PROGRAM NOTES 02/17/23-
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This weeks show features stories from RADIO DEUTSCHE-WELLE, NHK JAPAN, RADIO HAVANA CUBA, and FRANCE 24.

From GERMANY- In Italy, a court has acquitted Silvio Berlusconi of bribing witnesses in a sex-scandal trial from 2013. Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as the Scottish first minister. There is a controversy in the European Commission over whether to call hydrogen derived from nuclear power plants renewable energy- many electric vehicles will soon run on hydrogen fuel cells.

From JAPAN- The nuclear power industry in Japan is hiring with plans to expand in the next 2 years. A report on the balloons attacked in US airspace, including a Chinese government response and a proposed change in Japanese military limitations. The environmental catastrophe in Pakistan continues more than 6 months after flooding caused by a changing climate. Tax officials in India searched the offices of the BBC after a documentary critical of Prime Minister Modi led to a ban in the country.

From CUBA- The UN Human Rights Commissioner recommended a special police force be sent to Haiti to control gangs who are killing, raping and stealing. 4 men in Florida were arrested and charged with conspiracy in the assassination of former Haitian President Moise in 2021. Barcelona has temporarily broken ties with Israel over its policy toward Palestinians. A panel at the UN has called on the international community to take action to stop systematic housing demolition and forced evictions in Palestine. As many as 5 million Syrians are homeless following the earthquake.

From FRANCE In France large protests and strikes continue over government plans to change their pensions. In the face of continuing nationwide protests, the Israeli President Herzog appealed to PM Netanyahu to suspend plans to reform the judiciary. A press review on the work of an organization called Forbidden Stories which reports on attacked journalists.

"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume."
--Noam Chomsky