Collection of signatures for the free part of the beach in Maiori, Italy

The Citizen's Committee for the Free Beach (Comitato Civico per la Spiaggia Libera) of Maiori, Italy, collected signatures on July 1, 2007 in order to defend the right of its citizens to have a free beach. On Sunday morning alone approximately 250 signatures were collected.

One part of the beach has additional services, where people have to pay for sunshades and sun loungers. This side is also less crowded than the part without services. Fees amount to €20 for a sunshade and two sun loungers, with residents of Maiori paying €8. The committee contends that this is prohibitively expensive for working families and those on fixed income. As a town near the beach, most people work in the tourism industry and earn most of their living during the summer season.

Two lido areas are also installed along the shore. The administrators of one of the two lidos try to inhibit people who don't pay for additional services from using the public stairs to access the beach. The Committee protests that they forbid people who want to go swimming to sit on the beach near the water, although it is their legal rights. Italian law states that the shore line is public property.

Additional acts of protest events are planned for Saturday and Sunday.


Unterschriftensammlung für den frei zugänglichen Strand in Maiori, Italien

Maiori (Italien), 03.07.2007 – Das Comitato Civico per la Spiaggia Libera (Bürgerkommittee für den frei zugänglichen Strand) von Maiori hat am 1. Juli 2007 eine Unterschriftensammlung gestartet, um das Recht der Bürger auf einen frei zugänglichen Strand zu verteidigen. Allein am Sonntag morgen wurden ca. 250 Unterschriften gesammelt.

Die aktuelle Situation ist so, dass sich Leute, die an den freien Strand gehen wollen, auf den 30% freigelassenen Bereich begeben müssen, also jenen, auf welchem keine Sonnenschirme aufgestellt sind. Durch die so kleine Oberfläche liegen die Leute dort praktisch wie die Sardinen, einer neben dem anderen oder sie müssen 20 EUR für einen Sonnenschirm mit zwei Liegen im anderen Bereich bezahlen. Wer seinen Wohnsitz in Maiori hat bezahlt 8 EUR, was für eine Durchschnittsfamilie mit einem Einkommen von etwa 1200 EUR pro Monat im Sommer, also sechs Monate lang, auf jeden Fall auch zuviel ist.

Man spricht von einem freien Strand mit Serviceangebot, aber was dann aufgebaut wurde ist eine komplette Strandbadeinrichtung. Die Verwalter dieser Einrichtungen, auf jeden Fall auf einem der beiden Strandbadeinrichtungen, versuchen es den Leuten sogar zu verbieten über die öffentliche Treppe ans Meer zu gehen. Sie verbieten es den Badenden sich direkt am Wasser hinzusetzen, was ein gesetzlich zugesichertes Recht ist, aber sie erlauben es jenen, die bezahlen. Es sind nunmehr folgende Fragen zu stellen: Ist das selbe Gesetz nicht für alle gültig? Wurde bei der Vergabe nicht auf die soziale Gleichberechtiung für die finanziell weniger bemittelten gedacht? Welche normale Familie, die von der Saisonarbeit des Familienvaters lebt kann es sich nun noch leisten, ans eigene Meer zu gehen? Sollte ein Rentner, der gerade einmal die Mindestrente erhält fast sein gesamtes Einkommen ausgeben, um an den Strand „zu Hause“ gehen zu können ohne sich im „Reservoir“ zu befinden?

Für die nächsten Tage ist ein Protest geplant, das Datum steht noch nicht fest.


Raccolta di firme per la spiaggia libera a Maiori

Il Comitato Civico per la Spiaggia Libera di Maiori, in data 1 luglio 2007, ha organizzato una raccolta firme per difendere il diritto dei cittadini alla spiaggia libera. Solo nella mattinata di domenica sono state raccolte circa 250 firme.

L'attuale situazione è tale che persone che vogliono andare al mare usufruendo della spiaggia libera hanno la scelta di mettersi sui 30% lasciati liberi, cioè senza ombrelloni preinstallati, e trovarsi con altri bagnanti come le sardine nel barattolo, uno accanto all'altro o pagare 20 EUR per un ombrellone e due sedie sdraie. Chi è residente a Maiori paga 8 EUR per l'ombrellone e le sedie sdraie.

Si parla di spiaggia libera attrezzata, ma guardando quello che è stato allestito, la "spiaggia libera attrezzata" è un vero e proprio stabilimento balneare. I gestori, almeno su uno, cercano di proibire perfino la discesa a mare. Proibiscono ai bagnanti di rimanere sul bagnasciuga con l'asciugamano, ma lo permettono ovviamente a chi paga... c'è da chiedersi: non è valida la stessa legge per tutti? Non si è pensato ai cittadini che sul lato sociale sono i più deboli? Quale famiglia normale, composta per esempio di quattro persone, dove il padre lavora per sei mesi e guadagna circa 1200 EUR al mese potrà permettersi di andare al mare? Un pensionato con la pensione minima dovrebbe spendere quindi quasi tutta la pensione per poterci andare "decentemente" senza trovarsi nella "riserva" a mare nella città dove vive?

Nei prossimi giorni sarà programmata una protesta, ma non è stata ancora stabilita la data esatta.


Colombia's relations with Venezuela deteriorate over Swedish rockets

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, announced on Tuesday that "We will freeze relations with Colombia."  He attributed the decision to "new aggression by the government of Colombia." Further, he said, "I've ordered to withdraw our ambassador from Bogota, to withdraw our diplomatic personnel."

This diplomatic move follows claims by Colombia that amongst weapons its military has captured from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are AT4 anti-tank rockets manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics of Sweden. Colombia further alleges that the weapons were first sold to Venezuela before being given to the FARC.

"This is not the first time that this happens," Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos said. "In several operations in which we have recovered weapons from the FARC, we have found powerful munitions and powerful equipment, including anti-tank weapons, from a European country that sold them to Venezuela and that turned up in the hands of the FARC."

"It is correct that they have found these weapons to be Swedish-made," said Jens Eriksson, adviser at the Swedish foreign ministry. "We are working together with Colombian authorities to investigate the matter further and we have contacted Venezuelan authorities to clear up how these arms ended up in Colombia."

Venezuela denies the allegations. "To me it seems that this is a new attack against our government based on lies," Venezuelan interior minister Tarek El Aissami said on Monday. "We absolutely deny that our government or our institutions are providing assistance to criminal and terrorist organizations. It's laughable, it sounds like a cheap film made by the American government."

Foreign minister Nicolás Maduro said that the whole thing is a campaign "to justify the presence of US bases" in Colombia.


Chávez anuncia que vai “congelar” relações com a Colômbia

Agência Brasil

29 de julho de 2009

O presidente da Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, ordenou a retirada do embaixador da Venezuela na Colômbia e de todos os altos funcionários da embaixada e anunciou o “congelamento das relações” entre as duas nações.

A decisão foi anunciada logo após declarações do presidente colombiano, Álvaro Uribe, sobre a suposta venda de armas por parte da Venezuela para guerrilheiros das Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia (Farc).

O presidente venezuelano chamou Uribe de irresponsável e pediu que ele investigue os fatos antes de fazer qualquer tipo de acusação contra um país vizinho.

De acordo com a Agência Bolivariana de Notícias, Chávez também solicitou a redução das importações e a revisão de todo o comércio bilateral.


Colombia-Venezuela meeting in Caracas to end crisis

After five hours of meeting, the presidents Hugo Chávez from Venezuela and Alvaro Uribe from Colombia put a end to the diplomatic tension that had completed two months.
The crisis started with the alleged  irregular arrest (according to Venezuela) of the FARC guerrilla Rodrigo Granda by Colombian authorities.

President Chavez said: "We have decided to turn  the page so we can fix the things that were misadjusted, clarify the things that could be clouded and work together in the construction for the common people".

The meeting was scheduled for early this month, however it was postponed  due to a disease of the Colombian president.

The encounter served both to finish the  harshness between the two countries and  to resume  bilateral agreements and  the activity in the border which were paralyzed as a result of the crisis.

Moreover Chávez insisted on Venezuela is not a santuary of guerrillas. Uribe admitted that the Colombian armed conflict is a problem which must be solved by his country  despite the disturbances caused by subversive groups  in the neighboring countries to Colombia.

As a result of the meeting,  the presidents will organize a binational high level commission  in the next weeks. The commission will evaluate the crisis's consequences, reinforce the integration between both countries and coordinate the future of the antiterrorist fight. The fight against terrorism will be done by security organisms of both countries by means of a rigorous legal adjustment in the actions which implies to cooperate so that  the sovereignty is not affected and the sovereignty  is  respected, according to Uribe.


Uribe y Chávez se reúnen en Caracas para poner fin a la crisis

15 de febrero de 2005Caracas, Venezuela — Luego de cinco horas de reunión, los presidentes Hugo Chávez, de Venezuela, y Álvaro Uribe, de Colombia, pusieron fin este martes a la tensión diplomática que completaba dos meses, luego del arresto irregular de Rodrigo Granda, guerrillero de las FARC. "Hemos decidido dar vuelta a la página para ajustar las cosas que se pudieron haber desajustado, aclarar las cosas que pudieron enturbiarse para trabajar juntos en la construcción del pueblo común", declaró el mandatario venezolano. La reunión, programada para comienzos del presente mes, fue postergada debido a una enfermedad del presidente colombiano.

La reunión sirvió tanto para limar asperezas como para reanudar los convenios bilaterales y, en general, la actividad en la frontera que, como consecuencia de la crisis, se encuentra paralizada desde hace algunas semanas. Por una parte, Chávez insistió en que su país "no es santuario de guerrilleros" mientras que Uribe admitió que el conflicto armado colombiano es un problema que debe resolver su país, no obstante las dificultades que ocasionan las actividades de los grupos subversivos en los países vecinos a Colombia.

Como resultado de la reunión, los presidentes convocaron a una comisión binacional de alto nivel que será organizada en las próximas semanas, para evaluar las consecuencias de la crisis, reforzar la integración entre ambos países y coordinar en el futuro la lucha antiterrorista, la que se realizará con los organismos de seguridad de ambos países mediante el "ajuste riguroso al ordenamiento jurídico y un precepto fundamental del ordenamiento jurídico es la cooperación dentro del respeto, lo que implica cooperar para que no se afecte la soberanía y respetar la soberanía" en palabras de Uribe.


Colombian army officials accused of allegedly faking terrorist attacks

Based on an ongoing investigation by Colombian prosecutors, Colombian's leading newspaper El Tiempo published a report claiming that some Colombian officers from the Army's 13th Brigade would have fabricated a number of terrorist attacks in the weeks prior to the inauguration of president Alvaro Uribe's second term in office, and that they would have paid for the cooperation of demobilized members of the leftist guerrilla group FARC, in particular that of a woman known as "Jessica".

