FBI Cracks Down On Laser Pointers Used To Blind Pilots

» FBI Cracks Down On Laser Pointers Used To Blind Pilots - CBS Local
11/02/14 23:13 from fbi - Google News
FBI Cracks Down On Laser Pointers Used To Blind Pilots CBS Local BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The FBI cracks down on laser attacks on aircraft. It's a prank that can blind pilots or even cause a crash. Now agents want to hunt down the people wh...

» FBI launches campaign to crack down on laser strikes against aircraft - Fox News
11/02/14 21:34 from fbi - Google News
ABC News FBI launches campaign to crack down on laser strikes against aircraft Fox News The FBI is cracking down on laser strikes against commercial aircraft, offering a reward for the public's help in identifying perpetrators and sa...

» FBI: $10000 reward for info on lasers pointed at planes - Newsday
11/02/14 20:44 from fbi - Google News
FBI : $10000 reward for info on lasers pointed at planes Newsday In an attempt to thwart a growing trend, the FBI Monday announced a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of anyone who has pointed a laser at an airplane...

» FBI Highlights Risks Posed By Laser Strikes - CBS Local
11/02/14 20:28 from fbi - Google News
FBI Highlights Risks Posed By Laser Strikes CBS Local KNX 1070′s Ed Mertz reports officials with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Airport Police Division, and the Los Angeles and Orange County sheriff's departments were...

» FBI Ups Reward in Laser Pointer Attacks - NBC4 Washington
11/02/14 20:09 from fbi - Google News
NBC4 Washington FBI Ups Reward in Laser Pointer Attacks NBC4 Washington The FBI is increasing the reward it offers witnesses who help them stop laser pointer attacks against airplanes. The agency will offer $10,000 to anyone who helps ag...

» FBI Offers Cash Reward To Catch People Who Point Lasers At Planes - NPR (blog)
11/02/14 20:04 from fbi - Google News
NPR (blog) FBI Offers Cash Reward To Catch People Who Point Lasers At Planes NPR (blog) The FBI is making a limited-time offer at 12 of its field offices across the nation from Albuquerque and Los Angeles to New York City and Washington,...

» FBI Aims Crackdown at Airplane Laser Pranks - ABC News
11/02/14 11:40 from fbi - Google News
ABC News FBI Aims Crackdown at Airplane Laser Pranks ABC News The FBI is launching a new campaign aimed at people who focus potentially-blinding lasers at airplanes. The inexpensive pen-sized pointers can hit a target miles away, tempora...

» Pilots, FAA and FBI work to discourage laser strikes - USA TODAY
11/02/14 11:04 from fbi - Google News
The Verge Pilots, FAA and FBI work to discourage laser strikes USA TODAY Airline pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI are launching a campaign to discourage laser strikes on planes, after the number of incidents reache...

» Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: New Program Offers Rewards for Information - Federal Bureau of Investigation (press release)
11/02/14 10:55 from fbi - Google News
Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: New Program Offers Rewards for Information Federal Bureau of Investigation (press release) Today the FBI announced a program aimed at deterring people from pointing lasers at aircraft—a felony punishable ... 

» FBI — Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: New Program Offers Rewards ...
11/02/14 05:00 from fbi - Google Blog Search

» Cordova Man Sentenced in Health Care Fraud Case
11/02/14 03:00 from Current
— Columbia

» FBI Announces New Reward Program Aimed at Deterring Laser Strikes
11/02/14 03:00 from Current
— Washington

» Laser Incidents Targeting Aircraft on the Rise Nationwide; Incidents Up 39 Percent in New York Last Year
11/02/14 03:00 from Current
— New York

Playlists: JAZZ | Modern Songs | Chet Baker | Latino Songs

JAZZ | Modern Songs | Chet Baker | Latino Songs 

Venezuela Opposition Leader Is Sought - WSJ | Choque entre estudiantes y fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas durante protesta

El presidente ha dicho que los recientes hechos violentos en el país serían parte de un plan, apoyado por Estados Unidos, para replicar los disturbios que precedieron el golpe de 2002, en el cual Chávez salió brevemente del poder. (AFP)

Reuters: World News

Police seek Venezuela opposition leader as he tweets defiance

Today, February 16th 10:46am

·

worldnews

Shared by 1 person

CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan opposition leader wanted by police in connection with deadly street protests told supporters via Twitter to keep demonstrating, but peacefully, and armed police visited his father's home, apparently seeking to arrest him.

