Friends of Borges

News:: Citizens of the Earth // History // Habeas Corpus [available only in Spanish for the moment] // Chronicle of Infamy // Winter in Majorca // "Ulrica = queen of wolves"

[Photo above, from left: Jovita Iglesias, Jerónimo Grondona, Juan Antonio Lázara, Silvia Renée Arias, interviewed in Argentina Radio on behalf of the Friends of Borges following the Award of the Academy Vocation Prize in The International Book Fair of Buenos Aires 2003]

Ne sutor ultra crepidam judicaret
Giocondo Zapatero Zunz Franco

Oh, I know
I too shall cease and be as when I was not yet, only all over instead of in store. That makes me happy, often now my murmur falters and dies and I weep for happiness as I go along and for love of this old earth that has carried me so long and whose uncomplainingness will soon be mine. Just under the surface I shall be, all together at first, then separate, and drift through all the earth and perhaps in the end through a cliff into the sea, something of me.
A ton of worms in an acre, that is a wonderful thought, a ton of worms, I believe it.
"Death" by Samuel Beckett (1906 - 1989) in "From an Abandoned Work"

In this page you will find a highlight of recent news from any corner of the world.

To know more on current issues affecting humankind and our planet, we invite you to watch, listen and read Democracy Now!

China is paralyzing UN Security Council action on Burma. They are the main economic, military, and political supporters of the military junta. For fifteen years China has refused to press its closest ally to allow its people human rights, and used its veto power to block the UN Security Council from acting. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda. We are calling on people of conscience throughout the world to boycott the 2008 Chinese Olympics, join our efforts. ...more in US Campaign for Human Rigths in Burma and in the web of UK Campaign for Democracy in Burma - Read also The Irrawaddy - and the special File on Burma at Newsdesk

Year 2008

May

Barack Obama tightens his lead as Hillary Clinton falters: Barack Obama's grip on the Democratic nomination tightened tonight after he decisively won the North Carolina primary and appeared to have restricted Hillary Clinton to only a narrow victory in Indiana. Mr Obama's big win in the Tar Heel state robbed Mrs Clinton of the "game changing" victory she badly needed to alter the course of the Democratic nomination battle, while the closeness of the race in Indiana added to the sense that she is rapidly running out of time to wrench the nomination from her rival's grasp. Mr Obama was heading for a 14 point win in North Carolina, while Mrs Clinton's apparent margin of victory in Indiana was narrow although most US networks refused to call the result. Mr Obama appeared to concede Indiana and Mrs Clinton declared victory in the state but, after they both spoke at primary night rallies, the tally dramatically tightened to within a few thousand votes. ...In a speech before a cheering crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mr Obama predicted that Republicans will attack him over his race. He said they will "label and name call" - a reference to recent controversies including the incendiary remarks of his former pastor - and declared: "I trust the American people's desire to no longer be defined by our differences." He added: "That's why I'm in this race. I love this country too much to see it divided and distracted at this moment in history. I believe in our ability to perfect this union because it's the only reason I'm standing here today. And I know the promise of America because I have lived it." ...Hillary Clinton's hopes of winning the race for the Democratic nomination for president are dwindling after she failed tonight to close the gap on Barack Obama in two key primaries. She won the Indiana primary but saw that outweighed by his win in North Carolina. Clinton needed to win both North Carolina and Indiana to stand a chance of reining in Obama. It was her last opportunity after battling it out in state after state since Iowa on January 3. ...With 85% of the vote counted in Indiana, Clinton had 554,261 (52%) and Obama 514,909 (48%). In North Carolina, with 86% of the vote counted, he had 782,549 (56%) to Clinton's 583,700 (42%). ...more in The Times - The Guardian - The Telegraph - The Washington Post - The Independent - BBC

A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for John McCain:


A leading Democratic super-delegate switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama yesterday, saying that their long nomination battle had made one White House hopeful particularly competitive: the Republican John McCain. The defection from Mrs Clinton of Joe Andrew, a former leader of the Democratic National Committee, reflects growing fears within the party that her marathon nomination fight against Mr Obama is helping Mr McCain, who in new polls appears increasingly threatening. Mr Andrew, appointed the party chairman in 1999 by Bill Clinton near the end of his presidency, said in a letter to other super-delegates: “John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain.” The Arizona senator, who wrapped up the Republican nomination almost two months ago, is running nearly even against both Democrats in head-to-head comparisons, at a time when public approval of the Republican Party is the lowest in a generation. ...more in The Times - The Independent

March

Spain halts election campaigning after ex-councillor killed by ETA terrorists but Zapatero and his naZionalists allies refuse to promise never more to negotiate with the terrorists: Spain has suspended campaigning for Sunday's general election after a former local politician was shot dead in front of his wife and young daughter today. Isaias Carrasco, a 42-year-old ex-councillor, was killed as he left his home in the Basque town of Mondragón with his family, sending shockwaves through the country. Carrasco died after being rushed to hospital. He had been shot several times, twice in the back of the head, the interior minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, said. Rubalcaba blamed the Basque armed group ETA for the killing. The Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the leader of the opposition Popular party, Mariano Rajoy, immediately agreed to suspend campaigning throughout the country. "This is a vile and cowardly act which deserves our total rejection," Rubalcaba said. "[It is] a vile and cowardly act by a band of murderers who are never going to conquer the will of Spanish democracy." Spain has been on high alert. Last month, Rubalcaba said that although Eta was believed to be much weakened, he expected it to attempt a deadly attack before the election. Since 1977, Eta has killed 20 people in the run-up to elections to try to set the political agenda. Carrasco, a former councillor with the Socialist party, did not have bodyguards and lived in a quiet street away from the centre of the town, making him an easy target, Basque police said. An unidentified neighbour told CNN television that she was in her bedroom when she heard three shots. "I looked out of the window and I saw his wife and daughter on top of him shouting 'Daddy, Daddy' and 'murderers, murderers'," she said. ....more in The Times - The Telegraph - The Guardian - The Independent

With child scaring tales Clinton succeded in manipulating the electorate as did Bush and other tyrans along history: Hillary Clinton vowed she would win the Democratic nomination this morning after securing desperately-needed victories in Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas, a triple triumph that means her titanic struggle with Barack Obama will continue into the Spring - and possibly to the nominating convention this summer. "Ohio has written a new chapter in the history of this campaign and we're just getting started," she declared after arriving in a storm of confetti at a party for wildly celebrating supporters in the state capital of Columbus. Her win in this big, blue collar state halted Mr Obama's momentum after his 12 straight victories and threw doubts over whether he will after all emerge as the Democratic nominee from their epic and historically-charged race. A couple of hours later, news organisations declared her the victor in a close battle for Texas, the other big state voting yesterday. Mr Obama's campaign was swift to point out that it is still virtually impossible for her to catch him in elected delegates. With a third of the Texas delegates being picked by post-primary caucuses - which he was expected to win - Mr Obama's three-figure lead is unlikely to be dented significantly. It could even be extended further with anticipated victories over the coming days in Mississippi and Wyoming. But, on a night where Mrs Clinton also convincingly won Rhode Island despite losing to Mr Obama in Vermont, she has earned the right to carry on campaigning into the next big contest in Pennsylvania on April 22 and beyond. ....more in The Times - The Independent - The Washington Post - The Guardian - The Telegraph