The allegedly fake attacks, most of which were presented as foiled by the actions of Army, would have had the purpose of allowing the officers involved to show  "positive" results in the fight against terrorism before the public and the government. Security measures had been tightened during the days prior to August the 7th, when Uribe initiated his second term in office. Four years before, during the inauguration ceremony of Uribe's first term in office, a number of handmade rockets were launched by FARC from houses in the city's center, causing minor material damage to the presidential palace and killing several people from a nearby neighborhood.

One of the incidents that have come under questioning happened on July 31, 2006 in the north of Bogotá, during which a truck-bomb killed a garbage collector and wounded ten soldiers who were driving past in a military truck. The Army's commander acknowledged on September 7 that two military officers are under investigation: "The recent attack with a car bomb, in which ten soldiers were wounded and a citizen died, and which had been attributed to outlawed groups, as well as the alleged confiscation of several explosives during the last two months, apparently do not to correspond to reality. These deceptions may have been carried out by unscrupulous people, including two army officials".

In addition to the case of the truck-bomb, doubts now surround a number of other related incidents, including the confiscation of several kilos of explosives, the discovery of a house-bomb and of three other car bombs in the latest weeks. In one of these cases, according to El Tiempo, witnesses said that the same man that abandoned a taxi bomb in the south of the capital was the same man who claimed the cash rewards for the tip-off.

Only two military officers are currently under investigation. The Caracol Radio station reported that, according to other military sources, there could be as many as seven members of the institution involved in the events.


Militares colombianos son acusados de falsificar atentados

A partir de una investigación en curso en la Fiscalía, el diario El Tiempo publicó un reportaje señalando a algunos militares colombianos, la mayoría de la XIII Brigada (cuya jurisdicción es el centro del país), de participar en el montaje de varios atentados en las semanas previas a la segunda posesión del presidente Álvaro Uribe. En dichos montajes, según la publicación, estuvieron involucrados aparentemente desmovilizados de las FARC, en particular una mujer conocida con el alias de "Jessica", a quienes supuestamente se les pagó por ayudarlos con el plan.

Los falsos atentados, la mayoría de los cuales habían sido presentados como evitados por la acción del Ejército, tendrían como objetivo el permitirles a los oficiales involucrados mostrar resultados "positivos" ante el gobierno y la opinión pública, y en consecuencia repartirse las recompensas otorgadas a informantes cambio de la información que habría anticipado dichos atentados. Las medidas de seguridad se extremaron en los días anteriores al 7 de agosto, fecha en la que el presidente tomó posesión nuevamente de su cargo. Hace 4 años, mientras Uribe se posesionaba por primera vez, varios cohetes fueron lanzados por las FARC desde algunas casas del centro de la ciudad, ocasionando leves daños materiales a la Casa de Nariño, el palacio presidencial, y causando la muerte a varias personas de un barrio cercano.

El incidente más cuestionado habría ocurrió el 31 de julio al norte de Bogotá, cerca a la Escuela Militar José María Córdoba, día en el que, al paso de un camión militar, estalló un camión-bomba, dejando como saldo un reciclador muerto y diez soldados heridos. El comandante del Ejército reconoció este jueves (7) que dos militares están siendo investigados: "El reciente atentado con un carro bomba, en el que quedaron heridos 10 soldados y muerto un ciudadano, que fue atribuido en su momento a grupos al margen de la ley, así como el supuesto decomiso de varios explosivos en los últimos dos meses, al parecer no corresponde a la realidad. Estos engaños podrían haber sido perpetrados por personas inescrupulosas, entre las que se encuentran dos oficiales del Ejército".

Además del caso del camión-bomba, la incautación de varios kilos de explosivos y los hallazgos de una casa bomba y tres carros bomba en las últimas semanas han sido puestos en tela de juicio. En uno de estos últimos, según El Tiempo, testigos afirmaron que el mismo hombre que abandonó un taxi bomba al sur de Bogotá el 15 de julio fue el que cobró la recompensa.

Aunque por el momento son dos los militares que están siendo investigados, la cadena Caracol Radio afirma que según fuentes del Ejército serían siete los uniformados que al parecer están involucrados en los montajes.

Según Luis Guillermo Vélez, líder del oficialista Partido de la U, tanto el presidente Uribe como el ministro de Defensa Juan Manuel Santos (quien formó dicho movimiento político y cuya familia es propietaria de El Tiempo) tomaron las riendas del escándalo, cuando analizaron la situación denunciada durante una reunión de nueve horas en la Casa de Nariño. Por su parte, el senador Gustavo Petro, del opositor Polo Democrático Independiente, convocó a una marcha pacífica para el 26 de septiembre en contra de la "impostura histórica" de los militares implicados. El senador Juan Fernando Cristo, del también opositor Partido Liberal, cuestionó a la administración Uribe: "el gobierno debe dar explicaciones, esto es inaceptable, e indignante, no podemos seguir calificando como episodios aislados, escándalos de esta magnitud"


Colombian Constitutional Court passes presidential re-election

The Colombian Constitutional Court has approved an amendment to allow presidential re-election, which was not possible before under the country's 1991 Constitution. The decision was made public by Manuel José Cepeda, president of the Constitutional Court, on Wednesday at 18:45 (23:45 UTC). Cepeda said: "The court has decided to declare as reasonable within the Constitution the legislative act allowing the re-election of the president of the republic".

The complete decision consists of 18 sentences, the result of 62 votes regarding 18 lawsuits which had been presented to the Court against the presidential re-election project, a reform approved in December 2004 by the Colombian Congress.

This constitutional reform has given the current president, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, the possibility to enter the presidential election in May 2006 and makes possible for the Colombian people to re-elect him if they so choose. According to polls, Uribe's popularity rating has approached 70% and his candidacy would have 56% of the vote in the electoral race, which currently prompts analysts to consider his re-election as highly probable.

For the majority of the nine judges who make up the Constitutional Court, the amendment that reforms the Constitution doesn't violate its spirit and is in agreement with it, besides having been approved with the required debates and accurate legislative procedures, and the Colombian Congress did have the faculty to process and approve the reform. The Court's deliberations lasted four and a half weeks, a time during which most of the political activity of the country, facing legislative elections in March and a presidential race in May, was practically paralyzed.

Nevertheless, in order for the re-election project to be fully implemented, the "Electoral Guarantees Law" must be approved. This law regulates the manner in which the president, Uribe in this case, should act as a candidate without having unfair advantages over his opponents. The reform project was approved in June but, according to the Solicitor General's concept, made public in early September, it should be returned to Congress for modifications because it has "serious gaps, deficiencies and essential contradictions which infringe the Constitution". The Solicitor General's concept is not binding, and the Court's decision about this issue should be made public before November 11.

Source:  "Texto completo del comunicado de la Corte sobre la reelección" — El Tiempo (Colombia), October 20, 2005

Since last September, Colombia had been expecting the Constitutional Court's decision. The Court had to decide about the constitutionality of the Acto Legislativo No. 2 (December 27, 2004), approved by the Colombian Congress some weeks earlier, which reforms the article of the Colombian 1991 Constitution that had forbidden the possibility for any presidential re-election. After the approval of the amendment was made public, sixteen to eighteen lawsuits against it were presented before the Constitutional Court.

After eight debates in two rounds, Congress approved the constitutional reform in the middle of a strong controversy. Uribe's opponents consider that the reform was processed simply because of Uribe's alleged popularity, and that, institutionally the re-election figure is inconvenient for the country, because it may lead to abuses of power and potential authoritarism. Critics also say that Uribe's management of social affairs has been lacking, question Uribe's alleged "softness" towards the AUC's paramilitaries, which are in a demobilization process, and also accuse him of "already campaigning instead of governing". Critics have also questioned the government's negotiations -together with Peru and Ecuador- of an Andean Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo, a political opponent of the administration, even suggested that a trial could be held against Uribe for "treason" if the trade agreement was signed under highly unfavorable conditions, after Uribe publicly declared his desire to speed up the end of the negotiations.

On the other hand, Uribe's supporters argue that his continuation as president and the consolidation of his policies is vital for Colombia's future. The Colombian national daily El Tiempo expressed in an August 28, 2005 editorial its support by saying "in today's Colombia, Álvaro Uribe is a leader quite hard to replace", despite also pointing out several of its criticisms against his administration. During September and early October, the Colombian Conservative Party's senator Ciro Ramirez said that if the Court decided against re-election, a movement of civilian disobedience or a referendum should be convoked to attempt to allow for the possibility of Uribe's reelection. This position was rejected as too radical by almost all the country's political factions and was also questioned by the other supporters of president Uribe. Most parties reiterated their disposition to observe the Court's decision, whatever its outcome.

The Constitutional Court had to decide about possible procedure and formal errors during the discussion of the amendment (Acto Legislativo) in Congress, as well as the legislative's competence to process that reform. Some analysts argued that there had been errors, that the debate had not been fully accomplished and that several of Uribe supporter's employed clientelist tactics to achieve the amendment's approval. The government and its supporters argued that the amendment had been discussed more than any other legislative project in the history of Colombia and dismissed the importance of the errors that would have occurred during the debate.

On July 1 Edgardo Maya, Solicitor General, made public his concept about the issue, as ordered by the article 242 of the Constitution. Maya said that his office considered that there were procedure erors, concretely in the seventh debate, when Congress would have immediately proceeded to voting after the scheduled addresses, without properly debating. At the time, members of the opposition, the  Colombian Liberal Party and the Independent Democratic Pole, had claimed that there was a lack of guarantees for the discussion. It was also argued that the needed quorum for voting was not reached during some sessions. Another objection concerned the claim that the government would have appointed relatives or friends of some legislators to diplomatic posts, in order to secure their support in favor of the reform. Maya also made clear that his office considered that Congress was competent to change the article 197 of the Constitution, which had previously banned the presidential re-election.

The suspense around the decision was high. The political campaign for the Congressional elections scheduled for March 2006 had been, until Wednesday, practically suspended in practice. If the re-election ban wasn't lifted, some Congressmen, including Uribe supporter Germán Vargas Lleras -who was recently victim of an attempt against his life-, for example, could have become presidential candidates.


Corte Constitucional de Colombia declara exequible la reelección presidencial inmediata

19 de octubre de 2005Bogotá, Colombia —

La Corte Constitucional ha declarado exequible la reelección presidencial inmediata. El anuncio fue realizado por el presidente del tribunal Manuel José Cepeda, alrededor de las 18:45 (23:45 UTC), en el Palacio de Justicia de Bogotá. El fallo completo comprende 18 sentencias, producto de 62 votaciones respecto de las 18 demandas en contra de la reelección presentadas a la Corte.

Con esta decisión, el actual presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez podrá presentarse como candidato a las elecciones de mayo de 2006, en las cuales, según los sondeos, saldría prácticamente victorioso.

Para la mayoría de los nueve magistrados de la Corte, el acto legislativo que reforma la Constitución no viola su espíritu y es acorde con la misma y fue aprobado con los debates requeridos y los procedimientos adecuados por el Congreso, que sí tenía la facultad de tramitar y aprobar dicha reforma según el alto tribunal. El debate de la Corte duró cuatro semanas y media, durante las cuales buena parte de la actividad política del país, que tendrá elecciones parlamentarias en marzo y presidenciales en mayo, estuvo prácticamente paralizada.

