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> Mon., July. 3, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
In Tight Mexican Election, Two Candidates Claim Victory
Rumblings of Electoral Fraud in Oaxaca
Obrador Supporters Planning Protest Actions
Anti-War Protesters Plan July 4th Actions
Women Protest Honor Killings in Turkey
Plant City Residents Cry Foul Over Health Report
China Opens Railway to Tibet; Tibetan Nationalists Protest
FSRN Headlines
EX-SOLDIER CHARGED
A discharged US soldier has been arrested in North Carolina
and charged with allegedly murdering a family of four Iraqi
civilians and raping one of them in March in the town of Mahmudiya,
south of Baghdad. The investigation is the latest of a series
of inquiries into allegations of abuses by military personnel
against civilians in Iraq. A statement by the US Justice Department
says that twenty-one year old Steven Green allegedly raped
and killed an Iraqi woman in her home and fatally shot 3 of
her family members; a man, a woman, and a young girl. Military
authorities reportedly learned of the incident after at least
one soldier came forward with the story. The family's death
had previously been blamed on sectarian violence.
UPDATE FROM GAZA
Israeli tanks entered northern Gaza today as air strikes continue
to pound the strip. Manar Jibrin reports.
Five Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli air strikes
in the Gaza Strip in the last two days. One strike targeted
the Palestinian prime Minister's office in Gaza City, causing
damage but no injuries. Today, the Israeli government rejected
the ultimatum issued by three Palestinian factions who captured
the Israeli soldier. They had given Israel until Tuesday to
release one thousand imprisoned Palestinians and Arabs in
the Israeli jails. The crisis has been steadily escalating
for the past week, with little reaction from the international
community. The Gaza Strip has been virtually sealed off, although
the Israeli army decided to open Al Mentar (Karni) crossing
Sunday - for two hours - to permit the passage of certain
humanitarian aid supplies. Saleem Abu Safeya is the head of
the Border Authority in Gaza: [clip] "The Israelis approved
the opening of Karni commercial crossing terminal after International
and regional pressure on the Israelis to allow humanitarian
aid and some food supplies into the Gaza Strip. In fact, the
crossing was opened for two hours only on Sunday. Today, the
terminal is completely closed, so I can not say that the crossing
is actually reopened, because Israel did that only to satisfy
the International community. It is as if, by opening the crossing
for two hours each month, Israel is doing the Palestinians
a favor." At least four thousand Palestinian residents
are currently stuck at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border
crossing after Israel closed the Palestinian side. The situation
remains tense. During a meeting yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert reportedly told his cabinet that the army has
been instructed "to make sure no one sleeps at night
in Gaza". For FSRN from IMEMC.org in Palestine I am Manar
Jibrin.
HUSSEIN FAMILY MEMBERS ADDED TO MOST WANTED LIST
The government of Jordan has refused to hand over members
of Saddam Hussein's family to Iraqi authorities. Oula Farawati
reports from Amman.
Jordan said today that Saddam Hussein's eldest daughter Raghd
and her children were guests of the royal family and did not
engage in any political activities. Iraq put Raghd Hussein,
along with her mother Sajida and top Baathists and al-Qaeda
leaders, on its 41 "most wanted" list. She is accused
financing Sunni insurgents, using millions of dollars stolen
by her father during his time as Iraqi president. Jordanian
Prime Minister, Marouf Bakheet said Raghd, who had been granted
asylum by King Abdullah in 2003 after she fled with her sister
to Jordan after the invasion of Iraq, was living in Jordan
for "humanitarian reasons". The Prime Minister said
Raghd Saddam and her children are guests of the Hashemite
kingdom. Iraq's National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie
who disclosed the list in a televised news conference declined
to say if arrest warrants had been issued for Raghd and her
mother, but said Interpol had received the list. Jordan confirmed
it had not received any formal request but stressed that any
request had to be based on "legal grounds" but that
Amman reserved the right to take a decision that was "in
its national interests". In Amman, Jordan this is Oula
Farawati reporting for FSRN.