Texas and Ohio could end Clinton hypocrisy: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are braced for election results tonight which may prove decisive in determining the outcome of their titanic battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. After 11 consecutive wins, Mr Obama leads in the race for convention delegates by a margin of 1,386 to 1,276, according to an estimate from the Associated Press. But Mrs Clinton shows little sign of relenting, saying she is just getting "warmed up" while her campaign is vowing to pursue their opponent over his links to a former friend on trial for fraud. A total of 370 delegates will be awarded proportionately from Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont tonight. Candidates need to secure the votes of 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. Mr Obama's camp believes that even if Mrs Clinton wins the big states voting today it is almost impossible for her to close this gap before the convention this summer. He said today: "The theory was they had to blow us out in Texas and Ohio and I don’t think that is going to happen." Mrs Clinton said she "never under-estimates the intelligence of the voter," adding, "I feel good about both states." She told an interviewer: "Granted, I am a little older and I have earned every wrinkle on my face and I feel just as energised about what we are doing." ...Despite the upbeat message from the Clinton team, the stresses inside her campaign were exposed yesterday. In an astonishing lapse of discipline, Penn sent an email to the Los Angeles Times at the weekend in response to a story being prepared about internal rows. In it he claimed he had "no direct authority in the campaign", suggesting he is preparing the ground to avoid blame if she fails to secure the nomination. Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson, sent another email to the paper saying Penn did have direct responsibility for strategy. Clinton has mounted a very aggressive campaign in the past few days and hit Obama hard yesterday over his links with Tony Rezko, the property developer whose trial for alleged corruption opened in Chicago yesterday. She also exploited a leaked memo suggesting Obama had been lying about adopting protectionist policies, a hot issue in recession-hit Ohio. Obama has been saying publicly he would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, which many Americans blame for job losses. But the leaked memo from the Canadian government quotes one of his economic advisers, Austan Goolsbee, saying threats to renegotiate "should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans". The smaller New England states of Rhode Island and Vermont vote today as well. The Republican frontrunner, Senator John McCain, could move closer to wrapping up his party's nomination in the contests. McCain is expected to beat his last remaining major challenger, the former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, in all four states. ...more in The Times - The Independent - The Telegraph - The Guardian - The Washington Post
And click on the screens to watch the latest campaign news

February

From Manchester to London, quake -5.3 magnitude- shakes Britons out of bed: Large areas of England from London to Manchester suffered tremors just before 1am last night as an earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale rumbled through the country for several seconds. There were reports of power cuts in some cities and of buildings shaking - in Hull students ran into the street for fear of falling masonry - but no reports of injuries. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 12.56am at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) with an epicentre 205 km (127 miles) north of London and 30 miles south of Kingston upon Hull. The Guardian received calls from startled readers from London, Bedfordshire Yorkshire, Manchester, Blackpool and Leicester. The North West Ambulance Service said its crews had reported feeling the tremor from Macclesfield to Southport but they had not heard of any injuries by 1.15am. A spokeswoman said: "We felt the tremors here in our control room in Anfield. We have had a few of our vehicles reporting that they felt the tremors as far as Macclesfield and up towards Southport but no actual calls from the public." Merseyside police and Merseyside fire and rescue service confirmed they had received reports of tremors but no reports of injuries. Alex Ferrier, 22, a marine biology student from Hull, said: "It was quite scary ... we live in a road of large terraced houses and I was woken up and looked out of the window and there were loads of people on the streets." ...more in The Guardian - The Independent - The Times - The Telegraph

Barack Obama’s Support Grows Broader everyday, New Poll Finds. Clinton makes a xenophobic and false accusation that Obama is a secret Muslim showing out of context a picture of Obama with a turban while visiting Kenya: In the past two months, Senator Barack Obama has built a commanding coalition among Democratic voters, with especially strong support among men, and is now viewed by most Democrats as the candidate best able to beat Senator John McCain in the general election, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll. After 40 Democratic primaries and caucuses, capped by a winning streak in 11 contests over the last two weeks, Mr. Obama has made substantial gains across most major demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including men and women, liberals and moderates, higher and lower income voters, and those with and without college degrees.

But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama, of Illinois, in this national poll: While he has a strong edge among Democratic voters on his ability to unite and inspire the country, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is still viewed by more Democrats as prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap: Mr. Obama is backed by two-thirds of the Democratic men and 45 percent of the women, who are equally divided in their support between the two candidates. White women remain a Clinton stronghold. When all voters are asked to look ahead to the general election, Mr. McCain is more likely to be seen as prepared for the presidency, able to handle an international crisis and equipped to serve as commander in chief than either of the Democratic candidates. Even so, the poll provides a snapshot of Mr. Obama’s strength after this first, frenzied round of primaries and caucuses, which knocked seven of the nine Democratic candidates out of the race. For the first time in a Times/CBS poll, he moved ahead of Mrs. Clinton nationally, with 54 percent of Democratic primary voters saying they wanted to see him nominated, while 38 percent preferred Mrs. Clinton. A USA Today/Gallup Poll released Monday showed a similar result, 51 percent for Mr. Obama to 39 percent for Mrs. Clinton. ...more in The New York Times - The Times - The Guardian - The Telegraph - The Washington Post
Click on the screens to watch Obama visit to his father country Kenya and listen his speach at the University.

Could Ralph Nader - the new third candidate to the Presidency - be the Democrats’ spoiler again?: Loathed by some Democrats for siphoning off liberal votes in the 2000 Gore-Bush contest, Ralph Nader has announced he is once again to run as a Nader third party candidate for president. The left-wing consumer advocate, who ran as the Green Party nominee in 2000 and as an independent in 2004, declared on NBC's Meet the Press that he was running as a representative of those marginalised by Republican and Democratic policies. Pledging to "shift the power from the few to the many," Nader attacked the top presidential contenders as too close to big business. Most people were disenchanted with the main parties due to the prolonged conflict in Iraq and sputtering economy, he said. Meanwhile corporate tax cuts and other business-friendly policies under the Bush administration had left many lower- and middle-class people with heavy debt, he added. "You take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized, disrespected," he said. "You go from Iraq, to Palestine/Israel, from Enron to Wall Street, from Katrina to the bungling of the Bush administration, to the complicity of the Democrats in not stopping him on the war, stopping him on the tax cuts." Though Nader took just 2.7 per cent of the popular vote in the 2000 election, he has been blamed for tipping the hotly-disputed, razor-thin contest in the Republicans' favour. In Florida, where George W. Bush's 500 vote margin won him the White House, Nader took 97,000 votes, the majority of which would have presumably otherwise gone to the Democrats. However Nader has roundly dismissed the spoiler claims, saying that is the Democratic Party's own fault if it loses votes because it is refusing to address "major injustices" suffered by Americans. "I’m sick of this political bigotry here. They’ve sold off the US government to big business. And they accuse others of being spoilers. That is grotesque," he said. ...more in The Times - The Independent - The Guardian - The Telegraph

Clinton faces exit as Obama gains in 'firewall' states:



Clinton went mad because Obama unveiled the truth about her bad record in public office. Hillary Rodham Clinton angrily accused her Democratic rival Saturday of deliberately misrepresenting her positions on NAFTA and health care in mass mailings to voters, adding, "Shame on you, Barack Obama." Clutching two of Obama campaign mailings in her hand for emphasis, the former first lady said, "enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook." Obama defended the mailings as accurate and rejected Clinton's complaint as a political ploy. He said that despite her current criticism of NAFTA, she supported the trade agreement when it passed during her husband's administration. "You can't be for something and take credit for an administration ... and then when you run for president say that you didn't really mean what you said way back then. It doesn't work like that," he said to cheers at a rally in Akron. The long distance clash erupted as the two Democrats campaigned separately across Ohio, one of two big states with primaries on March 4. Obama has won 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and some of Clinton's supporters have said she must win both Ohio and Texas a week from Tuesday to keep her hopes alive of winning the party nomination. Recent polls show Ohio is close, and Texas closer. Clinton's frustration was evident as she criticized Obama in unusually strong terms _ a few days after ending a nationally televised debate by saying she was "honored to be here with" him in a historic race between a black man and a woman. ...more in The Independent - The Washington Post - The NBC channel - The Times - The Telegraph - The Guardian