» Venezuela Political Tensions Rise amid Protests, Clashes
15/02/14 23:00 from Voice of America
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded Saturday to ongoing opposition protests with a counter-demonstration by thousands of his supporters.President Maduro used the pro-government rally in Caracas to denounce opposition leader Leo...

» Venezuela Opposition Leader Is Sought
16/02/14 08:49 from WSJ.com: World News
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said a police manhunt was under way for Leopoldo Lopez, the hard-line opposition leader behind antigovernment demonstrations that ended with three deaths.

» Venezuela Protesters Clash With Police
16/02/14 07:19 from Sky News | World News | First For Breaking News
Buckshot shells, water cannon and tear gas were used to break up protesters angry at high inflation, crime and goods shortages.

» Fears grow of Venezuela media crackdown
16/02/14 01:44 from FT.com - World
Critics allege media censorship and Twitter reports a disruption to its feed as Venezuelan authorities grapple with wave of protests

» Venezuelan students fight police, 'Chavistas' rally
15/02/14 20:25 from Reuters: International
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan police fired teargas and turned water cannons on stone-throwing protesters on Saturday to stop them blocking a Caracas highway in a fourth day of sporadic unrest against President Nicolas Maduro's government.

» 'Chavistas' march in Venezuela, opposition protests continue
15/02/14 19:13 from Reuters: International
CARACAS (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro marched in central Caracas on Saturday to call for peace and make a show of political strength after this week's deadly violence at street protests.

Choque entre estudiantes y fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas durante protesta

Saturday February 15th, 2014 at 11:04 PM

1 Share

Por Prensa Asociada 02/15/2014 | 09:07 p.m.

Caracas, Venezuela.-  Las fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas usaron el hoy gases lacrimógenos para dispersar a estudiantes que se dirigían a la principal autopista de la capital y evitar que la bloquearan al cumplirse el cuarto día consecutivo de manifestaciones contra el gobierno.

El alcalde del municipio capitalino Chacao, Ramón Muchacho, en cuyas inmediaciones se registró el incidente, declaró a la prensa que los estudiantes caminaban "pacíficamente en dirección a la autopista... cuando fueron repelidos con gases lacrimógenos". No hubo informes de heridos graves.

Los estudiantes respondieron arrojando piedras a los agentes y poco después se reagruparon en una zona cercana.

En los tres días anteriores, cientos de manifestantes bloquearon el tráfico durante varias horas con el fin de exigir justicia para los dos estudiantes asesinados el miércoles en medio de enfrentamientos con la policía y las milicias armadas progubernamentales.

Horas antes, durante un discurso tras el término de una marcha oficialista de apoyo a su gestión, el presidente Nicolás Maduro advirtió que no tolerará más bloqueos en las vías del país.

"No lo voy a permitir. ¡Ya basta!", exclamó.

El choque entre estudiantes y agentes de la Guardia Nacional se produjo horas después de que varios miles de empleados públicos y partidarios del gobierno venezolano salieron hoy a marchar para respaldar a Maduro y condenar los violentos incidentes ocurridos esta semana en Caracas y otras ciudades del país, los cuales dejaron tres muertos, 66 heridos y decenas de detenidos.

En un discurso ante sus seguidores que se transmitió en cadena nacional de radio y televisión, el presidente acusó a sus opositores de usar "a un grupo de muchachos que han adoctrinado en el odio... que han dicho que no van a salir de la calle hasta que Maduro renuncie" con el fin de desestabilizar a su gobierno y derrocarlo.

El mandatario advirtió que no tendrá debilidad alguna para enfrentar las protestas estudiantiles que se han extendido por las principales ciudades del país.

"El fascismo se combate con la ley y con la justicia y con castigos severos", manifestó.

Sin mencionarlos por sus nombres, Maduro responsabilizó al dirigente opositor Leopoldo López y a la diputada María Corina Machado de los hechos del miércoles.

"El fascista,  llamado 'El Trono' (como suele referirse a López), mandó a estos muchachitos violentos, entrenados por él a destruir la Fiscalía y destruir media Caracas; él fue a esconderse, es un cobardón, como todos los fascistas es un cobarde", afirmó.

"Un tribunal de la república ordenó su detención el propio 12 de febrero y las fuerzas de seguridad del estado lo están buscando. ¡Entrégate cobarde! El pueblo quiere justicia", agregó.

