Selected News Stories: "The debate over Puerto Rico’s status needs to be settled once and for all so that its people can focus on fostering a more prosperous future.” - US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR | Venezuela to expel US officials - BBC | Venezuela expulsa a tres diplomáticos de EEUU

» US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR
16/02/14 11:59 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR statehood Issued: February 13, 2014 New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich has filed legislation in Congress calling for a federally sanctioned “Yes” or “No” plebiscite on Puerto...

US senator files status bill calling for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on PR statehood

By CB Online Staff

cbnews@caribbeanbusinesspr.com; cbprdigital@gmail.com

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich has filed legislation in Congress calling for a federally sanctioned “Yes” or “No” plebiscite on Puerto Rico statehood.

The measure, co-sponsored by fellow Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, mirrors a bill filed in the U.S. House of Representatives last year by Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi. It comes as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is about to release an economic analysis on the impact of statehood.

“In 2012, 54 percent of Puerto Ricans rejected their current relationship with the United States. We have a responsibility to act on that referendum, and this step is critical in that effort. My home state of New Mexico spent 66 years as a territory before gaining statehood in 1912 — the longest of any state,” Heinrich said. 

“Puerto Rico has spent nearly 116 years as an American territory. That’s long enough. The debate over Puerto Rico’s status needs to be settled once and for all so that its people can focus on fostering a more prosperous future.”

Pierluisi’s HR 2000 has yet to be taken up by the House Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over territorial issues.

“Those of us who seek equality and justice through statehood understand that this struggle requires passion and determination, but that it also demands strategic thought and action. The filing of a Senate companion bill to H.R. 2000 demonstrates that the momentum in favor of statehood continues to build. We are closer than ever before to achieving our goal. I thank pro-statehood leaders in Puerto Rico for their support and, in particular, I want to recognize the efforts that former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló has made in the U.S. Senate,” Pierluisi said.

HR 2000, the Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act, is a bipartisan bill that outlines the rights and responsibilities of statehood, provides for a vote in Puerto Rico on the territory’s admission as a state, and describes the steps that the federal government would take if a majority of voters favor admission in a “Yes” or “No” referendum.”

Specifically, the ballot should ask voters a single question: “Do you want Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of the United States?”

The $1.1 trillion budget approved by Congress last month includes the $2.5 million sought by President Barack Obama to advance a resolution of Puerto Rico’s political status issue. The money would go for voter education and a plebiscite on the island on options that would “resolve” the fundamental question of the island’s future political status.

Wyden and Heinrich have both said that the November 2012 plebiscite showed that a majority of Puerto Ricans don’t favor the current commonwealth status.

Wyden made waves in Puerto Rico last year and drew the ire of the island’s Popular Democratic Party for his blunt dismissal of commonwealth as a future option to resolve the status question as chair of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. He is now chairing the Senate Finance Committee, making him the top tax writer in the upper chamber.

PDP officials ripped the Senate bill.

Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Director Juan E. Hernández, the García Padilla administration’s point man in Washington, said the bill fails to address the pressing economic needs of the commonwealth and the federal priorities that would improve the lives of nearly 4 million Puerto Ricans.

“This bill shows how out of step some Members of Congress are with what will actually help Puerto Rican families. Puerto Rico needs people to come together to find solutions to our most pressing problems. We need partners on Capitol Hill that will help protect our borders, stem narco-trafficking, encourage a diverse energy portfolio and create federal incentives to boost job creation on the Island. Gov. García Padilla’s administration has been clear from day one that the old political paradigm of statehood being Puerto Rico’s only Washington issue is over. Puerto Ricans in the United States also deserve better than this,” Hernández said.

The $2.5 million in the federal budget for Puerto Rico will be granted to the island’s State Elections Commission “for objective, nonpartisan voter education about, and a plebiscite on, options that would resolve Puerto Rico’s future political status.”

Before any expenditures were made, the U.S. attorney general would have to approve an expenditure plan for “voter education and plebiscite administration, including approval of the plebiscite ballot” and ensure the status options provided to voters weren’t “incompatible with the Constitution and laws and policies of the United States.”

It would mark the first direct federal role in a Puerto Rico status plebiscite since the launch of commonwealth more than 60 years ago.

In a March 2011 report, the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status found that the island’s development needs were hindered by lack of resolution of the ultimate status question. The issue also raises questions about the appropriate federal policies related to Puerto Rico.