No obstante, para que la reelección entre plenamente en vigencia necesita del fallo de exequibilidad de la llamada "ley de garantías electorales", que debe dictar las normas bajo las cuales el presidente, en este caso Uribe, se pueda presentar como candidato sin ventajas frente a sus adversarios. El proyecto de ley fue aprobado en junio pasado pero, según el concepto del Procurador General, emitido a comienzos de septiembre, debería ser devuelto al parlamento pues presenta "serios vacíos, deficiencias y contradicciones sustanciales que vulneran la Constitución". La decisión de la Corte sobre este tema deberá realizarse antes del 11 de noviembre.

Fuente: “Texto completo del comunicado de la Corte sobre la reelección” — El Tiempo (Colombia), 20 de octubre de 2005.

Desde septiembre pasado, Colombia se encontraba a la expectativa por el fallo de la Corte Constitucional sobre la reelección presidencial inmediata. El alto tribunal debía decidir sobre la exequibilidad del Acto Legislativo No. 2 del 27 de diciembre de 2004, aprobado por el Congreso semanas antes y que reforma la Constitución de 1991, que había prohibido la reelección presidencial de cualquier tipo. Apenas se conoció su aprobación y en el lapso de algunos meses, dieciséis demandas fueron presentadas ante la Corte Constitucional.

Luego de ocho debates en dos vueltas, el Congreso aprobó la reforma constitucional en medio de una fuerte polémica. Los opositores del presidente Uribe afirman que dicha reforma fue tramitada coyunturalmente, dada la supuesta popularidad del presidente, y que institucionalmente la figura de la reelección es inconveniente para el país, además de que abre las puertas a una posible dictadura. Uribe goza de prestigio entre los empresarios e inversionistas, pero sus críticos afirman que su gestión social es pobre, de ser excesivamente blando con los paramilitares de las AUC, con quienes adelanta un proceso de desmovilización, y que en los últimos meses se ha dedicado más a hacer campaña que a gobernar. Algunos se aventuraron a pedir un juicio por supuesta "traición a la patria" contra Uribe, cuando hace algunos días declaró su afán por firmar el Tratado de Libre Comercio Andino, que discuten Colombia, Ecuador y Perú con Estados Unidos.

Por su parte, los partidarios del primer mandatario aseguran que la permanencia de Uribe por cuatro años más es vital para el país. El diario El Tiempo, el de mayor circulación nacional, expresó en su editorial del pasado 28 de agosto, que "en la Colombia de aquí y ahora, Álvaro Uribe es un mandatario difícilmente reemplazable". A comienzos de octubre, se calentaron los ánimos cuando el congresista conservador Ciro Ramírez afirmó que, si la Corte fallaba en contra de la reelección, debía llamarse a la "desobediencia civil" para buscar, a cualquier costo, la reelección de Uribe. Posiciones extremas como esta fueron rechazadas en su momento por casi todos los sectores políticos, que reiteraron en varias ocasiones su disposición a acatar la decisión de la Corte Constitucional.

La Corte Constitucional debía fallar sobre posibles vicios de forma y de trámite en el paso del Acto Legislativo por el Congreso, así como sobre la competencia del parlamento para tramitar dicha reforma. Según el semanario El Espectador, los tres temas fueron debatidos por la Corte a profundidad el martes 11 y el miércoles 12. El tribunal empleó el jueves para observar los videos de los debates, y por diversas razones las votaciones se aplazaron hasta este miércoles 19.

Algunos afirmaban que sí hubo vicios, que no se llevó el debate a cabalidad y que los uribistas hicieron uso del clientelismo para conseguir la aprobación de la ley.

El Procurador General de la Nación, Edgardo Maya, emitió el 1 de julio pasado su concepto sobre el tema, como ordena el artículo 242 de la Constitución. Maya afirmó que existieron fallas de procedimiento, concretamente en el séptimo de los ocho debates, cuando se efectuó la votación apenas conocidas las ponencias, sin el correspondiente debate. En esa ocasión, miembros del Partido Liberal Colombiano y del Polo Democrático Independiente, reclamaron por falta de garantías para la discusión. En otras ocasiones, ni siquiera se completó el quórum necesario para realizar las votaciones. Muchos alegan, además, tácticas clientelistas por parte de la bancada uribista, como el nombramiento en cargos diplomáticos de familiares o amigos de algunos parlamentarios a cambio de que votaran a favor de la reforma. Maya aclaró desde el comienzo que, en su concepto, el Congreso sí estaba facultado para reformar el artículo 197 de la Constitución, que, entre otras cosas, prohibía la reelección presidencial.

Era tal el suspenso sobre la decisión que la campaña política para las elecciones parlamentarias de marzo de 2006 se encontraba, hasta este momento, completamente suspendida. De haberse caído la reelección, congresistas como Germán Vargas Lleras -recientemente víctima de un atentado-, por ejemplo, muy probablemente se habrían lanzado como candidatos presidenciales.


コロンビア、憲法を改正 大統領の再選が可能に

コロンビア憲法裁判所は、現職の大統領が選挙に出ることを許す憲法修正条項を承認した。これまでの憲法では、大統領は2期連続して就任することが禁止されていた。決定は憲法裁判所のマヌエル・ホセ・セペダ長官により、19日現地時間（UTC-5）午後6時45分（日本時間20日午前8時45分）に公表された。BBCによれば、セペダ長官は「裁判所は、共和国大統領の再選を許す法律が、憲法の合理的な制約下にあることを宣言する」と語った。

コロンビアの大統領は任期4年。アルバロ・ウリベ・べレス大統領は2002年に就任した。今回の憲法改正により、ウリベ大統領にとって、来年5月の大統領選出馬への道が開けた。ウリベ大統領の支持率は約70%あり、現時点では、再選は確実とみられている。

ウリベ大統領は保守系の政治家で、親米的政策を取る。BBCによれば、憲法の改正は、左翼系の反政府主義者との戦いにさらに時間が必要とする大統領側からの要求によるものだった。大統領の反対派からは、再選の解禁は大統領の権力を不当に強くするものだとする反対があった。憲法改正案は、議会で承認された後、憲法裁判所で約1ヶ月にわたり審議され、今回の決定に至った。

英語版ウィキニュースの翻訳に基づきます。


Corte Constitucional da Colômbia aprova reeleição de Uribe

A Corte Constitucional declarou  exequível a reeleição presidencial imediata do atual Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez. O anúncio foi realizado nesta última quarta-feira (19) pelo Presidente do Tribunal, Manuel José Cepeda, por volta das 18h45 (23h45 UTC), no Palácio de Justiça de Bogotá.

Com esta decisão,   Uribe  poderá apresentar-se como candidato às eleições de maio de 2006, nas quais, segundo as sondagens, sairia praticamente vitorioso.

Para a maioria dos nove magistrados da Corte, o ato legislativo que reforma a Constituição não viola seu espírito,  é conforme com a mesma e foi aprovado com os debates requeridos e os procedimentos adequados pelo Congresso, que sim tinha a faculdade de tramitar e aprovar a dita reforma.

O debate da Corte durou quatro semanas e meia, durante as quais boa parte da atividade política do país -que terá eleições parlamentares em março e presidenciais em maio- esteve praticamente paralisada.

Contudo, para que a reeleição entre plenamente em vigência a Corte precisa decidir sobre a exequibilidade da chamada "Lei de Garantias Eleitorais", que deve ditar as normas sob as quais o Presidente (neste caso Uribe)  possa apresentar-se como candidato sem vantagens frente a seus adversários.

O projeto de lei foi aprovado em junho passado mas, segundo a opinião do procurador geral, emitida no começo de setembro, ele deveria ser devolvido ao parlamento pois apresenta "sérios esvaziamentos, deficiências e contradições substanciais que vulneram a Constituição". A decisão da Corte sobre este tema deverá realizar-se antes do dia 11 de novembro.


Colombian police claim that Venezuelan government paid FARC rebels $300 million

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Colombia's national police chief Gen. Oscar Naranjo said evidence from the computers of slain members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) suggests the Venezuelan government recently paid the militant guerrilla group US$300 million. He suggested that this may have been part of a deal to release several hostages held by the FARC.

"This unmasks the relations of the FARC with a series of governments, with a series of personalities, some public, some more sinister," Naranjo said. A representative of the Ecuadorian government may have been involved with the organization as well, he says, though Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa has already denied these charges.

"They said we had a pact with terrorists, and that is completely false," Correa said during a Cabinet meeting. "We are dealing with an extremely cynical government."

The police chief also said there was evidence of the Venezuelan government offering to help supply rifles and of 50 kilograms of uranium to FARC. To verify the evidence, the police chief said he will send the documents to the Organization of American States, who will meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the South American situation.

In addition, he says there is evidence that FARC had given U$150,000 to Hugo Chávez in 1992 when he was a jailed rebel leader. "A note recovered from Raúl Reyes speaks of how grateful Chávez was for the 100 million pesos that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, delivered to Chávez when he was in prison," Naranjo said.

Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador are involved in a conflict over the killing on Saturday of FARC spokesman Luis Edgar Devia Silva, also known as Raúl Reyes. Colombian security forces conducted a raid that extended into Ecuadorian territory.

Venezuela and Ecuador have ordered troops to the border with Colombia and have pulled their diplomats from the capital Bogota.

"We will not permit this outrage," said Rafael Correa. "The situation is extremely grave, and the Ecuadoran government is disposed to go to the ultimate consequences." President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez said the act was a "cowardly murder" and insulted Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as a liar, criminal and gangster.

Colombia says it has decided not to send extra troops to its borders or sever diplomatic ties with either of the two countries, Uribe said that his fight was against FARC and not any of these countries.


Ecuador y Venezuela movilizan tropas a la frontera colombiana

3 de marzo de 2008Quito, Ecuador/Caracas, Venezuela —Los gobiernos de Hugo Chávez y Rafael Correa ordenaron la movilización de sus tropas hacia la frontera colombiana como consecuencia de la acción militar del ejército colombiano que dio muerte al líder guerrillero Raúl Reyes en territorio ecuatoriano el sábado anterior.

El presidente ecuatoriano también anunció la expulsión del embajador colombiano en Quito, Carlos Holguín, agregando que "Ecuador fue agredido por parte de un gobierno extranjero, situación extremadamente grave e intolerable". Además afirmó que, de acuerdo con los reportes recibidos, en la zona se registró "un planificado ataque aéreo y una posterior incursión de tropas colombianas".

Simultáneamente, el gobierno colombiano presentó excusas a Ecuador informando que era "indispensable para registrar el sitio desde donde recibieron disparos", ante lo cual Correa respondió "no hay justificación alguna para una acción militar foránea en nuestro territorio", agregando que "en esta ocasión no será suficiente una disculpa diplomática del gobierno de Bogotá. Exigimos compromisos firmes y formales ante la comunidad internacional, que garanticen que no se repetirán estos inaceptables hechos", a lo cual también dijo haberse comunicado con otros mandatarios de la región.

