Archive - Jul 6, 2009

• Honduran military bars ousted President from re-entering the country; four killed in protests
• Scores dead after protests turn violent in China´s Xinjiang province
• Obama negotiates weapons controls in Russia
• State-run health care could be costly for low-income Americans
• Three decades later, trial against former Black Panthers resumes

• Ex Gitmo Detainee says US to destroy evidence of torture
• Appeal expected in GM bankruptcy court ruling on asset sale
• Oil output from Niger Delta cut considerably following more attacks on facilities
• Mid-term elections in Mexico reveal resurgence of PRI
• Robert McNamara: 1916 - 2009

Political tensions are increasing in the Central American nation of Honduras, after ousted President Manuel Zelaya was barred from landing at the Tegucigalpa International Airport by the Honduran military.
Just prior to the deposed President´s landing attempt, a large demonstration turned violent, as the Honduran military clashed with thousands of Zelaya supporters who had surrounded the Tegucigalpa Airport.
At least four people were killed in the incident, including including two juveniles, with each side blaming the other for the deaths.  FRSN´s Tim Russo reports from the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Some 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in southern China, in order to escape floods. At least 75 people are believed to have died as a result of the flooding as heavy rains continue in several provinces.
Meanwhile at least 152 people died in northwest China this weekend after protests in Xinjiang province, turned violent. The protesters were Uighurs, an ethnic group that is a minority throughout China, but that has a large presence in the northwestern Xinjiang province. Unlike most of China´s population, Uighurs are predominantly Muslim and their language has Turkic roots.
Uighur groups say they were peacefully protesting the deaths of two Uighur factory workers who died last month in a brawl with workers from China´s Han majority. But the Chinese government says the protests and the subsequent violence have been orchestrated by “terrorist groups”  who want independence from China.
To understand more about the current situation and the ethnic tensions in Xinjiang, FSRN spoke to Sophie Richardson, the Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.

The chill in U-S – Russia relations may be thawing. President Obama is in Russia for a few days, negotiating arms control agreements and working toward better cooperation. The former cold war enemies have already reached some significant agreements.  FSRN'S Tanya Snyder has the story.

The US Congress has returned from its July 4th holiday and health care is climbing to the top of the agenda as key committees are finalizing details of the proposals.  At the heart of the debate is a public option, a government run health insurance plan to cover the uninsured.  FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports that the public option could be costly for low to middle income people.

Six members of a group known as "the San Francisco Eight" - some of whom are former Black Panthers - are facing charges in a San Francisco Court today. In 1971 the San Francisco Eight were accused of killing a city police officer. Charges were dropped over three decades ago against three men, when a judge found that their confessions were obtained with torture methods.  FSRN'S Africa Jones Reports.