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> Fri., Dec. 9, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Multi-Faith Vigils Held in Toronto For CPT Members Held Captive
In Iraq
Controversial Patriot Act Provisions Renewed
Will Chilean Voters Elect First Woman President?
Tookie's Fate in the Schwarzenegger's Hands
Australian Government Passes Controversial Welfare Reforms
Gay Activists Bring Protest to Conservative Doorsteps in Philadelphia
FSRN Headlines
BULGARIAN TROOPS TO LEAVE IRAQ
Bulgaria's Defence Minister today announced plans to withdraw
their forces from Iraq by the end of the year. Bulgaria is
expected to recall its soldiers shortly after Iraq's December
15th parliamentary elections.
HAMAS WILL NOT RENEW CEASEFIRE
The Palestinian armed group Hamas said today that the informal
ceasefire observed by the group will only last until the end
of the month. Hamas' leader announced today at a Damascus
rally that there are no plans to renew the current truce with
Israel after it expires and warned that Hamas should prepare
itself for a new cycle of conflict.
SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGE IN PAPUA
In Indonesia, a severe food shortage in conflict-ridden Papua
has recently claimed the lives of 55 locals - according to
an official report released this week. From Jakarta, FSRN's
Meggy Margiyono reports.
Members of Indonesia's Parliament today condemned the government's
delay in providing information about the food shortage in
Papua that has left 55 people dead and 112 others in critical
condition. Parliamentary leader, Agung Laksono says that the
government should have an early warning system in place and
is asking the president to explain why the information about
the situation took so long to become public. Indonesia's president
today sent the country's Social Welfare Minister to visit
the disaster area to help distribute aid. Papua is Indonesia's
eastern-most province. Pro-independence groups there actively
campaign for the separation of the resource-rich island from
Indonesia. In addition to the current food crisis, Papua also
faces acute poverty and major epidemics of HIV and malaria.
From Jakarta, Meggy Margiyono reports for Free Speech Radio
News.
CRISIS IN MEXICAN COUNTRYSIDE
In Mexico, small farmers hit hard this year by natural disasters
have been pressuring the government this week to deliver emergency
economic aid to the countryside. Vladimir Flores reports from
Oaxaca.
Earlier this year, Mexico's lower House of Congress approved
emergency funding measures to help small farmers cope with
losses caused by a severe drought in the north and a hurricane
in the south. However, farmers protesting this week say they
have not received any of this emergency aid. Angry farmers
in Durango rode their horses into the building that houses
the state legislature to demand the distribution of funds
promised by the Secretary of Agriculture. This year's drought
has devastated more than 260 thousand hectares of bean, corn,
and oat crops statewide. In the southern state of Chiapas,
coffee farmers blockaded the office of the Secretary of Agriculture
in the state capital. Hurricane Stan caused an estimated 50
million dollars worth of damage to this year's coffee harvest.
In contrast, millions of dollars in federal aid has already
been sent to rebuild the upscale tourist zone of Cancun, damaged
by Hurricane Wilma.
NEW MERCOSUR MEMBER
Venezuela will formally become a member nation of the MercoSur
South American trading bloc today. MercoSur's other full members
are Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Some observers
have expressed concern that Venezuela's entry into Mercosur
could politicize the trading bloc. Venezuela has the largest
oil and natural gas reserves in South America.
NO FUJIMORI CANDIDACY IN 2006
In other news from South America, Peru's Electoral Tribunal
has ruled that ex-president Alberto Fujimori can not run for
another term in the country's April 2006 elections. Fujimori
was recently arrested in Chile where he remains in custody
awaiting extradition to Chile. He has been accused of corruption
and human rights abuses.
BEST BUY CLASS ACTION SUIT
In Labor news, lawyers and workers have announced a lawsuit
charging electronics giant, Best Buy, with race and sex discrimination
in employment. Grace Turner files this report.
As the holiday buying seasons picks up steam, Best Buy is
being charged with race and sex discrimination in violation
of both federal and state laws. Attorney Todd Schneider of
Schneider and Wallace, says women and minorities are segregated
into the least desirable positions, paid less than their white
male counterparts and promoted less frequently. Schneider
charges that females are tracked into cashier positions and
African-Americans are sent to the stock room.
(Schneider]):"You have to understand Best Buy to understand
why this is such a problem. Best Buy makes its money by selling
electronics and major merchandise. The only position that
leads to promotion is the major sales position. If you don't
get into a major sales position, you don't get promoted at
Best Buy."
Best Buy says it will go through the lawsuit line by line,
but initially denies the charges. For Free Speech Radio News,
I'm Grace Turner.
[top]
Multi-Faith Vigils Held in Toronto For CPT Members
Held Captive In Iraq (2:30)
A vigil was held by Christian Peacemakers Teams and the
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War yesterday in Toronto, Canada,
home of CPT member James Loney- who now sits in captivity
in Iraq. People from all faiths, including the Muslim community,
attended the vigil, as they continue to pledge support for
the release of 4 CPT members and to call for an end to the
occupation of Iraq. Supporters came together as news of a
48-hour deadline expansion was set by the CPT's captors in
Iraq, and as Ehab Lotayef, a member of the Canadian Islamic
Congress, was sent to Baghdad to negotiate for their release.
Mostafa Henaway reports from Toronto.
[top]
Controversial Patriot Act Provisions Renewed
(3:45)
Less than a month before some of the most controversial
provisions of the Patriot Act expired, Republican Congressional
negotiators have struck a deal to extend the provisions for
another 4 years. Civil libertarians and privacy advocates
are responding with alarm, as the bill does nothing to address
judicial oversight on how the FBI uses its expanded subpoena
and surveillance authorities. Mitch Jeserich has more from
Washington.
[top]
Will Chilean Voters Elect First Woman President?
(4:04)
Chilean voters had the polls this weekend for the fourth
presidential election since the country's return to democracy
in 1990. According to polls, Chile, which is a generally socially
conservative country might just is about to elect its first
woman president. FSRN's Jorge Garretón reports from
Santiago.
[top]
Tookie's Fate in the Schwarzenegger's Hands
(4:03)
The life of Stanley Tookie Williams now effectively rests
in the hands of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The governor held a private clemency hearing Thursday with
lawyers from both sides presenting their case. If the governor
grants clemency to Williams, his sentence will be commuted
to life in prison. But if he doesn't, Tookie is scheduled
to be executed at 12:01 Tuesday morning. Sarah Olson has more
from Sacramento.
[top]
Australian Government Passes Controversial Welfare
Reforms (3:04)
The Australian government passed its controversial new "welfare-to-work"
reforms this week, which targets some of the country's most
vulnerable people by lowering their welfare entitlements.
Those living with a disability will be forced back into the
workforce, while single mothers will move to a lower benefit
bracket when their youngest child turns 8. The Liberal Party
government has not only angered its own members with these
new reforms, but the Federal Opposition, the Democrats, as
well as welfare and church groups have also criticized it.
Cinnamon Nippard reports from Sydney.
[top]
Gay Activists Bring Protest to Conservative Doorsteps
in Philadelphia (2:00)
Anti-gay and anti-choice activists have become well known
for their practice of protesting abortion clinics and gay
pride rallies. Now, a group in Pennsylvania has been flipping
the script, bringing anti-racist, pro-choice, queer-positive
messages to the doorsteps of conservative Christian groups.
FSRN's Darby Hickey reports on how this small group of people
is making a big splash.
[top]
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