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Court Ruling Backs Ecuadorian Effort to Hold Chevron Accountable For Amazon Pollution

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Sep. 20 (News Report) - A U.S. appeals court has ruled oil giant Chevron cannot escape an $18 billion fine for massive pollution of the Amazon rain forest. Amazonian residents won the damages in an Ecuadorian court earlier this year, and Chevron says it will appeal the decision. It is the latest development in a complex, 18-year legal battle that has gone before judges not just in Ecuador and the United States, but also the Hague. We speak with Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch, which has worked closely with the Amazon residents suing Chevron. Atossa Soltani is in New York City this week to draw attention to environmental causes in the Amazon in conjunction with two major gatherings, the Clinton Global Initiative and the United Nations General Assembly. [Transcript to come. Check back soon.]

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Genocide-Linked General Otto Pérez Molina Poised to Become Guatemala's Next President

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Juan Gonzalez, Amy Goodman - Sep. 15 (News Analysis) - Human rights groups have accused Pérez of being directly involved in the systematic use of torture and acts of genocide in Guatemala in the 1980s. Pérez has run largely on a platform of using "an iron fist" to crack down on drug cartels. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Mayan activist, Rigoberta Menchú, is one of nine other candidates challenging Pérez.

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U.S. aid implicated in abuses of power in Colombia

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Karen DeYoung, Claudia J. Duque - Aug. 20 (News Report) - The Obama administration often cites Colombia’s thriving democracy as proof that U.S. assistance, know-how and commitment can turn around a potentially failed state under terrorist siege. The country’s U.S.-funded counterinsurgency campaign against a Marxist rebel group — and the civilian and military coordination behind it — are viewed as so successful that it has become a model for strategy in Afghanistan. But new revelations in long-running political scandals under former president Alvaro Uribe , a close U.S. ally throughout his eight-year tenure, have implicated American aid, and possibly U.S. officials, in egregious abuses of power and illegal actions by the Colombian government under the guise of fighting terrorism and drug smuggling. ...

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Ex-President Uribe denies ordering Colombia’s intelligence agency to spy on judges, foes

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Washington Post - Aug. 18 (News Report) - More than 20 agents of the DAS intelligence agency have been imprisoned for alleged roles in the spying. Two have pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.

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Guatemalan Soldiers Sentenced to 6,060 Years in Prison for Role in 1982 Massacre

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Aug. 04 (News Report) - a Guatemalan judge has sentenced four of the soldiers who carried out the Dos Erres attack to 6,060 years of prison each, 30 years per person they killed. The court also found the soldiers guilty of crimes against human rights, adding another 30 years to their sentences. It is the latest step in a process to end impunity for those involved in the deaths or disappearances of more than 200,000 people in the 1980s and 1990s. However, human rights groups allege General Otto Pérez Molina, now a leading presidential candidate in Guatemala, was directly involved in the systematic use of torture and acts of genocide in the 1980s and could block pending cases if he is elected.

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Violence, Potential Job Losses Hang Over Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Dave Jamieson - Jul. 20 (News Report) - As U.S. lawmakers inch closer to enacting a long-stalled free trade agreement with Colombia, the deal's proponents have cited the safer atmosphere for finally pushing the deal through. But for Juan Cambindo, a Colombian sugar cane worker and union leader, the news of significant progress has come as a great surprise. Like many other Colombians, Cambindo says he has had his life threatened because of union ties. He first learned of his new and improved lot while watching television. "The United States was talking about how our situation has gotten better," Cambindo, who visited Washington last week to voice his opposition to the deal, told HuffPost through a translator (video below). "But that's not true. Our situation continues to be bad, and it's getting worse."

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Los 33: Chilean miners face up to a strange new world

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Angus Macqueen - Jul. 17 (News Report) - The rescue of 33 miners from Chile's San José mine after 69 days trapped underground was a triumph shared with the whole world. But the transition back to normality is proving difficult for both the men and their families 'They are not heroes. We are not heroes. We are all victims," murmurs Lilly Ramírez, the uncompromising partner of Mario Gómez. At 63, he was the oldest of "the 33" Chilean miners who were trapped half a mile under the Chilean desert on 5 August 2010, and whose rescue became a global event for a TV audience of an estimated 1 billion people. Ever since they emerged 69 days later on the night of 12/13 October, I have been working on two BBC documentaries: about what happened while the men were down the mine – and what has happened to them and their families since. Now, as the first anniversary approaches, it is the tenacity and the suffering of the women – the wives and partners – that emerges. They and their men were certainly victims but I am not sure Lilly is right: there ...