It remains to be seen what mechanism would be used to address the status issue. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla had pledged to convene a constituent assembly this year if Washington doesn’t act. New York Rep. José Serrano and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi contend the White House language precludes an assembly.

Any federally sanctioned action would likely come at least two years after a locally sponsored referendum on the status issue on election-day in November 2012.

In the plebiscite’s two-question vote, 53.97 percent of voters said they were against continuing Puerto Rico’s current commonwealth territory status. A second question had voters choose among “nonterritorial” alternatives to the current status, with 61.13 percent voting for statehood, 33.34 percent voting for Puerto Rico becoming a nation in a free association with the U.S. and 5.49 percent voting for independence. Some 26 percent of ballots cast were left blank to protest that the status quo was left off the second ballot.

García Padilla maintains that the blank votes dropped support for statehood to just 44 percent. He and his commonwealth Popular Democratic Party argue the ballot was rigged against the current status and that the empty ballots represent a protest against commonwealth’s exclusion from the second question. He had pledged to hold a constituent assembly on the status issue in 2014 if a congressionally binding plebiscite was not held.

The statehood New Progressive Party and Puerto Rican Independence Party maintain that the results of the two-step plebiscite represent a clear rejection of the continuation of the current territorial status. Those voting “no” included statehood supporters, as well as advocates of independence and free association.

The White House, meanwhile, has said “the results were clear, the people of Puerto Rico want the issue of status resolved, and a majority chose statehood in the second question.”

“Now is the time for Congress to act and the administration will work with them on that effort so that the people of Puerto Rico can determine their own future,” reads a statement by the White House issued in early December 2012.

» PERFIL CULTURAL EN EL DESFILE BORICUA
16/02/14 08:40 from Opinión - El Nuevo Día
PERFIL CULTURAL EN EL DESFILE BORICUA La reorganización de la junta directiva del Desfile Puertorriqueño neoyorquino presenta una excelente oportunidad para que el evento vuelva a ser el más grande acto de afirmación cultural de la diásp...


Leopoldo Lopez is a former mayor of Chacao, in eastern Caracas

» Venezuela expulsa a tres diplomáticos de EEUU
17/02/14 00:35 from Metro - Últimas noticias
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — El presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro anunció el domingo que ordenó la...

» VIDEO: Thousands join marches in Venezuela
16/02/14 01:06 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Supporters and opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro take to the streets of Caracas in rival marches amid growing political tension.

» Lista de informaciones principales de la AP
16/02/14 13:12 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Domingo 16 de febrero de 2014Allanan vivienda de líder opositor en VenezuelaKerry critica a quienes...

» Piñera condena violencia en Venezuela
17/02/14 00:05 from Metro - Últimas noticias
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — El presidente chileno Sebastián Piñera condenó el domingo "profunda y...

» Venezuela to expel US officials
16/02/14 23:44 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expels three US consular officials, accusing them of meeting students involved in anti-government protests.

» Venezuela opposition leader defiant
16/02/14 20:41 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who is in hiding after the government ordered his arrest, says he will march in Caracas on Tuesday.

» Venezuela hunts opposition leader
16/02/14 14:09 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Venezuelan police raid the houses of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and his parents, blaming him for inciting unrest.

» Asesinan a dos religiosos en Venezuela
16/02/14 13:40 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Un tercer sacerdote resultó herido durante el incidente ocurrido dentro de un colegio en la ciudad venezolana de Valencia.

» Estudiante presenta la verdad de Venezuela
16/02/14 13:04 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Desde hace varios días, Venezuela vive entre protestas de millones de estudiantes y ciudadanos que...

» Allanan vivienda de líder opositor en Venezuela
16/02/14 12:02 from Metro - Últimas noticias
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Miembros de los cuerpos de seguridad allanaron durante la vivienda del...

» Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan Opposition Leader, Sought By Police After Protests
16/02/14 12:00 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that a police manhunt was underway for Leopoldo Lopez, the hard-line opposition leader behind anti-government demonstrations that ended with three deaths. The so...

» Choque entre estudiantes y agentes de la Guardia Nacional en Venezuela
15/02/14 21:07 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Mientras que las fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas usaron gases lacrimógenos, los jóvenes les lanzaron piedras durante la manifestación contra el gobierno de Maduro.

