Headlines for Monday, February 15, 2010

3 Children die when school collapses in Haiti
Three more kids died in Haiti today. According to the Red Cross their school collapsed after heavy rains.

Black Farmers call on Congress to pony up
Black farmers from around the country rallied today in Washington. They want Congress to pay up on a discrimination settlement.  FSRN’s Karen Miller has more.

The Obama administration has already put 1.15 billion dollars in the budget for compensation to black farmers, who for decades were treated unjustly by the Department of Agriculture. Congress however has yet to approve the funds for release.  John Boyd is President of the National Black Farmers Association.

“We are trying to get Congress to appropriate the money so black farmers will not have to wait. We want to get this over with so we can move on with our lives.”

Black farmers were denied loans and grants made available for white farmers for years. Boyd says that based on the number of farmers filing claims – most will receive about $50,000.

“It is a drop in the bucket for what the government done to black farmers and this is something that is owed to the farmers it has been promised for a very, very long time.”

Rallies have also been held recently in Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. Karen Miller, FSRN, Washington.

Indiana Senator “does not love Congress”
Democratic Senator Evan Bayh announced today that he will not seek reelection at the end of his term. The two-term Senator said he is stepping down because while he remains passionate about public service – he no longer wants to serve the public in the US Senate.

Democrats now face three Senate seats lost to retirements in the next election.  Republicans need a net increase of 10 seats to take control of the chamber.

Knesset told of violations of construction freeze
The Israeli Defense Ministry acknowledged numerous violations of a  temporary ban on settlement construction.  FSRN's Ghassan Bannoura reports.

According to Deputy Israeli defense minister Matan Vilnai, there have been 28] direct violations of a ten month government ordered construction freeze in West Bank settlements. The Israeli government, which has ministers who live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, announced the freeze late last year. Israel said the temporary freeze was imposed in hopes of moving forward stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. The freeze order did not include Jerusalem or infrastructure buildings in the settlements.

Left wing groups in Israel who oppose the settlements say construction in the West Bank never stopped after the government ban.  Palestinians demand a full halt in settlement construction before peace talks can be resumed. In related news, on Sunday the Israeli government's Legislation Committee discussed a bill that would compensate settlers affected by the construction freeze. The measure calls for a compensation structure similar to the one used by the Israeli government during the evacuation of the Gaza Strip settlements in 2005. Ghassan Bannourra, FSRN, Jerusalem.

Detained health workers appear in court in Philippines
Forty three health workers who were arrested last week in the Philippines appeared in court today. They were accused of being affiliated with the New People’s Army. The group was detained over a week ago at a workshop for community health workers. Military officials claim the workshop was on bomb making.  Advocates for the group say they have been tortured, threatened and forced to confess. The Philippine military refused access to group until they were ordered to do so by the court. A decision about the legality of their arrest is due Wednesday.

FARC attacks candidate in Colombia
FARC rebels ambushed a conservative candidate in southern Colombia on Sunday. Manuel Rueda has more from Bogota.

Jose Alberto Perez is running for state governor in a special election that precedes nation-wide congressional elections on March 14th. His convoy was attacked as it headed to a small town in Guaviare, a remote province on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, where fighting between the FARC, Paramilitaries and the army is commonplace. Perez, who is running for Colombia’s conservative party, survived the attack, sustaining a bullet wound to his leg. But four policemen who escorted him were killed as they exchanged fire with the guerrillas. Two civilians died from stray bullets. Election monitors say armed groups in rural Colombia frequently threaten candidates who oppose their interests.16 candidates and more than 70 campaign workers were assassinated in the last local elections back in 2007, and death threats have already been reported this year. Despite Sunday’s attack, the government says the special election in Guaviare will still take place.  Manuel Rueda, FSRN, Bogota.

Belgian train accident under investigation, at least 18 dead
The death toll from this morning’s train accident in Belgium remains uncertain – at least 18 people are dead and 55 others injured.  A commuter train ran a red light and collided with an oncoming train outside Brussels. Investigators are trying to determine if the accident was caused by human error or if consistently freezing temperatures caused equipment to malfunction.