Clinton hints at defeat after being booed for 'Xerox' gibe aimed at Obama:





Hillary Clinton last night acknowledged for the first time that she may fail to halt Barack Obama's gathering momentum in the Democratic presidential race, saying: "Whatever happens – we’re going to be fine." Her emotional comments came in the final seconds of a TV debate in which she was booed for resurrecting the plagiarism row between the candidates, with a “Xerox” gibe aimed at Mr Obama. New polls published today suggest that Mrs Clinton is in a tight – too close to call – fight for Texas and that her lead in Ohio has narrowed significantly – key contests on March 4 that her husband says she needs to win in order to keep her White House hopes alive. Mrs Clinton’s tacit acceptance of the prospect of defeat succeeded in making the sort of emotional connection which has largely been lacking from her campaign for much of the past year. Asked about she dealt with crisis, Mrs Clinton responded by alluding to the sexually stained scandals of Bill Clinton's White House. "I think everybody here knows I've lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life." Reaching out to shake her rival's hand, Mrs Clinton then continued: "No matter what happens in this contest – and I am honoured to be here with Barack Obama – we're going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that's what this election should be about." ...more in The Times - The Washington Post - The New York Times - The Independent - The Telegraph - The Guardian
And click on the screens to watch the yeterday debate in Texas between hypocrite Clinton and the intelligent Barack Obama.

Obama trounces Clinton also in Wisconsin primary, an overwhelming ninth consecutive victory against status quo and hypocresy:

Barack Obama last night swept aside Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin primary, extending his winning run in the Democratic presidential race to nine consecutive victories. The campaign now heads towards a crunch date on March 4 when Mrs Clinton needs to win both Texas and Ohio to keep her White House hopes alive. Mr Obama's victory – by a wider than expected margin of 56 per cent to 41 per cent – increases the likelihood that a defeat for Mrs Clinton in either of these key states next month will prove to be decisive in determining the nomination. She now trails Mr Obama by more than 150 pledged delegates and will need to win overwhelmingly in Ohio and Texas, as well as Pennsylvania on April 22, to close the gap. As in the Potomac primary a week earlier, Mr Obama made significant inroads last night into her base support among women, union and white lower-paid voters while maintaining huge leads over among independents and younger people. Mr Obama's aides yesterday suggested that Wisconsin – which contains few of the black voters who have boosted him elsewhere and was not a caucus contest of the type he has usually won – should have been natural Clinton territory. One described it as a "no excuses primary" for her. ...more in The Independent - The Washington Post - The Times - The Telegraph - The Guardian - The New York Times

Dr. Aung San Suu Kyi critical of Burma junta talks without content nor goals: The detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is frustrated at a lack of talks on political reform with the ruling military junta since last year's bloody crackdown on dissent, her party has said. Following the fifth meeting between Ms Suu Kyi and the junta liaison minister Aung Kyi, Ms Suu Kyi's spokesman Nyan Win said she held out little hope that unprecedented international pressure on the generals would bear fruit. She had also been allowed to meet leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. "Let's hope for the best and prepare for the worst," he quoted her as saying, adding she worried that yesterday's meetings might give rise to "false hope". Mr Win said she had told Mr Kyi, appointed as go-between after the September crackdown, that talks must include representatives of Burma's many ethnic groups, which have been struggling for autonomy for five decades. Ms Suu Kyi, who has been in prison or under house arrest for more than 12 of the past 18 years, also told her colleagues she feared she was being strung along by the junta, a group of generals who have refused to acknowledge their election defeat in 1990. "She is not satisfied with meetings with Aung Kyi and with the lack of any time frame," said Mr Win. The NLD's vice-chairman Tin Oo, who has been under house arrest since May 2003, was barred from attending the meeting, which was held under heavy armed guard. ...more in The Independent - BBC - Burma Today - Christian Aid - The Irrawaddy

Protests over Beijing Olympics games 'will grow' in the struggle for Democracy: This is just the beginning, activist warns, as China tries to limit damage. For six years, the organisers of the Beijing Olympics have been planning an event that will restore China to the centre of the world stage. No expense has been spared, no detail overlooked. Beijing has splashed out $440m (£224m) on the spectacular "Bird's Nest" stadium to underscore its rising economic power and ambition. Organisers have drawn up a guest list of the global great and the good to witness the re-emergence of this ancient civilization. And to entertain them and emphasise the openness of modern China, they hired the biggest name in Hollywood to help choreograph the festivities. But with less than six months to go, this celebration of Chinese resurgence is threatening to degenerate into an opportunity for critics to land some blows on the communist leadership. The stadium architect, Ai Weiwei, refuses to attend the opening ceremony because of the "disgusting" political conditions in the one-party state. The VIP list will not include Prince Charles, a friend of the Dalai Lama, who told the Free Tibet movement that he will be absent. And now, in the biggest blow yet, Steven Spielberg has resigned as artistic consultant, saying his conscience will not let him choreograph an event for a country that has done little to use its influence to ease the slaughter in Darfur. The Chinese leadership is scrambling to limit the damage and prevent the Spielberg boycott from escalating into a wider movement. A top Communist party official, Xi Jinping, has been parachuted in to lead preparations, it emerged yesterday. ...more in The Guardian

Clinton cuts short stay in Wisconsin as Barack Obama gains ground and gets support from former candidate John Edwards: Hillary Clinton yesterday cut short a campaign swing through Wisconsin in a further sign of trouble for her attempt to break Barack Obama's winning streak in the race for the Democratic nomination. Obama also took a break from Wisconsin yesterday, but his detour was to North Carolina to seek the support of John Edwards, who dropped out of the Democratic race last month. The campaign cancelled events that would have kept her in the state through tomorrow, when Wisconsin and Hawaii go to the polls. Instead, she will leave today. The early exit - after several cancelled events yesterday because of a winter storm - suggests Clinton has given up hope of a win in the state, despite only a narrow lead for Obama in the polls. It also reaffirms the do-or-die nature of the primary contests in Texas and Ohio on March 4. The daunting challenge for Clinton to reverse Obama's momentum has fed suspicion that her campaign will try to extract a win through the support of super delegates, prominent Democrats who can vote freely at the convention. Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, and the governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, who is a key supporter yesterday warned the Clinton campaign not to try to manufacture a win through the support of super delegates. "I just think it would be a disaster for the Democratic party to thwart what has happened in the caucuses and the primaries," said Jim Doyle, governor of Wisconsin. ...more in The Guardian - The Times - Washington Post - The Independent - The Telegraph

Hurricane of change, Barack Obama, routs Clinton -candidate of hypocresie and status quo- in yet another 3 states, as another of her aides quits in panic: Barack Obama has overtaken Hillary Clinton in the race for Democratic presidential delegates after routing her in last night's three primary contests, victories that saw him dramatically cut into her core support for the first time. As another of Mrs Clinton's top advisers quit her campaign, Mr Obama crushed her in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC, drawing unprecedented backing across race, gender and economic lines with a momentum that advisers to Mrs Clinton concede is gravely endangering her campaign. As the scale of his victories emerged, Mrs Clinton's camp announced that her deputy campaign manager Mike Henry had resigned, two days after the removal of her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, adding to the sense of mounting stress and pressure in the face of Mr Obama's recent string of victories. John McCain, the Republican frontrunner, won all three primaries over Mike Huckabee, bringing him closer to what appears to be his inevitable nomination. But he only narrowly won Virginia, in the face of stiff opposition from conservatives and evangelicals, a clear sign that he has an ongoing problem with the base of his party, which could damage him in the general election. Mr Obama was heavily favoured to win yesterday's "Potomac primaries", where black voters accounted for a big proportion of turnout. But the scale of his victories, which saw him cut heavily for the first time into Mrs Clinton's core support, was overwhelming. He won Virginia 64 per cent to 35; Maryland 60 per cent to 37; and Washington DC 75 per cent to 24. Of more concern to Mrs Clinton, who is now banking all on victories in Texas and Ohio on March 4 to save her campaign, was the manner of her rival's wins last night. ...more in The Independent - The Times - The Telegraph - The Washington Post - The Guardian - The New York Times
And click on the screens to watch Obama recent speech at Virginia and an interview to his wife Michelle.