» Thousands join marches in Venezuela
15/02/14 20:04 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Supporters and opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro take to the streets of Caracas in rival marches amid growing political tension.

» Nuevas protestas en Venezuela a favor y en contra de Maduro
15/02/14 16:41 from Metro - Últimas noticias

» Pierluisi: "Este partido no rehuye a cualquier primaria"
16/02/14 16:22 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), Pedro Pierluisi, afirmó que no es momento de...

» “Ricky” Rosselló asegura que no le interesa presidencia PNP
16/02/14 17:58 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El activista político Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló aseguró hoy que "por el momento" no le interesa la...

» "Ricky" Rosselló llega a Arecibo al ritmo de "La macarena"
16/02/14 10:33 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El fundador del movimiento Boricua ahora es!, Ricardo "Ricky" Rosselló, llegó hoy a la cancha...

» Asamblea del PNP aprueba nuevo reglamento
16/02/14 13:17 from Metro - Últimas noticias
El Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) aprobó hoy el reglamento de la colectividad durante su asamblea...

» 81Inicia asamblea del PNP
16/02/14 12:33 from Home - El Nuevo Día
81 Inicia asamblea del PNP 11:00 a.m. La actividad en la que votarán por un nuevo reglamento se realiza en el coliseo Francisco "Pancho" Padilla, en Arecibo Asesinan a septuagenario frente a su residencia en Bayamón Orlando Vega: 20 años...


» Líderes del PNP comienzan a llegar a la asamblea
16/02/14 11:00 from El Nuevo Día : Política
Votarán por un nuevo reglamento

» Jóvenes del PNP protestan contra el Gobierno de García Padilla
16/02/14 10:56 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Ricardo "Ricky" Rodríguez indicó que la actividad se ideó para protestar por las decisiones que ha tomado el Gobierno respecto al aumento de algunos servicios básicos.

» Governor: We'’ve created 41,145 jobs
15/02/14 23:37 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
Governor: We’ve created 41,145 jobs Issued: February 13, 2014 Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said Tuesday that 41,145 jobs have been created since the start of his administration in January 2013, putting him 82... This post has been gener...

» Obama: Ley contra gays es negativa para ugandeses
16/02/14 17:44 from Metro - Últimas noticias
RANCHO MIRAGE, California, EE.UU. (AP) — El presidente Barack Obama advirtió el domingo a Uganda...

» US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House
17/02/14 08:55 from Caribbean Business - More Local News
US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House Issued: February 13, 2014 Veteran Republican Rep. Doc Hastings, who oversees Puerto Rico issues in the lower chamber of Congress as chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources....

US Rep. Doc Hastings to retire; oversees PR issues in House

By CB Online Staff

cbnews@caribbeanbusinesspr.com; cbprdigital@gmail.com

Veteran Republican Rep. Doc Hastings, who oversees Puerto Rico issues in the lower chamber of Congress as chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, announced Thursday he’ll retire at the end of the year.

Hastings is considered a critic of statehood for Puerto Rico. He ordered a Government Accountability Office study in late 2011 on the budget impact of statehood for the island. The results of that study are pending.

In the meantime, the Hastings-headed House Natural Resources Committee has not taken up legislation filed in the lower chamber by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi last May calling for a “Yes” or “No” vote on Puerto Rico statehood. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich filed a companion bill to HR 2000 in the upper chamber this week.

Hastings, 73, represented central Washington for two decades and was a key voice in public lands and energy policy. His district includes national forests, federal wilderness areas, the Grand Coulee Dam, the Yakama Indian Reservation and two massive federal irrigation projects that provide water for much of the state, as well as a vast array of croplands, vineyards and orchards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

» Caribbean Finance Ministers Meet in St Kitts and Nevis
17/02/14 05:30 from Caribbean Journal
TweetAbove: St Kitts (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Ministers of Finance from across the Eastern Caribbean held meetings this weekend in St Kitts. The officials were on the island to attend the 78th Meeting of the Monetary Cou...

» Científicos descubren el lado más atractivo de nuestro rostro
16/02/14 17:35 from Metro - Últimas noticias
De acuerdo con el profesor de psicología de la Universidad Wake Forest, James Schirillo, los...

» Fallece el escritor mexicano Federico Campbell
16/02/14 16:43 from Metro - Últimas noticias
MEXICO (AP) — El escritor, ensayista y periodista mexicano Federico Campbell falleció, informó el...

