Headlines for Thursday, July 2, 2009

River of protesters enter Honduran capital despite martial law
Despite a congressional decree in Honduras that restricted civil and personal liberties on Wednesday afternoon, tens of thousands swept the streets of Tegucigalpa this morning in defiance of the martial law. FSRN’s Tim Russo brings us the latest on the situation.
Thousands of indigenous, Garífuna, peasants, workers and women from towns, villages and cities throughout Honduras arrived in Tegucigalpa this morning despite the intense military presence blocking the entrance to the capital. Many walked for hours to express their indignation with the coup that has choked Honduras since June 28th. Tens of thousands more marched to the city entrance to greet the new arrivals.  Protesters described today’s march as a moving river of people.  They demanded an end to martial law that has stripped constitutional rights – limiting freedom of movement and allowing military home searches and indefinite detentions.  Demonstrators also welcomed Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum who arrived in Tegucigalpa this morning to denounce the coup.  Tim Russo, FSRN, Tegucigalpa.

Indian court decriminalizes gay sex
After a historic ruling from a New Delhi court, gay sex is now legal in the surrounding state.  Gay activists in India hailed the ruling as a victory.  Now the government can either challenge the ruling to the Supreme Court or use the decision to pass legislation extending the protections to other states.  From India, Shahnawaz Khan reports.
Homosexuality has been illegal in India since 1860 under a British colonial law that banned "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."  Conviction carried a fine and maximum 10-year jail sentence.  Hearing a petition filed by the gay rights group Naz Foundation, The Delhi High Court said the existing ban on homosexual acts is discriminatory and a violation of individual rights guaranteed by the country’s constitution.  Activists have been fighting for this for eight years.  Religious leaders from Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities have criticized the ruling.  Shahnawaz Khan. FSRN. Srinagar.

Comorans protest poor airline conditions outside the EU
Following the crash of a Yemeni aircraft earlier this week that killed over 150 people, Comoran protesters in Paris disrupted the boarding of a Yemenia airlines flight.  Dozens of residents of the Island nation of Comoros died in this week’s crash.  Protesters say passengers on Yemenia flights outside European airspace experience deplorable conditions – often forced to fly on planes banned by European authorities for safety reasons.

Spilled coal ash from TVA breach cleared for deposited in Alabama landfill
The Tennessee Valley Authority is still working to clean up more than 5 million cubic yards of coal ash that spilled into the Emory River in Eastern Tennessee.  The spill happened after a retaining wall breached in December.  Today, the Environmental Protection Agency gave its blessing to a plan to ship up to three million cubic yards of the ash to a landfill in rural Alabama.  Brandon Hollingsworth, of WUAL radio in Tuscaloosa reports.
The coal ash is a byproduct of power generation, and its destination is Perry County, one of Alabama’s poorest. County officials and the E-P-A say amounts of toxic chemicals present in the ash are below dangerous limits, but that hasn’t quieted concern from area residents. Michael Churchman, of the Alabama Environmental Council.
“We’ve heard from a number of people from around the state saying this is an injustice – that this material is unacceptable in some states, and yet our regulations are apparently not stringent enough to keep it from being accepted in the state of Alabama.”
The county will be compensated for burying the coal ash, to the tune of a dollar-five per cubic yard. County Commissioner Albert Turner says the first trainloads of ash are slated to arrive Saturday.  Brandon Hollingsworth, FSRN, Tuscaloosa.