Wikinews:Audio Wikinews/Transcripts/June 2, 2005

Audio Wikinews transcript – 2005 06 02 – 0530 UTC
As reported by Nicholas Gerda

June 2, 2005. This is Wikinews.

Lead Story
Dutch exit poll: 63% say 'no' to EU constitution The first of the exit polls suggest that 63% of Dutch voters have rejected the European Constitution. Turnout was unexpectedly high, at over 62%. The 'no' vote follows a similar vote in France last week that lead to the resignation of the prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. As in France, the government was highly pro-treaty, with Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, pleading over the past few days with voters not to be influenced by the French 'No' vote. While the citizenship's vote is legally non-binding, Mr. Balkenende and the Dutch parliament have said they will support it. The major reasons for the 'no' vote appear to be worry over Turkey's inclusion and the rapid expansion of the EU, loss of a national identity, plus inflation and unhappiness with the government.

Headlines
Huge Gay Pride parade held in Brazil In what may possibly be the largest Gay Pride parade in the world, hundreds of thousands of people marched along the streets of São Paulo, Brazil today in the Parada do Orgulho GLBT de São Paulo. Many marchers were demanding the legalization of same-sex marriage. Brazil is the largest Roman Catholic country on Earth, and the Roman Catholic Church has consistently opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country. The National Congress of Brazil has debated legalization for 10 years, and such civil marriages are currently only legal in Rio Grande do Sul. The original bill was drafted by former mayor of São Paulo, Marta Suplicy. The proposed legislation, after being amended, is now in the hands of Roberto Jefferson. Protesters hope to collect a petition of 1.2 million signatures to present to the National Congress in November. People carrying flags and banners, some dressed in lavish carnival costumes, walked and danced in the ninth annual Gay Pride parade, stretching for 3.5 kilometres along Avenida Paulista. Traffic was diverted throughout most of the city, and drinks and snacks vendors took advantage of the barriers across many streets. Prominent people joining the parade were the actor Sergio Mamberti, representing the Culture Minister Gilberto Gil, and senator Eduardo Suplicy. Organizers stated that 2.5 million people attended, and police stated that there were 1.9 million — figures which would make the event the largest of its kind in the world — including 700,000 visitors from other cities and countries. This was an increase from 2004, when police stated that 1.5 million people attended.

France gets a new prime minister President Jacques Chirac of France has accepted the resignation of prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and has named Dominique de Villepin in his place. The resignation of Mr. Raffarin comes shortly after the resounding refusal of the ratification of the treaty establishing the European Constitution in a referendum. (See France votes no in EU referendum). While Mr. Raffarin was initially popular with the French citizens (polled at 60% of trust in 2002), he gradually lost support from the population, up to record levels; according to polls, only 22% of the population trust him (including only 2% who trust him strongly). The prime minister has responsibility for the day-to-day running of the French government. There are questions whether Mr. de Villepin, who has never held elected office and has ascended mostly as a Chirac aide, will be well-received by the population and by the parliamentary majority. His nomination was immediately criticized by left-wing politicians, as well as by the center-right Union for French Democracy, a junior partner in the ruling coalition, as a continuation of the same failed policies; Mr. Villepin was himself criticized as being out-of-touch with respect of the daily needs of the population. The Union for a Popular Movement, the party created for backing Chirac, has now rallied behind Nicolas Sarkozy, whose reciprocal distaste for Chirac and Villepin is well-published. Jacques Chirac announced that Nicolas Sarkozy would be Minister of State (a honorific rank) in the government; it is yet unknown what his attributions will be, but it is rumored that he will become Minister of the Interior, a position whose main function is law enforcement and which he also held from 2002 to 2004. According to polls, Mr. Sarkozy is France's most popular politician.

Live 8 concert plans announced In a press conference held at 13:00 UTC today, Sir Bob Geldof, Elton John, and Harvey Goldsmith announced Live 8, a set of simultaneous free concerts to be held in Philadephia, London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin on July 2, 2005, to raise awareness of Make Poverty History, a campaign to get the richest nations to cancel debt and increase aid to developing countries. The concerts are scheduled to occur just before the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, from July 6 to July 8. "20 years ago, at the time of the original Live Aid concert, I was a self-obsessed drug addict.", began Elton John. "I've grown up since". He then describe the aim of the concerts to raise awareness in the richest countries of the world of the plights of the poorest, and how his work on global AIDS awareness had impressed upon him the lack of awareness and ignorance that exists. "The Prime Minister of South Africa thinks that AIDS is something that is caused by poverty. I wish!" Bob Geldof thanked the corporations who had already come forward to sponsor the event, including the BBC and AOL. In mentioning AOL he said that "20 years ago, almost nobody had a mobile 'phone", hinting at the possibility of AOL broadcasting the concerts to mobile telephones. Geldof also thanked The Prince's Trust, which had already booked Hyde Park for July 2, for stepping aside in favour of Live 8.

Wikipedia Current Events

 * In a consultative referendum in the Netherlands, early results indicate that voters have rejected the proposed European Constitution by a wider margin than was seen in Sunday's French referendum, with 62% voting 'no'.
 * Dominique de Villepin is appointed Prime Minister of France by President Jacques Chirac in response to the referendum defeat.
 * Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward confirms that former FBI official W. Mark Felt was the Watergate source known as Deep Throat, after Felt revealed his identity in a Vanity Fair article.
 * Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra is designated locum tenens of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem following the deposition of Patriarch Irenaios, amidst a scandal regarding the sale of church land in Jerusalem's Old City.

Today in History provided by Wikipedia

 * 455 - The Vandals plundered Rome.
 * 1800 - The first smallpox vaccination was administered in North America.
 * 1865 - Forces under General Edmund Kirby Smith became the last Confederate army to surrender in the American Civil War.
 * 1946 - Birth of the Italian Republic: Italy became a republic and abolished the monarchy, exiling Umberto.
 * 1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the first to be televised.

Today's fact provided by Wikipedia
The United States airlifted 22 thousand tons of military supplies to Israel for use in the Yom Kippur War under Operation Nickel Grass.

Thank you for joining us for today's segment. Join us again tomorrow for more headlines, news, facts, and anniversaries; and next Friday, we will have our very first Special Report.

I'm Nicholas Gerda.

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