"No podemos tener un minuto de debilidad porque se trata de derrotar una corriente fascista que quiere acabar con la patria que tenemos", continuó Maduro, quien aseguró que las protestas son financiadas desde el exterior, supuestamente entre ellos el ex presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

El presidente ha dicho que los recientes hechos violentos en el país serían parte de un plan, apoyado por Estados Unidos, para replicar los disturbios que precedieron el golpe de 2002, en el cual Chávez salió brevemente del poder.

En Washington, el Departamento de Estado negó que tuviera alguna participación en la política de Venezuela.

En paralelo a la marcha oficialista, cientos de estudiantes universitarios se concentraron para exigir justicia para los muertos en medio de enfrentamientos con la policía y grupos progubernamentales llamados "colectivos", a los que líderes de oposición identifican como organizaciones "paramilitares".

"Vamos a seguir en la calle, en lucha... liderizada (sic) por la juventud que quiere un país de democracia, de medios libres que no los censuren ni se autocensuren, de justicia y equidad", dijo a la prensa Juan Requesens, dirigente estudiantil de la Universidad Central de Venezuela.

Las protestas callejeras del miércoles no recibieron cobertura periodística de las televisoras venezolanas, y varios medios de comunicación internacionales no pudieron documentar los disturbios porque la policía maltrató a sus reporteros y les decomisó sus equipos.

Los grupos defensores de los derechos humanos advirtieron que el gobierno está abusando de su autoridad y tratando de intimidar a los oponentes, al tiempo que impide que los medios locales e internacionales difundan sus informes.

Por su parte, la organización internacional Front Line Defenders, especializada en la protección de los defensores de los derechos humanos, expresó preocupación por los activistas en Venezuela, citando una "campaña de difamación" contra estos y la detención de uno de ellos.

En su comunicado, el grupo activista agregó que "las evidencias demuestran que los actos de intimidación... tienen relación directa con su labor en defensa de los derechos humanos en Venezuela".

En tanto, el Bloque de Prensa Digital de Venezuela, que agrupa a los medios digitales más importantes del país, advirtió en un comunicado que "sin seguridades para el ejercicio pleno de sus actividades, no será posible la práctica de la libertad de expresión en Internet".

La declaración llega un día después de que Twitter publicó instrucciones en español para que sus usuarios en Venezuela puedan ver imágenes pese a un supuesto bloqueo, que la red social sospecha pudo ser impuesto por funcionarios del país...

“Our America”: The CELAC’s Alternative Regionalism - BY FRANCIS TORRES

“Our America”: The CELAC’s Alternative Regionalism

BY FRANCIS TORRES

• FEBRUARY 3, 2014 4:57 PM 
• COMMENTS (0)

As one exercise in regional integration keeps disintegrating on one side of the Atlantic, another surges to the South of the Rio Grande. Last week, the leaders of 30 nations of the Americas met to celebrate the second summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, in its Spanish initials). The newly-minted multilateral organization has started to build up steam, with two successful summits under its belt and a score of declarations signed by its member countries. Fast becoming the main forum for international discourse in the region, the CELAC is also noteworthy for what it’s not, or rather who is not in it.

Regional leaders stand under a statue of Simon Bolívar during the CELAC summit in Havana

The organization includes all the countries in the Americas except for the United States and Canada, a peculiarity that many would say is CELAC’s defining feature. This distinction was certainly emphasized by Cuban president Raul Castro, who hosted the latest summit in Havana. Hugo Chavez – the late Venezuelan president and fervent left-wing ideologue – would most certainly agree with him, especially considering the CELAC was his brainchild.  The whole point of the CELAC, it would seem, is to unite its member states through an implicit rejection of the dominant hemispheric governing body, the Organization of American States.

The OAS, a multilateral organization that does include the US and Canada, was born out of several attempts at regional collaboration during the first decades of the 20^th century. Eventually, the US-led organization became the largest forum for establishing economic, political and social agendas across the Americas. The most notable of these are its pledges to fight communism across the region, protect the sovereignty of its members, spread democracy, and strengthen commercial ties across the continent.  Not surprisingly, the OAS is also notable for whom it doesn’t include: Cuba.

Seven decades after the establishment of the OAS, most of Latin America has suffered interventions (overt or covert) from the US. The fight against communism apparently trumped the pledge for democracy during the years of brutal US-backed dictatorships, and the spread of neoliberalism has, in the opinions of many, left several of the region’s economies crippled under the economic weight of the North. Hugo Chavez was not alone when proclaiming the organization to be a tool for the modern iteration of the Monroe Doctrine. Perhaps most importantly, the OAS kicked Cuba out in the early sixties, and maintained an implicit support for the Cuban embargo in the face of almost unanimous criticism in the region. Despite recent attempts of rapprochement, Cuba has sworn off the Inter-American ideal espoused by the OAS and has refused participate in the multilateral organization. Placing its bets on a regionalism centered on the idiosyncrasies of the South, the island country quickly signed on when plans for the creation of CELAC were announced.