» Suman 532 las muertes por gripe registradas en México
16/02/14 16:21 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Se pidió a la población extremar medidas preventivas como el lavado frecuente de manos, las visitas al médico y evitar la automedicación para hacer frente al virus.

» Colombian army corruption 'unveiled'
16/02/14 16:41 from BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos promises a full investigation into allegations that senior army officers were involved in massive corruption.

» Colombia captura a presunto narco buscado por EEUU
16/02/14 14:02 from Metro - Últimas noticias
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — La policía colombiana capturó a un presunto miembro de una red...

» Cuba mob hotel Capri back in business
16/02/14 12:22 from Caribbean Business
Cuba mob hotel Capri back in business HAVANA — In its heyday, Havana’s Capri hotel and casino was the playground of me ... InterCaribbean Airways expands to PR Issued: February 16, 2014 InterCaribbean Airways has launched direct service ...

» The Havana Book Fair Behind the Scenes
16/02/14 00:19 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
Behind the shelves there is another International Book Fair. One barely perceived among the partitions and walls of the exhibition areas. The national newspapers will never report on it, but these parallel and hidden events sustain the o...

» Asesinan septuagenario frente a su casa en Bayamón
16/02/14 11:40 from Metro - Últimas noticias
Un septuagenario fue asesinado a tiros hoy frente a su residencia en la urbanización La Milagrosa,...

» House Democrats To Push Votes On Minimum Wage, Immigration
16/02/14 11:13 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are determined to cast an election-year spotlight on Republican opposition to raising the minimum wage and overhauling immigration laws. To try to accomplish that in the GOP-controlled House, Democrats a...

» These Countries Mull Over Marijuana Legalization After Uruguay Ruling
16/02/14 10:44 from Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com
The marijuana legalization experiments underway in Washington state, Colorado and Uruguay have prompted or accelerated discussion about changing pot laws in many nations, and activists say momentum is building in advance of a special Uni...

» El precio de la desigualdad
16/02/14 10:30 from CNE - Centro Para Una Nueva Economía - Center for a New Economy
Joseph Stiglitz será el orador invitado a la Conferencia Anual del Centro para una Nueva Economía 2014 que se llevará a cabo el viernes 21 de febrero a partir de las 12:00PM en el Hotel Vanderbilt. El CNE cedió este importante recurso, g...

» Retiran toneladas de huevo en polvo ante riesgo a la salud
16/02/14 10:23 from Primera Hora : Noticias
Autoridades temen que estén contaminados con salmonella.

» Caribbean Photo of the Week: Pirate’s Bay in Tobago
16/02/14 09:00 from Caribbean Journal
TweetThe latest Caribbean Photo comes from CJ reader and frequent CPOTW contributor Sabine Fröhlich, who sent in this snapshot of Pirates Bay near Charlotteville in eastern Tobago. Do you have a great CPOTW? Send it to news@caribjournal....

» EEEUU: Mujer reconoce homicidio en entrevista
16/02/14 04:30 from Metro - Últimas noticias
SUNBURY, Pennsylvania, EE.UU. (AP) — Una mujer acusada con su marido de matar a un hombre al que...

» 82El Viejo San Juan se convierte en un circo
15/02/14 19:59 from Home - El Nuevo Día
82 El Viejo San Juan se convierte en un circo 06:05 p.m. Celebran el Primer Festival Internacional de Circo y Artes de Calle de Puerto Rico Continúan las protestas en contra del gobierno de Venezuela Rechazan la muerte de tres personas y...

» EEUU: Expulsan a más militares por mala conducta
15/02/14 17:27 from Metro - Últimas noticias
WASHINGTON (AP) — El número de soldados estadounidenses expulsados del ejército debido a delitos o...

» Guerra por narcotráfico provoca primera masacre del año en Ponce
15/02/14 17:27 from Primera Hora : Noticias
La pugna por el control de puntos de drogas entre dos poderosos bandos pudo haber sido el detonante del incidente registrado en la Ciudad Señorial.

» Bahamas-China Visa Exemption Agreement Officially Begins
15/02/14 16:30 from Caribbean Journal
TweetAbove: the Bahamas By the Caribbean Journal staff The new mutual visa exemption agreement between the Bahamas and China has officially taken effect. The agreement, which was signed in December 2013, allows Bahamian and Chinese citiz...

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.