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> Wed., Apr. 19, 2006
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Today's lead stories:
Surprising Changes in White House Staff
Highlighting China’s Human Rights Abuses
Women’s Rights Waning in Iraq
Israel's Recent Raids and Arrests of Palestinians since Bombing
The Battle for Homeless Rights in Florida
Mumia Comments: Zacaria Moussaoui’s Upbringing in France
FSRN Headlines
PRODI VICTORY CONFIRMED
Italy's Supreme Court has found Romano Prodi to be the official
winner of the country's closely contested prime ministerial
election. Current Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, had refused
to concede after results showed a razor-thin margin of victory
for Prodi. Today's Supreme Court ruling ends 10 days of uncertainty
that followed the close election.
SIT-IN AT GOV. JEB BUSH'S OFFICE
30 students began a sit-in at Florida governor Jeb Bush's
office this morning. From WMNF in Tampa, Andrew Stelzer reports.
The students occupying the governor's office are upset that
no one has been held responsible for the death of a 14-year
old African American who was beaten by guards at a juvenile
boot camp in the Florida Panhandle. (sound) "Here we
have a video tape clearly showing the guards beating this
young boy to death and nothing has been done. Over 100 days
already and the time for diplomacy has run out." Gabriel
Pendas, the President of the Student Senate at Florida State
University, was one of millions of outraged Floridians, when
the initial autopsy found that Martin lee Anderson had died
from sickle cell disorder, and not from the beating by 7 guards.
This, despite the fact that ammonia tablets were stuffed up
his nose during the beating. The students are calling for
the release of a second autopsy, a civil suit against the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bay County Sheriff's
office, the arrest of the 7 guards who beat Anderson and the
nurse who watched the beating and didn't intervene, the revocation
of the medical license of the initial medical examiner, and
an apology by Governor Jeb Bush, the state attorney general
and head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bush
has said he will meet with the students in private, but Pendas
said the meeting must be open to the press and they are prepared
to stay until their demands are met (Pendas) "This is
a public issue, that has been covered up already, by members
of the government, that needs to be brought to light, and
anything that he can say to us he can say to the people of
our state that are requesting that justice be served today."
For FSRN, I'm Andrew Stelzer.
PROTESTS IN SEATTLE GREET PRESIDENT HU
Chinese President Hu Jintao is in Washington state on the
second day of his visit to the US. His arrival sparked demonstrations
in Seattle yesterday. Mark Taylor-Canfield reports.
Protests were staged by members of the religious order Falun
Gong, supporters of independence for Taiwan, and Tibetan-rights
activists. Cars covered with colorful banners and political
statements in Chinese drove through downtown. Groups demonstrating
for Taiwanese independence marched to the hotel where Hu's
120 member entourage was staying. Police closed downtown streets
and Interstate 5 to accommodate the Chinese leader's motorcade.
Hu was met by protesters when he visited Microsoft headquarters
and Boeing facilities in Everett. Washington State Governor
Christine Gregoire met with him and later in the evening the
Chinese President attended a dinner at Bill Gates' mansion
on Lake Washington. Also in attendance at the dinner were
Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, Henry Kissinger, Gregoire
and former Governor Gary Locke. Last year, exports from Washington
to China totaled over $5 billion.
4 MORE PROTESTERS KILLED IN NEPAL
Pro-democracy activists in Nepal continue demonstrating against
the King's absolute rule - despite the sometimes fatal reactions
from security forces. PC Dubey has more from Kathmandu.
Soldiers fired indiscriminately on a crowd of 50,000 during
a peaceful protest this afternoon in the eastern Nepalese
district of Jhapa. Four people died instantly and over 100
protesters were seriously wounded. Sandeep Kumar, a health
worker at a nearby hospital says some of the wounded protesters
are in very critical condition. (sound) "At least 15
of them are in real danger despite the high tech treatment
we are offering them." One young woman was killed yesterday
when soldiers launched a teargas grenade directly at her face
in the far western town of Nepalganj. During past 14 days,
a total of 11 persons have died due to bullets teargas grenades
fired by security forces. Meanwhile, the royalist government
has imposed an 18-hour curfew in Kathmandu to foil the political
parties plans for a mass protest tomorrow. For Free Speech
Radio News, I am PC Dubey in Kathmandu.
SAN SALVADOR RESIDENT BLOCK ROADS FOR ACCESS TO WATER
Residents of the Modelo neighborhood in the capital of El
Salvador set up road blockades yesterday to demand a supply
of water for their homes. Neighborhood residents told San
Salvador's La Prensa Grafica newspaper that water service
was cut off nearly two months ago after a water main was damaged
during a public works project. Since then, a fire hydrant
opened by local residents has been the only source of running
water in the neighborhood. The street blockade ended after
five hours when the local water utility agreed to place 2
large water containers in the neighborhood.