Chávez, quien ha mediado en la liberación de secuestrados de la guerrilla colombiana, alertó por su parte acerca de la situación y ofreció su apoyo al gobierno de Correa en cualquier decisión que tome ante esta situación.


Vives tensions entre la Colombie, l'Équateur et le Venezuela

Publié le 3 mars 2008   À la suite de l'expédition militaire déclenchée samedi par l'armée colombienne en Équateur, la tension ne cesse de monter entre les deux pays et le Venezuela.

C'est en effet dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi que des forces colombiennes ont franchi la frontière équatorienne pour attaquer un camp des Forces armées révolutionnaires de Colombie dans lequel se trouvait Raul Reyes (de son vrai nom Luis Edgar Devia), le numéro deux de la guérilla, portant ainsi ce que Juan Manuel Santos, ministre de la Défense appelle « le coup le plus dur jamais porté aux FARC ».

Depuis l'annonce officielle de cette expédition, une crise diplomatique a éclaté entre les deux pays, aggravée ensuite par les menaces d'Hugo Chavez, le président vénézuélien qui a déployé « dix bataillons à la frontière avec la Colombie », soit près de 10 000 soldats dimanche. De son côté, le président colombien Alvaro Uribe a informé la presse qu'il détenait des document selon lesquels les FARC avaient passé des « accords » et des « compromis » avec le président équatorien Rafael Correa. Il a promis de rendre public ces documents dans les prochains jours. Les ambassadeurs équatorien et vénézuélien en poste à Bogota ont été rappelés dans leurs pays respectifs.

Des responsables du ministère de la Défense ont déclaré que, à la suite de l'envoi d'une délégation ministérielle sur les lieux où Raul Reyes avait été tué, les troupes équatoriennes avaient été mises dès lundi matin « en état d'alerte maximum » et effectuaient « des patrouilles à la frontière avec la Colombie ». Cette situation est décrite comme explosive par un diplomate européen anonyme qui ajoute que « les armées sont sur les frontières et la question des Farc se transforme en problème régional, voire international ».

Alors que la majorité des pays d'Amérique du Sud ont condamné l'intervention colombienne, le gouvernement espagnol a lancé un appel « au calme et au dialogue » en demandant « instamment aux parties de trouver une solution à leurs différends » selon un communiqué officiel dans lequel il précise se mettre « à leur disposition pour les aider à retrouver un climat d'entente propre à des pays voisins, ayant une histoire commune ».

Peu de temps après, les États-Unis d'Amérique ont appelé la Colombie et l'Équateur à « la retenue » de même que la France qui a également lancé « un appel à la retenue ».


מסמכי מחשב מעלים חשד לקשר בין צ'אבס ל-FARC

ממשלה קולומביה מסרה כי שחזרה מסמכים ממחשביהם של מורדי FARC הרוגים, מסמכים המצביעים על קשרים כלכליים בין הארגון השמאלני לבין נשיא ונצואלה הוגו צ'אבס.

בשאתו דברים במסיבת עיתונאים ביום שני, אמר מפקד המשטרה הלאומית הקולומביאנית, הגנרל אוסקר נרנחו, כי הראיות מעלות את החשד כי צ'אבס העניק באחרונה 300 מיליון דולר לארגון המורדים. מפקד המשטרה חושד כי סכום זה עשוי להיות חלק מעסקה שהובילה לשחרורם של מספר בני-ערובה שהוחזקו בידי FARC.

"זה מסיר את המסכה מעל קשרי FARC עם קבוצת ממשלות, אישים רמי-דרג, חלקם אישי-ציבור, חלקם אפלים אף יותר," אמר נרנחו. אפשר שנציג מטעם ממשל אקוודור היה קשור אף הוא עם הארגון, הוא אמר, הגם שנשיא אקוודור רפאל קוראה כבר הספיק לדחות האשמות אלה.

"הם אמרו שעשינו עסקה עם הטרוריסטים, וזה שקרי לגמרי", אמר קוראה במהלך ישיבת ממשלה. "עסקינן בממשל צינית להחריד."

מפקד המשטרה אף אמר כי ישנה ראיה לכך שממשלת ונצואלה הציע לספק ל-FARC רובים ו-50 קילוגרמים של אורניום. על-מנת לתת תוקף לראיה זו, מפקד המשטרה אמר שהוא ישלח את המסמכים לארגון מדינות יבשת אמריקה, שיקיים מפגש בוואשינגטון ביום שלישי על-מנת לדון בהתפתחויות בדרום-אמריקה.

בנוסף על כך, הוא אמר כי ישנן ראיות לכך ש-FARC העניק 150,000 דולר לצ'אבס בשנת 1992, כאשר הוא היה מנהיג מורדים אסור בבית האסורים. "פתק של ראול רייס ששוחזר מדבר על כמה אסיר-תודה היה צ'אבס על 100 מיליון הפסו ש-FARC העניק לו כאשר הוא שהה בבית-הסוהר," אמר נרנחו.

ראול רייס, דובר FARC, נהרג ביום שבת בפשיטה קולומביאנית שהסיגה אף את הגבול האקוודורי. דבר זה הביא למתיחות גוברת בין קולומביה ואקוודור, כאשר האחרונה יחד עם בעלת-בריתה ונצואלה, הציבה כוחות-צבאיים בסמוך לגבולה הקולומביאני.

"לא נקבל שערורייה זו," אמר רפאל קוראה, "המצב חמור במיוחד, וממשלת אקוודור עשויה לנוע בנתיב ההשלכות האולטמטיביות." הוגו צ'אבס גיבה את הצהרותיו של קוראה, בכנותו את ההתקפות "רצח פחדני."

מקולומביה נמסר כי הוחלט שלא לשלוח כוחות נוספים לגבולותיה או לפגוע בקשריה הדיפלומטיים עם שתי המדינות.


Crise diplomática entre Equador, Venezuela e Colômbia

Após o ataque de tropas colombianas que acabaram com a morte de Raúl Reyes em território equatoriano, o clima ficou tenso entre os dois países. A crise se segue na esteira da ameaça de Hugo Chávez à Colômbia.

O presidente do Equador, Rafael Correa, anunciou na noite deste domingo a "expulsão imediata" do embaixador da Colômbia em Quito, Carlos Holguín, após a retirada de seu embaixador em Bogotá, Francisco Suéscum, e solicitou uma reunião urgente da Organização dos Estados Americanos (OEA) e da Comunidade Andina de Nações (CAN) para tratar do ataque colombiano ao território equatoriano.

O governo da Colômbia afirma ter encontrado informações sobre supostas ligações do governo do presidente do Equador, Rafael Correa, com as Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia (Farc) em computadores que pertenciam a Raúl Reyes. Em uma entrevista coletiva, o general Oscar Naranjo, diretor da Polícia Nacional colombiana, disse que os documentos encontrados nos computadores "permitem falar de um relacionamento estrutural das Farc tanto na Venezuela quanto no Equador", sendo que, no último caso, o relacionamento "está suportado por decisões oficiais do governo equatoriano".

Venezuela e Equador enviaram tropas à fronteira com a Colômbia, elevando a níveis inéditos a crise diplomática iniciada pela operação militar colombiana em território equatoriano.

A Presidente do Chile, Michelle Bachelet, disse que "uma situação desta natureza sem dúvida carece de uma explicação por parte da Colômbia aos equatorianos, ao presidente equatoriano e ao conjunto da região".

A presidente entrou em contado com o presidente equatoriano Rafael Correa, com o secretário-geral da OEA, José Miguel Insulza, além de seus colegas do Brasil e da Argentina para tentar uma escalada do conflito.

Em Cuba, Fidel Castro escreveu em seu artigo semanal que "ouvimos com força no sul de nosso continente as trombetas da guerra em conseqüência dos planos genocidas do imperío ianque. Nada é novo! Estava previsto!", referindo-se a união entre Estados Unidos e Colômbia.

O presidente brasileiro Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva deve conversar, ainda na tarde desta segunda-feira, com sua colega argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, sobre o impasse. Lula cogita mediar o conflito.


Загострюється протистояння на кордоні між Колумбією і Венесуелою

2 березня, президент Венесуели Уґо Чавес видав наказ міністру оборони країни направити військові підрозділи танків та авіації до кордону з Колумбією. Таке рішення було викликане військовою операцією колумбійських збройних сил на території сусіднього Еквадору, в результаті якої разом з іншими сімнадцятьма повстанцями було вбито другого за значимістю лідера колумбійської повстанської організації «Фарк» Луїса Едгара Девія Сільва. За словами Чавеса, президент Еквадору теж збирався направити війська до кордону з Колумбією.

Заява Уґо Чавеса відбулася в неділю у прямому ефірі телевізійної програми "Alo Presidente", під час якої він надав наказ направити на кордон з Колумбією військовий контингент у розмірі 10 батальйонів. До того ж, за наказом президента був відкликаний посол Венесуели з Колумбії і закрите посольство у цій країні. Така ж реакція була й уряду Еквадору, який теж відкликав посла з Боготи. За його словами, рішення президента Чавеса була відповіддю на "порушення суверенітету Еквадору". У своїй заяві він також застеріг уряд сусідньої країни, що подібна операція всередині території Венесуели призведе до збройного конфлікту між двома латиноамериканськими країнами.

Незважаючи на те, що атака колумбійських сил відбулася на території Еквадору, заступник міністра оборони Колумбії заперечив порушення територіальної цілісності країни і відповів, що атака була відповіддю на "терористичну діяльність" «Фарк». Це угрупування, повна назва якого іспанською мовою — Революційні Збройні Сили Колумбії протягом останніх 40 років веде збройну боротьбу проти уряду країни. Уряд Колумбії та деякі інші уряди, зокрема США, називають цю організацію терористичною і звинувачують лідерів «Фарку» у спробі силового повалення уряду країни та захопленні заручників.

За оцінкою оглядачів, «Фарк» утримує в джунглях Колумбії близько 750 заручників з різних країни світу. Тільки за останні два місяця, зокрема за пресередництва Уґо Чавеса було звільнено шість з утримуваних людей. Вбитий заступник лідера організації відігравав активну роль у процесі звільнення заручників, котрого Чавес охарактеризував як "доброго революціонера". До того ж, популярний президент Венесуели не погоджуєтья з характеризацією цієї організації, як терористичної і наполягає на тому, що «Фарк» — революційна організація, з якою уряд Колумбії повинен вести перемови.

3 березня 2008


Colombo land mine explosion kills seven

Hours after the Tamil Tigers threatened to bomb civilians in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a powerful bomb went off. The device is thought to be a fragmentation mine. Seven people were killed and seventeen injured in the explosion, and it came hours after Sri Lanka's military carried out an air-raid that killed dozens.