IN MANY WAYS, THIS LATEST SUMMIT WAS ABOUT FORMALIZING AN ALTERNATIVE VISION TO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ONE UNBURDENED BY US DOMINEERING.Declarations focused on the member countries’ commitments to decrease inequality, provide better universal health and education services, and establish a the region as a “zone of peace.” The War on Drugs, Cuba’s liberalization and other issues dear to the United States were hardly mentioned or omitted. In fact, Cuba’s attempts to expand ties dominated the summit, with the mandatories of many countries meeting with the Castro brothers. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff even attended the inauguration of an expanded, Brazilian-built port zone at Mariel – the same port from where thousands of émigrés left to the US during an immigration grace period in the 80’s. The Cuban-Brazilian venture comes to fruition as multilatinas, or distinctly Latin-American multinational corporations, are gaining ground across the region.

Exploiting its mounting importance, the CELAC has also been formalizing economic ties with Russia, India and China. Setting itself up as a mechanism of economic integration as well as a social and political one, it places itself squarely on the side of developing economies, attempting to join the rising tide of countries from the Global South that are restructuring the world economy

Despite all of this, the question remains: Will the CELAC actually achieve anything, or is it just one of the many attempts to realize a centuries-old dream of Latin American integration?

For such a large organization, the CELAC’s origins are worryingly based in ideology rather than substance. As the pet project of Chavez, a die-hard regionalist as well as a dedicated anti-imperialist, the organization has an implicit leftist logic behind its reasoning. This was evident during the Havana Summit, where traditional left-wing campaigns in the region – Argentina’s fight over the Falklands/Malvinas, Ecuador’s environmental lawsuit against Chevron, Puerto Rico’s fight for independence – were mentioned and given symbolic support from member countries. This is not a problem per se, and could in fact lead to great developments, but the neopopulism that has taken hold in countries like Venezuela, Bolivia and Argentina has proven to be better at condemning the North than at solving the problems of the South. Elevated to a regional scale, this sort of rhetoric won’t really lead to much progress in terms of real political or economic goals.

There is also the fact that the CELAC is still a fledgling organization, with no secretariat and no full-time staff. Unlike the OAS, it does not yet boast tremendous economic resources or personnel. Yet it faces the challenges of improving conditions in a region plagued by extreme poverty, violence, corruption and drastic economic disparities. Justifiably, many wonder if the summits will not just become a celebratory pat in the back for leaders who make pleasant, but ultimately vapid, pronouncements.

Perhaps what will make or break the CELAC will be its capacity to integrate the region economically. A trading bloc focused on creating ties with markets other than the US would be a great boon to countries struggling to move their products beyond the Americas, as well as for regional giants like Mexico and Brazil.

For now, what seems evident is that much of Latin America is eagerly looking for an alternative to the skewed relations of the OAS-dominated past. In the words of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon – who attended the CELAC’s Havana Summit – the region still faces major challenges, but its countries now have a tool to face their obstacles together.  It is too early to say how they will choose to do so, or how the actions of the CELAC will transform international relations in the region. However, if the Havana Summit is any indication, the spirit of regional unification first espoused by Simón Bolivar is now stronger than ever.

FRANCIS TORRES (20 POSTS)

Francis, Class of '16, is a BPR columnist and International Relations concentrator from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an interest in Latin American politics. He also enjoys playing guitar, salsa dancing and keeping up with the Latino indie music and film scene. Perpetually in search of a Puerto Rican-themed food truck.

Mosquitoes Carry Yet Another Tropical Disease toward the U.S. - Cases of chikungunya fever have already spread across the Caribbean islands - www.scientificamerican.com

Permanent Address: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mosquitoes-carry-yet-another-tropical-disease-toward-the-us/

Mosquitoes Carry Yet Another Tropical Disease toward the U.S.

Cases of chikungunya fever have already spread across the Caribbean islands
 

Feb 6, 2014 |By Dina Fine Maron 

| 

It began last October, with a simple mosquito bite on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. With that itch-inducing nip from an infected mosquito, a disease known for causing patients to stoop over in pain made its first locally acquired appearance in the Western Hemisphere. By mid-December, two dozen cases of the viral disease had been confirmed. More than 1,000 cases have since scattered across the Caribbean isles, inching ever closer to the U.S.

