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> Mon., May 10, 2004
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
Pressure Mounts on Bush Administration over Iraqi Abuse Scandle
US Attacks on Sadr Supporters Continue
Mom’s Call for Renewal of Assault Weapon Ban
Indian Elections End Today
Kerry Just as Anti-Castro as Bush
FSRN Headlines
The Venezuelan government arrested more than 80 Colombians
they have accused of plotting to overthrow the administration
of President Hugo Chavez. Greg Wilpert has more from Caracas.
Texas state officials are set to execute a man who all agree
is a paranoid schizophrenic. From KPFT in Houston, Erika McDonald
reports.
The U.S. Justice Department announced today they are reopening
the murder case of Emmett Till, after a nation-wide, decades
long campaign. Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.
International aid for the world’s poorest people is
becoming increasingly politicized in the post-9-11 era, according
to a report issued by Christian Aid. The London based charity’s
report cites numerous examples of the shift in hundreds of
millions of dollars. Stuart Halpert, co-author of the report
says the swing is obvious and distressing. SOUND BITE. Numerous
countries including Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania have agreed
to exempt US citizens and the military from prosecution at
the International Criminal Court for fear of loosing aid.
Christian Aid and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan both say
the politicization of aid money actually makes the world less
safe.
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Pressure Mounts on Bush Administration over Iraqi
Abuse Scandle
After meeting with military officials at the Pentagon today,
President Bush reiterated his support for Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld as calls continue for Rumsfeld's resignation
in light of the gruesome abuses of Iraqi detainees. According
a to an International Red Cross report, monitors who witnessed
abuse of detainees by interrogators were told that the abusive
methods were part of the interrogative process. Human rights
groups have now signed an open letter to President Bush saying
there is a pattern of detainee abuse throughout Iraq, Afghanistan
and Guantanamo Bay. The groups are calling on the Bush administration
to open its detention facilities to independent observers
to ensure that abuses stop. Mitch Jeserich reports.
[top]
US Attacks on Sadr Supporters Continue
It is being reported today that US marines began their first
joint patrols with Iraqi security forces in Fallujah. The
Fallujah security force is said to be made up of members of
the old Iraqi army who live in the area. Meanwhile in Najaf,
rebel cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr’s militia still controls
the Shrine of Imam Ali, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam.
And as the standoff continues in Najaf, U-S troops continue
to conduct offensive operations against Sadr supporters elsewhere.
David Enders reports from Sadr City in Baghdad.
[top]
Mom’s Call for Renewal of Assault Weapon Ban
Thousands gathered on the Washington Mall to call for an
end to gun-related violence in what has become an annual Mother’s
Day “Million Mom March”. Organizers said the day
was to kick-off for a national tour to highlight grassroots
support for the ban on assault weapon which is due to expire
in September of this year, as Darby Hickey of FSRN’s
D.C. Bureau reports.
[top]
Indian Elections End Today
Today was the last day of the multi-phased Indian general
election to elect a new Prime Minister and Parliament to serve
for the next five years. The race is largely between the ruling
Hindu right BJP led National Democratic Alliance and the Congress
party. From New Delhi, our correspondent, Vinod K. Jose reports.
[top]
Kerry Just as Anti-Castro as Bush
President Bush tightened the screws on Cuba last week by
announcing a series of measures designed to put further economic
pressure on the island. And as FSRN's Havana correspondent
Joseph Mutti reports, Democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry has also jumped into the fray with his own brand of
anti-Castro rhetoric as the two battle it out for the Cuban-American
vote in Florida. The year 2000 census found that Latinos are
the largest ethnic population in the United States, at that
time, they made up almost 40 percent of the US population,
and that number is steadily rising. Florida has the 4th largest
Hispanic population in the country, and this year, the Latino
community is increasingly aware of their power to affect the
future of America. The major political parties have stepped
up efforts to appeal to what they see as the swing vote which
may determine who controls congress and the White House. But
while community members are spreading awareness and a sense
of responsibility so that people can use their political power
wisely, many in the Hispanic community are struggling to find
candidates that really speak to their needs. Andrew Stelzer
reports from Tampa.
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