Barack Obama sweeps super Saturday of Democratic elections in another 3 states:

Barack Obama inflicted shattering defeats on Hillary Clinton tonight in Washington state and Nebraska, beating her by a margin of two to one. He was also won Louisiana, though by a narrower margin. Although votes were still being counted, the projected gap between Obama and Clinton was large enough for US television companies to call all three contests in his favour. To complete his night, he also picked up a win in a caucus in the US Virgin Islands. In the Republican race, there was embarrassment for John McCain only days after declaring himself to be the Republican nominee. He suffered an overwhelming defeat in Kansas at the hands of Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, and was involved in a race too close to call in Louisiana. Obama's victories tip the balance in his favour in the battle to rack up delegates, who will choose the Democratic nominee at the party convention in August. A total of 161 delegates - about 8% of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination - was at stake in the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Nebraska, Washington state and the US Virgin Islands. Obama took the bulk of the delegates. Clinton began Saturday with a slender delegate lead. In The Associated Press count, she had 1,055 delegates to 998 for Obama. The most important of the contests was populous Washington state, which the Clinton team had expected would produce a closer result. Turnout in Washington and Nebraska was high, reflecting the excitement generated by the Democratic race. Party officials said turnout was about double that in 2004. The wins in Washington and Nebraska demonstrated again Obama's ability to reach out to whites. Both Nebraska and Washington are 90% white. With 99% of the votes counted in Nebraska, Obama had 66% to Clinton's 32%. In Washington, with 96% of the vote counted, he had 66% to her 31%. In Louisiana, with 63% of the vote counted, he had 53% to her 39%. ...more in The Guardian - The Independent - The Washington Post - The New York Times - The Times - The Telegraph

Fire rips through historic Camden Market: Scotland Yard said today that it was too early to pin down the cause of a blaze that ripped through a large part of Camden Market last night and gutted a local pub generally considered to be North London's trendiest watering hole. More than 100 firefighters battled for more than three hours to bring the blaze under control after it erupted at about 7.10pm on Chalk Farm Road. No one was reported to have been hurt in the fire. Crowds of revellers from the pubs and bars of Camden Town were moved away as the flames took hold and leapt as high as 30 metres into the night sky. The worst-hit areas were storage properties for the Canal Market and the Hawley Arms, which was formerly popular with Hell’s Angels but which is now a hangout for musicians and celebrities including Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss. Various flats and small businesses were also affected. The pub's landlady, Ruth Charles-Ridler, arrived at the scene this morning to assess the damage. She said: “In a word I’m devastated. Everyone I’ve spoken to is in complete shock. This was a good community pub where everybody knew everybody else. It is a great loss to Camden Town. ...Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, said: “Our thoughts are with those people affected by the fire in Camden Market — one of the most thriving markets in London and of enormous importance for the economy of the local area and beyond. “Yet again the emergency services deserve our thanks for the speed and professionalism with which they have responded to tackle the blaze. Thankfully, there appears to be no one injured, despite the fact that it is a dense area and on a Saturday evening would have been crowded.” ...more in The Times - The Independent

The brillant candidate of ethical change, Barack Obama, gets the support of 12 USA estates, and the candidate of the corporatist status quo, Clinton, wins in another 9 estates, supported by hispanic population - so proclive to demagogic caudillos as in their own countries: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won victories over Sen. Barack Obama in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York last night, giving her presidential campaign a crucial boost. But Obama countered by winning of a string of states, including the general election battleground of Missouri, in the seesaw race for the Democratic nomination. The results ensured that the fierce contest for delegates will continue into critical primaries in Texas and Ohio on March 4, and possibly beyond, in what has become the party's most competitive race in at least a quarter of a century. Clinton claimed four of the five biggest prizes in Super Tuesday's 22-state Democratic competition. She also captured Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Those victories helped stem what appeared to be gathering momentum around Obama's candidacy since he won in South Carolina on Jan. 26. But Obama won in more places than his New York rival, racking up victories in his home state of Illinois, as well as Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah. His narrow victory in Missouri came after Clinton appeared on the brink of winning there. Only the outcome in New Mexico remained unresolved early this morning. In many of the states Clinton won, Obama had surged from far behind to narrow the gap in the days before Super Tuesday. Her ability to hold off his charge brought a sense of relief to her campaign advisers, but the likelihood that neither would emerge with a significant advantage in delegates was a sign that their roller-coaster competition would continue. ...more in The Guardian - The Independent - The Times - The Washington Post - The Telegraph - The New York Times - Democracy Now - And in the web of Barack Obama for America

Maria Shriver and Keillor and Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey and Caroline and Edward Kennedy as all those who wants ethical change in the USA and the world endorse Barack Obama for President: California first lady Maria Shriver endorsed Barack Obama for president on Sunday, calling him inspirational and a natural leader. "I thought, if Barack Obama was a state, he'd be California," Shriver said, addressing thousands of people at a rally headlined by talk show host Oprah Winfrey. "Diverse, open, smart, independent, bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspirational. Dreamer. Leader." Shriver's support comes after her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, issued his own endorsement of Obama, and her husband, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, backed GOP candidate John McCain. Shriver told an audience of 9,000 at the University of California, Los Angeles, that she decided at the last minute to come to the rally, which also featured Obama's wife, Michelle, and Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former president John F. Kennedy. Other family members are supporting Clinton. Maria Shriver, the wife of California's Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a member of the powerful Kennedy clan, yesterday gave a surprise, last-minute boost to Barack Obama's bid to clinch the delegate-rich state, Super Tuesday's biggest prize. Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver and Oprah Winfrey Mrs Obama, Miss Kennedy, Miss Shriver and Miss Winfrey appeared on stage together The first lady of California, an unannounced guest at a get-out-the-vote rally hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, urged a crowd of around 3,000 to back the Illinois senator in tomorrow's polls, stressing the critical role Californians will play in the battle for the White House. The latest polls show Mr Obama and rival Hillary Clinton locked in a dead heat for the key state, which will award a leading 370 delegates of the 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination. "(This election) is not just a moment for the United States of America; this is not just a moment for the Democratic Party. This is a moment for California," Miss Shriver told the cheering crowd at a sports hall at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The more I thought about it, I thought, you know, if Barack Obama was a state he would be California," Miss Shriver added, to thunderous applause. "I mean, think about it - he's diverse. Open. Smart. Independent. Bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspiring. Dreamer. Leader!" After every word, the crowd screamed "yes!" "He's not about himself, he's about us," she said. "He's about the power of us and what we can do when we come together. ...more in The Times - The New York Times - The Telegraph - USA Today / And in the web of Barack Obama for America

January

A President Like My Father
by Caroline Kennedy
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960. ...more in The New York Times - The Independent - The Guardian - The Times - The Telegraph - The Washington Post

