You searched for site - Page 311 of 337

Global Notebook 8-10-05

Super User August 10, 2005 Super User

GLOBAL

Factions fighting over Mexico presidency candidates

MEXICO CITY – Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left his job as Mexico City‘s mayor in July to run for president, is currently favored to win the nomination of the Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD). But the party, originally formed through the alliance of several small leftist parties and dissidents who split from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), as well as the candidate himself, have been charged with corruption by Subcomandante Marcos, leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). read more

The IMF and Usury: Crime Without Punishment

Elizabeth Levy Sad / Translation by David Epstein August 9, 2005 Elizabeth Levy Sad / Translation by David Epstein

"Blaming the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the difficulties faced by a country in times of crisis is like blaming the doctor for the patient's disease". This statement and others like "the IMF does not represent the interests of the G8" are part of an outrageous manual that teaches the organization's officers how to reply to the uncomfortable questions asked by the press. Perhaps, the text became effective after a reporter asked Anne Krueger - First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF - if her organization was responsible for the increasing poverty in Argentina, while he attempted to place before her eyes the photograph of a malnourished child, Krueger escaped like someone trying to avoid leprosy.

Global Notebook 8-02-05

Super User August 2, 2005 Super User

GLOBAL

Memos suggest Gitmo trials are rigged

SYDNEY – Leaked e-mails from two former U.S. prosecutors, obtained by the Australian Broadcast System, claim that the military commissions set up to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been rigged, fraudulent and thin on evidence against the accused. In March 2004, the e-mails were sent to supervisors in the Pentagon’s Office of Military Commissions, echoing previous charges made by international lawyers, U.S. military officers, the American Bar Association, the Australian Law Society, Amnesty International and Britain‘s Attorney General. read more

What is the U.S. Military Doing in Paraguay?

Benjamin Dangl August 2, 2005 Benjamin Dangl

The U.S. military is conducting secretive operations in Paraguay and reportedly building a new base there. Human rights groups and military analysts in the region believe trouble is brewing.However, the U.S. embassy in Paraguay denies the base exists and describes the military activity as routine. According to an article in the Bolivian newspaper, El Deber, a U.S. base is being developed in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay, 200 kilometers from the border with Bolivia. The base will permit the landing of large aircraft and is capable of housing up to 16,000 troops. A contingent of 500 U.S. troops arrived in Paraguay on July 1^stwith planes, weapons, equipment and ammunition. (1)

With Bolivia's recent uprisings, their enormous gas reserves, and a presidential election on the way, this questionable activity could pave the way for a U.S. intervention.Rumors of Al Qaeda training grounds near Paraguay may also work to the Bush administration's advantage as it makes a case for military operations in the region.

Congress and Corporate Lobbyists Rewrite Telecom Act

Sandy Leon Vest August 1, 2005 Sandy Leon Vest

Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by huge bipartisan margins-91 to 5 in the Senate and 414 to16 in the House. The bill was touted as "the most deregulatory telecommunications legislation in history." President Bill Clinton had become a believer. The Telecom industry was just getting warmed up. Today the threat posed by that industry to what remains of citizen representation looms larger than ever as a new slew of mergers - including the takeover of AT&T by SBC Communications - threatens to sail through the regulatory process.

Guatemalan Government’s Apology Leaves Unanswered Questions

Tim Willard July 28, 2005 Tim Willard

{mosmedia} On July 18th, Guatemala's Vice President, Eduardo Stein, flew to the remote village of Plan de Sanchez to formally apologize for the government-directed 1982 massacre of more than 200 Achi Mayans in that region. "We are here today to ask forgiveness in the name of the Guatemalan state from all of the victims of the conflict," the Vice President said.

Stein confessed that the army had "unleashed bloodshed and fire to wipe out an entire community," and told the residents that the Berger administration was committed "to push the investigation into the events that occurred to allow for the clarification of what happened and permit us to identify, try and punish the intellectual and material authors of these offenses."