of tension between the first peoples of northern Canada & the federal government for decades. The pipeline would stretch 1,200 kilometers from the Northern Beaufort Sea to Alberta. The agreement announced between the Dene and the federal government of Canada does not include multiple indigenous nations, which continue to oppose the pipeline on the grounds that it threatens local environmental habitats essential to their way of life. Wesley Hardisty of the Arctic Indigenous Youth Alliance continues to oppose the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline. (sound) “Without the Mackenzie Valley pipeline the northwest territories will still exist and if you are going to go ahead an go back on thousands & thousands of year of people actually living in co-existence with the land you are looking at a catastrophe waiting to happen.” World Wildlife Fund & the Sierra Club of Canada are calling for an independent review of the environmental effects proposed Mackenzie natural gas project. This is Stefan Christoff in Montreal reporting for FSRN. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

CANADA RENEWS FUNDING FOR THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY Canada's Conservative government has announced it will resume financial aid for the Palestinian Authority, weeks after Pro-Western President Mahmoud Abbas expelled Hamas legislators. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. The Canadian government HAS pledged a limited $7.6 million towards the Palestinian Authority, 18 months after Canada became the 1st western government to cut all financial and diplomatic ties with the PA. The Canadian government launched a western boycott of the PA, just days after Hamas won a parliamentary majority in legislative elections in January of 2006. Khaled Mouammar is the President of the Canadian Arab Federation. (audio) “By imposing this blockade and boycott against the Palestinians, they wanted to encourage civil-strife, to try to remove the democratically elected government of Ismail Haneyeh.” None of the resumed Canadian aid will be directed toward the 1.5 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip, WHERE [CUT:in which] Hamas maintains political control. This is Stefan Christoff in Montreal, reporting for FSRN. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

CANADIAN GOVT AND CREE NATION REACH SETTLEMENT The Canadian government and the indigenous Cree Nation of Northern Quebec have signed a landmark agreement to settle outstanding lawsuits against the Canadian government. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Proposed Free Trade Agreement Causing Debate in Canada (3:38) A national free trade and investment agreement is at the center of a growing controversy in Canada. The country's conservative government and Provincial counter parts are pushing for the NAFTA-like agreement that labor unions and citizens groups across the country stand in opposition to. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

UN Approves Legal Inquiry into Burkina Faso Presidential Assassination (3:35) This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary and former President of Burkina Faso who was assassinated in 1987. Sankara was known as the Che of Africa. He gave Burkina Faso its name – changing it from Upper Volta – and personally wrote the country's national anthem. He was popular for not living extravagantly; he traded in the government's fleet of Mercedes for Renaults and rode his bike to work. He also stood up to Western Imperialism, countering the World Bank and IMF. Circumstances surrounding Sankara's death remain a mystery, however recently the UN Human Rights Commission ruled in favor of an international legal inquiry into the assassination, as presented by an internal legal team coordinated in Canada. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

CANADA TO TAKEOVER AFGHAN POLICE PAYROLL Canadian military forces in Afghanistan have started paying the salaries of Afghan police directly in cash; completely bypassing the Afghan government. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. The decision to pay Afghan police salaries directly has raised criticism in that it could undercut the already limited authority the Afghan government has in the context of the ongoing NATO operation. Canadian military officials argue that the move is not to compromise the legitimacy of the Afghan authorities, but to bypass corruption within local governments. Canada currently plays a major role in training the Afghan national police. Anti-war activists calling for a full troop withdrawal say that putting Canadian troops in charge of police payroll only further entrenches the 6 year-long occupation. For Free Speech Radio News, this is Stefan Christoff in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

