Satire

It's Monday June 12th...

B.C. Ferries may have found a ship to replace the one that sunk in March. It's a 3 to 4 year old European ship that the company says meets 80 to 90 per cent of B.C. Ferries' operating criteria.

Currently-----number one being that it floats. Okaaay.... scratch that off the list.

This is The Current.

Gay Persecution in Iraq - Reporter

Life for the average Iraqi was miserable enough under the control of Saddam Hussein, but for gay Iraqis, life has become increasingly deadly.

Recent reports say Shia death squads called the Badr Corps are carrying out a campaign of terror against homosexuals following the "death-to-gays" fatwa issued last October by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He's the supreme spiritual leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq a Shia based movement. And he took the fatwa even further by adding that suspected gays should be killed, quote, "in the harshest way."

Doug Ireland is a former columnist for the Village Voice and the New York Observer. His articles have appeared everywhere from The Nation to Vanity Fair, and he's been covering this story in Iraq. He joined us from New York City.

Gay Exile

For gay Iraqis living outside of their home country, the news of the fatwa has made them deadly afraid for their friends and family back home. One gay Iraqi living in exile in the United Kingdom is working to protect other gay Iraqis from being tortured, beaten or killed because of their sexuality.

Ali Hili fled Iraq in 2002 before the fall of Saddam Hussein. Since the rise of the Shia-controlled government in 2004, he has set up a group in the United Kingdom to help protect others at risk. Ali Hili is the founder of Iraq LGBT UK and he was in our London studio.

Muslim Canadian Congress

Traditionally Islam has not always viewed homosexuality with such contempt. For some historical context we were joined by El-Farouk Khaki. He is the Secretary General of the Muslim Canadian Congress and he too has been monitoring the fatwa situation in Iraq. He joined us this morning on the line in Toronto.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 2

Bilderberg Mystery Talk Tape

The private jets have taken off, and the limos have left the Ottawa suburb of Kanata. The mysterious, high-powered clique that is the Bilderberg Group has disbanded for another year. What's known about the Bilderberg group is that it's a private gathering of some of the richest, most powerful people from Europe and North America. Its mandate is to discuss-- off the record-- the big issues that are affecting the planet today.

But conspiracy theorists have already begun spinning their controversial, and often improbable, theories about what was really discussed in the locked-down luxury resort over the last three days.

Jessica Brando is a CBC producer in Ottawa, and she joined us to tell us how a simple assignment for the Current spiraled into an intriguing and somewhat frustrating foray into the Bilderberg universe.

Bilderberg Overview

Jessica just mentioned author Jon Ronson who's written about the Bilderberg Group and other fringe movements in his book called Them: Adventures with Extremists. It was an international bestseller, and Jon Ronson joined us from London to elaborate on the strange goings-on Jessica Brando just described.

Jon Ronson is author of the book, Them: Adventures with Extremists. As well as The Men Who Stare At Goats.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 3

Voice Cities Promo

The Current's own voice is on a virtual journey across the country to join the global dignitaries in Vancouver. And on the way he'll explore the sites and sounds that are slightly off the beaten track in Canada's urban centers.

First stop---Montreal….

Stay tuned this week for another audio postcard from The Current's Voice as he makes his way to Vancouver in time for our coverage of the World Urban Forum next week.

City Hall Confidential

Last week we brought together a panel of three CBC Radio city hall reporters who told us the bold truth about what really gets Canadians in a knot about their cities.

And today they're back with more stories from inside council chambers. David Michael Lamb was in Toronto, Shawn Apel was in Montreal, and Stephen Quinn joined us from Vancouver.

Stephen Quinn reports from City Hall for CBC Radio in Vancouver. Later this week Stephen and his colleagues, Shawn Apel in Montreal and David Michael Lamb in Toronto will reconvene for a final City Hall Confidential.

Last Word

Earlier on the program we delved into the mysterious world of the Bilderberg Group and the murky conspiracies that surround it. As we mentioned, one of the characters Jessica Brando ran into while covering the group's Ottawa meeting was filmmaker Alex Jones.

When he's not chasing groups like Bilderberg, he hosts a nationally syndicated radio program called Alex Jones Live. And one of the most popular topics of conversation is September 11. We ended the show today with one of the program's more dubious pundits-- actor Charlie Sheen-- weighing in on what he thinks happened that fateful day.

Listen to The Current: Part 3

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

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