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> Fri., Feb. 3, 2006
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
Gaza Closure Affecting Commerce in Palestine and Israel
World's Oceans in Dire Straits
New Orleans Teachers Demanding City and State Open More Public
Schools
Indigenous People's Conference Reconvenes in Geneva
"March for Migrants" Caravan Kicks of in San Diego/Tijuana
FSRN Exclusive One-on-One Interview with Subcomandante Marcos:
Part 3
FSRN Headlines
IAEA VOTE POSTPONED
The International Atomic Energy Agency has delayed its vote
on whether to refer Iran to the UN Security Council. The vote
was expected today, but will likely occur tomorrow when the
IAEA resumes its meeting.
GREEN LIGHT FOR EPA SUIT
A New York Federal judge says the EPA made deliberate misleading
statements about air quality in the aftermath of the 9/11
attacks. Rebecca Myles has more.
A class action lawsuit filed by New Yorkers against the Environmental
Protection Agency and its former leadership can now proceed
to court. Judge Deborah Batts said during her pretrial opinion
that statements made by former EPA head, Christie Todd Whitman,
regarding the air quality in the vicinity of Ground Zero were
"deliberate and misleading" and that apparently
false reassurances that the air was safe "shocks the
conscience". Internal documents later reveled that the
EPA's own air quality tests indicated there was cause for
concern. It has been estimated that about 2,000 tons of asbestos
and over 400,000 tons toxin-laden concrete, were released
in a massive dust cloud when the buildings came crashing down.
Yesterday's ruling established that the accusations made in
the class-actions suit are well documented and troubling enough
to meet a legal standard to go forward and to name Whitman
as an individual defendant. For FSRN, I am Rebecca Myles reporting
from New York.
HAMAS TO MEET WITH THE P.A.
A senior Hamas official said today that talks with the Palestinian
Authority can happen as early as tomorrow. Laila al-Haddad
has the story.
Senior Hamas officials say they expect to meet with Abbas
in Gaza on Saturday to begin negotiations on how the new government
will take shape. Hamas leader Ismail Hanieh told supporters
in Gaza on Friday that the group would "consult over
the nature of the coming government" and try to set a
date for the first meeting of the Palestinian parliament.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their economic blockade
of Gaza for the third week in a row. A UN report released
yesterday said the closure of Gaza's only commercial crossing
was causing a humanitarian crisis, as dairy products and medicines
dwindle in supermarkets and hospitals. The report estimated
the closure would cause losses amounting to $7 million to
the Palestinian economy this month alone.
CIA LEAK TRIAL DATE SET
A federal judge today set a trial date for Lewis "Scooter"
Libby. The former White House aide will stand trial in January
2007 on charges related to the case in which the identity
of former CIA-operative Valerie Plame was leaked to the press.
$70 BILLION MINUS $70 BILLION
The White House announced yesterday that it will request an
additional $70 billion in funding for the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq. The announcement came the same day that the Senate
approved $70 billion dollars in tax cuts that opponents say
will disproportionately benefit the wealthy. On Wednesday,
legislators cut $39 billion dollars of federal funding from
programs that benefit the poor.
DEATH PENALTY CHALLENGE
Lawyers for condemned murderer, Michael Morales, are arguing
that California's method of execution by lethal injection
is "cruel and unusual"...and now they are getting
medical records from past executions to back up their claims.
Christopher Martinez reports.
A federal judge has ordered California to turn over records
such as medical protocols and heart monitoring data from the
last 3 executions at San Quentin prison (including the December
execution of Stanley Tookie Williams and last month's execution
of 76-year-old Clarence Ray Allen. After California's last
execution, prison officials revealed for the first time that
several executions have included an extra dose of 1 of 3 drugs
used in the execution process. Lawyers for Morales will get
to use the new execution records when they make their arguments
in a federal district court in San Jose on February 9th.
PRISON RIOT IN EL SALVADOR
The "La Esperanza" penitentiary in El Salvador has
been taken over by a group of prisoners protesting an inmate
transfer to a maximum security prison. The members of the
group took over the prison two days ago and are currently
threatening to kill 52 other inmates they say are jailhouse
snitches. The "La Esperanza" penitentiary is located
a few miles outside of San Salvador and houses 2700 inmates,
although it was designed to hold only 800. A similar confrontation
happened at the same prison in August of 2004, which resulted
in 31 deaths and 30 injuries.
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Gaza Closure Affecting Commerce in Palestine and
Israel (1:59)
The main border crossing for the passage of goods between
Gaza and Israel has been closed for 20 days. Staples imported
from Israel such as milk, sugar and flour are starting to
run down in Gaza stores, and almost 600 tons of vegetable
harvested by Palestinians for export have been left to rot,
and the closure is hurting suppliers on both sides. But Israeli
defense forces say they've closed the Karni crossing for security
reasons, after a suicide bombing a year ago, and a car bomb
attack thwarted there two months ago. Irris Makler reports
from Gaza.
[top]
World's Oceans in Dire Straits (2:52)
According to the Presidential Commission on Ocean Policy,
the health of the world's oceans has reached an alarming state
- and the US has done little to help heal them. If the trend
continues, the world’s oceans could soon become irreparable.
Leigh Ann Caldwell has more from Capitol Hill.
[top]
New Orleans Teachers Demanding City and State Open
More Public Schools (3:08))
A group of New Orleans teachers today, demanded that the
city and the State of Louisiana open more elementary and high
schools. Hundreds of children in the city are currently unable
to attend school, as the majority of public schools in the
city have not reopened since Hurricane Katrina. FSRN’s
Christian Roselund spoke with parents and teachers about the
situation, beginning with parent Angela Ratliff.
[top]
Indigenous People's Conference Reconvenes in Geneva
(3:53)
Indigenous peoples from all over the world gathered in Geneva
this week, along with UN Ambassadors and state representatives,
and reconvened the Working Group on the International Human
Rights Declaration for Indigenous Peoples. As part of the
UN's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the draft was created
in 1994, and has since been the basis for biannual gatherings.
However, the pressure is on to come to a final agreement because
the Human Rights Commission is being disbanded and will be
replaced by a Council. But as Anne Keala Kelly reports, the
conflict between indigenous peoples and the English-speaking
member states of the United Nations makes consensus at this
stage a distant dream.
[top]
"March for Migrants" Caravan Kicks of in
San Diego/Tijuana (2:39)
Immigrant rights activists kicked off a cross-country caravan
today at the San Diego/Tijuana border. The "March for
Migrants" will hold community awareness events at stops
across the United States, demanding justice, respect and dignity
for migrants. FSRN's Miles Ashdown caught up with the group
in Holtville, California, for a vigil honoring Mexicans who
have died crossing the border.
[top]
FSRN Exclusive One-on-One Interview with Subcomandante
Marcos: Part 3 (6:17)
Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos, now known as Delegate Zero,
addressed a large crowd in Xalapa, Veracruz yesterday. The
town meeting was part of the country-wide tour to listen to
the grievances and proposals of the "poor and humble
people who fight." The marathon listening sessions are
a key component in the Zapatista's Other Campaign, which has
been proposed as a new path to building an alternative to
the dominant social and political system imposed by capitalism.
In this part of our third and final exclusive, one-on-one
interview, Marcos begins by talking about how indigenous Zapatista
women have been able change patriarchal structures.
[top]
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