The blast occurred within a mile of the official home of President Mahinda Rajapakse. A convoy with the Pakistani ambassador was travelling on the road as explosion occurred, but he was unhurt.

"Definitely it's an LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] attack to the Pakistan ambassador's car but they missed and the backup vehicle got caught," a Sri lankan military spokesman said. The Pakistani ambassador may be a target of the Tigers as Pakistan has backed the government of Sri Lanka diplomatically.

In the past few days, there have been fierce hostilities between government forces and Tamil Tigers in the north and the east of the country.

The Tamil Tigers are a military and political group that has waged a violent secessionist campaign against Sri Lanka’s government since the 1970s. Their aim is to secure self-government for the traditional Tamil regions in the north and east of Sri Lanka.


Eksplozja miny w Kolombo

Kilka godzin po ostrzeżeniu Tamilskich Tygrysów o zamachach w Kolombo na Sri Lance wybuchła potężna bomba. Prawdopodobnie była to mina odłamkowa. Siedem osób nie żyje, a siedemnaście jest rannych. Atak miał miejsce kilka godzin po ataku powietrznym rządu Sri Lanki, w którym zginęły dziesiątki osób.

Wybuch miał miejsce około półtora kilometra od domu prezydenta kraju, Mahindy Rajapakse. Ambasador Pakistanu jechał w konwoju, gdy mina wybuchła, lecz nic mu się nie stało.

"Z całą pewnością był to atak Tamilskich Tygrysów na samochód ambasadora Pakistanu", powiedział rzecznik wojskowy.

W ciągu ostatnich kilku dni można było zaobserwować nasilenie walk na północy i wschodzie kraju pomiędzy siłami rządowymi a Tamilskimi Tygrysami.

Tamilskie Tygrysy to militarna i polityczna grupa, która prowadzi brutalną kampanię przeciwko rządowi Sri Lanki od lat 70. Ich głównym celem jest utworzenie w północnej części Sri Lanki niepodległego państwa tamilskiego, Ilamu.


Committee to Protect Journalists calls for release of Gambian journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling for the release of seven Gambian journalists arrested for reacting to President Yahya Jammeh's dismissal of an investigation involving the 2004 murder of journalist Deyda Hydara.

The seven detainees include three members of the Gambian Press Union, two reporters from The Point newspaper and two journalists from Foroyaa newspaper. They were detained on Monday after reprinting a press release that criticized President Jammeh for dismissing an investigation into the unsolved murder of journalist Deyda Hydara.

Tom Rhodes is the Africa Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. He expressed concern that the journalists have still not been released.

"Neither publication editor should be detained for republishing a press release made by the Gambian Press Union," he said. "The whole point of an independent press is to show all viewpoints and that is a certainly viable one. We call on the NIA [National Intelligence Agency] officials to release them immediately."

Veteran Gambian journalist Deyda Hydara, co-founder of The Point newspaper, was gunned down in 2004. There has been no investigation into the killing but human rights organizations have voiced suspicions that the government was involved.

On June 8, President Jammeh said in a television interview that he had "no stake" in Hydara's death. He hinted that the journalist had a complicated love life that might have resulted in his murder.

Rhodes said there are still many unanswered questions on the case.

"From what we can determine and gather from the Gambian Press Union, there's been absolutely no government investigation into the matter. The one positive thing we can vest from this rather dire situation is that at least the government is reacting to public pressure to respond to these allegations," said Rhodes.

Gambia has long been criticized for its human rights record and lack of press freedom. In 2006 veteran journalist Ebrima Manneh went missing. Despite repeated pressure from international rights groups, the Gambian government has never released any information about his whereabouts.

Rhodes says the latest arrests could trigger a downward spiral.

"Without journalists on the ground such as those at Foroyaa it's really going to affect what people know of what's going on in the Gambia in the wider picture of human rights," said Rhodes.

The Foroyaa newspaper is petitioning President Jammeh for the release of the detained journalists, including its managing editor Sam Sarr.


Siete periodistas habrían sido arrestados por criticar al presidente de Gambia

El Committee to Protect Journalists (Comité para proteger periodistas en español) denunció que siete peridodistas de Gambia están arrestados acusados de sedición. Aparentemente los periodistas habrían criticado los comentarios del presidente Yahya Jammeh en un programa televisivo que se referían a los asesinatos sin resolver de 2004 del periodista Deyda Hydara, según dijo el abogado defensor de los arrestados.

De los siete periodistas tres son miembors de la Unión de Prensa de Gambia (Gambian Press Union), dos son reporteros del periódico The Point y los otros dos del periódico Foroyaa. Fueron detenidos el lunes después de la reimpresión de un comunicado de prensa que criticaba al Presidente Jammeh que desestimaba una investigación sobre el asesinato sin resolver del periodista Deyda Hydara.

Según el Comité de Protección a Periodistas, Jammeh había hecho referencia a un titular de un sitio web que decía "¿Quién mató a Deyda Hydara?" y luego añadió "Que vayan y le pregunten a Deyda Hydara quien lo mató".

El veterano periodista gambiano Deyda Hydara, co-fundador del periódico The Point, fue asesinado en 2004. No ha habido ninguna investigación sobre el asesinato, pero las organizaciones de derechos humanos han expresado sospechas de que el gobierno habría estado involucrado.

Tom Rhodes es el coordinador del Programa África del Commité. Expresó su preocupación de que los periodistas todavía no han sido puestos en libertad. "Ni siquiera el editor de la publicación debe ser detenido por volver a publicar un comunicado de prensa formulado por la Unión de Prensa de Gambia", dijo. "El objetivo de una prensa independiente es mostrar todos los puntos de vista y sin duda es viable. Hacemos un llamamiento a la NIA [Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia de Gambia] para que deje en libertad a los periodistas de inmediato".


Communists protest arrest of FARC chancellor Rodrigo Granda

Rodrigo Granda, also known as Ricardo Gonzalez, was arrested by Colombian forces on December 13, 2004.
The communist group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) claims the arrest is illegal, since Granda was in Venezuela for purposes related to his work as a international FARC delegate. However, the Colombia government does not recognize the FARC as a legitimate political group and accuses the FARC of terrorism and drug trafficking.

According to a note released by the FARC, several communist parties are showing solidarity with the FARC by protesting the arrest of Rodrigo Granda.  In addition, they criticize the extradition of the FARC commander Simón Trinidad to the United States of America.

The political parties are:Communist Party of Greece,
Portuguese Communist Party,
Communist Party of the People of Spain,
Communist Party of Spain,
New Communist Party Netherlands,
Communist Party of Ireland,
Workers Party of Ireland,
Party of Italian Communists,
Socialist Alliance Party- Romania,
Party of Communists of Cataluña,
Communist Party of Argentina,
Union of Communists of Ukraine,
French Communist Party,
Tudeh Party of Iran,
Communist Party of Malta,
New Communist Party of Britain,
Communist Party in Denmark,
Communist Party of Norway,
Communist Party of Luxembourg,
Communist Party of USA,
Communist Party of Britain,
Communist Party of Tadjikistan,
Communist Party of Israel,
Communist Party of Denmark,
Bulgarian Communist Party “Georgy Dimitrov”,
Communist Party of Poland,
Colombian Communist Party,
Communist Party of Chile,
Party of Communists (Mexico),
Party of the Communist Refoundation,
Communist Party of Turkey,
Communist Party of Canada,
Communist Party of Finland,
Romanian Communist Party,
Workers Communist Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Socialist Party of Latvia,
Democratic Progressive Tribune- Bahrain,
Sudanese Communist Party,
Japanese Communist Party,
Communist Party of Estonia,
Communist Workers Party of Russia,
Communist Party of Brazil,
Communist Party of Jordan,
Party of Democratic Socialism, Germany,
Communist Party of Albania,
The Party of Labor (EMEP) Turkey,
Communist Party of Venezuela,
Communist Party of Slovakia and the
Communist Party of Egypt.

On January 2005, several intellectuals had already protested the arrest of Rodrigo Granda.


Partidos comunistas protestam contra a prisão de Rodrigo Granda, das FARC

Rodrigo Granda, também conhecido como Ricardo Gonzalez, foi detido por forças colombianas no dia 13 de dezembro de 2004. O   grupo armado comunista das Forças Revolucionárias  da Colômbia (FARC) reclama que a detenção é ilegal, visto que Granda esteve na Venezuela com objetivos relacionados ao seu trabalho como um delegado internacional das FARC. Contudo, o governo de Colômbia não reconhece as FARC como um grupo político legítimo e acusa as FARC de tráfico de drogas e terrorismo.

Segundo uma nota liberada pelas FARC, vários partidos comunistas estão mostrando a solidariedade com as FARC e protestando pela detenção de Rodrigo Granda. Além do mais, eles criticam a extradição do comandante das FARC Simón Trinidad aos Estados Unidos da América.

Entre os países de língua portuguesa, entre os partidos que apoiam as FARC estão: o Partido Comunista Português e o Partido Comunista do Brasil.

Os partidos políticos que estão citados na página das FARC são: Partido Comunista da Grécia, Partido Comunista Português, Partido Comunista do Povo da Espanha, Partido Comunista da Espanha, Novo Partido Comunista dos Países Baixos, Partido Comunista da Irlanda, Partido dos Trabalhadores da Irlanda, Partido de Comunistas Italianos, Partido da Aliança Socialista (Romênia), Partido de Comunistas da Cataluña, Partido Comunista da Argentina, União de Comunistas da Ucrânia, Partido Comunista da Argentina, União de Comunistas da Ucrânia, Partido Comunista Francês, Partido de Tudeh do Irão, Partido Comunista de Malta, Novo Partido Comunista da Grã-Bretanha, Partido Comunista da Dinamarca, Partido Comunista da Noruega, Partido Comunista do Luxemburgo, Partido Comunista dos EUA, Partido Comunista da Grã-Bretanha,Partido Comunista da Grã-Bretanha, Partido Comunista do Tajiskistão, Partido Comunista de Israel, Partido Comunista da Dinamarca, Partido Comunista Búlgaro “Georgy Dimitrov”, Partido Comunista da Polônia, Partido Comunista Colombiano, Partido Comunista do Chile, Partido de Comunistas (México), Partido da Refundação Comunista, Partido Comunista da Turquia, Partido Comunista do Canadá, Partido Comunista da Finlândia, Partido Comunista Romeno, Partido de Comunista de Funcionários de Bósnia e a Herzegovina, Partido Socialista da Letônia, Tribuna Progressiva Democrática - Bahrain, Partido Comunista Sudanês, Partido Comunista Japonês, Partido Comunista da Estônia, Partido dos Trabalhadores Comunistas da Rússia, Partido Comunista do Brasil, Partido Comunista da Jordânia, Partido de Socialismo Democrático, Alemanha, Partido Comunista da Albânia, o Partido de Trabalho (EMEP) a Turquia, Partido Comunista da Venezuela, Partido Comunista da Eslováquia e o Partido Comunista do Egito.


