May 16, 2007
Headlines (6:20)
Wolfowitz Under Fire
The Bush administration and World Bank directors are negotiating President Paul Wolfowitz’s departure from the world’s biggest aid agency, said two bank officials. Eli Whitney Debevoise II, who represents the U.S. on the bank’s board, is discussing terms for the resignation with a panel of directors that admonished Wolfowitz for his role in a pay raise for his partner, said one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ABC News reported that Wolfowitz may leave today.
FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY INAUGURATED
France’s new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, officially took over from Jacques Chirac today. After being accused of being autocratic and divisive during the election campaign, he promised to unite the French people and promised change. Tony Cross reports from Paris.
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK MEETS IN CHINA
The African Development Bank today began its annual board meetings in Shanghai, the first time the meetings have been held in Asia. FSRN’s Elise Potaka has more from Beijing.
RAILWAY RIOTS IN BUENOS AIRES
Delays in railway services sparked violent riots in Buenos Aires last night, when rail commuters set fire to parts of a train station. Marie Trigona reports from Buenos Aires.
URIBE SCANDALS GROW
Top police officials in Colombia have resigned after the revelation of thousands of hours of illegal wiretaps and added another element of scandal to the Uribe government. Mike Ceaser is in Bogota.
OAXACA DEMONSTRATIONS RESUME PEACEFULLY
Protesters demanding the resignation of the governor of Oaxaca marched to the center the colonial state capital yesterday and vowed to block a major folk festival for a second year running. A year to the day after the start of a bitter teacher’s strike that paralyzed Oaxaca city for five months, several thousand leftist activists and teachers walked peacefully to the downtown plaza they seized last year. A representative of the protesters vowed to disrupt the annual Guelaguetza festival, a top attraction traditionally held on the last two Mondays in July. The threat to block the festival appeared to be a direct challenge to Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whose resignation the protesters are demanding. The conflict that began on May 15, 2006 as a strike by teachers seeking higher pay, quickly grew into a broader movement known as the People’s Assembly of Oaxaca, or APPO. It included Indian groups, students, farmers and left-leaning activists who claim Ruiz rigged his electoral victory and has repressed opponents.
Features
Presidential Candidates in the Senate Show Off Anti-War Stance (3:30)
The US Senate rejected a measure to bring US troops home by March 31, 2008. Yet, the Feingold Reid amendment was one of several offered today that are largely symbolic, giving 2008 Presidential candidates an opportunity to show off their anti-war stance. Ingrid Drake reports from Washington, DC.
Halliburton Annual Shareholder’s Meeting Greeted by Protest (4:40)
Oil services giant Halliburton drew protests again at its annual shareholder meeting today in Houston. Under heavy security, opponents of war profiteering threw the company a going away party. Inside the meeting, Halliburton distanced itself from its controversial subsidiary KBR – the Pentagon’s largest contractor in Iraq. From Houston, Renee Feltz reports.
Palestinians Mark 59th Anniversary of Nakba (2:30)
Palestinians mark the 59th anniversary of their Nakba (catastrophe) this week, which was sparked in May 1948, when Israel was established on Palestinian lands. Violence continues nearly six decades later: 38 people have been killed and approximately 100 injured during deadly factional infighting in Gaza since Friday. FSRN’s Rami Almeghari has more.
Florida Faces Climate Change Challenges (4:00)
Global climate change caused by an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gasses, especially carbon dioxide, promises to be one of the most devastating environmental, economic, and social problems that humanity will face this century. FSRN’s Sean Kinane reports on the challenges faced by the state of Florida in dealing with climate change.
Critics Denounce New Biofuel Partnership (4:00)
The Energy Biosciences Institute is a new partnership between British Petroleum – one of the world’s largest oil and energy companies – and public universities, including UC Berkeley. Opponents of the deal say big oil is using the biofuel label to continue business as usual. FSRN’s Christina Aanestad reports.
