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> Thur., Jan. 12, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Alito's Final Round of Questioning
California Groups Rally Against Alito
New Orleans Unveils Rebuilding Plan
What Nationalized Hydrocarbons May Mean in Bolivia
California Considering Death Penalty Moratorium
FSRN Headlines
INDIA'S CHANGES POSITION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
India has seemingly shifted it's policy on curbing greenhouse
gas emissions during the ongoing climate change conference
held by six of the world's biggest polluters. Binu Alex has
more from Ahmedabad.
India's Environment Minister, A. Raja, announced today that
India will not implement mandatory emissions reductions in
order to curb its output of greenhouse gases. The announcement
was made at this week's climate change conference in Sydney.
Known as the AP6, the conference participants include the
world's worst polluters. India is the third largest economy
in Asia and with China has been exempted from the first round
of mandatory cuts under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol. India
has already ratified the treaty, but the government argues
that it is not in violation of the terms since India's per-capita
carbon emissions are low, less than a quarter of the world
average and many times less than those of the United States.
India's new position is to accept investment for cleaner energy
and to expand its nuclear industry. India depends primarily
on coal for its energy and is under pressure to increase energy
production to meet a fast pace of industrialization. The country
is now looking towards its 15 nuclear power plants. From Ahmedabad
in India, I am Binu Alex for Free Speech Radio News.
STUDY: FROG EXTINCTION LINKED TO CLIMATE CHANGE
The scientific journal, Nature, has published a report that
links the disappearance of frog species in Central and South
America to a fungal disease that has gained strength with
climate change. The fungus lives on the frogs' breathable
skin and can be found in many of the world's amphibian habitats.
In the words of team researcher Alan Pounds, "Disease
is the bullet killing frogs, but climate change is pulling
the trigger,". Scientists have noticed huge drops in
amphibian populations worldwide in recent decades and a 2004
study concluded that nearly one-third of the planet's known
amphibian species are under threat of extinction.
MAINE SEALS DEAL WITH CITGO
Maine's state leadership met today with representatives of
Venezuela and it's state-owned petroleum company to solidify
an agreement to acquire low cost heating oil. Meredith DeFrancesco
reports from WERU in Blue Hill, Maine.
Maine has now become the first state government to enter
into a direct agreement with Venezuela's government owned
Citgo Petroleum Corporation, to provide its' low income residents
with discount heating fuel. Citgo has made similar arrangements
through non-profits to service communities in Massachusetts
and New York City. The state of Maine will distribute the
fuel through the Low Income Home Heating Energy Assistance
Program, which was de-funded this year by the federal government,
as heating oil costs rose 25%. The program covers 48,000 Maine
households. Citgo will provide 8 million gallons of heating
oil to Maine at a 40% discount and will donate an additional
120,000 gallons to the more than 40 homeless shelters statewide.
During today's trip, representatives from Venezuela and Citgo
will sign an agreement with the four tribal governments within
Maine. The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mic Mac amd Maliseet
will receive fuel for 912 households at a savings of $543,000.
For Free Speech radio News, this is Meredith DeFrancesco in
Blue Hill, Maine.
PROTESTS OVER NON-DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Days of unrest have erupted in a South African township in
reaction to a lack of basic services. Na'eem Jeenah reports
from Johannesburg.
Eight people have been arrested following violent protests
in the Pretoria township of Soshanguve. Yesterday saw clashes
and running battles between residents and police. Thousands
of people had taken to the streets protesting a lack of delivery
of services like running water, sanitation, refuse removal
and electricity. Roads were barricaded and stones thrown at
police who responded with rubber bullets, injuring several
protesters. The battles lasted 12 hours. Protests had begun
last week with about a hundred people. Residents were also
on the streets on Sunday when South African president, Thabo
Mbeki, was unveiling the ANC's election manifesto in Cape
Town for municipal elections. Many protesters belong to his
party. Just 2 months before the elections, people across South
Africa are expressing their frustration at non-delivery after
11 years of democracy. Last year, hundreds of protests in
mostly impoverished areas took place over housing and service
delivery. Protests are likely to increase in the next months.