Congressional computers continue to be used to vandalize Wikipedia

Conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia

Wikinews contributors have discovered that members of the United States Congress or members of their staff have recently been making questionable edits to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia anyone can edit. This continues the trend identified by four exclusive Wikinews reports over a four-year period exposing questionable and fraudulent edits made beginning in 2005 by Congress members or staff.

Beginning in 2006, Wikinews reported that members of Congress or their staff were vandalizing Wikipedia by removing critical information in various articles, or adding false or offensive information. These edits were and continue to be done using computers owned or operated by the United States government.

In this new investigation, Wikinews has found that at least two of the three major Internet Protocol Addresses (IP) attached to computers used by members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their staff have been the source of Wikipedia edits for several years. As recently as April 2009 they have been adding or removing false and/or offensive information from articles related to political figures or members of Congress.

Although the IP addresses belong exclusively to the U.S Congress as a whole, they are linked to many different computers throughout the U.S. which are used by many different House representatives or their staff members. In response to an edit, another Wikipedia contributor posts a message on the user discussion page for the IP address, advising anyone that may view the page that the address belongs to Congress.

In January, one individual using a Congressional computer removed a source in an article. Five minutes later, using the same congressional IP address, someone replaced the source with an apology saying, "sorry--House of Reps IPs should not be editing [Wikipedia], even other office's pages on lunch break." Despite the advisories, Wikinews has found that the individuals continued to make vandal-like edits to the encyclopedia.

In one instance, Wikinews found that someone with one of the IP addresses, 143.231.249.141, began to edit the Wikipedia article for Steve Austria, the Republican representative for Ohio's 7th congressional district. The individual began to edit on March 18, 2009 at 23:32 UTC. He or she used the official House of Representatives gateway to remove a section of information relating to inaccurate comments Austria made about The Great Depression. Austria stated in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch in February that Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in 1933 caused the U.S. to go into a depression.

"When Roosevelt did this, he put our country into a Great Depression. ... He tried to borrow and spend, he tried to use the Keynesian approach, and our country ended up in a Great Depression. That's just history," said Austria during the February 11 interview. He later admitted that his statement was wrong, saying Roosevelt's spending "did not have the desired effect," which caused the depression. Exactly two minutes later on March 18, the same IP address removed information relating to bloggers accusing Austria of plagiarism in 2008. They accused him of taking credit for a column that was published in his name in the Xenia Gazette on September 2, 2008. Bloggers had discovered that the column was a direct copy of a report on the history of Labor Day originally published by the U.S. Department of Labor. The edits were reverted, the last being over four hours after the information was removed. Despite some constructive edits, such as correcting the spelling of Wisconsin congressman Steve Kagen's name and correcting grammatical errors, the same IP removed the information in both sections a total of six times from March 18 to April 24, 2009.

After seeing the suspicious edits, Wikinews examined the edit history for Austria's article to see if any other suspicious edits were made. After a brief search, Wikinews discovered that the IP address 65.189.244.162 removed the same information just 15 days earlier on March 3, being the first address to remove the information. Only one edit has been made to Wikipedia from that IP address so far. After tracing the address, Wikinews discovered the person who made the edits lives in or near Fairborn, which is located 8.5 miles from Beavercreek, where Austria currently resides. Austria also grew up in Xenia which is located just 12 miles from Fairborn and only 8 miles from Beavercreek.

Another individual, with the IP address 75.187.63.132, also removed the allegations of plagiarism from Austria's article in February. The individual removed what they called "Politically Motivated BS [bullshit]" from the article of Deborah Pryce, former congresswoman for Ohio's 15th congressional district. The information was related to fundraisers between 2001 and 2004 that were held at restaurants belonging to convicted felon and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. After tracing the IP address, Wikinews found that the edit was made from a computer located in Columbus, Ohio, the location of Pryce's offices and one of the cities in Pryce's district. Wikinews contacted Austria by e-mail for a statement, but so far there has been no response.

Following those discoveries, Wikinews investigated another IP address used by the U.S. House of Representatives. On April 30, 2009, the address 143.231.249.138 made an edit that listed Devin Nunes, the representative for California's 21st congressional district, as being a member of the Nazi Party. The address also made less questionable edits, but after investigating further, it was discovered that the IP address removed critical information on April 29 from the article of Gregory Meeks, the representative for New York's 6th congressional district. The information removed was related to a column by the the New York Times which stated that Meeks initially supported former 2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the race for the White House. According to the Times, Meeks changed his support to Obama because he was part of "a young black political class [which was] seeking to assert the neighborhood’s power against what it sees as an older establishment, based in Harlem, that has long exercised disproportionate influence in New York City."

The address 143.231.249.138 was also responsible for adding highly biased statements to articles related to abortion. On March 16, 2009 it altered the Wikipedia article Crisis pregnancy center, adding that the centers were "abortion mills, which exist only to kill people, also present themselves as medical facilities." On March 20, the IP changed the Project Rachel article to include, "millions of women have deep regrets and, often, suffer psychological problems after undergoing an abortion--a fact the abortion industry and mass media will not admit." 143.231.249.141 also added racial slurs and references to gay pedophilia into William A. Donohue's article in February, saying he has "participated in the controversial act of 'tabeling', in which he takes a small child, places him upon a table, and 'puts the lord inside him.'"

In an attempt to find out where the edits were being made and by whom, Wikinews contacted the Electronic Frontier Foundation to receive advice on how to file an information request with the U.S. government under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The request would have been made to release the names of the individuals and offices responsible for the edits. However, according to Marcia Hofmann, a staff attorney for the EFF, who specializes in FOIA related matters, the U.S. government is not required to provide the information.

"None of the U.S. open government laws extends to records in the possession of members of Congress or their employees. Put differently, it's not so much a question of what the information is (identities of congressional staff) as where the information is (in congressional offices, which aren't covered by open government laws)," said Hoffmann in an exclusive interview with Wikinews. She also added that "FOIA [requests] cover records in executive branch agencies and departments" only.

Suspicious and/or fraudulent edits to Wikipedia made by Congress and other government entities were first reported by Wikinews in February 2006, after the U.S. government engaged in Wikipedia vandalism and other forms of perceived biased editing of articles. The House of Representatives IP addresses were briefly banned from editing Wikipedia articles in the wake of the initial controversy. A few days later, Wikinews reported that staff members of the offices of United States Senators, using Senate-linked IP addresses, also edited Wikipedia, in some cases, removing facts and sourced material from articles. In 2008, Wikinews also reported that staff members for then 2008 candidates for U.S. president Barack Obama and John McCain made questionable edits to Wikipedia.


Computadores do Congresso dos Estados Unidos são usados para vandalizar a artigos da Wikipédia


Congressional staff actions prompt Wikipedia investigation

Edits by Massachusetts congressman Marty Meehan's staff on his Wikipedia article spurred a Lowell Sun story and a subsequent Wikipedia investigation of all Internet addresses assigned to the Congress of the United States.

While edits from the Capitol are not generally news, the biographical article for Mr. Meehan was carefully edited, removing negative comments while expanding with content from the congressman's political flyer. The IP address which made these edits has an extensive editing history on Wikipedia, and has been repeatedly blocked in past months for article vandalism and violation of Wikipedia policies (Wikipedia's log of 143.231.249.141 being blocked from editing).

Wikipedia administrators, alerted to the Marty Meehan article edits, realized that many edits to politically-sensitive articles had been made from IP addresses assigned to the US Capitol building, and have begun an investigation into all edits from such addresses.

At the center of the investigation are edits by the IP address 143.231.249.141, which is the proxy through which most of the U.S. House Internet traffic passes.  Jon Brandt, spokesman for the Committee on House Administration confirmed House ownership of the IP [1]. An aide for Rep. Meehan made two edits to the article on Meehan's biography. The first was on July 18, 2005 and replaced the article with his official biography, which was biased towards Meehan. A later edit on December 27, 2005 removed text referring to Mr. Meehan's pledge to only run four terms, or 8 years.

The text that was removed said "He also ran on a platform of term limits. However, after serving four terms as US Congressman, the number of terms he pledged that he and no other congressman should serve out, he has since gone back on his word and now is adamently [sic] against the idea of term limits for Congressmen."

The text was replaced with: "His fiscally responsible voting record since then has earned him praise from citizen watchdog groups."

Congressman Meehan has served seven terms as Representative of his home state of Massachusetts.

Most of the edits from Capitol Hill IPs have not been harmful edits. Many edits have been made which were neutral, correcting factual, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. A sampling of both positive and harmful edits to politically-related articles are included here.

The communications director for Rep. Joe Wilson took a different approach to editing Rep. Wilson's article.  She contacted Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales, who advised that she supply a biography on the Wikipedia article's discussion page, rather than edit the article directly, for other Wikipedia editors to check and to incorporate into the article itself.  After she added the official bio to Wilson's discussion page, Wikipedia editors used it and several other sources to expand the article substantially.

Following the reports of the edits from the House IP address, a so-called checkuser (a check of confidential information to determine the accounts used by staffers coming from that IP) was performed to determine what users logged-in with an account edited from the House IP address, and the edits made by all of those users were checked as well. They all showed little bias and no vandalism. [2]

Unlike the U.S. House, computers from the U.S. Senate are assigned individual IP addresses. To identify possible vandals, the edit history for all senators was checked, and a list of 25 addresses was extracted.  While some had good faith edits, others showed unacceptable behaviour.

The entire 156.33.x.x netblock is for Senate use only [3]

The following is a partial list of U.S. Senator biographies on the English-language Wikipedia edited by Senate employees.

While the identity of these IPs are not known, a small sample of edits from Capitol IPs shows both helpful and harmful edits.

A complete list of all the Senatorial IPs that contributed to political articles can be found here.

The attention of Wikipedia administrators was drawn to the pattern of edits to Wikipedia articles by Congressional staffers at 18:47 on January 29.  In response, Wikipedia administrators began a systematic examination of all edits to articles made from IP addresses that have been assigned for use by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Administrators found several places where edits from U.S. Senate IP addresses had been to articles on Senators.

Following online discussions using IRC, Wikipedia administrator FireFox blocked the U.S. House of Representatives' Wikipedia editing privileges for one week while the issue is discussed. The block was lifted shortly thereafter by a dissenting admin. [19]

While the Wikimedia Foundation has not yet issued a statement regarding this, Jimmy Wales was quoted by the AP discouraging the removal of facts. "You don't delete it," Wales said. "If they wanted to put in their side of things, that would seem ethically relevant, rather than just omitting it."


Mitarbeiter des US-Kongresses manipulierten in Wikipedia

Washington D.C. (Vereinigte Staaten), 01.02.2006 – Die Betreiber der Online-Enzyklopädie Wikipedia haben Ende Januar 2006 kurzzeitig einige in den Büros des US-Kongresses verwendete IP-Adressen gesperrt. Grund dafür waren auffällige Änderungen und Vandalismus in Politikerbiografien. Wie sich später herausstellte, waren die beschönigenden Änderungen zum Teil von den Politikern selbst beauftragt, um einen besseren Eindruck im Internet zu hinterlassen.

