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> Wed., Oct. 26, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
2,000 Soldiers Now Dead in Iraq, as Speculation Looms over
CIA Leak
Vietnam’s Possible Ascension to the WTO
Burmese Concern over Gas Pipeline
Tampa Football Fan Sues over Game Searches
Schwarzenegger Visits San Diego
FSRN Headlines
ACQUITTALS IN GUJARAT RIOTS
A special court established to expedite the cases of the 2002
anti-Muslim riots in the western Indian state of Gujarat has
acquitted over 100 murder suspects linked to the violence.
Binu Alex has more from Ahmedabad.
An estimated 1,000 people – Mostly Muslims - were killed
during Hindu-Muslim riots from March to May 2002. The sectarian
violence was sparked after 59 people, mostly Hindu activists,
died when an alleged Muslim mob set fire to a train in Godhra.
Today's ruling dealt specifically with the case of a group
of Muslims who were attacked while trying to salvage their
belongings during the sectarian violence. Two Muslims were
killed in the attack. The police escort present at the time
was accused of negligence for failure to call in reinforcements
to prevent the killing. The suspects were acquitted yesterday
for lack of evidence. The judge blamed the police for shoddy
investigation. But human rights activists say the pro-Hindu
right wing BJP government, deliberately weakened the case
to favor the accused. One hundred thirteen were accused in
the case Two died during the course of the trial, four were
never arrested and the rest, were released unconditionally
upon acquittal. This is the second acquittal by the special
court. From Ahmedabad in India, I am Binu Alex for Free Speech
Radio News.
QUAKE RELIEF SHORTFALL
The United Nations is urgently appealing for donations to
help earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan. This morning,
four aftershocks shook the region already devastated by the
October 8th earthquake. Relief organizations say help is immediately
needed before the onset of winter. Shahnawaz Khan has more.
The donor conference in Geneva was organized by the United
Nations in response to a critical lack of funding for earthquake
relief efforts. The UN first asked for $312 million but only
received 30 percent of that initial sum. Now, the UN is making
an urgent request for $549 million from the donor countries
to prevent what UN Secretary General Kofi Annan describes
as a "second shock wave of deaths". Aid officials
in Pakistan say harsh weather is already taking a toll on
the survivors health, over three million of whom were left
homeless after the quake. Temperatures are already dipping
below freezing in some areas of Pakistan's mountainous north,
and the weather is expected to worsen in the coming weeks.
For Free Speech Radio News I'm Shahnawaz Khan.
HARIRI REPORT FALLOUT
An investigation into the assassination of a Lebanese politician
has now developed into a full-blown diplomatic scandal. In
New York, Rebecca Myles reports on a joint resolution presented
yesterday afternoon to the UN Security Council.
The US-French resolution was drafted following a briefing
by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis into the death of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri. The draft calls on
Syria to fully cooperate in the UN investigation and to detain
Syrian officials or individuals considered suspects in the
truck bombing. It also called for measures like travel bans
and asset freezes against individuals suspected of involvement
in the murder. The draft also contained an implied threat
of economic sanctions against Damascus. Syria has denied any
role in the car bombing and has rejected the UN investigation
as politically biased. The Security Council is expected to
discuss a final draft resolution next week. For FSRN, I am
Rebecca Myles.
BUNKER BUSTERS GO BUST
Nuclear anti-proliferation groups are reacting favorably to
news that the so-called "Mini Nukes" program has
been eliminated from the federal budget. Gus Caravalho reports
from Washington DC.
Republican Senator Pete Domenici announced yesterday that
Congress will eliminate the proposed $4 million of funding
for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, a nuclear warhead
also known as a "bunker buster" due to its ability
to destroy targets buried deep underground. Senator Domenici
said this cut comes at the request of the Department of Energy's
National Nuclear Security Administration, the body which oversees
US nuclear weapons programs. This is the second time this
program has been cut from the final budget. Initial funding
for the program of $15 million in 2003 was cut out entirely
in 2004.