BOLIVIAN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Bolivian voters went to the polls yesterday to elect members
of a Constituent Assembly to re-write the country's constitution.
A new constitution has been a key demand of Bolivia's social
movements since the October 2003 ouster of then president
Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. Preliminary results show that the
party of President Evo Morales will likely have a majority
in the Assembly.
INDIA WALKS OUT OF W.T.O. MEETING
The latest round of world trade organization talks collapsed
over the weekend. Binu Alex has more.
India walked out of World Trade Organisation mini-ministerial
meeting in Geneva as members refused to agree on key issues.
The Indian representative said what has been offered may be
free trade but not fair trade. The main purpose of the meeting
was to sort out agriculture and industrial tariff issues.
The United States refusal to agree to cut farm subsidies is
cited as one main reason for the collapse. India's commerce
and industry minister Kamal Nath said he wants a deal that
would benefit all sides, not just the economies of industrialized
nations. [Nath] "If developed countries are seeking market
access, are seeking to enter the Indian market, which destabilizes
the Indian farmer, then, it is not possible to have an agreement."
The collapse of the Geneva talks could mean the member nations
may miss the December 2006 deadline for an agreement set at
the Hong Kong ministerial conference in December last year.
Some analysts say the talks may even be pushed back five to
six years. From Ahmedabad in India, I am Binu Alex for Free
Speech Radio News.
[top]
In Tight Mexican Election, Two Candidates Claim
Victory (2:50)
The world's largest Spanish-speaking nation appears to be
on the brink of an electoral crisis. Preliminary tallies from
Mexico's federal elections institute show conservative National
Action Party candidate Felipe Calderon leading the presidential
election by a razor-thin margin. Manuel Lopez Obrador, the
candidate of the left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution--or
PRD--maintains his party's exit polls show he should win-both
candidates claimed victory yesterday, minutes after elections
officials announced there would be a district by district
recount to determine the winner. Luz Ruiz and Tim Russo filed
this report:
[top]
Rumblings of Electoral Fraud in Oaxaca (2:21)
Lopez Obrador's leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution
swept election returns in the state of Oaxaca, where clashes
between police and striking teachers who are occupying the
capital city have galvanized the region's social movements.
But closed polls and ballot shortages in Oaxaca may have cut
into Obrador's overall vote. Vladimir Flores reports.
[top]
Obrador Supporters Planning Protest Actions (1:11)
The close results and allegations of fraud have raised fears
that any final result will be seen as illegitimate by many
Mexicans. Norm Stockwell reports from Mexico City, where plans
are already underway for massive demonstrations should Manuel
Lopez Obrador lose the final count.
[top]
Anti-War Protesters Plan July 4th Actions
(2:38)
While the U.S. government may shut down on the Fourth of
July, the protests don't don't: anti-war demonstrators are
planning July fourth actions in front of the White House to
demand an end to the occupation of Iraq. Selina Musuta reports
that some demonstrators are wrapping up a weeks-long tour,
and others are just beginning a hunger strike.
[top]
Women Protest Honor Killings in Turkey (3:27)
This Saturday women's organizations protested Turkey's so-called
"honour killings." Ezgy Saritas has more.
[top]
Plant City Residents Cry Foul Over Health Report
(3:51)
Residents of Plant City Florida are up in arms over a new
report from Florida's Department of Health. For decades, residents
had complained of health problems caused by the Coronet company's
phosphate mine there. 1,200 of them have joined a class action
lawsuit against the company, which closed the mine in 2004.
But the Department of Health's first report on the area says
there's nothing to worry about. From WMNF in Tampa, Andrew
Stelzer has the story.
[top]
China Opens Railway to Tibet; Tibetan Nationalists
Protest (3:48)
The first train on The World's highest railway arrived in
the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa early Sunday morning. The
Chinese government is hailing it as a momentous engineering
achievement, but critics fear it will foster greater repression
in the disputed territory of Tibet. Vinod K. Jose reports
that Tibetan nationalists arrested at protests outside the
Chinese embassy have begun a hunger strike in jail.
[top]
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