August 05, 2005
Headlines (5:16)
British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a strict package of measure to expel and keep out anyone who teaches violence or hatred in England.Blair said he will ignore human rights laws as the situation in Britain has changed.
AUDIO CUT: Blair
In his proposal, Blair says he will deport anyone with association to a violent group, he will extend the length of time to hold suspects with out charge longer than the current 14 day time limit, and he wants the power to close any place of worship that preaches violence. Civil liberties groups and Islamic leaders are alarmed at his proposals. The Liberal Democrats said Blair will not gain their support for these proposals.
A trial began in Indonesia for U.S. gold mining giant Newmont over charges they dumped toxic waste and polluted Buyat Bay. The trial of the Denver-based mining company and its president Richard Ness opened in a district court in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province. From Jakarta Meggy Margiyono reports.
The European Union presented Iran their package of incentives to not re-start their nuclear program, after Iran has threatened several times tore-start a major plant this week. Tony Cross has more from Paris.
Brazil’s president Lula De Silva has received more calls for impeachment over a bribery scheme, but no evidence has yet proved Lula’s connection to scandal that has plagued Lula’s worker’s party. Natalia Viana has more from Sao Paulo.
A senior official from the UN’s food aid organization says one out of three children in the military state fun state of Myanmar are chronically malnourished or physically stunted. From Bangkok, FSRN’s Doualy Xaykaothau reports.
Features
AWOL Israeli Soldier Opens Fire on Bus, Killing Four (3:05)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has condemned the shooting of four Israeli Arabs by a Jewish gunman on board a bus in the north of Israel Thursday night as an act of terror. The gunman wounded an additional 12 people before being killed by a mob that surrounded the bus. As Irris Makler reports from Jerusalem, the gunman, who was newly religious had deserted from the Israeli Army because he opposed Israeli’s impending Gaza withdrawal.
Death Row Detainee from India’s War on Terror Acquitted (1:55)
In December 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks, gunmen attacked the Indian Parliament, leaving 14 people dead including the 5 gunmen who carried out the attacks.. According to both the Indian and US administrations, the attack was considered the second attack in the “global calendar of terrorism”. New Delhi claimed the assault was led by Pakistan-based militants and was supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency – a charge Islamabad strongly denied. According to Indian police and media, S.A.R. Geelani, a Kashmiri Muslim Professor teaching in Delhi University was the master mind behind the attack. But now, India’s Supreme Court says he is an innocent man, and have acquitting him from death row. Our correspondent Vinod K. Jose has the details.
Left Split on Eve on Venezuelan Local Elections (3:39)
Venezuelans will head to the polls this Sunday to select city council members. While president Hugo Chavez continues to command widespread support among the population, Chavez’s party, the Fifth Republic Movement, or MVR for its Spanish acronym, has been widely rejected as elitist and non-representative of community interests. And, as reporters Yajaira Hernandez and Jhonny Moreno report, community and local political groups have formed alternative electoral alliances and parties to contest the upcoming elections and wrest power away from the MVR.
Iranians Wonder if Their New President Can Deliver (3:46)
Iran’s new conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will begin his new terms after being sworn in this weekend. He succeeds former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, who leaves office after two consecutive presidential terms. Ahmadinejad’s two biggest challenges during his first months include Iran’s nuclear program and reform movement, which started on May 23, the date of Khatami’s victory. Saeedeh Jamshidi reports.
Mauritania’s African Union Membership Suspended After Coup (3:22)
Mauritania’s membership in the African Union, or AU, has been suspended as a result of the coup in that country on Wednesday. The AU says the country must restore constitutional order, and the coup, which took place in the country’s capital of Nouakchott which the President was traveling, has been condemned by the UN, France and the US. Ndiaga Seck reports.
Survivors of the Atomic Bombing of Japan Visit Los Alamos Lab 60 Years Later (3:48)
Today marks the eve of the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, and the second bombing of Nagasaki three days later. To commemorate those days and to remember the consequences of the blasts, two atomic bomb survivors have come to Los Alamos National Laboratory to witness where the nuclear bombs were created. As Leslie Clark reports, the day was filled with sorrow and forgiveness.