Bekannt wurde der Fall durch Manipulationen am Eintrag des Kongressabgeordneten Marty Meehan. Hierbei wurde der von Wikipediabenutzern erarbeitete Text kurzerhand durch die offizielle, vom Büro des Abgeordneten verbreitete, Biografie ersetzt. Die für die Manipulation verwendete IP-Adresse konnte dem US-Kongress zugeordnet werden. Die US-Tageszeitung „Lowell Sun“ berichtete als erste Zeitung über diese und weitere Manipulationen durch Kongressabgeordnete bzw. deren Mitarbeiter.

Der Bürochef von Marty Meehan, Mike Vogel, gestand gegenüber der Zeitung ein, dass er einen Praktikanten mit der Veränderung des Artikels über seinen Chef beauftragt habe. Er habe es als sinnvoll angesehen, dass Wikipedia die offizielle Biografie verwende. Dieses Verhalten ist auf breite Kritik gestoßen, da Meehans offizielle Biografie Kritik an Meehan ausspart. So hatte Meehan bei seiner erstmaligen Wahl in den US-Kongress im Jahre 1992 seine Amtszeit freiwillig auf acht Jahre beschränkt, diese Zusage später aber widerrufen. Dieser Umstand wird auch im Wikipedia-Artikel thematisiert.

Freiwillige Mitarbeiter der Wikipedia prüften auf Grund des Zeitungsartikels die Wikipediabeiträge, die von IP-Adressen des US-Kongresses bearbeitet wurden. Hierbei wurden Manipulationen und Vandalismus verschiedener Art festgestellt. Neben plumpen Beleidigungen wurden auch mehrfach Versuche der Geschichtsmanipulation, beispielsweise durch die Schönigung oder Streichung von Fakten, festgestellt.


Wikipedia investiga sobre las ediciones del equipo de un congresista norteamericano

Las ediciones del equipo de Marty Meehan, congresista estadounidense por el estado de Massachusetts, en su artículo en la Wikipedia en inglés, eliminando la referencia a un artículo de prensa, han provocado que se inicie una investigación interna sobre las actualizaciones provenientes de las direcciones de Internet que provienen del Congreso de los Estados Unidos.

Si bien las ediciones provenientes desde el congreso no son inusuales, en este caso el artículo biográfico del señor Meehan fue editado cuidadosamente, eliminando todo comentario negativo al mismo tiempo que se incluía información proveniente de textos promocionales de su campaña. La dirección IP utilizada en estos extensos cambios en el artículo de Wikipedia ha debido ser bloqueada en ocasiones anteriores por vandalismo y violación de las politicas de Wikipedia (Registro de Wikipedia en inglés sobre bloqueos a la dirección 143.231.249.141).

Los administradores de Wikipedia fueron alertados sobre los cambios realizados en el artículo sobre Marty Meehan y notaron que desde esa misma dirección, asignada al Capitolio de los Estados Unidos, se han estado realizando ediciones de artículos políticamente sensibles, por lo que iniciaron una investigación sobre todas las ediciones realizadas desde esas direcciones.

Al investigarse las ediciones procedentes del edificio del Capitolio, se encontró que este caso es una excepción. En general, es muy poco el vandalismo proveniente del edificio del Capitolio y no se encontró que las ediciones sean más sesgadas que el promedio en los artículos políticos. La gran mayoría corrige fechas, ortografía y gramática, y aporta datos sobre hechos ocurridos. Otros congresistas, cuando han notado deficiencias en sus biografías, han enviado una biografía oficial, para que a partir de allí se realicen las correcciones pertinentes por los editores de Wikipedia.

Mientras se concluye la investigación, las direcciones IP del edificio del Capitolio quedaron bloqueadas para ediciones. La Fundación Wikimedia no ha emitido hasta ahora ningún comunicado al respecto.


Wikipedia enquête sur les contributions d'une équipe du Congrès Américain

Cet article mentionne la Wikimedia Foundation ou un de ses projets. Notez que Wikinews est un projet de la Wikimedia Foundation.

Publié le 30 janvier 2006
Les administrateurs de la Wikipédia anglophone se sont inquiétés de modifications faites sur la biographie de Marty Meehan, un membre du Congrès américain.

De simples vérifications ont permis d'établir que certaines contributions ont été éditées depuis des ordinateurs situés au Congrès Américain : à la Chambre des représentants ou au Sénat.
Une partie des modifications est conforme aux principes de Wikipédia mais d'autres s'apparentent à une censure de certaines informations. Par exemple :

a été remplacé par

Meehan a été élu 7 fois.

Liste partielle de biographies de membres du Sénat américain qui ont été modifiées :

À la suite d'une concertation entre contributeurs, administrateur a bloqué pour une semaine les droits d'édition de la Chambre des représentants. Toutefois, quelques heures plus tard, un autre administrateur a annulé ce blocage en estimant en substance que ce blocage lèserait des utilisateurs non impliqués dans ces modifications contestées.

La Fondation Wikimédia n'a pas encore fait de commentaires.


Действия сотрудников конгресса вызывают исследование Википедии

Статья о конгрессмене от штата Массачусетс Марти Михана (Marty Meehan) редактировалась из его собственного офиса. Это побудило Википедию провести последовательное исследование всех интернет адресов связанных с Конгрессом Соединенных Штатов.
Хотя правки статей из Капитолия, это не новость, биографическая статья о мистере Михане была аккуратно редактирована так, что были удалены негативные комментарии и добавлены отрывки из его рекламного листка. IP-адрес, с которого были сделаны эти правки, имеет обширную редакторскую историю в Википедии, и был в последние месяцы периодически блокирован за вандализм и нарушение правил Википедии.
Администраторы Википедии, которые следили за редактированием статьи о Марти Михане, заметили, что много правок политически-чувствительных статей были сделаны с IP-адресов, связанных с Капитолием Соединенных Штатов и начали исследовать все правки, сделанные с этих адресов.

В центе исследования был IP-адрес en:w:143.231.249.141. Это адрес прокси-сервера, через который, в основном, обеспечивает трафик Капитолия. Помощник республиканского конгрессмена Михана два раза редактировал его биографию. Первый раз это было 18 июля 2005 года, статья в Википедии о Михане была полностью заменена его официальной биографией. Позднее, 27 декабря 2005 года, был заменён текст, ссылающийся на обещание Михана работать только четыре срока, или 8 лет.

В тексте, который был удалён, говорится: «Он поддерживает ограничения сроков. Однако, после работы в течение четырёх сроков как конгрессмен США он выступает против ограничения сроков работы конгрессменов».

Конгрессмен Михан был представителем своего родного штата Массачусетс 7 сроков.

Большинство правок с Капитолийского холма были совсем небезобидными. Но, надо честно сказать, что подавляющее их число все же были нейтральными, исправляющие факты, орфографию, грамматику и ошибки пунктуации. Примеры позитивных и негативных правок политических статей перечислены здесь.

Директор по связям республиканской партии Джо Уилсон (Joe Wilson) по другому подошёл к редактированию статьи о нём. Он вышел на контакт с основателем Википедии Джимбо Уэйлсом, который посоветовал ему добавить нужное на странице обсуждения, прежде чем непосредственно править статью, чтобы другие участники Википедии смогли использовать это для корректировки статьи.

Далее следует доклад о правках с IP-адресов Капитолия, так называемая, проверка пользователей для определения, чтобы определить, кто из них редактировал статьи из Капитолия. Эти проверки показали некоторое предубеждение и никакого вандализма.

В отличие от Капитолия, компьютерам в Сената США присвоены индивидуальные IP-адреса. Не найдено возможного вандализма, были проверены все правки сенаторов, был составлен список из 25 адресов. Некоторые правки были хорошими, некоторые показали неприемлемое поведение.

IP-адреса Сената: 156.33.0.0 — 156.33.255.255

Список статей о сенаторах, которые редактировались с адресов Сената.

Хотя идентификация этих адресов неизвестна, это примеры правок с IP=адресов Капитолия, как положительных, так и негативных.

Внимание администраторов, к редактированию статей в Википедии сотрудниками Конгресса, было привлечено в 18:47, 29 января. Поэтому, администраторы начали систематическою проверку всех правок, которые были сделаны с IP-адресов Сената и Конгресса США.

Администраторы нашли несколько мест, где были редактированы статьи о Сенаторах с IP-адресов Сената.

После дискуссии в IRC, администратор Википедии en:w:User:FireFox заблокировал адреса Конгресса США на одну неделю, пока происходит обсуждение этого вопроса.
Фонд Викимедиа ещё не высказала свою позицию по этому вопросу.

30 января 2006 года


Den amerikanska politikern Marty Meehans personal ändrar texter på Wikipedia

USA –
Lowell Sun Online skriver om hur den amerikanske demokratiske representanthusledamoten Marty Meehans personalchef erkänner att han har tillåtit ändringar av artikeln om Meehan på den engelska versionen av wikipedia. Negativt innehåll om Meehan togs bort från artikeln, till exempel texter om svikna kampanjlöften och om hans rekordhöga kampanjkonto: 4,8 miljoner USD.


Conservative party wins minority government in Canada

Stephen Harper's Conservatives have won a minority government in Canada with most stations reporting at this time. The Conservatives' win ends 12 years of a Liberal government plagued by allegations of scandals in recent months.

Most major Canadian TV networks began to project a Conservative win at approx 3:30 a.m. UTC

Below are the current results for polls reporting, which are still subject to frequent change. Please note this includes both officially elected and leading candidates at this time.

This ends an unusually bitter campaign, with the Conservative and Liberals both launching harsh attack commercials against each other.

In response to the defeat, former prime minister Paul Martin has stepped down as leader of the Liberal party.

This early election stemmed from the ruling Liberal Party government's loss in a motion of no confidence. The Liberal government has faced strong opposition from the NDP, Conservatives and Bloc Québécois as a result of an embarrassing sponsorship scandal.

In Quebec, the Bloc Québécois won the great majority of seats, 51 with 42,7% of the votes, the Conservatives won 10 seats with 24,6% while the Liberals faced a wall by getting only 20,7% of the votes, which gave them 13 seats at the Parliament, down by eight from the last election.  In Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier, the radio animator André Arthur was also elected as the only successful independent candidate in Canada.

In the Vancouver Island North riding, incumbent John Duncan has been defeated by NDP member and now first time MP Catherine Bell. In the previous 2004 election Bell lost by a mere 483 votes to Duncan. This could be seen as quite an upset to Duncan, who has been in power in this riding for several years and was likely to be in Stephen Harper's cabinet as he was part of Harpers shadow cabinet during the Conservatives time as opposition. Bell won this election by just 1.11%.


Les Conservateurs remportent les élections fédérales canadiennes

Le Parti conservateur du Canada mené par Stephen Harper a remporté les élections fédérales sans majorité. Cette victoire met fin à 12 ans de règne du Parti libéral miné par des scandales très médiatisés ces derniers mois.