The disease—chikungunya fever (pronounced chik-un-GUHN-ya)—is named for its trademark overwhelming joint pain: In the Makonde language of southeastern Africa the word means “that which bends up.” There is no vaccine for chikungunya, but the virus is rarely fatal. It typically causes high fevers, joint pain, rash and headaches that last for about a week. In severe cases it leads to longer-term joint pain.

Risk that it could soon show up in the U.S. Virgin Islands or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is “high” says Mark Fischer, a medical epidemiology with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Arboviral Diseases Branch. “I think it’s very likely that this virus will further spread throughout the Caribbean or the Americas,” he says. That means the continental U.S. could soon be feeling the pain, he adds. And although the cold weather would afford some level of protection to some areas of the U.S. (because mosquitoes are less likely to be out supping on humans in the cold) that modicum of protection will disappear as the weather gets warmer. In fact, the spread of chikungunya in the Western Hemisphere could be poised to create a new normal. “This will move from country to country and could basically establish itself and become endemic in this part of the world,” Fischer says.

There are no guarantees about when, or even if, a massive chikungunya fever outbreak will happen. Consider the example of dengue, another virus transmitted by the same mosquito species. It has taken hold in some parts of the U.S., such assouthern Texas, but not in other areas, including Tucson, Ariz., where the conditions are perfect for an outbreak. Chikungunya outbreaks are equally hard to predict.

Whereas it is unnerving that chikungunya has landed on islands close to the U.S., that in itself doesn’t necessary increase the risk it will end up in this country. “I don’t know if we are at any greater risk now that it is in the British Virgin Islands than we were weeks ago when it was in Saint Martin,” Fischer says. It is not that mosquitoes will cross the ocean. Instead, chikungunya is most likely to spread with infected people hopping from island to island and to the mainland. So will it land here? We’ll have to wait and see.
 

The End to Disfunctional and Disabling Political Schizophrenia Is Coming: US Senators Propose Statehood Vote Bill; Gov’s Aide Attacks, Says Status Not Issue - Puerto Rico Report

» US senator to lodge PR status bill
13/02/14 17:45 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
US senator to lodge PR status bill Issued: February 12, 2014 New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich is preparing to file legislation calling for a federally sanctioned “Yes” or “No” plebiscite on Puerto Rico... Treasury closer to listing IVU-ev...

US Senators Propose Statehood Vote Bill; Gov’s Aide Attacks, Says Status Not Issue

Friday February 14th, 2014 at 8:04 AM

Puerto Rico Report

1 Share

Two members of the U.S. Senate — including the senator with the greatest influence on U.S. territory issues — today proposed legislation committing to statehood for Puerto Rico if Puerto Ricans vote for the status a second time.

The bill is identical to one introduced in the House of Representatives last year that is now sponsored by 130 members of the House. 

A member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has lead jurisdiction over statehood and other territory issues, Martin Heinrich (D-NM), introduced the new bill.  The Committee Chairman, Ron Wyden (D-OR), joined him.    

Wyden is about to become Chairman of the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes — a critical issue for Puerto Rico — and most of the Federal social programs in which Puerto Rico is treated less well than the States.

Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who supports Puerto Rico becoming a part of the United States on an equal basis with the existing States if Puerto Ricans want equality, will succeed him as Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair.  The Senate’s Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV) is another statehood supporter.

The bill would require the president of the United States to send the Congress a plan to transition Puerto Rico to statehood if Puerto Ricans choose statehood in a “Yes” or “No” vote.  It also pledges that the Congress would pass such a plan.

Statehood would inject billions of dollars a year into the territory’s failing economy while extending taxes to a lesser degree.  A transition period phasing-in equality is needed to enable the insular economy and the Federal budget to easily accommodate the financial change.

The bill would fit in with a Federal law enacted last month that provides funding for a status plebiscite on a status option or options that would “resolve” the question of the territory’s status and are found by the U.S. Department of Justice to not conflict with the Constitution and basic laws and policies of the U.S.

As the legislation notes, Puerto Ricans voted for statehood by 61.2% in a plebiscite under local lawheld at the time of the elections for office in the territory and throughout the nation in November 2012.  Nationhood in a free association with the U.S. received 33.3% of the vote and independence 4.5%.

Puerto Rico’s current territory status, sometimes misleadingly also called “Commonwealth” after a meaningless word in the official name of the insular government, was also rejected in the plebiscite by 54%.

