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Today's lead stories:
Palestinian Elections in Turmoil
Winter Storms Stymie Relief Efforts in Pakistan
Domestic Spying and Congressional Oversight
Zapatistas Mark 12th Anniversary by Launching National Campaign
Nigeria Evicts Civil Servants from Government Housing in Privatization
Bid
Canada Debates Prostitution
FSRN Headlines
ABRAMOFF PLEADS GUILTY
Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, plead guilty today to
charges of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion. Ingrid Drake
has more from Washington DC.
Charges against Abramoff include offering money, meals, and
trips to public officials in exchange for favorable treatment
for Abramoff's clients, as well as enlisting former congressional
aides to illegally lobby their bosses within a one-year window
of employment. Federal prosecutors also charge Abramoff and
his business partner Michael Scanlon for defrauding Indian
tribes of approximately $82 million in lobbying funds for
gambling casinos. By pleading guilty, Abramoff will serve
only 10 years in prison, avoiding a 30 year sentence. Abramoff
has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors investigating US
lawmakers, including former house majority leader Tom Delay.
For FSRN, this is Ingrid Drake.
PERU REQUESTS FUJIMORI'S EXTRADITION
This morning, Peru's ambassador to Chile delivered Peru's
official request for the extradition of former president,
Alberto Fujimori. From Santiago, Jorge Garretón reports.
The extradition request was received today by Chile's Foreign
Minister Ignacio Walker and promptly forwarded to Chile's
Supreme Court. The request contains 10 charges of corruption
and two charges of human rights abuses against former Peruvian
President Alberto Fujimori. Chilean Courts will now face a
serious test that may play a role in the bilateral (and at
times rocky) relations between Santiago and Lima. Human rights
activists say this case is similar to Chile's demands of Great
Britain when this country's former dictator, Augusto Pinochet,
was arrested in London following an extradition request to
Spain. Chile then argued that Pinochet could only be tried
here. Fujimori's defence says it will wait for an official
notification before issuing a response. The former leader
is in detention at a Santiago Prison Guards School. Peru's
Ambassador to Chile José Antonio Maier called the charges
of corruption and human rights abuses "grave". For
FSRN this is Jorge Garretón in Santiago.
HAITIAN ELECTIONS POSTPONED
After a number of delays, Haiti's national elections - scheduled
for January 8th - will once again be postponed. The International
Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections estimates that the
first round of elections may be delayed by a minimum of three
to four weeks.
FATHER JEAN-JUSTE DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA
Meanwhile, one of the Haiti's best-known prisoners, Catholic
priest Father Gerard Jean-Juste, has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Dr. Paul Farmer from Harvard Medical School visited Father
Jean Juste in prison on Christmas Eve after hearing reports
of the priest's deteriorating health. Father Jean-Juste was
arrested in last July and continues to be held without charge
in Haiti's National Penitentiary. Dr. Paul Farmer says that
the leukemia is possibly a rapidly progressive form and that
chemotherapy may be necessary. Dr. Farmer is calling for Jean-Juste's
immediate release in order to receive the medical attention
that is not possible to deliver within Haiti's penitentiary
system.
WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS
Israeli settlers threw eggs at soldiers and police serving
eviction notices in Hebron today. Israel's High Court ordered
the evacuation after the settlers were unable to prove ownership
of the property in Hebron's downtown market they have been
occupying since 2001. Meanwhile, an Israeli High Court ruling
on Sunday will permit the Israeli government to build the
separation Wall in the northern West Bank in a way that would
annex illegal settlements. This, as documents surface calling
into question the legal basis of other Israeli settlements
in the West Bank. Manar Jibrin reports.
The Israeli daily, Haaretz revealed today that Illegal permits
were issued retroactively to build a new settlement bloc on
Palestinian owned private lands in the West Bank village of
Bil'in near Ramallah. Abdullah Abu Rahme, member of the land
defense committee in the village said the land was illegally
sold to Israeli land dealers through forged powers of attorney.
"In the past few days we discovered that some Israeli
companies have illegally bought some of the village's land
through forged documents. Today, the Israeli Civil administration
admitted this fraud. Therefore, all the houses built in the
Modi'in Ilit settlement are illegal." The Bil'in villagers
fear that government documents such as those published today
by Ha'aretz are the tip of the iceberg of a plan to annex
all the village's land by the year 2020. For FSRN from imemc.org
in Palestine, this is Manar Jibrin.
STEEL MILL PROTESTS
Hundreds of tribes people in India have blocked a main road
in Orissa state, a day after police opened fire during protests
over a planned steel mill. Vinod K. Jose files this report.