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Chavez arrives in Cuba for cancer treatment

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Aljazeera - Jul. 17 (News Report) - Chavez, who will receive chemotherapy for the disease which was diagnosed in Havana about a month ago, arrived in Cuba on Sunday following a legislative vote approving his trip on Friday. "I am going to delegate some decisions that until now were mine, signatures and decisions, to vice president Elias Jaua and Jorge Giordani," Chavez said during a televised cabinet meeting before his departure. Chavez, 56, said doctors have found no more malignant cells in his body following earlier cancer surgery.

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Monsanto Cash Incentives Under Federal Investigation

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

readersupportednews.org - By Kathryn Gilje, - Jul. 16 (News Report) - n some circles, it would be called a bribe, at best. Evidence revealed last week shows that Monsanto's former Chief Financial Officer admitted that the agrichemical corporation planned to spend $150 million in cash and trade incentives in Latin America, North America and Europe to spur the uptake of the pesticide glyphosate, better known as RoundUp. $150 million is no small change - and surely that's not all that's been spent. The news came to light last week as part of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Sadly, small farmers around the world know all too well the carrot and stick approaches that Monsanto and other pesticide giants use to lure farmers (and nations) toward industrial agriculture and onto the pesticide treadmill.

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In Nod to Latino Voters, Obama Makes Historic Visit to Puerto Rico Ahead of 2012 Elections

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 15 (News Report) - On Tuesday, President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Puerto Rico in a half century. His trip underscored the growing importance that Puerto Ricans will play in the 2012 U.S. elections. Although Puerto Ricans living on the island cannot vote for president, there are about 4.6 million Puerto Ricans living in the 50 states, including an estimated 857,000 in the battleground state of Florida. We speak with University of Puerto Rico professor Maritza Stanchich about reaction to Obama's visit amidst the island's slumped economy, and violent police repression of student protests against tuition hikes. [includes rush transcript]

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Zelaya’s Daughter Pichu Recalls the Honduran Military’s Brutal Kidnapping of Her Father in 2009

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - May. 31 (News Report) - In the early morning hours of June 28, 2009, masked soldiers raided the Zelaya home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. President Zelaya’s daughter Xiomara Hortensia “Pichu” Zelaya hid under the bed as soldiers fired shots into the home. Following the coup she went into exile and hadn’t seen her home until Saturday. “My dad, when he heard the gunshots, he went out of his room, and he went to my room, told me to get dressed up, because the military are coming,” Pichu Zelaya says. “And I heard the gunshots and everything. So he told me to hide, to find somewhere to hide.” [includes rush transcript]

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Zelaya’s Son Héctor: The Honduran Resistance Helped Pave the Way for Our Return

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - May. 31 (News Report) - We speak with Héctor Zelaya, son of former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, as he accompanies his father home after the military coup d’état that led to his ouster on June 28, 2009. “I [cannot] think of any president that went into exile and defeated the exile in the first two years. I'm grateful for our people and all the resistance in my country,” Héctor Zelaya says. “Because of their fight against the coup and getting their rights and fighting for their rights, we have our president back in his country and back in his house.” [includes rush transcript]

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Out of Exile: Exclusive Report on Ousted Honduran President Zelaya's Return Home 23 Months After U.S.-Backed Coup

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - May. 31 (News Report) - In a _Democracy Now!_ global broadcast exclusive, we take you on the plane of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya as he and his family return home after almost two years in exile. We speak with Zelaya, ousted Honduran foreign minister Patricia Rodas, Honduran exile René Guillermo Amador, and former Colombian senator Piedad Córdoba, one of the many representatives of Latin American countries who accompanied Zelaya home. We also speak to Father Roy Bourgeois of School of the Americas Watch on the role U.S.-trained generals played in the 2009 coup. "This military coup had real connections to the School of the Americas. The two top generals, the key players in this military coup -- the head of the air force, the head of the army -- were graduates of the School of the Americas,” said Bourgeois. [includes rush transcript]

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Environmental Activist Killed 'Execution-Style' In Brazil

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - Apr. 25 (News) - Police in Brazil say gunmen have killed an environmental activist, his brother and three friends. The bodies of Jorge Grando, the former head of the environmental protection agency for the city of Pinhais in southern Brazil, and the four others were found inside a house. Their hands were tied behind their backs and each had several bullet wounds in their heads.

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The Law of Mother Earth: Behind Bolivia's Historic Bill

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

readersupportednews.org - By Nick Buxton - Apr. 21 (News Report) - Indigenous and campesino (small-scale farmer) movements in the Andean nation of Bolivia are on the verge of pushing through one of the most radical environmental bills in global history. The "Mother Earth" law under debate in Bolivia's legislature will almost certainly be approved, as it has already been agreed to by the majority governing party, Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS). The law draws deeply on indigenous concepts that view nature as a sacred home, the Pachamama (Mother Earth) on which we intimately depend. As the law states, “Mother Earth is a living dynamic system made up of the undivided community of all living beings, who are all interconnected, interdependent and complementary, sharing a common destiny.”

