Newscast for Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Activists ask G8 leaders to fulfill promises at summit
The leaders of the world´s richest countries, the G8, began their meeting in the Italian town of L'Aquila today. Presidents and Prime Ministers expressed their views on climate change and the global economic downturn, while leaders of developing countries who are also present at the summit, pressured the G8 to fulfill previous promises to fight global poverty. FSRN reporter Diletta Varlese has more.

Indonesians await presidential election results
Indonesia is the world´s third largest democracy and with more than 200 million people it has the world´s fourth largest population.
Presidential elections took place in the island nation today and Indonesians are anxiously awaiting the results, which could take up to two weeks to come in.  President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is likely to be reelected, with exit polls giving him almost 60% of the votes.  FSRN´s Sharon Sobotta reports.

Mexico to decriminalize small drug posession
Mexican President Felipe Calderon is poised to sign a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of narcotics. The bill has been portrayed as a tolerant approach towards drug users and a way to prioritize the fight against cartel heavyweights, but the devil is in the details. Shannon Young takes a closer look.

Pennsylvania Congressmember tackles discrimination against gays in the military
Massachusetts sued the US government today over a law that defines marriage as an act between a man and a woman. The state´s Attorney General, Martha Coakley, says the Federal Defense of Marriage Act interferes with Massachusetts right to define marriage as it sees fit.
Some 16,000 same sex couples have tied the knot in Massachusetts since the state legalized gay marriages in 2004. The current lawsuit says they are being denied the same federal benefits as straight couples.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Pennsylvania congressmember and Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy has taken up the cause of overturning the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that bars openly gay people from serving in the military.  But Murphy and his allies face hurdles in Congress and the Pentagon.  FSRN’s Matt Pearson reports.

Government watchdog says stimulus dollars are backlogged
A new government watchdog report reveals that economic stimulus dollars are trickling out slower than expected. But Democrats defend the nearly $800 billion spending bill, saying the money will begin flowing in the next couple of months.  FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Swords to Plowshares seeks green jobs for vets
The US Department of Labor recently announced $7.5 million in employment and training grants for organizations that will help place veterans in green jobs. And with this money it plans to help 3,000 veterans across the country.
To understand more about this initiative, FSRN contacted Swords to Plowshares. “Swords” is a California based non-profit and it recently received a $300,000 grant to assist unemployed veterans in the Bay Area. FSRN spoke with Dave Lopez, the director of employment and training services.