May 29, 2003
Lima Strikers Under Siege (3:39)
The Peruvian capital of Lima is under a state of emergency, declared yesterday by President Alejandro Toledo in response to growing strikes by the cities teachers who in recent days have been joined by farmers and on Tuesday some 35 000 doctors and nurses in eight government-run hospitals and 3 000 health centers around the country also walked out to demand higher wages. Toledo has troops and armored personnel vehicles around the city and human rights groups fear the situation could spiral out of control. Francisco Soberon, Executive Secretary of the National Association of Human Rights Organizations in Peru joins us from Lima where the situation is tense.
Tensions High in the Congo (4:45)
The United Nations says tensions remain high in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where fighting between armed rebel factions in the town of Bunia has killed hundreds of people in recent weeks. Widespread rape and looting are reported, and humanitarian workers are struggling to care for thousands of civilians who have sought protection from a lightly armed UN peacekeeping force. Now help may be on the way. France yesterday proposed that the Security Council deploy a multinational force to Bunia to prevent further massacres. The measure is likely to be approved within days, and troops could be on the ground by early next week. While human rights groups are applauding the move, some are expressing concern that the longer-term problems of bringing peace to the Congo are not being adequately addressed. Susan Wood reports from the UN.
Iraqi Religious Communities Meet in Jordan (2:50)
Meeting in Amman, Jordan more than 20 representatives of Iraq’s Shiite, Sunni and Christian communities rejected violence and agreed to cooperate in concrete and practical ways to build a more just society in Iraq. The gathering, organized by the New York-based World Conference on Religion and Peace demanded that coalition forces abide by their full responsibilities as the de facto occupying power in compliance with all relevant treaties, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Hague Conventions on the protection of civilians and the provision of the necessary humanitarian requirements for occupied populations. Oula Farawati has more from Amman.
FCC Special Series: Part 3 (4:07)
The Federal Communications Commission is considering reducing media ownership rules in part because the commissioners believe that there are a plethora of options for free expression and diversity of opinions. In Tampa, Florida the only cable television provider to one of the nation’s leading media markets rejected a commercial produced by the advocacy group MoveOn.org. The commercial criticizes the tax cut plan, now signed into law. At the time the commercial was proposed, the tax plan was still being debated in Congress. WMNF’s Randi Zimmerman has this report in Part 3 of our FCC Special Series.
System Fails Young Black Girls (4:14)
It has been reported today that whilst the 20 students who took part in the hazing incident at Glenbrook North High School in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Glenview, will be able to sit their end of year exams, despite being suspended, they may have to undergo counseling, do community service and agree not to profit by selling their story. While the corporate press continues to focus on the behavior of these young, white, middle-class women, recent statistics show that young black women have greater battles to contend with and are more likely to go to prison than their white counterparts – actions that would not be considered criminal if committed by an adult. Ama Buadi looks at the reasons behind this trend in NYC.