INDIGENOUS DAY OF ACTION IN CANADA Indigenous people throughout Canada are participating in a national ‘Day of Action' to bring attention to issues facing the country's native communities. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Lawsuit Filed in Canada over Treatment of Afghan Detainees Human rights organizations in Canada have filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government over allegations that prisoners captured by Canadian forces were facing torture in Afghan prisons. Stefan Cristoff reports from Montreal. Canada's Federal Court this week ruled the lawsuit has grounds on which to move forward, despite major legal maneuvers from the government to have the challenge dismissed. Earlier this year, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper published a series of interviews with former Afghan detainees who gave gripping testimonies of torture after their capture by Canadian forces. Alex Neve is the Secretary General of Amnesty Canada: (audio) “It's very likely that a good number of those who are transferred from Canadian custody into the Afghan prison system end up being tortured. If the risk of torture is a real one, and we believe it is, it's incumbent upon Canada and we would say actually is a matter of international legal obligation not to hand the prisoners over.” Canada currently maintains over 2500 troops in Afghanistan, mostly in the southern province of Kandahar. Recent opinion polls indicate that a majority of Canadians do not support the military mission. For Free Speech Radio news, I am Stefan Christoff in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Controversial National Security Law Introduced in Canada (2:35) Canada's conservative government has introduced a new national security law, which human rights groups say will amount to racial and religious profiling. The legislation was introduced after the Canadian Supreme Court struck the 30-year-old “security certificate” law that allowed for the indefinite detention of alleged terrorists in Canada. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Accidentally Distributed Classified Documents Weaken Case Against Canadian Detainee at Guantanamo Lawyers for Canadian citizen Omar Khadr today called on US military prosecutors to drop all charges against their client. The move comes after an unusual mix-up resulted in the distribution of top-secret documents to courtroom reporters attending Khadr's hearing. Stefan Cristoff has more. The US military has been holding the Canadian citizen at Guantanamo Bay since his capture in Afghanistan 5 years ago. Khadr is accused of killing a US soldier after throwing a hand grenade during a firefight. The documents accidentally leaked yesterday include an interview with a US agent who was at the scene of the battle. Sameer Zuberi is with the Canada Council on American Islamic Relations, CAIR Canada: (clip) “The latest revelations is that, Omar Khadr was shot twice in the back and that would indicate that he was not a combatant possibly in this fire-fight.” The anonymous agent whose interview appears in the document also says he did not witness Khadr throw the grenade and that – contrary to previous claims – Khadr was not the only person alive at the time US forces stormed the building. For Free Speech Radio News this is Stefan Christoff. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Indigenous Protestors Sentenced in Canada for Opposing Mining Operation on Their Land In Canada, seven indigenous activists have been sentenced to six months in prison for their role in the struggle against platinum mining activities on their traditional land. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. A remote indigenous community located in northwestern Ontario, known as Big Trout Lake, has been engaged in a months-long struggle against Platinex Inc., an exploratory drilling company, which holds more than 220 mining claims in the area. Mining laws in Ontario allow corporations to stake out territory for potential mines without direct consultation with local indigenous communities, which has been a major source of conflict between native residents and the provincial government over the past year. On Monday, a Canadian judge sentenced Chief Donny Morris and six council members to six months in jail each. The judge found the indigenous activists guilty of violating a court order to stay away from the area of their territory where Platinex had set up operations without community consultation. Chief Morris says that a lawsuit filed by the mining company has depleted the tribal coffers as legal bills have soared into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Despite the legal and financial pressures the first nation's community, Big Trout Lake, has vowed to continue their protests against corporate mining on traditional territories. For Free Speech Radio News this is Stefan Christoff reporting in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Mohawk Activists Blockade Major Canadian Highway A tense stand off at a Mohawk community in southeastern Ontario has lead to the blockade of one of Canada's busiest highways. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. The blockade on Highway 6 is the latest action in the fight over a contested tract of land in Southern Ontario. Residents from the Mohawk community of Tyendinaga have maintained a year-long presence at the site known as the Culbertson land tract, a 928 acre piece of territory, which Canadian authorities took from the Mohawks in 1832. Canadian government documents illustrate the Mohawk's legal ownership over the land. A protest Mohawk activists had called for this past weekend later escalated to an ongoing tense stand-off, a major road blockade, and the arrest of Shawn Brant a well-known Mohawk activist in Canada. Brant spoke to reporters as he was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police. (clip) “This is it; justice for First Nations communities, ‘lock us up'. Anyone who speaks up, lock them up. Lock them up. Don't fix the problems just lock us up.” The land reclamation began after a private corporation opened a gravel pit on the disputed Mohawk territory without community consultation. For Free Speech Radio News in Montreal, this is Stefan Christoff. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Quebec government ends negotiations with students In Canada, the government in Quebec called off negotiations with student unions aimed at resolving the crisis over tuition fee hikes. In response, thousands of people again took to the streets. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports. Up to 10 000 people took to the streets last night in Montreal to protest the Quebec government's refusal to back-down on proposed hikes to university tuition fees. The failure of negotiations between student unions and the government comes after after 16 weeks of an open ended student strike. In what is becoming a nightly event, demonstrators banged pots and pans as they marched through downtown Montreal. Government officials are attempting to push hikes to tuition fees that will see tuition rates rise over 80%. On the streets many student associations are demanding not only an end to tuition hikes but for an end to tuition fees all together. Protests on the streets are taking place in open defiance of Law 78, a controversial piece of legislation which places tough restrictions on protests. Amnesty International describe the law as granting police quote “unprecedented powers,”. With the failure of negotiations, further demonstrations are being planned. In Montreal students are planning to hold a major rally this weekend backed by community groups and trade unions. Stefan Christoff, FSRN, Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Palestinians Deported (3:38) Yesterday, 55 years ago a UN mandate created the state of Israel, wherein some 750,000 indigenous Palestinians were forcibly expelled or fled from the militias. A condition of Israel's admission to the United Nations is repatriation and compensation for the Palestinian refugees, yet to this day nothing has been done nor do the Palestinians have a state. And as Israelis began its so called “Independence Day” celebrations yesterday, an 18 month old Palestinian was shot by the IDF in southern Gaza. The ongoing crisis of the over 4.5 million Palestinian refugees throughout the world who have been illegally denied the right of return to Palestine by Israel has come into focus in Montreal Canada where there are currently over 100 Palestinian refugees facing deportation in the coming days, weeks and months. The refugees are predominantly from the Occupied Territories and the many Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon. Stefan Christoff reports. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Environmentalists Vs. Canadian Government Since December 2002 the Ojibway community of Grassy Narrows in North Western Ontario has maintained a major road Blockade to cut access to their traditional indigenous territory from Abtibi Consolidated Inc. Abtibi, a Montreal based corporation with the go-ahead of the Provincial Government of Ontario has been clear cutting the traditional lands of the Grassy Narrows Ojibway people. Within the last week, numerous road blockades were struck by the community of Grassy Narrows, almost completely blocking Abtibi Consolidated access to the indigenous lands, which they have been clear- cutting. The Provincial government of Ontario and regional police departments has made it clear that they are prepared to take action against the Grassy Narrows community if the Blockades' intensity is increased in the coming days. Stefan Cristoff reports from Montreal. listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Protestors in Montreal are objecting to the pending deportation of up to 100 Algerians refugees from Canada. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canadians Rally to Support Jean Bertrand Aristide (2:40) In one of the largest demonstrations outside of Haiti, over 500 people took to the streets of downtown Montreal last Saturday, marking the one-year anniversary of the ousting of Haiti's democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was forced by U.S. soldiers onto a military plane and into exile in South Africa. Free Speech Radio News correspondent Stephan Christoff files this report from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canadians Rally Against Colin Powell (2:39) About 15,000 Lebanese troops have headed to the south of their country to take control of Hezbollah bastions alongside UN peacekeepers as Israeli forces gradually withdraw after a 34-day war. But even as the fighting calms down, global fallout from the conflict continues. When former Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Montreal this week as a key note speaker at a large scale event organized by the Jewish National Fund, hundreds of protesters gathered outside to protest. FSRN's Stefan Christoff was there. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Opposition to Canadian Participation in Afghan Mission Meanwhile, opposition to Canadian participation in the Afghan mission has been on the rise. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Six Canadian soldiers killed in a road-side bomb on Wednesday are the latest in a growing list of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan. The deaths are fueling a movement that has been calling for a full withdrawal of Canadian military forces from the country. A coalition of organizations in Quebec recently mailed 2500 copies of an open letter to soldiers at the Canadian Forces Base in Valcartier calling on them to refuse deployment to southern Afghanistan. Sophie Schoen is an activist with Block the Empire in Montreal. (sound) “The whole occupation in Afghanistan is on the one hand part of the U.S.'s so-called ‘War on Terror' and on the other hand the whole rhetoric that Canada is using to justify being in Afghanistan is about liberating women or re-building failed states is Canada is using to justify Canada's participation in the war in Afghanistan.” A recent poll conducted in Quebec suggests that over 70% of the French-speaking province opposes the deployment of further troops to Afghanistan. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