The territory’s representative to the Federal government, who has a seat in the U.S. House with a vote only in committees, was the top vote getter in the 2012 elections, and heads the territory’s statehood party, Pedro Pierluisi, is the lead sponsor of the House bill on which the new bill is based.  

The head of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, Juan Hernandez, however, sharply attacked the bill.  Hernandez is a former “Commonwealth” party member of the territorial Senate named by “Commonwealth” party Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

He wrote all members of the U.S. Senate asserting that the bill is “exclusionary” even though opponents of statehood would have an equal opportunity to vote along with supporters. 

His letter also contended that the question of the territory’s status ought to be put aside while Puerto Rico concentrates on its economic problems and “the bill fails to address the pressing economic needs of the Commonwealth” — even though those problems are caused by its far less than equal treatment in some major Federal programs and its lack of power at the national government level.

Hernandez also wrote, “This bill shows how out of step some Members of Congress are with what will actually help Puerto Rico’s families” although most Puerto Ricans and the territory’s economy and budget are suffering from poor treatment in and exclusion from major Federal programs and decisions.

Wyden and President Obama’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status have made the point that overcoming the territory’s serious economic problems requires resolving the question of Puerto Rico’s ultimate status.

Hernandez’s argument that the territory’s status issue should not be resolved now also conflicted with Governor Garcia’s last statement on the issue.  The Governor said just weeks ago that he would soon make a proposal that would implement the new Federal plebiscite law and fulfill the “Commonwealth” party’s 2012 Platform.

The Platform promised to call an insular government assembly on the territory’s status if the Federal government did not act on the issue in 2013.  President Obama’s plebiscite proposal was approved by Congress and became law 17 days after the end of 2013.

Hernandez’s opposition to Federal “Statehood: Yes or No” plebiscite legislation, additionally, contradicts “Commonwealth” party proposals to Congress just a few years ago. In 2010, the party asked the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to pass such a bill. The year before, it made the same request of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Hernandez’s brother, who heads the “Commonwealth” party’s Federal affairs committee under Gov. Garcia, also spoke out against legislation consistent with the party’s 2009 and 2010 proposals.

The two are sone of former Governor Rafael Hernandez Colon, who has argued that Puerto Rico is a “Commonwealth” and not a territory despite U.S. Supreme Court rulings and findings of successive presidents, including President Obama, and congressional authorities and who has joined other close allies of the Governor in sharply criticizing Wyden and other leading U.S. senators.

The options for the plebiscite already authorized by the new Federal law would be proposed by Puerto Rico’s Elections Commission, which includes a representative of each of the territory’s three status-based political parties. One party favors statehood, another independence, and the third is split among members who want a new “Commonwealth status” that Federal officials of both national political parties have repeatedly said is impossible for constitutional and other reasons, members who want nationhood in an association with the U.S., and members who accept Puerto Rico’s status as a territory.

The possible options for the plebiscite under the new law are statehood, independence, and nationhood in an association with the U.S. that either nation can end.

Territory status is not a possible option because it cannot “resolve” Puerto Rico’s status issue: As long as Puerto Rico is a territory, Puerto Ricans can petition for statehood or nationhood.

The proposed new “Commonwealth” status cannot be an option because it conflicts with the Constitution and basic laws and policies of the U.S.

Read the whole story

· · · · ·

Putin respalda al jefe militar de Egipto – Metro

Friday February 14th, 2014 at 7:44 AM

Metro - Últimas Noticias

1 Share

MOSCU (AP) — El presidente ruso Vladimir Putin le deseó al líder militar egipcio la victoria en la elección presidencial mientras Moscú busca ampliar sus lazos militares y de otro tipo con un aliado clave de Estados Unidos en Medio Oriente.

Putin agregó el jueves, al comienzo de su encuentro con el mariscal campo Abdul Fatá el-Sisi que está al tanto de su intención de buscar la presidencia.

"Sé que ha tomado una decisión de contender para presidente", dijo Putin, de acuerdo con reportes noticiosos. "Esa es una decisión muy responsable: llevar a cabo una misión como ésta por el destino del pueblo egipcio. De mi parte y en nombre del pueblo ruso, le deseo éxito".

El-Sisi, cuya prominencia creció después de que el ejército destituyera en julio pasado al presidente islamista Mohamed Morsi, es popular entre un enorme segmento de la población y muchos esperan que anuncie su candidatura a las elecciones presidenciales que posiblemente se realicen a finales de abril.

