Los precandidatos hablan o cantan sobre el retorno de Noemí Sanín a las filas del Partido Conservador. La esperan con cariño aparentemente.
Otros Recursos
José Galat en Facebook
Carlos Holguín Sardi 2010-2014
Andrés Felipe Arias
Fernando Araújo Perdomo en Facebook.
El precandidato presidencial, el Dr. Sergio Fajardo Valderrama, habla de su recorrido por La Guajira y de los sueños colombianos.
Otros Recursos
Sergio Fajardo (sitio oficial)
Sergio Fajardo en Facebook.
Sergio Fajardo en Twitter.
Los precandidatos del Partido Conservador Colombiano debaten el Acuerdo Humanitario. José Galat se puso de pie. Les cuento que yo soy Liberal pero me trae mucha satisfacion que el Partido Conservador aun tiene vigencia y hombres con honoreza.
Otros Recursos
José Galat en Facebook
Carlos Holguín Sardi 2010-2014
Andrés Felipe Arias
Fernando Araújo Perdomo en Facebook.
Los precandidatos del Partido Conservador Colombiano debaten el tema del referendum re-electionista que se le ha embolatado a los Uribistas.
President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki sat down for face to face meetings on Wednesday at the White House, squaring off over the drawdown of American troops and concerns over the rising in violence in Iraq.
Also on Wednesday, two bombs exploded in a Baghdad market, killing at least five people and wounding dozens. It was the second day of bombings in what appears to be a growing campaign of religious and ethnic violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group joins Martin Savidge to discuss relations between the U.S. and Iraq and the security situation.
While there has been a stabilization in security relative to the past few years, a long-lasting political arrangement remains elusive.
Return to Main
President Obama gives remarks after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the White House.
People&Power looks into an Argentine community’s crusade against a Canadian mining giant intent on mining their mountain for gold, with devastating environmental impact.
Here’s more background from Mining Watch:
In the Argentine province of La Rioja, an astonishing series of events have lead to the ouster of an allegedly corrupt pro-mining provincial governor and the apparent withdrawal of gold mining giant Barrick Gold from operations on the Famatina range. Who was responsible for these events? A small group of dedicated neighbors who are fighting tooth and nail to save their mountain range from open-pit mining exploitation.
On March 13, 2006, the capital city of La Rioja was rocked by turmoil and disturbances marking the sudden ouster of governor Ángel Maza. His ouster was based on charges of corruption arising from his relations with Barrick Gold, and was marked by violence, hired thugs and a systematic burning and destruction of evidence linking the gold mining giant to the now-deposed governor. The new interim governor has pledged to outlaw open-pit metals mining using cyanide and set a date for a public referendum on the issue. Barrick Gold announced the dismantling of their mining camp, and withdrawal from exploratory activities in the Famatina range.
As of this moment (March 21, 2007), activists are still positioned in Peñas Negras 5,400 feet up on Mt. Famatina, entering the third week of a blockade of the road winding up Famatina to the Barrick Gold encampment. They are permitting Barrick employees and machinery to leave, but not to enter. And they vow to not abandon their vigil until Barrick Gold is gone for good, and a provincial law is in effect prohibiting open-pit mining on their beloved mountain.
What happened in La Rioja? This brief description of the events is based on observation, history and a very nice article published by the Argentine journal La Vaca. By analyzing what took place in La Rioja, we can perhaps hone our strategies in other locations where the metals mining giants may appear to have a firm foothold – but in the face of popular movements, perhaps their power isn’t as strong as they would like us to believe.
The US signed a defence pact with India boosting Delhi’s access to sophisticated military hardware and nuclear development. But will such an investment increase the power of India both economically and diplomatically or will it raise tension in a region already thought of as unstable?
More details from the Washington Times:
India agreed Monday to allow the United States to strictly monitor its adherence to nonproliferation rules, which eases restrictions on Indian purchases of sophisticated U.S. weapons.
New Delhi also designated two sites where U.S. companies will be able to build nuclear reactors, which the State Department said represent up to $10 billion in business for firms such as General Electric and Westinghouse Electric, a subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna signed a so-called end-use-monitoring agreement, committing India to safeguards demanded by Washington to make sure that U.S.-made weaponry is only used for its intended purposes and does not fall in the wrong hands.
“We have agreed on the end-use-monitoring arrangements … for Indian procurement of U.S. technology and equipment,” Mr. Krishna told reporters after a meeting with Mrs. Clinton.
The secretary said the deal “will pave the way to greater defense cooperation between our countries,” as will a technology safeguards agreement that “will set up commercial partnerships in space.”
The safeguards will now make it possible for India to buy weaponry from companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, though no contracts are expected immediately.
As part of the modernization of its largely Russian-made arsenal, India plans to buy 126 multi-role fighters in what would be one of the largest arms deals in the world. The U.S. companies will be competing with Russia’s MiG-35, France’s Dassault Rafale, Sweden’s Saab KAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish firms.
Mrs. Clinton also said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told her that sites “for two nuclear parks for U.S. companies have been approved by the government.”
“The parks will advance the aims of the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement, facilitate billions of dollars in U.S. reactor exports and create jobs in both countries, as well as generate much-needed energy for the Indian people,” she said.
She indicated, however, that before the deal can be implemented, India will have to “approve the liability legislation that will enable our U.S. companies to seize these important opportunities.”
