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> Mon., June. 13, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
G8 Decides on Debt Relief for World's Poorest Nations
Iranians Ready to Head to Polls
Los Angeles Area Janitors Prepare for Strike
Italians Vote on National Referendum on Assisted Fertility
Law
French Journalist and Translator Held Hostage in Iraq Released
Federal Management Decides Fate of Sarasota Public Housing
FSRN Headlines
The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear the appeal by big
broadcasters and the Federal Communications Commission on
media deregulation. The decision upholds a ruling by a lower
court that tossed out the FCC’s revised ownership rules
calling them irrational and against the public interest. Critics
of the FCC regulations said the new guidelines would consolidate
the public airwaves into fewer and more powerful hands. The
FCC has already announced that they are drafting new ownership
rules that will meet the court’s standards.
In an 8-1 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that California
prosecutors' dismissal of potential black jurors was unconstitutional
under a previous 1986 high court ruling. Justice Clarence
Thomas was the lone dissenting vote.
In another case, a 6-3 ruling by the US Supreme Court confirms
racism tainted the jury selection process in a Texas Death
Row prisoner's trial. From KFPT in Houston, Renee Feltz reports.
Self proclaimed international terrorist, Luis Posada Carriles
was spared extradition to Venezuela, angering protestors who
were waiting for today’s decision. Leslie Clark reports
from El Paso.
Another new document leaked over the weekend from Britain
reaffirms the so-called Downing Street memo that the Bush
administration prepared to invade Iraq in early 2002. Darby
Hickey reports from DC.
An officer with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
has publicly attacked the British government raising more
concerns about the state of human rights in the country. From
London, Naomi Fowler has more.
[top]
G8 Decides on Debt Relief for World's Poorest Nations
(4:10)
Finance Ministers from the world's 8 richest nations, known
as the G-8, announced an agreement this weekend to cancel
the debts of 18 heavily indebted countries in Africa and Latin
America worth 40 billion dollars. The G-8 also announced that
an additional 20 heavily indebted nations could become eligible
for debt cancellation if they enact economic reforms such
as opening up their markets to private investments. Activists
for debt relief cautiously call the announcement a good first
step to deal with global poverty, but they also say the conditions
required for countries to obtain debt cancellation, who were
not chosen last weekend, could further deteriorate living
conditions for the people there. Mitch Jeserich has more from
Washington.
[top]
Iranians Ready to Head to Polls (3:08)
On June 17, Iranians will vote for their favorite candidates
in the ninth presidential election since the revolution. The
last two bombings in Iran, just a few days before the election
were unexpected, and it is unclear how the bombings may affect
the outcome. Nevertheless, Iran is unique in the Middle East
in that it is both a theocracy and a democracy. Candidates
for office are vetted by the Guardian Council - unelected
officials appointed by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Initially, the Council disqualified more than a thousand candidates,
include 93 women. But this year, bowing to pressure from students
dissatisfied with the hard-line Guardian Council, Ayatollah
Khamenei re-instated two popular reform candidates, over ruling
the Guardians. In Tehran, FSRN correspondent Saeedeh Jamshidi
reports.
[top]
Los Angeles Area Janitors Prepare for Strike
(3:29)
Aerospace and Defense industry janitors in the Los Angeles
area are making history as they authorize a strike for the
first time in their sector in California. They are demanding
pay increases and health care benefits comparable to other
janitors in the LA area. As FSRN correspondent Dan Fritz reports,
their struggle has come up against firm resistance, including
reports of harassment and intimidation at the hands of employers.
[top]
Italians Vote on National Referendum on Assisted
Fertility Law (1:49)
Italians voters trickled into polls the last two days, voting
in a contested referendum to change the assisted fertility
law. The referendum was largely seen as a test between the
secular state and the power of the Catholic Church to determine
social policy. FSRN's Diletta Varlese reports.
[top]
French Journalist and Translator Held Hostage in
Iraq Released (3:27)
Since the war in Iraq began in March of 2003, 33 journalists
have been taken hostage. Of those, 3 have been killed, and
30 released. Today, French residents are celebrating the safe
return of journalist Florence Aubenas after she was held hostage
in Iraq for the past 5 months. Tony Cross has more.
[top]
Federal Management Decides Fate of Sarasota Public
Housing (4:06)
In Florida, the Sarasota Public Housing Authority has become
the fifth housing agency in the country to be taken over by
the Federal government. Now, the new federal management is
deciding what to do with the city's crumbling housing projects,
and residents are waiting to hear their fate. Anna Sussman
has the story.
[top]
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