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> Wed., Oct. 22, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Late term abortions banned
Offshore tax shelters no benefit to economy
Donor conference on Iraq begins tomorrow
Gov Bush intervenes in Right to Die case
2nd anniversary of Digna Ochoa’s death
Free Speech Radio News Headlines by Nell
Abram
TEXACO ON TRIAL
ChevronTexaco is in an Ecuadoran court today facing a one
billion-dollar lawsuit The trial - brought on behalf of 30,000
indigenous Ecuadoreans accuses the company of polluting the
country's rainforest and water resources. Plaintiffs also
say the company's activities led to an increased risk of cancer
among the local population. Shannon Wright with Amazon Watch
says that scientific studies prove that toxicity levels of
carcinogens are still excessive. She explains what the outcome
of this case this case means to other large businesses operating
in developing nations: Chevron-Texaco says it paid some $40
million to clean up the mess and has that agreement in writing
with the Equadorian government.
MIDDLE EAST - MOHAMMED GHALAYINI
The spate of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza strip Monday,
has sparked condemnation because of the large number of civilian
casualties. The Israeli air force carried out 5 air strikes
in the Gaza strip killing 12 Palestinians.
BUSH DOWN UNDER - GUY DEGEN
President George W Bush arrived in Australia for a 21 hour
visit amid protests and the largest security operation ever
mounted in Australia’s capital Canberra. As FSRN’s
correspondent Guy Degen reports, President Bush will meet
with Australia Prime minister John Howard and is expected
to formally thank Australia for its supporting role in the
war against Iraq.
PRISON REPORT - JACKSON ALLERS
Human Rights Watch released a report today indicting the United
States prison system for becoming a repository for the nations
mentally ill.
[top]
Late term abortions banned (3:25)
In the first major change since abortion was legalized 30
years ago with the Roe V Wade decision, yesterday the Senate
gave final approval to a bill to prohibit late-term abortions,
legislation that will seriously limit a woman’s right
to choose to have an abortion. President Bush who is visiting
Asia said he looked forward to signing the bill on his return.
Pricilla Smith of the Center for Reproductive Rights speaks
with Deepa Fernandes.
[top]
Offshore tax shelters no benefit to economy
(3:53)
In Congress today, Senate Republicans failed to break a
Democratic filabuster over a measure to alter the rules of
class action lawsuites. The Republican backed measure would
take interstate class action lawsuites out of state courts
and into the federal courts which are considered to be more
favorable to business. This as the Congressional Accounting
Office reports that offshore tax shelters created by large
corporations have cost the U.S. Government 85 billion dollars.
In a Senate hearing former corporate employees said that the
offshore tax shelters in no way benefit the economy and that
they are purely motivated by greed. Mitch Jeserich has more
from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Donor conference on Iraq begins tomorrow
(4:35)
Representatives from dozens of countries will converge on
Madrid tomorrow for a two-day conference aimed at raising
money to rebuild Iraq. So far, two to three billion dollars
has been pledged in addition to the twenty billion dollars
the Bush administration plans to contribute – well short
of Iraq’s estimated needs. Apart from Spain, which is
hosting the gathering, only the US, Japan and Italy have confirmed
they will send foreign ministers to the conference –
a sign that many governments are reluctant to help foot the
bill for the US-led invasion. Susan Wood reports from the
United Nations.
[top]
Gov Bush intervenes in Right to Die case
(3:34)
Yesterday Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed into law an emergency
bill designed to re-insert a feeding tube into Terry Schiavo,
the brain-damaged Florida woman who has been comatose for
the past 13 years. The move came 6 days after that feeding
tube had finally been removed, a move that Michael Schiavo,
Terry Schiavo's husband, has sought since 1998, testifying
that she told him she would never want to be kept alive artificially.
But her parents, have fought him every step of the way, exhausting
their legal options only last week. But some observers worry
that yesterday's bill signed by Governor Bush and approved
by the heavily Republican state legislature is a serious breach
of the separation of powers between the legislature and the
courts. Mitch Perry reports from WMNF in Tampa.
[top]
2nd anniversary of Digna Ochoa’s death (3:54)
This past weekend marked the second anniversary of the unresolved
death of Mexican Human Rights attorney, Digna Ochoa. The lawyer,
who handled some of the most politically sensitive cases in
Mexico, was found dead in her office from a gunshot wound
to the back of the head two years ago. Regardless of the fact
that Ochoa began receiving death threats as early as 1995
and had survived two kidnappings and one attempted murder,
her assassination has been ruled a suicide by government investigators.
This week, the Interamerican Human Rights Commission began
reviewing her case. In Mexico City, Vladimir Flores files
this report.
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