The story and analysis from Reuters:
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Wednesday re-drew the boundaries of Sudan’s contested Abyei oil region, ceding key oilfields and grazing lands to the north.
Diplomats and Sudanese politicians hailed the ruling as a resolution of a festering row over the boundaries of Abyei — one of the most sensitive issues left unresolved in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between north and south Sudan.
But doubts remain whether the complex ruling will be accepted by deeply divided communities living around Abyei.
The following are some implications of the ruling:
* The Hague decision appears to give something to both north and south Sudan — but still leaves room for long term disagreements and even conflict.
* On the positive side, it will give hope to diplomats who feel they now have something like a compromise over Abyei which they can sell to the populations of northern and southern Sudan.
The apparent willingness of the former foes to accept the Hague ruling as final, if taken at face value, is a rare glint of cooperation in the long and troubled roll-out of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Any long-term resolution of Abyei will allow Sudan’s leaders to switch their attention to a long list of remaining flashpoints in the peace deal, not least elections, scheduled for April 2010. It would mean a significant boost to security, and a significant reduction in the risk of doing business in the region.
* Southerners have some reasons to be cheerful. The decision preserves the bulk of the region that was defined as Abyei in 2005, including Abyei town, huge areas of fertile land and, according to maps of the new area produced by the United Nations, the Diffra oilfield.
This would be a significant addition to southern Sudan if Abyei’s population chooses to join the south in a referendum promised under the peace deal in January 2011. It would also be symbolic boost for the south’s dominant Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which sees Abyei as something of an emblem after decades of fighting across Sudan’s north-south border.
* The northern government will be able to boast of significant gains to the north, west and east of Abyei, particularly in terms of control of oil fields.
The tribunal’s decision to re-draw Abyei’s western border means the railway town of Meiram falls securely inside north Sudan.
Abyei’s new eastern border also means northern Sudan will be able to keep the key Heglig and Bamboo oilfields, whatever happens in the referendum. A large stripe of grazing lands that fell inside the 2005 borders of Abyei now stays firmly in the north.
The Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan heads to the polls tomorrow to elect a new President, or rather re-elect its current one. The incumbent, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, is expected to secure re-election in a landslide. More from EurAsia Net:
This presidential campaign has been Kyrgyzstan’s first election season in years without major political drama. Bakiyev entered the campaign holding an overwhelming resource advantage. Data released by the Central Election Commission on July 2 said Bakiyev’s war chest of 35 million soms (over $800,000) was almost nine times that of his closest rival.
Over 500 international observers have deployed throughout the country to monitor the voting. Approximately half the monitors are operating under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, while the others are sponsored by a variety of non-governmental organizations and multilateral groups, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While there are concerns about the potential for irregularities, many experts believe that Bakiyev would very likely win a free and fair vote by a comfortable margin.
Independent political analyst Mars Sariev said Bakiyev has made good use of all the advantages of incumbency. “Bakiyev is visiting the regions; he is opening schools and hospitals and all of that is done with money from the state budget,” Sariev said. “At the same time, he is making a great PR campaign for himself.”
“The elections are preordained. . . . Even foreign policy at the moment is working for the benefit of Bakiyev,” Sariev continued, referring to Kyrgyzstan’s recent deal with the United States to prolong American access to Manas Air Base outside of Bishkek.
Dinara Oshurahunova from the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, a non-governmental election watchdog based in Bishkek, believes that the opposition’s slim hopes for making a mark depend on the level of voter fatigue. “I think opposition candidates have chances. Very little time was given [for campaigning], but all of them so far had the chance to visit the regions and meet with their electorate,” she said on July 20. “I think [the opposition] has support from the people who are tired of the current power and government.”
The incumbent’s campaign has relied heavily on billboards featuring slogans such as “Of course, Bakiyev,” and “Only Bakiyev” to relay a straightforward message of stability.
Bakiyev’s foremost challenger is Almazbek Atambayev — the head of the Social Democratic Party and a former prime minister – who has campaigned on a promise to dismantle the “clan system” of politics, which, he says, stimulates corruption. Taking a cue from the successful campaign of US President Barack Obama, one of Atambayev’s slogans is “Yes we can.” His small posters sport a graphic rendering of his face similar to the iconic image of Obama’s campaign.
Including Atambayev, there are five challengers in the field. Billboards and posters for one of the candidates, Jenishbek Nazaraliev, promise a payout of 100,000 soms to every family. Nazaraliev, who made his fortune operating a popular drug-rehabilitation clinic, caused a stir with a campaign pledge to seek the legalization of cultivation of opium poppies.
Other challengers include Toktaim Umetalieva, who is the only woman in the campaign field. She is a veteran non-governmental organization activist, and received less than 1 percent of the vote in the 2005 presidential election. Temir Sariev, meanwhile, is an entrepreneur who now heads the opposition Ak-Shumkar (White Falcon) party.
Some critics are questioning why some candidates are in the field at all. For example, Nurlan Motuev, who heads the Joomart Patriotic Movement, refused to engage Bakiyev in a radio debate, instead complimenting the president for his first term achievements. “Our [election] programs are largely similar, and we don’t have anything to argue about,” he said in early July, according to the AKIpress news agency. “We are like allies who have no disagreements between them. Moreover, I wouldn’t want to distract him from his duties.”
Back in March of this year thousands demonstrated in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as part of a nationwide protest against President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
The Kyrgyz are increasing showing their frustration with issues such as corruption and unemployment.
Public demonstrations have been banned in Kyrgyzstan.