First Nations Fight Poverty in Canada (3:28) Across Canada a national day of action has been observed to focus on the ‘First Nations' fight against poverty and the continual persecution facing the indigenous population. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Police Killing of Aboriginal Man in Canada Sparks Outrage 3:32 The new year began on the Norway House First Nation in northern Manitoba, Canada, with the shooting of an aboriginal man Dennis St. Paul by an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Aboriginal communities in Manitoba and throughout Canada are demanding a public inquiry into the RCMP shooting death, which also has many aboriginal community activists reflecting on the long history of documented police brutality against aboriginal people at the hands of the RCMP. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Update in Lebanese Elections (4:05) In the shadow of the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, people across Lebanon went to the polls last Sunday in the last of five rounds of regional voting for theParliamentary elections in Lebanon. With a voter turnout estimated by most observers at between 40-50%, Saad Hariri of the Future Movement and son of the slain former Prime Minster lead the Opposition block to a majority in the Lebanese Parliament. In Beirut, Lebanon, FSRN's Stefan Christoff provides this post-election report. listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a 2003 report for Free Speech Radio News on the Safe Third Country Agreement between the U.S. & Canada & the detrimental impacts on immigrants & refugees. below is the intro text for the report : Safe 3rd Country Begins (3:50) The Safe 3rd Country Agreement was signed between Canada & the United States during the G8 Summit in Kananaskis Alberta in June of 2002. The agreement gives the ability to both Canada & the US to automatically deport asylum seekers back to their point of entry, the safe third county. As the Safe Third Country Agreement comes into practice the effects are being illustrated by the case of the thousands of Pakistani's who are currently fleeing the United States to Canada. For many of the Pakistani asylum seekers their Safe Third Country is returning to the United States where they face INS registration. This agreement now embedded in both Canadian & American law leaves asylum seekers in a much more vulnerable position and with little options when it comes to seeking asylum in North America. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on the struggle against "Security Certificates" in the post 9/11 political environmental in Canada, below is the written intro : Canada Joins Detention Bandwagon (3:29) "Within the last few months Canadian police and security officials have made a series of arrests of Muslim community members under what is called a “Security Certificate”. The “Security Certificate” allows the Canadian government to arrest, detain and deport landed immigrants, who are charged with being a “national security” threat. There is no chance of bail, detention can be indefinite and neither the person detained under the “Security Certificate” nor their defence lawyer is allowed to access the “evidence”. And as Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal, the “Security Certificate” is being increasingly used to arrest, detain and deport members of Muslim communities in Canada." /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report recorded at the protests against the deportation of Pakistani refugees from Montreal in the post 9/11 political atmosphere. Pakistanis deported from Canada to the US (4:19) "Currently in Montreal there are hundreds of Pakistani refugees facing deportation to the United States and Pakistan in the coming days, weeks and months. These Pakistani refugees who are mainly Shi'ia Muslim, fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, are organizing to fight against the efforts of Citizenship and Immigration Canada to deport them. Today one Pakistani family with three children is scheduled for deportation to the US, their case has become a defining point in the fight to stop Pakistani deportations in Montreal. Stefan Christoff reports." /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on the first annual Solidarity Across Borders protest in Montreal. Protests over Refugee Policies in Canada – (2:49) "This past weekend, refugees from Algeria, Palestine and Pakistan who are facing mass deportation from Canada, marched through the streets of downtown Montreal protesting the policies of the Canadian government. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal." /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on the struggle against Security Certificates in Canada in 2004. Security Certificates in Canada The recently released Amnesty International Annual Report for 2004 outlined a harsh criticism of the use of “Security Certificates” by the Canadian government. Security Certificates increasingly used after September 11th, allow the indefinite detention and ultimately deportation of foreign nationals, who the Canadian government deems a serious risk to national security of the country. Stefan Christoff reports. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on a Palestinian family that took sanctuary in a Montreal church to fight for refugee status, this is the write-up ... Palestinian Sanctuary in Canada Sanctuary in Canadian churches for refugees facing deportation is becoming a growing practice. Currently, there are six cases of refugees in church sanctuaries throughout the country, sparking a national debate on the practice, while also highlighting the growing rejection rates of refugees claiming asylum in Canada post September 11. In Montreal, a family of Palestinian refugees has been in sanctuary for more than six months. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on the struggle against Canada joining a space based U.S. missile system, this was produced in 2004. Canada-US Missile Defence In early August, the Canada-U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, was amended toward what critics say pushes Canada toward directly participating in US led plans for a North American Missile Defense Shield. Involvement in Missile Defense and the increased militarization of space as part of the “War on Terror” has become an issue of national debate in Canada. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