Indigenous people of Kalinganagar (of the Eastern Indian
state of Orissa) have been demanding compensation for their
land. Their land was taken over by the government and given
free to private steel companies. Yesterday, India's largest
private steel company, Tatas, started construction on the
site with police protection. Spontaneously, the local people
resisted and disturbed the construction. Police responded
with live ammunition and 12 of the protesting villagers died
instantly. The deaths led large numbers of indigenous people
to block the busy National Highway today. The roadblock brought
traffic to a complete halt and seriously affected the movement
of iron ore from the mineral-rich district. Private steel
companies have set up huge steel mills in mineral-rich states
of Eastern India such as Orissa and Jharkhand. In the past,
locals lost land and were displaced in huge numbers. Compensation
and transfer to arable land elsewhere is the demand this time.
From New Delhi in India, this is Vinod K. Jose for FSRN.
[top]
Palestinian Elections in Turmoil (2:00)
In Palestine today is the first official day of campaigning
for parliamentary elections set to take place on January 25,
but escalating conflicts between Israeli officials, the Palestinian
leadership, and more militant factions may derail the vote.
This is the first election in which the militant Islamic group
Hamas will field candidates, and the most recent polls suggest
it will take at least 25% of the available seats. Hamas is
dedicated to the destruction of Israel-- the Israeli government
has called for it to be disqualified, and has threatened to
bar Palestinians from using polling places in Jerusalem. Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that might be cause
for delaying the election--a proposal immediately repudiated
by the leadership of Hamas, which says the elections—already
delayed six months—must go forward as scheduled. The
question of voting in Jerusalem is a tremendous symbolic importance
to Palestinians, who want to claim East Jerusalem as the capital
of the future Palestinian state. Israel maintains that interim
peace accords forbid any Palestinian political activity there.
That conflict and boiled over this morning when Israeli police
scuffled with Palestinian candidates campaigning in the Plaza
outside Damascus Gate. They arrested eight candidates from
the ruling Fatah faction, and briefly detained independent
candidate Mustafa Barghouti. Meanwhile, FSRN correspondent
David Enders reports that, despite the well-publicized withdrawal
from the Gaza Strip earlier this year, Israeli forces continue
to annex
[top]
Winter Storms Stymie Relief Efforts in Pakistan
(2:40)
In the earthquake-stricken region of Pakistan winter weather
grounded relief flights for the third straight day as aid
workers scrambled to help survivors deal with the snow and
rain. More than two million people have been living in tents
or crude shelters since an earthquake on October 8 killed
more than 73,000 people there. The snow and rain have triggered
landslides that block roads and collapsed many of the tents
housing earthquake survivors. Joining us to talk about the
situation in Pakistan is Abrar Rashid, a journalist with Urdu
News Television Station Geo TV who’s in Amedabad right
now. Abrar Rashid, what are conditions like in earthquake-stricken
areas right now? (Audio: Abrar Rashid) Abrar Rashid is a journalist
with urdu-language news station GEO TV—he spoke with
us from amedabad.
[top]
Domestic Spying and Congressional Oversight (2:18)
As the white house slides deeper into controversies over
its authorization of domestic spying, civil liberties advocates
are calling for Congress to establish stricter oversight,
and political analysts are predicting a shift in the balance
of power between the executive and legislative branches of
government. Anastasia Gnezditskaia has more from the nation’s
capital.
[top]
Zapatistas Mark 12th Anniversary by Launching National
Campaign (4:50)
12 years ago, on New Year’s day, an indigenous army
in the Mexican state of Chiapas launched a rebellion that
captured the world’s imagination. The Zapatista National
Liberation Army chose this year’s anniversary to launch
their ”Other Campaign”, a plan to build a new
left-wing popular movement in Mexico. Tim Russo and Luz Ruiz
followed Subcommandante Marcos from his jungle stronghold
to the city streets of San Cristobal de las casas. .
[top]
Nigeria Evicts Civil Servants from Government Housing
in Privatization Bid (2:12)
Soldiers and police in Nigeria have forcibly evicted thousands
of senior civil servants living in government-owned apartments.
The Nigerian government ordered their eviction after it sold
their official quarters to private investors under a World
Bank backed plan to privatize public utilities. Sam Olukoya
reports from Lagos.
[top]
Canada Debates Prostitution (2:45)
Canada is debating how its legal system should deal with
prostitution. FSRN's Alison Benjamin interviewed a legal researcher,
a woman's rights activist, and an advocate for prostitutes
on how the state should protect the human rights of people
sex workers.
[top]
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