For Free Speech Radio News, I'm Na'eem Jeenah in Johannesburg.
FRANCE, THREE MONTHS AFTER RIOTS
France's government is still reeling from the effects of last
November's riots. Today Interior Minister and presidential
hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy revealed crime figures which show
that his hard-line policies haven't stopped the rise in violent
crime. Yesterday, the government introduced a package of measures
they say will reduce the chances of more urban violence. Tony
Cross reports from Paris.
According to official figures made public today, violent
crime rose five per-cent in France last year...That's bad
news for ambitious Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, who
wants to become president in 2007, and has cultivated an image
of a no-nonsense crime-fighter to that end. His hard line
stance didn't stop the riots or reduce crime. A three-month
state of emergency was lifted on January the third. During
the riots, local officials hardly used any of the powers it
gave them and it didn't prevent a year-on-year rise in the
number of vehicles burnt on New Year's Eve. There has been
a big rise in the deportation of illegal immigrants; nearly
20-thousand, compared to 15-thousand in 2004 ... but not enough
for Sarkozy who had set a target of 23-thousand. The right
blamed immigration for the urban violence, but figures last
year showed only five per-cent of those arrested were not
French nationals. Yesterday, the government voted in a so-called
anti-discrimination package. Along with creating a national
agency for equal opportunities, it allows families' welfare
payments to be cut if they're judged not to be properly controlling
their children. For FSRN, I'm Tony Cross in Paris.
[top]
Alito's Final Round of Questioning (3:58)
Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito faced his third and
final round of questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee
today. Most Senate Republicans chose not questions during
this third round, but Senate Democrats took the opportunity
to clarify earlier comments, as well to probe Alito on his
constitutional stance on issues ranging from the death penalty
to possible legislation that would deny citizenship to the
children of undocumented immigrants. Selina Musuta reports
from the Capital:
[top]
California Groups Rally Against Alito (2:43)
As opposition to the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito
to the Supreme Court grows throughout the country, a coalition
of California abortion rights, civil liberties, labor and
environmental groups rallied this week at Senator Dianne Feinstein's
office in downtown San Francisco to urge her to oppose Alito's
confirmation to the Court. Max Pringle reports.
[top]
New Orleans Unveils Rebuilding Plan (2:19)
The City of New Orleans has unveiled a rebuilding plan that
calls for vast changes to the the city's neighborhoods and
housing patterns. The proposal includes a four month planning
process and the possibility of using using eminent domain
to acquire land for the city from the homeowners. Mayaba Leibenthal
reports from New Orleans.
[top]
What Nationalized Hydrocarbons May Mean in Bolivia
(5:34)
Bolivia's president-elect Evo Morales, has wrapped up his
visit to South Africa, where he has met both political and
business leaders as part of a worldwide tour that has already
included China and Europe. Morales is headed to Brazil and
Argentina next just ahead of his presidential inauguration
January 22. Morales has stated that his first measure as Bolivia's
new leader will be to nationalize the country's hydrocarbons.
FSRN's Diletta Varlese looks at what this move could mean
in Bolivia's oil-rich region of El Chaco, where the indigenous
community has long been affected by oil exploitation.
[top]
California Considering Death Penalty Moratorium
(4:52)
The New Jersey legislature passed a measure this week to
cease executions statewide while a state commission conducts
a study of death row cases. At least 12 other states have
approved similar measures. In Illinois, then-Governor George
Ryan put a hold on all executions in that state in 2000, and
although Maryland also halted their death penalty, it has
since resumed executions. Now California, the state with the
largest death row, is also considering a moratorium on executions,
even as it prepares for the second execution in as many months.
FSRN's Vinny Lombardo has more.
[top]
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