MOHAWK BLOCKADE OF CANADIAN RAIL LINE Mohawk activists in southern Ontario, Canada, blockaded a major rail-line over the weekend as part of a land reclamation effort directed at the Canadian government. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Throughout Friday and Saturday, members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk community blockaded a major Canadian National Railway line; paralyzing all railway traffic between Montreal and Toronto. The action sparked a national debate on the issue of indigenous land claims. Just over 1 month ago, the Mohawks community of the Bay of Quinte in southern Ontario reclaimed a portion of the Culbertson land tract, a 925 acre piece of territory, which Canadian authorities took from Mohawk Territory in 1832. Official documents from Canadian governmental authorities point to the Mohawks's legal ownership of the land, which lead to a position of non-intervention against the major rail-line blockade. Shawn Brant is a spokesperson for the Tyendinaga Mohawk protesters. (audio) “The shut-down of the main was our first hit, it was considered our soft hit. It was done as a kick-off a campaign of economic disruption targeting the federal government, provincial government and the local municipal government of the town.” Tyendinaga Mohawks have announced plans to protest the ongoing work of a privately owned gravel quarry inside of their territory which removes 100,000 tonnes of land each year. They say their actions will continue until all digging work has stopped. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Proposed Oil Pipeline Affects Indigenous Canadian Community (3:41) The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline stands to be the largest single industrial development project in the history of Canada. Currently being pushed by the Canadian Government in cooperation with Imperial Oil, the Pipeline – if constructed – could access the largest untapped natural gas reserve on the planet. The Mackenzie Pipeline has sparked controversy in Canada, as its construction path is entirely on indigenous territory and is being met with fierce opposition from indigenous communities throughout Canada's northern region. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Former leader of the Lebanese Community Party, George Hawi was assassinated in a car bomb in the Kola district of Beirut today. The violence comes one day after the win of Hariri, of the anti-Syrian party. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Beirut. listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon May Have Chance for More Jobs (3:07) Lebanon's Labor Minister proposed ground-breaking changes to the country's labor laws this past June. If implemented, the changes will allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon to work in certain professions. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon do not currently have the right to work in over 70 professions, which has resulted in miserable social-economic conditions, that the UN has outlined as even worse than those in the Occupied Territories. In Beirut, Mohammed Shublaq and Stefan Christoff report. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Lebanese Government Emerges Out of Economic Crises (3:39) It has been one month since Lebanon's 2005 Parliamentary elections saw the anti-Syrian “opposition” coalition lead by Saad Hariri, son of the assassinated former Prime Minister, win a majority of seats. This past week, politicians announced the government's formation, after a long delay in the shadow of a serious economic crisis. Stefan Christoff and Mohammed Shublaq report from Beirut. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canada's Growing Debate in Afghanistan Involvement Afghanistan is facing the most violent period since the 2001 U.S. lead military invasion. 2 French soldiers, 1 British & 1 Canadian soldier have died this past week sparking growing debate in Canada, responsible for one of the largest foreign troop deployments in the country. Stefan Christoff reports on the reactions in Canada to the growing violence in Afghanistan. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canada Considers Sending Troops to Lebanon Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said today his country only pull its troops out of Southern Lebanon when 5,000 United Nations troops are stationed there. The UN has been having trouble assembling such a force. In Canada, Stefan Christoff reports, opposition parties are calling for the deployment of more than 1,000 Canadian troops. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

