March 18, 2002
The Biggest Anti-Globalization Protest Ever
Over 300,000 people rallied in Barcelona this weekend in the largest anti-globalization demonstrations to date. They were protesting against the European Union trade liberalization policies. Pratap Chatterjee files this report from Spain.
World Leaders Hob-Nob Over Poverty in Monterrey, Mexico
Dozens of world leaders opened a meeting today in Monterrey Mexico to discuss how to channel more money to the 1 billion people who live on less than $1 a day. Europe and the US are at odds regarding how to help the world’s poorest people — so the two are expected to propose rival plans to the UN Conference on Poverty. The meeting is seen as a vital test of the developed world’s willingness to grapple with poverty in under developed nations. Luz Ruiz reports from Monterrey.
Jennifer Harbury Before the Supreme Court
Jennifer Harbury represented herself in front of the US Supreme Court this morning. Harbury’s husband, a resistance fighter in the Guatemalan Civil War, was captured in 1992, tortured and ultimately murdered by Guatemalan soldiers on the CIA payroll. Harbury says she could have saved her husband’s life if US officials hadn’t lied to her about what they knew. Harbury is trying to sue the government for damages. But the US attorneys say if Harbury is allowed to go forward with her case and wins, day-to-day communication between the government and the public could slow dramatically. Free Speech Radio News correspondent reports from the Supreme Court.
Enron and the Timber of Southern Colorado
An agricultural community in Southern Colorado fought to gain access to traditionally communal land for more than 40 years, and now Enron is tied up in the conflict. Lou Pai is the former CEO of Enron Energy Services and current owner of the land. Descendants of the original settlers in San Luis, Colorado filed a lawsuit that asks for recognition of their right to use the land. The plaintiffs are awaiting a ruling from the State Supreme Court. This weekend, about 70 people rallied in protest outside the gates of the 77,000-acre tract. Nell Geiser was there and files this report.
WTC Toxic Scrap to India
More than 30,000 tons of steel scrap — possibly contaminated with carcinogenic substances — was exported from the rubble of New York’s World Trade Center to India and other parts of Asia. In a letter to the US embassy in New Delhi, three major Indian trade unions, Greenpeace and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties blasted the US Government for its “continued inaction” in stemming the export of waste and scrap to industrializing countries. They called it a “consistent pattern in keeping with the United States’ tacit, if not active, support for toxic trade.” The import of toxic waste by India violates that nation’s own hazardous waste import rules. As Sputnik Kilambi reports, citizens groups in India say the US should provide evidence that the scrap shipped to India is free of poisonous contaminants.