La visita del líder militar a Moscú, su primer viaje desde el derrocamiento de Morsi, ocurre mientras se conocieron reportes de una compra de armas a Rusia valuada en 2.000 millones de dólares que será financiada principalmente por Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, parte del esfuerzo de Egipto para reducir su dependencia con Estados Unidos.

La visita también es un intento de Moscú de ampliar su influencia en Egipto en momentos en que las relaciones entre El Cairo y Washington se deterioraron tras la destitución del mandatario islamista. Estados Unidos ha sido en principal benefactor y respaldo extranjero de Egipto desde la década de 1970, cuando el presidente egipcio Anwar Sadat rompió lazos con Moscú después de décadas de estrechas relaciones militares y políticos, y expulsó a los asesores militares soviéticos.

Después de reunirse con su homónimo egipcio Nabil Fahmy, el ministro del Exterior de Rusia, Sergey Lavrov dijo que ambos países acordaron "acelerar la preparación de documentos que darán un impulso adicional a nuestra cooperación militar y técnica".

El ministro ruso de Defensa, Serguei Shoigu, quien se entrevistó por separado con el-Sisi, dijo que la necesidad de fortalecer la cooperación militar entre los dos países se origina en las "amenazas y desafíos en común", pero principalmente por el terrorismo.

___

Los periodistas de The Associated Press Hamza Hendawi en El Cairo y Lynn Berry en Moscú colaboraron con este despacho.

Read the whole story

· ·

Maduro: Decision of State shows signal NTN24

Friday February 14th, 2014 at 6:57 AM

Metro - Últimas Noticias

1 Share

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday it was a decision of the State by removing the cable-TV international news channel NTN24, based in Bogotá, to convey the anguish of a coup attempt, que Venezuelans have Sought psychologically disturbing.

NTN24 gave wide publicity to the violent events in Caracas on Wednesday, que left three people dead and 66 injured as a result of gun shots That Were Recorded after an opposition march.

"Claimed yesterday NTN24 Venezuelan Cable companies transmit the distress of a coup like that experienced in April 2002," Maduro said, referencing the failed coup against his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chavez During a speech broadcast to the nation in Radio and Television.

That Maduro said the recent violent events in the country would be part of a plan, supported by the United States to replicate the riots That Preceded the 2002 coup took power briefly That Chavez.

In Washington, U.S. State Department denied That it had any Involvement in the politics of Venezuela.

"It was a decision of state, so you know," said Maduro. "I will defend the right to peace and quiet and no one is coming from the outside to try to disrupt the psychological climate of Venezuela," I said.

The president Criticized Also the coverage of other international media, accusing them of trying to discredit his government. "Also other brands out there, That you use from the outside to try to Influence, disrupt and harm the truth of Venezuela," I said.

Mature Accused the Agence France Press (AFP) Allegedly being "at the head of manipulation ... and have asked the Minister of Communication and Information, Delcy Rodríguez, take measurements and talk very clear to AFP correspondents in Venezuela and heads, owners of the news agency in the world. "

The NGO Venezuelan Program of Education-Action in Human Rights on Wednesday Questioned Given the limited coverage to the local marches television, Especially the opposition, and said in his Twitter account That "while on Venezuelan TV Reported little marches, They are Widely available in international channels . "

The defending human rights organization Human Rights Watch said Thursday in a statement That "Venezuela urgently needed That These murders are Investigated and That Those responsible are Brought to justice ... what is that Venezuela does not need the Authorities to use as Scapegoats or political Opponents close Whose dislike media coverage "in added.

The Americas director of That organization, José Miguel Vivanco, said in the letter, I Referred to the case of NTN24 and said the action against the station "Would have taken in retaliation for complaining acerca transmission."

Opponents University and held on Wednesday a massive march in downtown Caracas to protest rising crime and other problems plague That Venezuelans, making it the largest protest Maduro has faced since taking office in April 2013 after being ELECTED president by a narrow margin.

Read the whole story

· ·

En el limbo proceso para confirmar a James Tuller Cintrón | Noti Uno 630

Friday February 14th, 2014 at 6:44 AM

Noti Uno 630

1 Share

Sin completar, así esta el proceso de confirmación del designado Jefe de la Uniformada, James Tuller Cintrón. Y es que según reveló a Noti Uno, el senador popular Miguel Pereira y presidente de la Comisión de Jurídico, Seguridad y Veteranos, aún faltan documentos para completar el proceso que requiere la Oficina de Evaluaciones Técnicas de Nombramientos e iniciar las vistas publicas para su confirmación en el cargo.