NATO Calls for More Troops in Afghanistan NATO'S top commander today urged member states to send more troops to Afghanistan. This, as a growing death toll is fueling debate within Canada about involvement in the occupation. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Canada maintains one of the most significant NATO-lead forces in Afghanistan with approximately 2300 troops. Growing anger throughout the country at the increasing Canadian death toll in Afghanistan & the U.S. killing of a Canadian soldier has forced organizers of an international air-show in Halifax, Canada to remove the participation of a U.S. war plane. The A-10 Thunderbolt II plane, which has been pulled from the Halifax International Airshow, is the same type of plane that took the life of a Canadian soldier on Monday. Growing anger at the militarization of the Canadian role in Afghanistan is present throughout the country. Stewart Neatby of the Halifax Peace Coalition in Nova Scotia. (sound) “There have been military families in Nova Scotia that have spoken-out critically about the mission, who call for a removal of Canadian troops.” This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canadians Protest Condaleeza Rice (3:20) While George Bush spoke to the nation last night, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice marked the 5 years anniversary of 9/11 north of the border in Halifax, Canada illustrating the growing political relationship between the Canada's Conservative government & the Bush Administration. Questions regarding Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan were brought to the streets by hundreds of protesters in Halifax who called for a withdrawal of Canadian forces from participation from the “War on Terror”. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