DEATH WARRANT SIGNED
A Los Angeles judge has set an execution date for Stanley
"Tookie" Williams. Chritopher Martinez reports from
KPFA in Berkeley.
Stanley "Tookie" Williams is scheduled to die by
lethal injection at San Quentin prison on December 13th. Williams
co-founded the "Crips" street gang at the age of
16. He was convicted in 1981 of 4 murders in 2 separate robberies.
Williams, who maintains his innocence, later renounced gangs
and wrote a series of children's books warning about the dangers
of gang life. He has been repeatedly nominated for both the
Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel in Literature. In August,
Williams received a "President's Call to Service"
award for inspiring volunteerism. The award came with a letter
from President George W. Bush, praising him for demonstrating
"the outstanding character of America". Earlier
this month, the Supreme Court rejected Williams' appeal for
a re-trial based on the exclusion of Black jurors. Lawyers
for Williams have until November 8th to submit a clemency
request to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. No California governor
has commuted a death sentence since Ronald Reagan almost 40
years ago. Schwarzenegger has denied both clemency requests
he's received so far from Death Row prisoners. For Free Speech
Radio News in Berkeley, I'm Christopher Martinez.
[top]
2,000 Soldiers Now Dead in Iraq, as Speculation
Looms over CIA Leak
Dozens of reporters gathered outside a Federal Court in
Washington DC today, but there was still no word as to whether
indictments would be issued against White House Advisor Karl
Rove or Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis
Scooter Libby. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has until
the end of this week to wrap up his case or ask for an extension
in his investigation into the outing of an undercover CIA
operative. Congressional Republicans are resisting calls from
some Democrats to launch an investigation into a possible
scandal linked to the Bush administration's rationale for
invading Iraq. The investigation has once again spurred a
larger debate in Washington about Iraq, particularly in light
of the 2,000 US soldiers that have now died there. Mitch Jeserich
has this update.
[top]
Vietnam’s Possible Ascension to the WTO
Viet Nam's attempts to enter the World Trade Organization
seem to have hit a snag that has blocked the country's ascension,
due to unacceptable new demands by Washington that the socialist
country change the way its economy works. So far, Viet Nam
has embraced capitalism cautiously to lessen the wealth gap
between rich and poor. More than two-thirds of the country's
population still works in agriculture. And as Ngoc Nguyen
and Aaron Glantz report from Hanoi, the country's farmers
have the most at stake.
[top]
Burmese Concern over Gas Pipeline
There are growing concerns in Myanmar that South Korea’s
Daewoo International could lead to case similar to Unocal,
as Daewoo has been exploring and developing natural gas off
the western seashore of Burma since 2000. In the past, Unocal
has been sued for various human rights violations including
rape, forced labor, confiscation of lands and houses, murder,
and torture. Eunji Kang reports from Korea.
[top]
Tampa Football Fan Sues over Game Searches
After 9-11, the National Football League began instituting
pat-downs for fans entering games. But 4 years later, there
were still 3 teams refusing to conduct the searches. In the
past two months, two of those teams have agreed to begin searching
fans from the waist up, but one football fan in Tampa, Florida
is challenging the searches in court, claiming they are unconstitutional
and unnecessary. From WMNF radio in Tampa, Andrew Stelzer
reports.
[top]
Schwarzenegger Visits San Diego
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited San Diego
yesterday- his second trip to the county in a week, for a
fundraiser at the downtown Westgate Hotel. The governor is
working to raise $50 million to support a slew of propositions
tied to the upcoming special election November 8. Some initiatives
on Schwarzenegger’s ballot include extending teacher’s
probationary period, would require prior consent from public
employee union members before their dues are spent for political
purposes, and would cap state spending. Miles Ashdown reports
on why over 150 people protested Schwarzenegger’s propositions
during his visit to San Diego.
[top]
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