INQUIRY INTO MISSING FUNDS FOR BRITISH HEALTH CARE
In The UK, Tony Blair's government is now facing a parliamentary
investigation over multi-million pound deficits in the public
health service. Naomi Fowler reports from London.
When Tony Blair's Labour party first came to office, the
National Health Service that promised 'cradle to grave' free
health care for all was in a poor state. Yet despite record
extra spending on health after years of neglect from previous
governments, hospitals across the country are still reporting
multi-million pound deficits. It's no mystery, says British
doctor Jacky Davis. (sound) 'Money now is going into the profits
of the private sector as they have become increasingly involved
in delivering public health services in this country. There's
no evidence that involvement of the private sector improves
the quality of health care or improves value for money and
in fact when the people who promote the market involvement
in public services are challenged, they simply cannot provide
that evidence. So, we have to resist the marketisation of
public health services.' With deficits reaching more than
£860 million dollars, thousands of staff losing their
jobs with thousands more job losses on the way, the parliamentary
investigation will analyze what's gone wrong and how best
to put it right. Local elections here are only two weeks away
and Blair's party is expected to lose a lot of seats. This
is Naomi Fowler in London for Free Speech Radio News.
[top]
Surprising Changes in White House Staff
(3:40)
Staff changes continue at the White House today, with Spokesman
Schoot McClellan resigning, and Karl Rove staying on but changing
roles. Democrats, meanwhile, say Rove should simply be fired.
Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.
[top]
Highlighting China’s Human Rights Abuses
(3:44)
Chinese President Hu Jintao is in the middle of a 4-day
tour to the US. After wrapping up a series of meetings with
politicians and business leaders in Washington state today,
Hu will travel to DC to meet with President Bush tomorrow.
While the bulk of President Hu’s visit will focus on
business ties, currency and trade policies, and it’s
stance towards North Korea, some are taking the opportunity
to highlight China’s dismal record of human rights abuses
– and Congress members held a hearing on human rights
abuses in China today. But after exposure of human rights
scandals such as Abu Ghraib, President Bush may be reluctant
to pressure the Chinese leader on human rights. FSRN’s
Darby Hickey from Capitol Hill.
[top]
Women’s Rights Waning in Iraq (2:40)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari said today he would
not relinquish his nomination to keep his post. Jaafari’s
nomination by the coalition of religious Shiite parties that
has the largest number of seats in the Iraqi parliament continues
to stall negotiations over forming the government four months
after the country’s elections. Sunni and Kurdish leaders
complain Jaafari is too sectarian a leader. One complaint
that has long fallen by the wayside is that his government
helped draft a constitution that takes away rights women previously
held in Iraq. FSRN’s David Enders reports from Baghdad.
[top]
Israel's Recent Raids and Arrests of Palestinians
since Bombing (2:34)
Israeli military aggression in the occupied Palestinian
territories, already high since the Israeli election on March
27, has stepped up a notch since 21-year old Samir Hammad
blew himself up at a falafel stand in Tel Aviv killing nine
on Monday. FSRN’s Saed Bannoura reports from occupied
Palestine.
[top]
The Battle for Homeless Rights in Florida
(2:20)
About 50 homeless people and their supporters recently gathered
outside City Hall in St. Petersburg, Florida to protest an
ordinance which empowers law enforcement to arrest or site
those sleeping or sitting on the grassy areas of city parks
after the closing time of each park. Thirty of those protesters
slept the night on the sidewalk in front of the building as
a sign of solidarity with the nearly 5,000 homeless in Pinellas
County. Opponents of the ordinance say that it criminalizes
homelessness and does nothing to reduce the problem. Emily
Reddy has more from St. Petersburg.
[top]
Mumia Comments: Zacaria Moussaoui’s Upbringing
in France (3:28)
The defense of Zacaria Moussaoui continued today…
a Psychologist and expert on cult victims offered testimony
on Moussaoui’s state of mind as he was drawn into radical
fundamentalist beliefs, while living in London. The statements
come a day after a psychiatrist and co-author of a mental
health diagnostic guide testified that Moussaoui suffers from
paranoid schizophrenia. In this essay recorded from Pennsylvania’s
Death Row, FSRN commentator Mumia Abu Jamal describes Moussaoui’s
upbringing in France.
[top]
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