News in English

29.10.2004 Although it hard to decipher the truth from the conflicting claims and counter-claims about the recent violent clashes between on one hand, the Haitian police, and on the other, what are variously described as '"local residents", "Lavalas supporters" and "armed bandits", it seems clear that the interim government is involved in serious human rights violations.

28.10.2004 On Oct. 3, over 100 million Brazilians voted in elections in 5,562 municipalities across the country. Despite modest improvements, Brazil continues to have one of the lowest percentages of female candidates in Latin America.

27.10.2004 They are a few of the results benefiting Mexico from the cross-border collaboration fostered by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America. The CEC is an international organization created in 1994 through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)--a side accord to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

25.10.2004 The possible involvement of former president Rafael Ángel Calderón (1990-1994) in the corruption scandal of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) has shaken up the country and added a new twist to the case.

18.10.2004 Marcelo Itagiba’s office is immaculate. His desk is a fine piece of furniture, built of beautiful wood and adorned with intricately designed carvings. Two cell phones, three land lines, and a radio surround his organized work space. One phone or another rings every few minutes, some attended, others not. He speaks fast and to the point, and does not repeat himself. This is a man who measures his time not in money, but in lives.

14.10.2004 Security measures put in place by Ecuadorian authorities to protect US soldiers stationed at the Manta air force base, in the western province of Manabi, are changing fishing and farming patterns, the traditional forms of survival for area residents.

07.10.2004 The Brazilian Congress has passed a constitutional amendment dealing a major blow to slave labor on the country’s rural haciendas.

06.10.2004 The Lula administration has received criticism over the past two months for what the media is calling “authoritarianism.” Proposals to regulate the journalism and film industries drew unanimous disapproval. Critics capitalized on the moment to address other issues, from the expulsion of a New York Times journalist, to Labor Party ( Partido dos Trabalhadores – PT) patronage in public office and the growing electoral campaigns of PT candidates. By Emir Sader.

04.10.2004 Malgré une progression de sa formation, Marta Suplicy (PT), maire de Sao Paulo, est devancée au premier tour par le social-démocrate José Serra. A Rio de Janeiro, le libéral César Maia l'emporte.

04.10.2004 A variety of genetically-improved coca — the raw material for cocaine — was found in Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta in the northern part of the country. The genetically-improved plant is larger and has a better yield than the traditional coca leaf.