SHOOTING RAMPAGE IN MONTREAL A college in downtown Montreal was the scene of a deadly shooting rampage yesterday. Stefan Christoff reports. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Canadian President Introduces Motion to Recognize Québec as a Nation (3:05) Canada's conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, introduced a controversial motion to Parliament this week to recognize Quebec as a nation within a united Canada. FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Resigns over Torture Canada's top police officer resigned admits major political pressure Wednesday over the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen deported by U.S. authorities to Syria. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

SIX NATIONS PROTEST A Provincial court in Canada has ruled that protestors at the indigenous community of Six Nations in Ontario can legally continue a land reclamation protest which has sparked a national debate within Canada concerning land rights. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. In February 2006, the indigenous community of Six Nations reclaimed a tract of south of Toronto which had been the location of a major housing development. The land granted to Six Nations by British authorities in the late 19th century had been occupied by a Canadian construction project. For almost one year, indigenous protestors and their allies have camped outside at the location demanding that the Federal government recognize their rights to the land, sparking condemnation from Canadian politicians. This week, the Ontario Provincial court of appeal ruled that the land protest can continue indefinitely without being in contempt of court, a legal victory for the indigenous protestors. Ongoing negotiations sponsored by Canadian authorities continue as the Six Nations protest enters its eleventh month. Jacqueline House is a spokesperson for the protest site in Six Nations. (sound) “It is a small step, in favor of what's right. We aren't foreigners to the land and stop treating us like we are.” The protest of Six Nations has highlighted serious questions across the country about Canada's colonial history. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

MOHAWKS PROTEST ANOTHER PLANNED DEVELOPMENT OF DISPUTED LAND Indigenous protesters in Canada erected a blockade late last week in protest of ongoing land developments in the Canadian Provence of Ontario. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. Members of the Mohawk nation in Ontario erected barricades late last week outside of a gravel quarry west of Kingston, Ontario in protest of plans to build luxury condominiums on disputed land. Provincial police intervened on Friday, arresting and then releasing two protestors, while native communities across Canada remain on edge. Mohawk protesters say that Canadian authorities illegally took over the disputed land, known as the as the Culbertson Land Tract, in 1836 and 1837. Historical claims on indigenous land have become an increasingly high-profile issue throughout Ontario and other Canadian provinces. Indigenous protestors at a land reclamation site south of Toronto known as Six Nations have held blockade lines in protest of a Canadian housing development for upwards of 1 year. The protesters who erected last week's barricades have stated they will take similar actions in the future. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