A better future triumphs in South Carolina: Barack Obama won a resounding victory over Hillary Clinton in a bitterly fought South Carolina Democratic primary last night. Taking more than twice as many votes his rival for the White House, it was a stunning victory that up-ended predictions about the Democratic nomination process. Black and white voters came out in droves to repudiate the much criticised race-baiting tactics of former President Bill Clinton. As a result Mr Obama is now level pegging with Mrs Clinton and his strong victory should restore the flagging spirits of his idealistic young supporters. The final result gave Mr Obama 55 per cent of the vote, Mrs Clinton 27 per cent, and Mr Edwards 18 per cent. The stage is now set for a fight across 22 states on 5 February or Super Tuesday, as it is known. But the battle to win the party’s presidential nomination is expected to rumble on for several more months at least. Speaking to a jubilant crowd Mr Obama gave one of his most powerful speeches of his campaign. “Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina,” he said. “After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans we’ve seen in a long, long time.” Supporters interrupted his speech with chants of "Yes, we can!" and "Race doesn't matter!" Mr Obama told supporters that there were huge challenges ahead and in a nod to the ugly squabbling that has taken place with the Clinton campaign he said, "This is our chance to end it once and for all." ...more in The Guardian - The Independent - The Times - watch the BBC

Dr. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been awarded the “Abogados de Atocha” international prize of the Castilla-La Mancha region in Spain: The award ceremony has taken place this evening in Toledo , Spain . U Bo Hla Tint, Member of the Council of Ministers of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) accepted this privileged award on behalf of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. more in the web National Coalition Government of Burma in exile

Myanmar's detained Dr. Aung San Suu Kyi taken to state guesthouse: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was taken to a government guesthouse on Friday where she is believed to have met a senior junta official, witnesses said. "I saw the car enter the guesthouse and leave an hour later," one witness told Reuters. There was no immediate word from the military government or Suu Kyi's party, but she probably met Aung Kyi, a senior member of the ruling military junta. If confirmed, it would be their fourth meeting since Aung Kyi was appointed go-between after last September's crackdown on pro-democracy protests triggered global outrage. They last met on November 19 when diplomats speculated their talks might have focused on the junta's preconditions for negotiations between Suu Kyi and regime leader Senior General Than Shwe. He has offered direct talks if Suu Kyi abandons confrontation and her support for sanctions against the military, which has ruled the former Burma for 45 years. ...more in The Washington Post

Colombian narco-marxist rebels free 2 hostages but remain 774 persons in captivity:

Two women hostages freed by Colombian rebels are being flown out of the jungle, the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, said today. Chávez had organised a rescue mission to pick up Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez after hostage leaders sent authorities the coordinates of where the two could be found. They are expected to arrive in Venezuela later today. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the two women were handed over by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) in what was being called the most significant hostage release since 2001, when Farc freed 300 soldiers and police officers.
..."We thank you from our souls for being with us," Rojas, a Bogotá lawyer and politician, told Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez by satellite phone in a conversation recorded by the Telesur network and broadcast live across Latin America. "We are being reborn," she said. "Imagine our happiness when we saw the helicopters." Handed the phone as the two stood near the guerrillas, Gonzalez, a former lawmaker, told Chávez: "Mr. President, a thousand thanks for your humanitarian work. Please, president, don't drop your guard. The ones left behind wanted you to get that message." The liberation was a resounding triumph for Chávez, who just last month suffered an unexpected political blow when Venezuelans rejected a proposed constitutional reform that would have expanded his powers. An earlier effort by Chávez to win the Colombian hostages' freedom unraveled on New Year's Eve. But the president's fortunes changed Thursday, as Rojas and González were flown out of the jungle and to the Venezuelan capital. Telesur, a station run by the Venezuelan government, filmed every stage of a dramatic process that had people across the region glued to their television sets.
...more in The Guardian - The Times - The Independent - The Washington Post
The second screen shows a recent interview by France 24 channel to a manager of the "caviar" left wing association France Amerique Latine, you will hear a perverse apology about the terrorists of the FARC as if they were a faire tale "Robin Hood" of poor Colombian when, in matter of fact, if the FARC would succeed in taking power such undemocratic narco-mafia would make of Colombia another "socialist republic" of Burma.

What is there to celebrate in Burma?: Sixty years of 'freedom' (Independence Day) finds a war-ravaged land, a weary people _ and a buoyant energy sector, thanks to complicit neighbours. ''Let us rejoice at the independence which has come to us today, the result of sacrifices undergone by us and those who preceded us in the years that have passed.'' Those are the words of Burma's first president, Sao Shwe Thaike, in his independence message on Jan 4, 1948 when the country gained its independence after nearly 100 years of British rule. What has the 60th anniversary of Burma's independence brought in 2008? Did it bring freedom, prosperity and happiness? Sadly, little of that can be found in the country today. Instead, we find more oppression, poverty and misery. On Independence Day, the then-prime minister U Nu also said: ''There is no room for disunity or discord _ racial, communal, political or personal _ and I now call upon all citizens of the Burma Union to unite and to labour without regard to self and in the interest of the country to which we all belong.'' In contrast, a few months after the country gained independence, civil war broke out between the government and communist and ethnic rebel groups. Since then, civil war has continued to rage across the country. About 10 years after independence, a coup occurred that, in effect, cut off any real chance for freedom and prosperity. From then on, the military has had a firm grip on the reins of power. In the past 60 years, Burma had opportunities to create a democracy with a good economy, but failed. Instead, the country has devoted its energy to in-fighting and disagreement, based on differing political ideologies. We have to speak honestly. Burma today has few things we Burmese can be proud of. Politics is a disgrace. Economics is a tragedy. Society itself is exhausted. Seemingly, everyone in the world knows something about Burma, but it's mostly negative. What will 2008 bring? Sadly again, the future looks like the past. ...Actually, Burmese society is chronically ill. Twenty years ago, Mrs Suu Kyi described the 1988 nationwide pro-democracy uprising as a ''second struggle for national independence''. The second independence struggle is still struggling to keep its momentum against the all-powerful military government. U Nu, Burma's first prime minister, said on Jan 4, 1948: ''No one will blame us for being jubilant on such an occasion, on such a day, but nevertheless for most of us it is a day for solemn thought. Burma is again free, but we must be fit to maintain that freedom, and we must be ready at all costs to keep Burma free and to make her great.'' Today after 60 years of independence, little _ if any _ jubilation can be found in Burma. It has slowly evaporated over the course of our independence, gained 60 years ago. ...read the article by Kyaw Zwa Moe in the Bangkok Post

Vietnam War veteran Oliver Stone tells his part in child hostage Colombian saga: Oliver Stone, the maverick American film director, speaks exclusively about his bizarre role in the abortive attempt by Hugo Chavez to release hostages held by the Colombian terrorist group Farc. Oliver Stone, the maverick Hollywood director, has returned from the jungles of Colombia to launch a scathing attack on America's 'secret war' in the country and blame US President George Bush for the failure of an international mission to free hostages held by armed rebels. Speaking exclusively to The Observer, the Oscar-winning maker of films including Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Wall Street gave the first full eyewitness account of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's effort to secure the release of captives from the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Stone also spoke out in defence of Chavez, whom he called 'an honest man, a strong man and a soldier', and condemned the United States for treating Latin America like a backyard to 'throw trash, piss, do whatever the hell they want'. Farc said last month that it was prepared to release into the hands of the left-wing Chavez two women politicians - Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez - held hostage for six years, as well as Rojas's four-year-old son, reportedly born of a relationship with a guerrilla fighter. Colombians hoped it might be a step towards peace in their decades-long civil war. If Farc was willing to make this gesture, many believed, it could pave the way for a broader agreement for the release of all 46 hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three American defence contractors and dozens of local politicians and military and police officers. ...more in The Guardian

