Thursday, 29. October 2009, 01:19:12
By Juan Andrés Gallardo
Thursday, October 22, 2009
From http://www.ft-ci.org
On Thursday, October 15, hundreds of thousands of workers in Puerto Rico led a 24-hour National Strike day with a massive mobilization in the capital, San Juan, against an austerity law promoted by the Governor of the island, Luís Fortuño, who ordered the layoff of 17,000 state employees for the beginning of November, in addition to another 5,000 layoffs that had already been announced in preceding months.Read more...
Tuesday, 20. October 2009, 02:04:15
By Celeste Murillo
Friday, October 16, 2009
From http://www.ft-ci.org
The Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama surprised everyone, including Obama himself, who accepted the Prize, but hastened to say, as if clarification were needed, that he has made no effort, insofar as peace is concerned, and that he does not see it as a recognition of his achievements, “but rather as an affirmation of US leadership ...” A “sensible” statement, if we consider just the two wars of the United States under way, in Iraq and Afghanistan.Read more...
Thursday, 1. October 2009, 01:59:24
From http://www.ft-ci.org
In view of Zelaya’s asylum in the Embassy of Brazil
What is Lula betting on in Honduras?
By: Simone Ishibashi
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Zelaya’s return to Honduras has put Brazil in the center of the tension that is covering that country in Central America. Outside of the Brazilian Embassy, the army commanded by the coup plotters savagely repressed the popular mobilization that surrounded the house, officially Brazilian territory, leaving the Embassy militarized. The balance of Micheletti’s coup plotters’ offensive was hundreds of people arrested and many people injured by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Later it was announced that the coup plotters will shut off the lights in Tegucigalpa for 48 hours, in a new attempt to end the heroic mobilization of the Honduran people. The brutal repression during the early morning of September 22 left a toll of 2 people dead, in addition to numerous people injured. On September 23, a very large mobilization was again repressed. So far, coup plotter Micheletti states that he will not invade the Brazilian Embassy, and that “Zelaya can live in the Embassy for 5, 10 years, or as long as he wants”; the Embassy grounds and the surrounding area are militarized. However, Micheletti goes on demanding of the Brazilian government that it hand over Zelaya to the coup plotters’ government, that intends to imprison him, or that Brazil give him asylum, a matter that is refused, both by Zelaya himself and by Lula’s government. Given this situation, one could wonder what is behind Lula’s policy for Latin America, in view of this episode, after the strengthening of military capability agreed with France a few weeks ago and after the announcement of the installation new US military bases in Colombia.Read more...
Thursday, 17. September 2009, 03:15:40
From http://www.ft-ci.org
By Simone Ishibashi
Wednesday, September 8, 2009
After practically two months since the coup that removed President Mel Zelaya from office, orchestrated against his plans of rapprochement with the chavista ALBA bloc and the consultation about change in the points of the Constituent Assembly, the coup plotters' government headed by Micheletti continues in power. Micheletti's stay in the government exposed the farce of US imperialism's declaring itself opposed to the coup, while in reality it allowed it to consolidate. Today, Zelaya commemorates the news that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will cut financial aid to Honduras and cancel visas as a "sanction" against the coup plotters. Meanwhile, in spite of the impact this statement could have on public opinion, the fact is that little is changing from the concrete point of view. That, because the annual aid is $18 million US for the military, plus around $135 million US s "humanitarian assistance," and, as the Argentinean daily Página/12 indicates, "the decision on the bulk of financial aid, some 135 million dollars from the Millennium Account will be several months late" (Página/12, September 4). And that measure of imperialism totally fails to have the effect of a sanction, taking into account that Micheletti has just obtained a loan of $150 million US from the IMF. Obviously, with the consent of the US government.Read more...
Tuesday, 15. September 2009, 01:54:17
From http://www.ft-ci.org
By Thiago Flamé
Thursday, September 10, 2009
President Lula used the national independence holiday, September 7, and the French President's presence in Brazil to announce the conclusion, in favor of France, of a process of purchasing armaments that was creeping along at least since 2001, according to some daily papers, or since 1994, according to others. The military agreement with France, described as the biggest action by Brazil since the Second World War, includes the purchase of 4 common submarines, 50 helicopters, and technical collaboration for the construction of a base, a shipyard, and a nuclear submarine, with a total value of 22 million reais. The most controversial point domestically was the announcement that the renovation of the Brazilian air force is going to be done with 36 Rafale fighter planes, for about 10 billion reais, 40% more costly than the US F-18's, that were also being contested. Lula made the announcement before a official position by the air force, which would only be stated at the end of October, which led the Ministry of Defense to publish an official note stating that part of the agreement was still not settled. In spite of that, there is every indication that the announcement made by Lula is irreversible, still more so after the compensation offered by Sarkozy of buying 10 of the new cargo planes for troop transports that Embraer is developing.Read more...
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