“Guantanamo North” Detainees Hunger Strike in Canada (3:30) In Canada a group of detainees held under controversial national legislation entitled ‘Security Certificates' are on a hunger strike. Three detainees are participating in the strike at a prison in Kingston, Ontario built exclusively for the detainees which activists in Canada label ‘Guantanamo North'. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

a report on the Montreal protests against the mini-ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2003, below is the report : Montreal WTO Meetings Wrap-Up (4:08) "A mini-Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization is wrapping up today in Montreal after three days of negotiations at a downtown Montreal hotel, which were met with a series of large street demonstrations organized to oppose the meetings by the Popular Mobilization Against the WTO. There have been 5 days of protests to oppose the two meetings in Montreal and on Sunday, the eve of the WTO mini-ministerial, some 2000 people took to the streets under the banner of No One is Illegal. This as Montreal's mini-ministerial which was organized in the lead up to Septembers WTO Ministerial meetings to be held in Cancun Mexico, focused on building consensus on key issues to the WTO such as migration and agriculture, central to insuring that September's meetings do not collapse as did the WTO Ministerial in Seattle in 1999. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal." /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Montreal Demonstrates Against the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (2:30) As the Summit of the Americas came to an end in Argentina this weekend, negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the hemispheric free-trade accord collapsed amid massive demonstrations. Demonstrators took the streets not only of Mar del Plata and neighboring cities, but throughout the Hemisphere over the weekend, rejecting the proposed FTAA accord. As FSRN's Stefan Christoff reports, upwards of 400 people took the streets on Friday evening in Montreal, in solidarity with protestors in Argentina. /// listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon. putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past. thank you for listening ! stefan @spirodon

Weekend Edition of the KPFA Evening News, which is a collaboration of KPFA and KFCF in Fresno. The post The KPFA Evening News FSRN Weekly – December 25, 2016 appeared first on KPFA.

In 1948, Zionist militias expelled over 700,000 Palestinians from their villages and towns.  The event, and the ongoing destruction and occupation of Palestine are referred to as the Nakba – the catastrophe.  How did the events of 1948 shape Palestine and its diaspora?   And generations later, how are Palestineans fighting to return home? On this edition of Making Contact we reflect on the Nakba, the Naksa, and the future of Palestine. Featuring:  Rami Almeghari, FSRN reporter; Ghazi Misleh, author of I Am from There and I Have Memories, Rabab Abdulhadi, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative at San Francisco State University; Dina from Rammun, Mohannad from Ramle, Remi Kanazi, poet and author of Before the Next Bomb Drops. Credits Host: Marie Choi Producers: Marie Choi, Monica Lopez, Jasmin Lopez, R.J. Lozada Executive Director: Lisa Rudman Web Editor: Kwan Booth For more information Rami Almeghari, Free Speech Radio News, “Profile: Refugee documents razed village's history through memory of its displaced” Nakba Survivor, testimonials Remi Kanazi, poet and author of Before the Next Bomb Drops Oakland Palestine Solidarity Mural, Art Forces, Estria Foundation, NorCal Friends of Sabeel Institute for Middle East Understanding, “Nakba Museum Exhibit Opens in D.C.” The post The Nakba, the Naksa, and the Future of Palestine appeared first on KPFA.

In 1948, Zionist militias expelled over 700,000 Palestinians from their villages and towns.  The event, and the ongoing destruction and occupation of Palestine are referred to as the Nakba – the catastrophe.  How did the events of 1948 shape Palestine and its diaspora?   And generations later, how are Palestinians fighting to return home? On this edition of Making Contact we reflect on the Nakba, the Naksa, and the future of Palestine. Featuring: Rami Almeghari, FSRN reporter Ghazi Misleh, author of I Am from There and I Have Memories Rabab Abdulhadi, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative at San Francisco State University Dina from Rammun Mohannad from Ramle Remi Kanazi, poet and author of Before the Next Bomb Drops.