Hopes of Colombian hostage release fade amid row over child Emmanuel Rojas who was taken into care over 2 years ago under the false name of Juan David: Colombia's protracted hostage crisis took a new twist yesterday when it emerged that the youngest captive held by leftwing rebels - a three-year-old boy born to a female hostage and an unknown guerrilla - could have been secretly spirited away to foster care in Bogotá. Colombians gripped by the tale of Emmanuel, whose mother was a vice-presidential candidate when she was kidnapped in 2002, were on tenterhooks yesterday as they awaited the results of a DNA test on a boy in the capital who, the government said, might be the hostage-child. Emmanuel was supposed to have been released along with his mother, Clara Rojas, and a third hostage last month. But after a succession of delays the handover was frustrated this week when the Colombian government said that the boy might not be in the care of the rebels at all. Officials took DNA samples from Rojas' mother and brother on Tuesday. The test results should be known in several days' time. The credibility of both the Colombian government and Colombia's largest rebel army, Farc, is at stake, analysts say. Emmanuel's existence was first disclosed by a Colombian journalist in 2006 and confirmed by an escaped hostage six months ago and in videos. According to the accounts, Emmanuel was raised by the rebels in jungle camps and was only allowed to see his mother occasionally. On long marches the hostages were often forced to take, they would take turns carrying the boy on their shoulders. Both hostages and guerrillas reportedly made clothes for the boy. However the Colombian government says it now has strong indications that the child was handed over to a peasant in the remote town of San José de Guaviare in 2005. That man, in turn, gave the boy over to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, which transferred him to foster care in the capital, Bogotá. ...The first ADN test realeased today, 4th January, gave credibility to this hypothesis ... new test will be carried in other countries to check identity ....more in The Guardian / And much more in Spanish in Habeas-Corpus.net

Scotland Yard detectives to assist inquiry: Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, bowed to pressure both at home and abroad yesterday and called in Scotland Yard to support the investigation into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto."With the grace of God, this team will immediately be coming to Pakistan and helping us with our investigation," the president said during a televised address. He added that the officers would be providing technical assistance, and "will ... solve the confusion". The main aim of the Metropolitan police will be to help the Pakistani authorities identify those behind the killing. The presence of Met police detectives in Pakistan may also help Musharraf reassure voters that the investigation is beyond reproach, after opposition politicians claimed that Bhutto was murdered by elements within the Pakistani state. A spokeswoman said the officers would travel to Pakistan as soon as possible but that the Pakistan authorities will lead the investigation. Specialist officers will arrive to find a crime scene that was hosed down shortly after the attack and then reopened to the public. They will also discover that no thorough tests were conducted on the car in which Bhutto died until four days after the attack. ...more in The Guardian

Democracy is looking sick: ...At the start of 2008 Churchill's nostrum that it is the worst form of government "except for the others" is being tested close to destruction, assassinated in Pakistan, sabotaged in Kenya, massacred in Iraq, strangled in Russia, ridiculed in South Africa and purchased in America. But then it depends on what you mean by democracy. This week the "better" democracies are wagging fingers at worse ones, like 17th-century popes reprimanding missionaries in the distant jungle. They tut-tut over a stuffed ballot box in Nairobi, a banned radio station in Islamabad or a murdered journalist in Moscow. They condemn a riot here, a bombed polling booth there and an imprisoned politician somewhere else. How dare these "developing" peoples corrupt the sacred rites of mother church? ...Democracy has never been perfect. From the moment self-government lost touch with "self" - departing the agora of Athens, the althing of Reykjavik and the town meeting of New England - it adapted itself to nations and peoples. Its institutions depend more on local history, culture and geography than on Madison, Mill and De Tocqueville. This week the rituals of heredity, not democracy, decided the leadership of the Pakistan People's party. Most Asian and African democracies are ballots qualified by assassination, corruption and inheritance. Yet we still grace them with the term. Students of politics are taught to tick off the qualities that award the status of democracy to a polity. Are there free and fair elections? Can the franchise turn a regime out of office? Are there supporting institutions such as an open parliament, security of public assembly, elected local government, a free media, the rule of law? No one of these is either sufficient or necessary for democracy, which is rather a sliding scale of liberties, to which constitutions and regimes ascribe varying degrees of priority. ...read the article by Simon Jenkins in The Guardian

Year 2007

Decembre

A Buddhist monastery that provided a hospice for AIDS patients has been closed down by the dictatorship in Burma (Myanmar): which is also still arresting dissidents, the top U.S. diplomat in the country said Friday. The monastery, in the biggest city Yangon, was raided Thursday. "Apparently, it was ordered closed. No one knows why," said Shari Villarosa, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar. She was speaking to reporters during a visit to Bangkok in neighboring Thailand. Three military trucks arrived outside the Maggin Monastery and told everyone inside to leave, according to the online edition of The Irrawaddy, a news magazine run by Myanmar exiles in Thailand. The AIDS patients were moved by the authorities to an unknown location, it said. The monastery, which also gave AIDS treatment, was raided during the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy activists in September for involvement in monk-led protests. "Arrests are continuing. We are getting reports on a daily basis of people being picked up," Villarosa said. "It raises questions about the sincerity of the military in pursuing what we will consider to be a genuine dialogue leading to national reconciliation." Amnesty International said earlier the junta had arrested a dozen activists and Buddhist monks this month, despite assurances that the crackdown had stopped. At least 15 people were killed and nearly 3,000 people detained during the September crackdown. The regime says all but 90 people have been freed, but Amnesty said 700 were still in custody. The abbot of Maggin Monastery, U Indaka, was among those still detained, The Irrawaddy said. Monasteries in Yangon remained deserted, Villarosa said, adding that she believed a "considerable number" of monks were detained. Meanwhile, the U.N. envoy to Myanmar said Friday the junta must free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest if it is serious about reforms."Now we are saying very clearly that if Aung San Suu Kyi is to become part of the solution and a partner in dialogue, then it is very essential that she should be released from detention," Ibrahim Gambari told reporters in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh at the end of a two-day visit. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been detained for 12 of the past 18 years. "Any further arrests of people will run counter to the spirit of national reconciliation and ... to the efforts to promote dialogue between the opposition and the government," Gambari said. He spoke shortly after Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Thein Sein arrived in Cambodia. The two did not meet and officials said the timing of the visits was coincidental. Gambari is to return to Myanmar next month on his third mission since September to try to push the junta toward reconciliation talks with the opposition. ..more in Associated Press - and in The Buddhist Channel TV /
Also click on the screens to watch a tribute and Dr Aung San Suu Kyi speaking at a rally in 1996

Captured videos revive hopes for Ingrid Betancourt and 600 hostages by the FARC terrorists: Tape seized after arrest of Colombia rebels. Evidence follows end of Chávez mediation effort. Videotapes of hostages held by rebels in the dense jungles of Colombia were released yesterday in the first proof in years that they were still alive. The videos show an emaciated Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship, three US state department contractors, and Colombian politicians and soldiers, some of whom have been held for as long as a decade. The Colombian government, which aired the videos with no sound, said the evidence had been seized after the arrest on Thursday of three suspected urban members of the leftist rebel group Farc, which is holding the hostages to pressure the government to free jailed guerrillas. The videos show 16 of the hostages. The evidence was recovered a week after President Alvaro Uribe abruptly ended the latest efforts to broker a hostage-for-prisoner swap with Farc. In August Uribe had invited Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, to mediate with Farc, which admires the firebrand leader. But his efforts were cut short after the Venezuelan leader failed to present the proof that the hostages were still alive he had announced he would hand over to France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The French leader has taken a close interest in the fate of the hostages, especially Betancourt. Sarkozy said the video was "undeniable" evidence that she was alive. "This encourages us to boost our efforts to win her release," he said. The new images of Betancourt contrast starkly with the video of her in 2003, where she was defiant, demanding the government secure her release. In the new video, which had a date stamp of October 24 2007, Betancourt kept her head bowed, her waist-long hair hanging limply over her left shoulder. She appeared to be chained and did not speak. ...
Backstory:
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Farc, have been fighting the state for more than 40 years in the name of Marxist revolution. The peasant-based army has shrunk from 17,000 troops to no more than 7,000 and retreated to mountain and jungle outposts in the five years since President Alvaro Uribe undertook his "democratic security" policies. They want to exchange the 45 hostages for about 500 jailed rebels but have demand a safe haven. After the failed experiment of granting Farc a demilitarised zone, Uribe has said he would not cede one centimetre. ...more in The Guardian - Christian Science Monitor - The Times - The Telegraph - The Independent / And click on the screen to watch the video captured dated 24 Oct 2007

