Headlines for Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Nigerian Government under fire in wake of religious attacks
In Nigeria, acting President Goodluck Jonathan fired his security minister late Monday night; this follows a violent rampage over the weekend that killed hundreds.  Local residents have criticized the government for failing to provide adequate protection for villagers outside of Jos, an area that’s seen an increase in religious violence over the past few months.  Un secretary general Ban Ki Moon says in addition to security, the focus should be on finding a solution to the religious conflict between Christians and Muslims.

“Nigeria's political and religious leaders should work together to address the underlying causes and to achieve a permanent solution to the crisis in Jos."

Uganda cant afford to treat AIDS patients
The Ugandan AIDS commission says it doesn’t have the 4 billion dollars it will cost to supply medication to the 350 thousand Ugandans with AIDS.  The announcement comes just after the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria released its annual report.  It cites continuing advances in treatment, including the possible elimination of Mother to child HIV by 2015.  But the head of the fund is appealing to regular donors, and warning that a drop off in private donations due to the global recession could have devastating impacts in the treatment and prevention of AIDS, especially in Africa.

Burmese Junta publishes new election laws
The Military dictatorship in Burma released a new set of laws for this year's planned elections.  The first policy stipulates that the 5 members of the electoral commission must be seen by the generals as people with integrity.  It's assumed that this means the commission will be made up of people loyal to the ruling junta.  The elections would be the first since 1990, when pro-democracy Activist Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide, but the results were not honored and Suu Kyi was arrested.  Suu Kyi is scheduled to be released from house arrest in November, although she’s barred from standing for election, its still likely the election will be held before her release.  The UN and the international community have called for the more than 2000 political prisoners in Burma to be released before the elections are held.

Tibetans in India try to break into Chinese Embassy
A day ahead of the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising, Indian police arrested a group of Tibetan refugees after they tried to storm the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi.  Bismillah Geelani has the story.

Dozens of Tibetan exiles staged a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. Holding Tibetan Flags, the protesters shouted slogans against Chinese repression; one chained himself to a pole. At least 20 were arrested as they tried to force their way into the Embassy building.  One of them is 25-old Yongzam, a member of the Tibetan Youth Congress

“We want withdrawal of Chinese troops!  Justice has been raped in Tibet! No human rights in Tibet, we want freedom!”

The Police say all the detainees will be released later today.  India is home to the majority of Tibetan exiles, including their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.  Exiles all over the world have planned a series of protests on Wednesday to mark the 51st anniversary of their struggle against Chinese rule in Tibet.

Bismillah Geelani, Free Speech Radio News.

Post election protests continue in Togo
For the fourth day straight, police in Togo’s capital city have attacked hundreds of demonstrators, who are out in the street protesting a March 4th election, which they say was fraudulent.  Police set up roadblocks, and used tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrations, and to prevent Opposition candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre from reaching the protests.  Fabre has refused to concede defeat; he says his party has proof of rigged votes in the victory of incumbent President Faure Gnassingbe.  EU election observers did not mention the alleged ballot stuffing or vote rigging in a preliminary report, but said there was evidence the ruling party may have tried to buy votes by handing out rice.

Supermarket Workers on strike in New England
More than 300 Boston-area super market workers are on strike after contract negotiations broke down between them and their employer, Shaw’s Supermarkets of New England. Chuck Rosina has the story.

Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 791, who work at distribution centers for Shaw’s supermarkets, voted overwhelmingly to go on Strike on Sunday. The company’s proposed cuts would cost union workers about $28 per week, or about $1,456 annually for family health insurance plans.  The picket began on Monday at the Methuen, Massachusetts Warehouse, from which much of the perishable foods are delivered daily to the markets.  Today, union members fanned out to set up picket lines at several local stores in the Boston area.  Public opinion has been mixed, with some saying that Union members are being greedy in a tough economy, and that they should be thankful for even having a job.  Peter Derouen, spokesperson for the Union, refutes that claim:

“This is not a greedy situation in the least.  This company is trying to use the economy as an excuse to shift the major cost of their health care onto these workers, and that’s totally unacceptable.”

Shaw's is owned by the Minnesota based Supervalu Corporation, which earned over 100 million dollars in the third quarter of last year.

Chuck Rosina, FSRN, Boston.

Catholic school kicks out child of lesbian parents
A Catholic elementary school in Boulder Colorado has refused to re-enroll a kindergarten student because her parents are lesbians.  The Archdiocese of Denver has defended the decision made by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.  A protest was held outside the church on Sunday; advocacy groups are also investigating if the school broke any laws in refusing to re-admit the student.

Indian law guaranteeing government seats to women moves forward
And following up from a story we reported yesterday, the upper house of India’s parliament has approved a law that would guarantee one-third of the seats in the country’s legislature and state assemblies will be held by women.  The constitutional amendment, which has faced opposition for the last 14 years, still has to be approved by the lower house of parliament, state assemblies, and the President.