In 1948, Zionist militias expelled over 700,000 Palestinians from their villages and towns.  The event, and the ongoing destruction and occupation of Palestine are referred to as the Nakba – the catastrophe.  How did the events of 1948 shape Palestine and its diaspora?   And generations later, how are Palestinians fighting to return home? On this edition of Making Contact we reflect on the Nakba, the Naksa, and the future of Palestine. Featuring: Rami Almeghari, FSRN reporter Ghazi Misleh, author of I Am from There and I Have Memories Rabab Abdulhadi, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative at San Francisco State University Dina from Rammun Mohannad from Ramle Remi Kanazi, poet and author of Before the Next Bomb Drops.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq defined a generation; the world's largest anti-war protest was followed by the 3rd longest war in US history. 10 years later, American troops have officially left Iraq, but the occupation and its effects continue. On this edition, we look back at the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For Iraqis, for the US military, and for the anti-war movement; how have things changed?  And what, if anything, has the world learned?   Featuring: Donald Rumsfeld, Former US Secretary of Defense; Tom Cahill, human shield in Iraq; Yanar Mohammed, Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq President; Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist co-founder; Catherine Lutz, Watson Institute's Costs of War study co-director; Barack Obama, President of the United States; Bishop Desmond Tutu, Jean-Luc, Caroline Bridgeman Reese, Amanda Tattersol; Iraq war protestors; Lisa Hammid, Free Speech Radio News host; Miles Ashdown, FSRN reporter. For More Information: We Are Many Costs of War Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq  International Federation of Iraqi Refugees  Courage to Resist Bradley Manning Support Network Stop the War Coalition (UK) Shutdown: The Rise and Fall of Direct Action to Stop the War Free Speech Radio News Articles, Videos, etc Infographic: US ends Iraq War Chapter Remarks by the President and First Lady on the End of the War in Iraq Sparring With Demons, Combat Medic Turns to Martial Arts The post Making Contact – Omar Barghouti on How to End Apartheid in Palestine appeared first on KPFA.

Producer Catherine Komp and anchor Dorian Merina of Free Speech Radio News talk about FSRN’s news gathering and editorial process, its virtual, commuting operations and its worker-run collective organizational structure.  FSRN came into being in 2000 by striking reporters protesting … View full post →

Canadian news | FSRN headlines | Interview with MP Laurin Liu | Dr. Eugenia Oviedo- Joekes | Joe Gallagher CEO of B.C |

As the G20 Summit wraps up in Pittsburgh, thousands of demonstrators continue to voice their opposition to the economic policies promoted by the world’s leading countries.  From Pittsburgh, Carlin Christy reports for FSRN. http://www.fsrn.org

Leaders of the world’s richest countries are converging in Pittsburgh today for the G20 Summit.  While Pittsburgh’s business leaders and government officials have welcomed the G20 with open arms, thousands have gathered to challenge the economic model promoted by these world leaders.  FSRN’s Andalusia Knoll has the story. http://www.fsrn.org

FSRN´s Daniel Denvir has been traveling across the most economically depressed areas in America´s Rustbelt, speaking to people who have found creative ways to face the crisis. This special series focues on the cities of Cleveland, Detroit and Youngstown. Industrial washing machines in Cleveland. Photo by Daniel Denvir In part one, Denvir reports from Cleveland, Ohio on the soon-to-be open Evergreen Laundry, a worker-owned enterprise that is part of a larger effort to create jobs by locally channeling spending by the city’s big institutions.

Community radio stations fill many roles, especially in rural and indigenous communities where means of mass communication are almost non-existent. Radio is a relatively cheap medium and is financially possible for many communities and organizations. Freelance reporter Shannon Young is a headline editor for Free Speech Radio News (FSRN) and currently lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. She discusses the power of community radio in the context of the ongoing indigenous civil rights/democracy movement in Oaxaca. It is one of the poorest states in the country and has the largest indigenous population in Mexico counting 16 languages amongst its citizens. Many of these communities have found in radio a way to preserve and disseminate their languages and cultures in the face of official neglect and the cultural onslaught of the mass media. In 2006 the local teacher’s union helped catalyzed a popular uprising using Radio Planton, the community radio station they had established in the capital city, as a primary organizing tool. The government eventually stepped in and shut down the station along with some of other radio and news outlets in the capital. The station came back on the air but eventually the operators shut it down out of fear of unjust prosecutions and death threats.This wide-ranging discussion covering the genesis of Radio Planton from a yearly, local teacher’s sit-in to a revolutionary catalyst shut down by the government, provides an interesting overview of the independent media movement in Mexico and broader issues such as control of media, media’s influence on politics, social justice, indigenous liberation movements and much more.