November

Shut up, Spain's king tells president Chavez at the Ibero-American summit in Chile: Spain's king Juan Carlos told Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to "shut up" as the Ibero-American summit drew to a close in Santiago, Chile. The outburst came after Mr Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist". Mr Chavez then interrupted Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's calls for him to be more diplomatic, prompting the king's outburst. Latin American, Portuguese, Spanish and Andorran leaders were meeting in Chile. 'Democratically elected' Mr Chavez called Mr Aznar, a close ally of US President George W Bush, a fascist, adding "fascists are not human. A snake is more human." Mr Zapatero said: "[Former Prime Minister] Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people." Mr Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, despite his microphone being turned off. The king leaned forward and said: "Why don't you shut up?" According to reports, the king used a familiar term normally used only for close acquaintances - or children. 'Democratically elected' Mr Chavez called Mr Aznar, a close ally of US President George W Bush, a fascist, adding "fascists are not human. A snake is more human." Mr Zapatero said: "[Former Prime Minister] Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people." Mr Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, despite his microphone being turned off. The king leaned forward and said: "Why don't you shut up?" According to reports, the king used a familiar term normally used only for close acquaintances - or children. Mr Chavez (r) called Mr Aznar a fascist Later, Mr Chavez responded to the king's rebuke. According to the Associated Press news agency, he said: "I do not offend by telling the truth. The Venezuelan government reserves the right to respond to any aggression, anywhere, in any space and in any manner." The theme of this year's 22-nation summit was "social cohesion". ...read more and watch the video on the BBC - The Telegraph

Aung San Suu Kyi 'optimistic' over UN-backed talks to achieve Democracy in Burma: The detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is "very optimistic" about the UN-promoted process for reconciliation between the military junta and pro-democracy forces, leading members of her party said today. The comments came after three executive members of the National League for Democracy, along with a party spokesman, were allowed to meet her for the first time in more than three years. Burma's government allowed the meeting after the UN special envoy to the country, Ibrahim Gambari, completed a six-day visit to promote a dialogue between the ruling junta and Aung San Suu Kyi. Party spokesman Nyan Win, speaking after he and his colleagues had met the 62-year-old, who is under house arrest, said she believed the military authorities now had the will to achieve national reconciliation. Aung San Suu Kyi also held talks with Aung Kyi, who was appointed the junta's minister for relations with her amid global outrage over a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. Yesterday, leading Burmese generals unexpectedly announced that she would be allowed to meet her party's top officials. Their statement came hours after Mr Gambari ended his second mission to broker negotiations between the regime and pro-democracy leaders. He met Aung San Suu Kyi for an hour yesterday, issuing a statement on her behalf after leaving Burma. "In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success," the statement said. "I am committed to pursue the path of dialogue constructively and invite the government and all relevant parties to join me in this spirit." The statement appeared to be her first since her latest spell of detention began four years ago. International pressure on the junta to begin a dialogue with opposition figures increased sharply after its crackdown on pro-democracy protests in September. ...Washington reacted with skepticism to the latest Burmese announcement. "What needs to happen in Burma is that there needs to be a serious, sustained, peaceful, democratic dialogue," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "That is not something that we have seen." The Burmese government has continued to jail and harass suspected organizers of the protests over the past month and recently ordered the United Nations' top official in Burma, Charles Petrie, to leave the country for expressing support for demonstrators. ...more in The Guardian - The Telegraph - The Independent - The Washington Post

A piano for an accomplished artist and Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi: Like all grand romantic gestures, this one has little regard for practical restraint. A band of British wellwishers are planning to ship a piano down river to Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected Burmese leader who has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest. Suu Kyi is an accomplished player but her piano is broken, partly through wear and tear and partly after she pumped the pedals too hard. It is also thought that she accidentally ruined some keys in anger in 2004 when she heard that her friend, the Burmese poet U Tin Moe, had been placed under house arrest. The piano has been of enormous comfort to her over many years as well as to the people of Burma, who would stand outside her house to listen to her play. If they heard the piano they knew she was still alive. Suu Kyi loves to play Bach and Scarlatti. But her favourite piece is Pachelbel’s Canon. She played it for her British husband, Michael Aris, on his last visit to her in 1997. He died two years later after she was prevented from visiting him. Now a group of British women from the world of arts and entertainment plan to deliver a new piano to the Nobel peace prize winner. The gift is being organised by the actress Maureen Lipman, who has for years been an ardent supporter of Suu Kyi, along with Annie Lennox, the singer, Norma Heyman, the film producer who is the mother of David Heyman who makes the Harry Potter movies, and Joyce Hytner, the arts fundraiser who is the mother of Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre. “It just seemed a good and nice idea,” said Lipman, who starred in The Pianist, the Oscar-winning Roman Polanksi film. The money for a new piano has already been raised, although it is important to ensure that the one purchased can withstand the tropical humidity of Rangoon and the plagues of white ants. Sheet music has also been organised. ...Suu Kyi’s piano could be transported by boat all the way, as Rangoon is a port on a river estuary, about 50 miles from the coast. First it would have to be flown to India or Singapore and then transferred to a ship. One idea is that Lipman and some other friends would accompany the piano and present it to Suu Kyi, who was elected democratically as the country’s leader in 1990 but has never taken power. “The idea of a piano for her is a marvellous thought,” said Martin Morland, a former British ambassador to Burma who now chairs the charity Prospect Burma, which provides money to educate young Burmese. ...“I think she’d see the piano as a gesture of solidarity with her supporters in Burma itself and with those overseas,” said Richard Shannon, whose play about Suu Kyi, "The Lady of Burma", will open at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London, on Thursday. ...more in The Times

[Click on the first screen to enjoy Les solistes du Choeur de Chambre de Namur playing the Canon of Pachelbel, directed by Jean Tubéry; and on the second screen to enjoy a version for piano by a young girl named Abigal.]

Seven Europeans released after Sarkozy flies to Chad for talks on fostering case: Three French journalists and four Spanish flight attendants detained in Chad over an alleged illegal attempt by a charity to fly African children to Europe were released yesterday after the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, flew to Chad. The freed men and women were flown to Paris on the presidential plane after Mr Sarkozy had talks in the capital, N'Djamena, with the Chadian president, Idriss Déby. The seven were among those held after a French charity was accused of plotting to take African children from their families and transport them to Europe for adoption. It is the second Sarkozy intervention in an international legal dispute. This summer, the president's then wife, Cécilia Sarkozy, flew to Libya to escort home a group of Bulgarian medics who had been imprisoned after being accused of infecting children with HIV. ...more in The Guardian

