RG Inglese 18.15 Wed 9 Oct 2013

RG Inglese 1815 Wed 9 Oct 2013 Hodges

Tracey Dolan Lampedusa

Stacco

Wanklyn Fukishima leak

Morley Morsi trial

Stacco

O’Kane Pope audience

Scarisbrick Pius XII

Stacco

You’re listening to Vatican Radio world news.

In the headlines this Wednesday evening:

Italy announces a state funeral for the hundreds of migrants who died in the Lampedusa shipwreck tragedy.

Six workers at Japan’s crippled Fukishima nuclear plant have been sprayed with radioactive water in the latest mishap there.

And at his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis says the Church is not an elite but a home for all.

Good evening, I’m _SH______.

LAMPEDUSA UPDATE
(Cirillo)

Italy is to hold a state funeral for the hundreds of migrants who died when their boat capsized off the island of Lampedusa last week.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta made the announcement today during a visit to Lampedusa along with the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

At least 297, people, mostly from Eritrea and Somalia, died in the shipwreck and divers are still recovering bodies from the sunken boat.

Giulia Cirillo has more on this story.

Insert:

DOLAN LAMPEDUSA

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the migrant shipwreck disaster off Lampedusa continues to bring tears to the eyes of Pope Francis. The Pope has repeatedly spoken of the tragedy, with obvious pain and grief, ever since it happened last Thursday.

President of the United States Catholic Bishops Conference, Cardinal Dolan led a small delegation of the USCCB leadership to Rome this week.

Cardinal Dolan described their meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican Monday as the “highlight” of their visit and that the Pope displayed a “healthy curiosity” about the issues the bishops’ conference is working on.

Insert: T.. 32”

That was Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

Among the other issues discussed in that meeting with Pope Francis: Catholic schools, vocations and the Latino population in the U.S.

FUKISHIMA LEAK
(Wanklyn)

Six workers at Japan’s Fukishima nuclear plant have been sprayed with radioactive water in the latest mishap at the crippled plant.

From Tokyo, Alastair Wanklyn reports.

Insert:

SCRIPT BEGINS:

SOT TEPCO SPOKESMAN IN JAPANESE (FADE UNDER)

The plant operator said workers were replacing a pipe when they detached the wrong one and highly contaminated water sprayed out. It drenched four people. Two other workers got soaked when they ran over to help.

The spill continued for about an hour, during which time more than 8,000 litres drained away.

In a separate incident earlier this week, a worker mistakenly switched off a pump used to cool one of the reactors, although that error was reportedly rectified without damage.

Responding to Wednesday's leak, Japan's nuclear regulator said...

SOT IN JAPANESE

...it illustrates an ongoing problem: many of the 3,000 or so cleanup workers are contract labourers, not specialists. Speaking to Japan's NHK broadcaster, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Shunichi Tanaka, said staff from the company running the Fukushima plant should be more hands-on at the site.

Meanwhile, Japan's government is apparently admitting that the cleanup remains fragile. Last weekend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would welcome suggestions on how to deal with the tens of thousands of litres of contaminated water building up every day, apparently inviting the global nuclear industry to become more involved.

For Vatican Radio, Alastair Wanklyn in Tokyo

MORLEY
(Syria)

Egypt has announced that the trial of the deposed President Mohamed Morsi on charges of inciting the murder of protesters will start on November the 4^th.

Nathan Morley reports.

Insert T: 1.08

IN: Mr Morsi…
OUT: Morley reporting

DUR: 1’08

POPE AUDIENCE
(0’Kane)

At his general audience Pope Francis said the Church is not an elite but a home for all where unity and diversity live in harmony.

In greetings to pilgrims, the Pope called on the faithful to pray for peace in the Middle East and remembered those who lost their lives in the Lampedusa boat tragedy.

Lydia O’Kane reports

Insert:

PIUS 12^TH ANNIV
(Scarisbrick)

October 9th marks the anniversary of the death of Pope Pius XII born Eugenio Pacelli. He was elected Pope just before the start of the Second World War and passed away in 1958.

Despite documented evidence to the contrary, his memory is often marred by criticism and accusations in some quarters that he did not do enough to speak out against the persecution and murder of over 6 million Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.

But how did the press of the time react to Pope Pius, or Papa Pacelli as he was called in Italy?

Veronica Scarisbrick reports....

NOBEL CHEMISTRY

This year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry has gone to three scientists who were described as having “taken the chemical experiment into cyberspace".

The scientists, all from the U.S., were awarded the prize for their pioneering work on computer programs that simulate complex chemical processes and have revolutionized research in areas from drugs to solar energy.