July 19, 2002
Interview with Hamas Leader (6:27)
This morning Israeli officials announced they are considering deporting relatives of Palestinians believed to have committed terrorist acts. Earlier this week Israeli soldiers arrested sixteen relatives of two Palestinian men alleged to be terrorists, and expelled the males to the Gaza Strip. A government spokesperson told the press Israel might make this a new policy, believing that the expulsion of relatives will help deter new terrorist attacks. Members of the Palestinian Hamas group have responded with talk of stepping up their “martyrdom operations” if the deportations are carried out. Free Speech Radio News correspondent Kata Mester recently spoke with Gazi Hammad, Hamas Leader for the Southern Gaza Strip.
MOX Fuel : Return to Sender (4:25)
On July 4, two ships carrying more than five hundred pounds of uranium and plutonium nuclear fuel mixture known as MOX, left Japan en route to the United Kingdom. The Mox fuel was manufactured in the UK and shipped to Japan in 1999 for use in its nuclear energy reactor. It was subsequently discovered that the company who manufactured the fuel, BNFL, had falsified safety data. Now the BNFL, which is owned by the British government, is shipping the fuel back to England. More on this story from Patrick Beckett.
Zero Tolerance for French Youth (3:26)
Government officials in France introduced a new bill to Parliament last week that calls for sweeping reforms of the country’s juvenile justice system. The bill angered many intellectuals, labor leaders, and human rights activists, who criticized the proposal for its American-style ‘zero tolerance’ approach to juvenile crime. Rafael Krafft, reporting from Paris, has more on this story.
Pine Ridge Residents Fight for the Badlands (3:59)
A dispute has erupted in the Badlands of South Dakota between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the National Park Service over protection of sacred and cultural sites in the area. The disagreement centers over who has the right to manage the resources in the part of the park that lies within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation. A protest camp at Stronghold Table in the South Unit of the Badlands has been established to call for the return of the land to tribal peoples and the fulfillment of treaty rights. Reporting from South Dakota, Charles Michael Ray has this story.
Arrested Activists Return from Ecuador (1:37)
And finally tonight, as Ecuador was crippled by mass strikes over oil and wage issues, local and U.S.-based environmental activists were arrested and deported for protesting plans to build a new oil pipeline. The coastal province of the Esmereldas, home to the Andean nation’s main oil refinery, was paralyzed by marches and blocked roads. American Julia Butterfly Hill was one of the international observers to be forcibly removed from Ecuador. Joining local people affected by oil development in the region, Hill and the local representatives were blocked in their attempt to negotiate the planned pipeline. Immigration police arrived on the scene and immediately became violent. Soon after, Hill was removed from the protest, and deported. Monica Lopez reports.