La plupart des chaînes de télévision ont annoncé la victoire vers 3 h 30 du matin UTC.

Le tableau définitif donne le nombre de sièges par parti.

Ce résultat met fin à plusieurs mois d'une longue campagne médiatique très dure.

Le premier ministre Paul Martin battu a démissioné de son poste de chef du Parti libéral.


Conservadores vencem eleições canadenses

Os conservadores  liderados por Stephen Harper foram os grandes vitoriosos das eleições federais canadenses de 2006, realizada em 23 de janeiro de 2006, encerrando uma fase de 12 anos de Governo Liberal, acuado nos últimos meses por denúncias de corrupção.

O  Partido Conservador do Canadá  obteve a maioria das posições da Casa dos Comuns (40,3%, ou 124 de 308 posições, um aumento de 25, em relação aos 99 obtidos nas eleições de 2004), e 36,7% do voto popular (um aumento de 6,7%, em relação aos 29,6% de 2004).

Espera-se que Stephen Harper, seja declarado Primeiro-Ministro do Canadá, após   cerimônia de inauguração, pela Governadora Geral do Canadá, Michaëlle Jean.


Kanada får konservativ regering

Kanada –
Enligt preliminära reslutat från parlamentsvalet i Kanada avgår den liberala regeringen för att lämna plats åt en konservativ minoritetsregering, skriver Dagens Nyheter.

Det konservativa partiet vann i 122 valdistrikt mot liberalernas 103. För egen majoritet i underhuset krävs dock 155 av platserna och den konservative partiledaren Stephen Harper blir därför tvungen att bilda en minoritetsregering.

Parlamentsvalet innebär att Kanada svänger kraftigt åt höger. det är dock långt ifrån säkert att landet blir politiskt mer stabilt eftersom det konservativa partiet saknar självklara samarbetspartier i underhuset.

De quebecanska separatistpartiet förlorade tio platser i underhuset samtidigt som vänsterpartiet NDP gjorde sitt bästa val på nästan 20 år.


Conservative Piñera wins Chile polls, opponent Frei concedes defeat

Sebastián Piñera has won recent elections in Chile, becoming the first conservative president in 52 years. Former president and candidate Eduardo Frei, meanwhile, conceded losing the elections.

With 99% of votes counted, official returns showed Piñera with 52% of the vote and Frei with 48%.
The new president will succeed the outgoing president, Michelle Bachelet. She cannot run for a second consecutive term.

Piñera, a Harvard-educated economist, lost to Bachelet in the last presidential vote in 2006.  He owns a television station, a soccer team and a stake in the Chilean LAN Airlines.

"Better times are coming for Chile. There is a great new phase on the way. After 20 years I think a change will be good for Chile. It's like opening the windows of your home to let fresh air come in," Piñera said. He will take power in March.

Meanwhile, Frei, in his concession speech, commented that "Chile is much better than the country we received in 1990. We will be guardians of liberty and of all our social victories."


Chile: Sebastián Piñera gewinnt Präsidentschaftswahlen

Santiago de Chile (Chile), 19.01.2010 – Mit Sebastián Piñera gelangt in Chile nach mehr als 20 Jahren wieder ein Vertreter der politischen Rechten an die Macht. Seit der Diktatur des Generals Augusto Pinochet hatten Mitte-Links-Regierungen das politische Geschehen in dem Andenstaat bestimmt. Die bisherige Präsidentin Michelle Bachelet durfte nicht erneut für das Amt des Staatspräsidenten kandidieren.

Bei der Stichwahl am Sonntag hatte der Milliardär Piñera fast 52 Prozent der Stimmen erreicht. Begünstigt wurde der Sieg des Vertreters der politischen Rechten durch die innere Zerstrittenheit der Linksparteien, die sich mit mehreren gegeneinander konkurrierenden Kandidaten gegenseitig die Stimmen wegnahmen.


Chili : Sebastián Piñera remporte l'élection présidentielle

Avec Sebastián Piñera, est arrivé au Chili, pour la première fois depuis 20 ans, un représentant de la droite politique au pouvoir depuis la dictature du général Augusto Pinochet, qui avait provoquée de nombreux événements politiques pour mettre en place des gouvernements de centre-gauche dans la majeure partie de la Cordillère des Andes. L'actuelle présidente Michelle Bachelet n'a pas été autorisé à se présenter une nouvelle fois à la présidence.

Lors du second tour, dimanche, le milliardaire Piñera avait atteint près de 52 % des voix contre 48 % à Eduardo Frei, chef de file de la Concertation des partis pour la démocratie[1], au pouvoir depuis la fin de la dictature de Pinochet. La victoire du représentant de la droite a été facilitée par la désunion interne des partis de gauche, qui avait plusieurs candidats en compétition les uns contre les autres.


Conservatives in Alberta, Canada re-elected 11th consecutive time

Ed Stelmach was celebrating victory on Monday as he was expected to be re-elected Premier in the Canadian province of Alberta. Vote results indicate a solid majority of legislative seats for Stelmach's Progressive Conservatives, an 11th consecutive election victory for his party.

Stelmach, who succeeded Ralph Klein as party leader and Premier in 2006, defeated Kevin Taft's opposition Liberals by winning a substantial majority of the provincial legislature seats. New Democrat Brian Mason was leading in his Edmonton riding, although his party is expected to win few seats.

The Wildrose Alliance Party was only formed in January, the result of a merger of the Wildrose and Alliance parties.

The Alberta Greens and the Progressive Conservatives were the only parties to gain in popular support, rising 1.8% and 5.8% respectively.

Results as of Tuesday 08:18 UTC - 6107 of 6107 polls reporting.

Source: Elections Alberta


Los conservadores en Alberta, Canadá han sido reelegidos por undécima vez consecutiva

Ed Stelmach estuvo celebrando su victoria este lunes, pues tal como esperaba fue reelegido primer ministro en la provincia canadiense de Alberta. El resultado de los votos indica una solida mayoría de los escaños legislativos para el partido de Stelmach, Partido Conservador Progresista, que obtiene con esta, su undécima victoria consecutiva en las elecciones legislativas para este cargo.

Stelmach, quien sucedió a Ralph Klein como líder del partido y primer ministro en el 2006, derrotó al liberal opositor Kevin Taft ganando una sustancial mayoría de escaños legislativos. El nuevo demócrata Brian Mason estuvo liderando los votos en la capital (Edmonton), aunque se espera que su partido gane pocos escaños en la asamblea legislativa.

El Partido Alianza Wildrose fue formado en enero, como resultado de la unión entre el Partido Wildrose y el Partido Alianza Alberta.

Resultados del reporte del total de urnas escrutadas efectuado el martes a las 08:18 UTC.

Fuente: Elecciones en Alberta


Conservatives make gains in English local elections

Most of the results have now been declared from the local elections that took place across England yesterday. The Conservative Party has made the biggest gains, winning 316 new council seats and gaining a net control of 11 new councils. The Liberal Democrat party also made some gains, getting an overall bigger share of the vote than Labour, but only winning a modest 18 or so extra councillors.

The British National Party has doubled its number of councillors, winning 11 seats in the Barking and Dagenham area, as well as a few elsewhere. The Green Party has won a few extra councillors. The RESPECT party won 12 seats on the council of Tower Hamlets, making them now the official opposition.

Robin Wales has been re-elected as the Mayor for the London Borough of Newham, Dorothy Thornhill re-elected the Mayor of Watford and Steve Bullock re-elected as the Mayor for Lewisham. Results have not yet been announced for the election of the Mayor of Hackney.

In an immediate development, Tony Blair sacked Charles Clarke from the post of Home Secretary.

Initial estimations suggest that turnout was 36%, a reduction of three points compared to 2004.


Kabinettsumbildung nach Niederlage der Labour Party

London (Vereinigtes Königreich), 05.05.2006 – Nach der Niederlage seiner Partei bei den Kommunalwahlen hat der britische Premierminister Tony Blair (Labour Party) heute Morgen bei einem gemeinsamen Frühstück mit seinem Kabinett eine tiefgreifende Kabinettsumbildung angekündigt.

26 Prozent für Labour – das ist das schlechteste Wahlergebnis seit 1968 für die Partei. 230 Mandate auf kommunaler Ebene gingen verloren, darunter auch wichtige Wahlbezirke in der britischen Hauptstadt. Neben den Konservativen gewannen auch Liberaldemokraten und Grüne Stimmen hinzu. Als zusätzliche Peinlichkeit wurde auch die Tatsache gewertet, dass Kandidaten der weit rechts stehenden Britischen Nationalpartei (BNP) an Einfluss gewannen. Die Kommunalwahlen gelten als wichtiger Stimmungstest für die Popularität der Regierungspartei.

Noch in der Nacht kündigte der Premierminister eine Kabinettsumbildung an. Das katastrophale Ergebnis für Labour nahm der Regierungschef zum Anlass für drastische Maßnahmen. Nach dem von dem britischen Boulevardblatt „Sun“ als „bloody breakfast“ titulierten Treffen müssen der britische Außenminister Jack Straw und Innenminister Charles Clarke gehen. Straw wird anstelle dessen Fraktionschef der Labour-Partei im Unterhaus. Seine Nachfolgerin wird die bisherige Umweltministerin Margaret Beckett. Innenminister Charles Clarke, der sich von der Entscheidung Blaires distanzierte, zog es vor, sich nach seinem Rauswurf den parlamentarischen Hinterbänken zu widmen und kein politisches Amt mehr auszuüben, und schlug ihm angebotene andere Kabinettsposten aus. Clarke wollte die gegen ihn in der Öffentlichkeit erhobenen Vorwürfe selbst aus der Welt schaffen. Ihm war vorgeworfen worden, nicht dafür gesorgt zu haben, dass ausländische Straftäter nach ihrer Haftentlassung ins Ausland abgeschoben wurden.

Politische Beobachter bezweifeln indes die Wirksamkeit der Kabinettsumbildung im Hinblick auf die politische Zukunft von Labour und Tony Blair als Regierungschef persönlich. „Das ist wie die Umstellung der Stühle auf dem Deck der sinkenden ,Titanic‘“, spöttelte Frank Dobson, Labour-Abgeordneter und ehemaliger Gesundheitsminister. Und er fügte noch hinzu: „Ganz ehrlich: Wir brauchen ein neues Management für die Partei.“ Damit forderte er indirekt den Rücktritt von Labour-Chef Blair. In die gleiche Kerbe, allerdings mit anderer politischer Zielrichtung, schlug der konservative Oppositionsführer David Cameron: „Dem Land kann keine umgebildete alte Regierung mehr helfen, sondern nur noch eine völlig neue.“ Das Wahlergebnis verschlechtert Blairs Position vor allem jedoch gegenüber den Kritikern in den eigenen Reihen. Schatzkanzler Gordon Brown wird bereits als möglicher Nachfolger Blairs in der Parteiführung gehandelt.