Maura Ríos Poll nos informa

Venezuela seeks protest leader's arrest after unrest kills three

Thursday February 13th, 2014 at 6:26 PM

1 Share

CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan court ordered the arrest on Thursday of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on charges including murder and terrorism linked to street protests that resulted in the deaths of three people the day before.

Using a slogan "The Exit", the U.S.-educated Lopez has for two weeks helped organize sporadic demonstrations around the country to denounce President Nicolas Maduro for failing to control inflation, crime and product shortages.

The president accuses him of sowing violence to try to stage a coup similar to the one 12 years ago that briefly ousted late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, though there is little indication that the protests could topple Maduro.

"Without a doubt, the violence was created by small groups coordinated, exalted and financed by Leopoldo Lopez," said Jorge Rodriguez, a leader of the ruling Socialist Party and mayor of the Caracas area where Wednesday's biggest marches took place.

Shortly before a Caracas court upheld a request from the Public Prosecutor's Office to order Lopez's arrest, the opposition leader blamed armed government supporters for firing on peaceful protesters.

"The government is playing the violence card, and not for the first time. They're blaming me without any proof ... I have a clear conscience because we called for peace," Lopez told Reuters.

"We won't retreat and we can't retreat because this is about our future, about our children, about millions of people."

On Thursday, Lopez was with his lawyers at his home in the same wealthy eastern district of Chacao where he was once mayor, his Popular Will political party said. Police briefly visited the party's headquarters, witnesses said, but then departed.

"NO MORE BLOOD"

With many Caracas residents staying at home on Thursday, there were sporadic student protests around the city. Some students blocked streets and burned tires.

"We want solutions to problems, not endless confrontation and violence," said student Manuel Armas, 19, outside the Alejandro Humboldt University, where around 200 protesters waved banners saying "No More Blood".

Students were also in the streets in western Andean regions, where there have been violent clashes in recent days.

Coming almost a year after the death of Chavez, the unrest has been the latest demonstration of the OPEC nation's polarization and the mutual mistrust between both political camps.

Wednesday's fatalities included two students and a community activist from a militantly pro-government neighborhood in the poor west end of Caracas.

Each side blamed the other in often virulent exchanges via Twitter, the country's preferred social network.

Scores of government supporters gathered on Thursday outside the ransacked Public Prosecutor's Office building, chanting pro-Maduro slogans and denouncing "fascist violence."

Venezuela's global bonds, which fluctuate sharply on political tension and news of unrest, were down as much as 3 percent on Thursday.

Maduro, a 51-year-old former bus driver and union activist who has staked his presidency on maintaining Chavez's leftist legacy, said further protests would not be allowed.

"They want to topple the government through violence," he said. "We will not permit any more attacks."

SCORES ARRESTED

Some 66 people were injured, 70 arrested, some police vehicles torched and government offices vandalized on Wednesday, officials said. Some protesters, many with their faces covered, threw stones and started fires in the streets.

Lopez's party said there were "hundreds of arrests and disappearances", and vowed that demonstrations would continue.

Bolivia, Cuba and Argentina, three of Venezuela's fellow leftist political allies in the region, sent messages of solidarity to Maduro's government.

"Cuba condemns the coup intentions against the constitutional government ... organized by fascist groups," the statement from Havana read.

The protests have exposed differences within Venezuela's opposition leadership, with some favoring a more moderate approach and saying marches that turn violent only play into the government's hands as it then accuses them of being "saboteurs."

The opposition blames armed pro-government militant groups known as "colectivos" for attacking dozens of their marches over the years, scattering their supporters and spreading fear.

"The colectivos are coming!" was a cry heard several times at the opposition's latest rally on Wednesday, prompting some demonstrators to flee for the safety of a nearby Metro station.

One of the dead was a well-known colectivo leader from the militantly "Chavista" January 23 neighborhood of Caracas.

Sporadic political protests have become common over the last decade, but they usually fizzle out within days as residents grow tired of blocked streets and the smell of burning tires.

Wednesday's outburst of violence did point to a widening rift between opposition hardliners and those who favor returning to addressing bread-and-butter issues such as poor services, widespread corruption and one of the world's worst murder rates.

Opposition moderates note that their biggest successes, such as turning pro-Chavez strongholds into opposition territory, have resulted from leaders stepping away from theatrical street protests to focus on voters' daily concerns.

(Additional reporting by Caracas bureau reporters, Javier Lopez in Tachira, Daniel Ramos in La Paz,Daniel Trotta in Havana; Editing by Kieran Murray and Meredith Mazzilli)