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Obama's Drug War in El Salvador

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Roberto Lovato - Apr. 04 (Special Report) - “Obama’s visit to the tomb of Monsenor Romero is super complicated because of what the U.S. has traditionally signified for us: a state that financed the Salvadoran military to block a revolutionary process,” says Marroquin, who lost more than a dozen family members, including her father, during the war. “The visit to Mosnenor’s tomb is not an act of reparation. It’s an act of protocol and leaves me even more indignant, especially when he comes here with more money for guns for the military. How are we to trust that this anti-narcoticos plan will do anything but increase violence?” she asks.

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As Obama Completes First Latin America Tour, Anniversary of Slain Salvadoran Archbishop Romero Evokes Legacy of U.S.-Backed Crimes

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Juan Gonzalez, Amy Goodman - Mar. 24 (News Report) - President Obama has returned from his first trip to South America since taking office. Obama faced protests in Brazil, Chile and El Salvador as he sought to boost regional trade and improve security ties. In El Salvador, hundreds of demonstrators called for Obama to renegotiate or dismiss the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which has devastated El Salvador's agricultural sector. Obama was also confronted with the legacy of U.S.-backed repression in Chile and El Salvador. Today marks the 31st anniversary of the slaying of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed by members of a US-backed death squad. We speak with investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who has reported extensively from Latin America since the 1980s.

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Reagan Celebration Hides Brutal History

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Associated Press - Feb. 06 (News Analysis) - Wilkerson and Parry on Reagan centenary: Many of today's catastrophes can be traced to Reagan's presidency

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Bishop Samuel Ruiz García, Defender of Mexico’s Mayans, Dies at 86

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Julia Preston - Jan. 27 (News) - During his 40 years presiding over a Roman Catholic diocese in Chiapas, Bishop Ruiz cast light on abuses suffered by the Indians and sought to bring them into the church as equals with other Mexicans.

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Mexico police: 7 slain at soccer game

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

CNN - Jan. 25 (Breaking News) - (CNN) -- A group of heavily armed gunmen opened fire at a soccer match between two local teams in western Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, killing seven people and wounding two others, according to a municipal

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Private Links in Lawmaker's Trip Abroad

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Eric Lipton - Dec. 20 (News) - Using his status as a senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Rohrabacher cheered his hosts in Honduras by openly challenging the Obama administration’s foreign policy agenda there, then arranged a series of meetings with top Honduran officials, including the president, during which the congressman “enthusiastically promoted” the biofuel company’s plans to perhaps set up operations in Honduras

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Panama Canal closes because of flooding

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

CNN - By CNN Wire Staff - Dec. 08 (News Report) - Heavy rains and flooding Wednesday prompted the closing of the Panama Canal for only the third time in its storied 96-year history. Officials closed the canal around noon and were hoping to reopen it by Wednesday evening, Fernando Lemos, spokesman for the Panama Canal administrator, said. "The situation might get better in the next few hours," Lemos said, "but there is no exact time as to when the canal will open again." Lemos said most of the heavy rain was in the Chagres River area, causing water behind the Gatun Dam -- which creates Lake Gatun, a significant part of the canal -- to rise.

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U.S. infected Guatemalans for STD tests

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Bob Stein - Nov. 05 (Special Report) - The United States revealed on Friday that the government conducted medical experiments in the 1940s in which doctors infected soldiers, prisoners and mental patients in Guatemala with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.

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Brazil Elects Dilma Rousseff, First Female President

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, Michael Fox - Nov. 01 (News Report) - Brazil has reached a new milestone with the election of its first-ever female president. On Sunday, Dilma Rousseff defeated rival José Serra with 55 percent in a runoff vote. Rousseff was outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's chosen successor after serving the last five years as his chief of staff. During the 1960s and 1970s, she was involved in the armed struggle against Brazil's military dictatorship. She was imprisoned for nearly three years and tortured. Among her pledges, Rousseff vowed to eradicate chronic poverty in Brazil affecting 20 million people. We talk with Michael Fox, an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker based outside Porto Alegre. "She's a fighter," Fox says.

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US-Trained Cartel Terrorises Mexico

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Aljazeera - By Chris Arsenault - Oct. 20 (News) - Some of the cartel's initial members were elite Mexican troops, trained in the early 1990s by America’s 7th Special Forces Group or "snake eaters" at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, a former US special operations commander has told Al Jazeera. “They were given map reading courses, communications, standard special forces training, light to heavy weapons, machine guns and automatic weapons,” says Craig Deare, the former special forces commander who is now a professor at the US National Defence University.

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