October 22, 2002
Israelis Ban Palestinians from their Farms (3:58)
Following an attack yesterday that was claimed by Islamic Jihad in which 14 people were killed and scores injured, Israeli soldiers in Hebron destroyed the house of a relative of a senior Islamic Jihad figure. This is after the IDF ordered residents out of their homes and opened fire on the houses. Meanwhile as the rest of the world views the Israeli response to this latest attack as restrained, Awad Duaibes reports that the Israeli military today began banning Palestinians access to their own farms for the harvest.
Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Death Penalty Cases (3:30)
The US Supreme Court this week voted not to hear a pair of high-profile death penalty cases. In the first case, the court was asked to consider whether leaving an inmate on death row for decades amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. In the second case, involving an offender under the age of 18, some death penalty opponents see the high court waiting to see how many states will ban the execution of minors before making the decision on the federal level. Josh Chaffin reports from Washington.
Colombians Bring Cases to Human Rights Commission (4:13)
Last week in Colombia, as the government’s armed forces confronted rebel groups in the city of Medellin, killing civilians and detaining 38 militia members, and as students clashed with police in a protest in Cali, representatives from Colombian legal entities that defend human rights, traveled to Washington DC for hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Commission is one of two bodies in the Inter-American system to protect human rights — and is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States. Nicole Karsin interviewed two people representing cases in the Commission before they left the Colombian capital, and she has this report.
Berkeley to Vote on Fair Trade Coffee Mandate (4:01)
Berkeley California voters will decide next month whether to require all coffee sold in the city to be fair trade. If passed, ballot Measure O will make sure that every cafe, restaurant, diner, bookshop and convenience store will sell coffee that has been certified fair trade, meaning the coffee will come from growers in the developing world who guarantee farmers a living wage. From Berkeley Max Pringle has more.
Six Men Indicted for Al-Qaeda Connections – Despite Lack of Evidence (4:43)
In Buffalo, NY, a federal grand jury today indicted six men on charges of providing material support to Al-Qaeda, this after federal authorities acknowledged that they had no evidence that the men were planning a specific and imminent attack. Meanwhile the incidents of immigrant detentions around the country have been increasing in recent weeks. Deepa Fernandes reports.