Chad case prompts Sarkozy visit to care for Europeans: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on his way to Chad to discuss the detention of 17 Europeans accused of child abduction, his office said. The French, Spanish and Belgian nationals are held in connection with an alleged attempt to kidnap 103 African children. Six of the arrested are members of a charity, Zoe's Ark, which says the children are orphans from Darfur. But international aid agencies have cast doubt over the claim. Mr Sarkozy will meet his counterpart, Idriss Deby, in the capital, N'Djamena. They will discuss "the situation of our compatriots and the other European citizens being prosecuted", a statement from the Elysee Palace said. Mr Deby said on Thursday TV he hoped the three journalists and air crew members who are among the 17 European accused would be released soon. Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has asked Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Defence Minister Herve Morin to launch an investigation into the affair. Mr Sarkozy was involved earlier this year in negotiations with the Libyan President, Muammar Gaddafi, in the case of six Bulgarian medics sentenced to death in Libya, who were eventually deported to Bulgaria and then released. ...more in BBC - The Guardian - The Times - The Telegraph

Burma's dictatorship is expelling the top UN diplomat in the country: he military regime told UN Burma country chief, Charles Petrie, his mandate was not being renewed. The news comes a day before UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari is to return to Burma for a second visit since the army suppressed anti-government protests. The US said the expulsion of Mr Petrie, who has criticised the violent suppression of the protests, was an insult and an outrage. It is not clear when Mr Petrie, who began his posting in Burma in 2003, will have to leave the country. ...more in BBC - The Guardian -

Support Dennis Kucinich for President, the real alternative to regenerate Democracy and Justice in USA: a weekly update for Monday, October 22nd. This is our latest installment on a regular series of reports to keep you informed on Dennis's race to the Presidency. ...Meanwhile, The Oxford Research Group, a highly respected British think tank, issued a report that underscores and corroborates all of the major points that Ohio Congressman Kucinich has been making for years regarding the war in Iraq and the disastrous consequences of starting a war with Iran. The report found that, the war on terror is failing, and instead fueling an Increase in support for extremist Islamist movements. It called, for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq, coupled with intensive diplomatic engagement in the region, including with Iran and Syria. And, said one of the authors, Going to war with Iran will make matters. Far worse, playing directly into the hands of extreme elements and adding greatly to the violence across the region. Dennis's campaign tour was in full swing last week as he and his wife Elizabeth visited four Southwestern states in four days. As the Congressman had duties to attend to back in Washington D.C., Elizabeth continued to tour New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada, meeting with local Mayors, citizens and Native American community Leaders. ...more clicking on the screen and in the web Kucinich for President

October

Hundreds of brave Buddhist monks begin fresh protests in Burma: More than 100 Buddhist monks marched and chanted in Burma today in the first public demonstration since the military junta crushed last month's anti-government protests, several monks said. The monks in Pakokku made no political statements and shouted no slogans, but their march, which lasted nearly an hour, was in clear defiance of the government. "We walked around the town and chanted ... We are continuing our protest from last month as we have not yet achieved any of the demands we asked for," one monk told the Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based radio station. "Our demands are for lower commodity prices, national reconciliation and immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all the political prisoners." ... Up to 100,000 people joined last month's protests which were brought to a brutal end when troops fired on protestors on September 27 and 28. At least 20 people were killed by the government's own count, including a Japanese photographer. Opposition groups claimed as many as 200 people may have been killed in the crackdown, which drew international condemnation and new sanctions against the regime. Pakokku, a centre for Buddhist learning with more than 80 monasteries, is about 630km north-west of the commercial centre of Rangoon. It was the site of the first march by monks last month as they joined, and then spearheaded protests against raised fuel prices, which turned into the biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades. ...Reports at the time that troops had beaten protesting monks in Pakokku rallied monks around the country to join the burgeoning marches. The junta has admitted it arrested nearly 3,000 protesters during the crackdown and that hundreds had been interrogated. It said it had only released those who had signed pledges not to protest against the regime. The government announced today that it had released seven members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party who were detained last month. The releases last night came ahead of a visit by the UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, to seek reconciliation between the junta and democratic forces. An NLD spokesman, Han Tha, said at least 150 party members out of nearly 300 who had been arrested since September remained in detention. He said many had been denied proper medical treatment and were living in harsh conditions. Aung San Suu Kyi held surprise talks with a representative of the military rulers last week, although no substantive details of the meeting have emerged. ...more in The Guardian - The Times - Democracy Now

Burma'a dictatorship forces children into combat as adults desert army: The Burmese junta is making more and more use of child soldiers, some as young as 10, according to a Human Rights Watch report published today. Finding it increasingly hard to recruit adult soldiers, and trying to cope with high desertion rates and a constantly expanding demand for fighters, army recruiters pick on children at bus and train stations and force them to join up. The brutal military regime has long been accused of using children to fight the insurgencies and liberation movements challenging the regime on Burma's borders. Last month it drew the condemnation of practically the whole world after its vicious suppression of peaceful protests by tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and ordinary citizens. Soldiers were forced to beat and abuse Burma's highly revered monks and at least one senior officer deserted, fleeing to Thailand because he refused to carry out those orders. ...more in The Independent - The Washington Post

On Visit to France, Donald Rumsfeld Hit with Lawsuit for Ordering, Authorizing Torture: The complaint was filed with the Paris prosecutor’s office as Rumsfeld arrived in France for a visit. This is the fifth time Rumsfeld has been charged with direct involvement in torture since 9/11. We speak with two attorneys with the plaintiffs -- Center for Constitutional Rights president Michael Ratner and Jeanne Sulzer of the International Federation of Human Rights. U.S. and European human rights groups filed a lawsuit in France today charging former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with ordering and authorizing torture. The plaintiffs include the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights and the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights. They say Rumsfeld authorized interrogation techniques that led to abuses at US-run prisons in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. ...more in Democracy Now / And visit the web of the Center for Constitutional Rights to support the judicial investigation by France

The full horror of Burmese dictatorship's repression of monks starts to emerge: The hidden crackdown is as methodical as it is brutal. First the monks were targeted, then the thousands of ordinary Burmese who joined the demonstrations, those who even applauded or watched, or those merely suspected of anti-government sympathies. "There were about 400 of us in one room. No toilets, no buckets, no water for washing. No beds, no blankets, no soap. Nothing," said a 24-year-old monk who was held for 10 days at the Government Technical Institute, a leafy college in northern Rangoon which is now a prison camp for suspected dissidents. The young man, too frightened to be named, was one of 185 monks taken in a raid on a monastery in the Yankin district of Rangoon on 28 September, two days after government soldiers began attacking street protesters. "The room was too small for everyone to lie down at once. We took it in turns to sleep. Every night at 8 o'clock we were given a small bowl of rice and a cup of water. But after a few days many of us just couldn't eat. The smell was so bad. "Some of the novice monks were under 10 years old, the youngest was just seven. They were stripped of their robes and given prison sarongs. Some were beaten, leaving open, untreated wounds, but no doctors came." ... Human rights organisations estimate that up to 6,000 protesters were rounded up at the height of the protests and that hundreds were killed. ... Today Human Rights Watch urged the UN security council to impose and enforce an arms embargo on the country. India, China, Russia and other countries are supplying Burma with weapons that the military uses to commit human rights abuses and to bolster its power, the group said. "It's time for the security council to end all sales and transfers of arms to a government that uses repression and fear to hang on to power," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. ...more in The Independent - The Guardian - and in the Web of FreeBurmaRangers.org

Burma's dictatorship shuts down last communication links and arrested 5 generals and 400 soldiers who refused to kill monks. Also a diplomat at Burma’s embassy in London has resigned to protest his country’s “appalling” crackdown on monks: Ye Min Tun, a second secretary at the embassy according to British government records, said Burma’s military leaders had ignored the people’s wish to negotiate. “I have never seen such a scenario in the whole of my life. The government is arresting and beating the peaceful Buddhist monks,” he told the BBC, adding that he had sent a resignation letter to the embassy in London. ...Satellite phones seized in information blackout. Crackdown reflects worry over world opinion. French and occidental embassies cannot received phone calls... Burma's dictatorship is targeting the last remaining communications links th