tagged w/ Colombia
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Mudslide, part of the Deadly Landslide Killing 37 in Colombia 7.11.2011
A landslide caused by heavy rains left 37 people dead while 40 are still missing in northwest Colombia , a Red Cross official said.
Cesar Uruena, a Red Cross rescue director, said the landslide buried more than 14 homes in the city of Manizales in Caldas department, 102 miles northwest of the capital, Bogota.Mudslide, part of the Deadly Landslide Killing 37 in Colombia 7.11.2011
A... more
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Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said this week that legalization of marijuana would allow the war on drugs to move forward by shifting focus to harder drugs and helping to stop the international violence associated with drug trafficking.
Santos said more world leaders should rethink their approach to the War On Drugs in order to deal with drug trafficking and the use of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine, reports Natalie Dalton of Colombia Reports. The Colombian president made the remarks in an interview with Metro News.
"The world needs to discuss new approaches ... we are basically still thinking within the same framework as we have done for the last 40 years," the president said.
Legalizing marijuana could be a way forward, "provided everyone does it at the same time," Santos said.
The president said he cannot be the first to make the move, "because for Colombia, this is a matter of national security," and drew a contrast, saying "in other countries this is mainly a health and crime issue."
"Drug trafficking is what finances the violence and the irregular groups in our country," Santos said. "I would be crucified if I took the first step. We need to insist on more multinational actions on drug trafficking and innovate the ways we are dealing with it."
Santos said he sees a future of global change, including marijuana legalization, as a viable possibility.
"We have something that the U.S. and Europe don't have: a young population and a lot of optimism," Santos said. "The latest poll in Colombia from Thursday shows that 79 percent of our population believes that we are on a great path."
http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/10/colombias_president_marijuana_should_be_legalized.phpColombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said this week that legalization of... more
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President Obama broke his campaign promises in backing Bush-era trade pacts that repeat mistakes of NAFTA
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With President Obama’s backing, Congress yesterday passed trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that are based on the flawed model of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, had the following statement in response:
“President Obama broke his campaign promise by championing these unjust trade deals. The pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama will empower big multinational corporations and Wall Street investors to pursue quick profits at the expense of environmental protections, human rights and shared economic prosperity.
“The investment chapters of the three trade deals, which open the door to corporate attacks on environmental protections, are especially alarming. If, for instance, a South Korean uranium mining company thought a U.S. environmental law impinged on its ‘right’ to make profits, it could sue our government through a biased international tribunal, bypassing U.S. courts and threatening to override decisions made through our democratic institutions.
“The passage of the Colombia deal is downright shameful. This deal promises to fuel ongoing armed conflict in Colombia, including intimidation and murder of local activists and union leaders. The deal will also encourage foreign investments in destructive palm oil plantations, mines, oil drilling and other projects designed to exploit Colombia’s natural resources and export the profits overseas. Afro-Colombian and indigenous peoples are at particular risk of displacement.
“As polls demonstrate, Americans understand that current U.S. trade policies are not working in the public interest. As protesters on Wall Street and in other cities across the country challenge the deepening poverty, unemployment and inequality in our country, President Obama has led us toward more of the same.
“President Obama must change course as he negotiates the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, and its investment chapter in particular, must not be based on the same failed and unjust model.”
More at the linkPresident Obama broke his campaign promises in backing Bush-era trade pacts that... more
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A sex strike by women demanding a paved road to the small town of Barbacoas has deservedly grabbed the media’s attentionA sex strike by women demanding a paved road to the small town of Barbacoas has... more
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Recopilación de las notas que más interés despertaron en los lectores del portal a lo largo del mes de mayo, en base a la cantidad de visitas registradas.Recopilación de las notas que más interés despertaron en los... more
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Los analistas estiman que la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia continuará con tendencia alcistas en los próximos días, siguiendo las ganancias de las últimas jornadas.Los analistas estiman que la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia continuará con... more
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El banco colombiano vendió en el mercado 1.000 millones de dólares en bonos a diez años con una tasa del 5,95% y superó las expectativas de los analistas.El banco colombiano vendió en el mercado 1.000 millones de dólares en... more
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In the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, a five-year-long downpour imprisons people in their homes, washes away the banana plantation and reduces the town of Macondo to ruins. But the deluge dreamed up by Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez in his magical-realist masterpiece pales compared to the real-life flooding of his homeland now.
Amid 11 months of nearly nonstop rain, dykes have burst and rivers have topped their banks, inundating communities, cattle ranches, and croplands in 28 of Colombia's 32 departments. Waterlogged Andean mountainsides have collapsed, burying neighborhoods and blocking highways. More than 1,000 people have been killed, injured or gone missing. In the flooded town of Puerto Boyacá in central Colombia, coffins holding the dead are being floated to the cemetery on boats.
(Read a Q&A With Colombia's President Santos.)
All told, more than 3 million people — nearly 7% of Colombia's population - have been displaced or have suffered major water damage to their homes and livelihoods. President Juan Manuel Santos calls it the worst natural disaster in the country's history, one his government predicts will shave 2.5% from Colombia's 2011 GDP. Yet hardly anyone outside of Colombia has noticed because the tragedy, unlike an earthquake or hurricane, has unfolded in slow motion. "Drop by drop the rain causes more damage every day," Santos said recently. "It's like Chinese water torture."
Santos and other government officials blame La Niña, the weather phenomenon that causes unusually cold temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and provokes heavy rains. La Niña kicked in around the middle of 2010, dumping five to six times the average amount of precipitation on some parts of Colombia. And there's been no respite. Last year's wet weather continued through what is normally Colombia's dry season and merged with the current rainy season.
Complicating matters is extreme geography. Colombia is divided by three Andean ranges, and the rain-saturated mountain soil is crumbling away, causing daily landslides as well as sedimentation — which raises water tables in rivers. One of the hardest-hit cities is Cúcuta, located on the Venezuelan border. Cave-ins and landslides have blocked highways leading to Bogotá and the Caribbean coast, leaving residents largely cut-off from the rest of the country. Ironically, Cúcuta also lacks drinking water because so much rain has increased sediment in local rivers, overwhelming the city's water purification system.
Santos has toured some of the worst flooded areas, but the government's response has been marred by bottlenecks and graft. Due to the isolation of flooded villages, the inexperience of local officials and the presence of rebels and drug traffickers, just four of 753 public works projects to repair roads, bridges, homes and schools are underway. Four governors and 26 mayors are being investigated for allegedly mishandling flood assistance. Outraged victims have blocked highways in protest.
(See pictures of FARC, Colombia's notorious guerilla army.)
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The Universidad de la Sabana (University of the Savanna), one of the Colombia's elite academic institutions, sits next to the Bogotá River in the capital suburb of Chía. On April 25, the surging river punched a 60-ft.-long hole (18 m) in a nearby levee. Now, the university's library, amphitheatre and science laboratories sit five-feet deep (1.5 m) in putrid black water. As he climbed into an aluminum boat on a mission to salvage classroom desks and computers, volunteer relief worker Luis Gabriel Angel said: "Nobody imagined the flooding would be this bad."
Fortunately, the downpours won't last as long as they did in the fictional Macondo. Forecasters predict the rain will peter out by July. But thanks to global warming and climate change, Colombians should get used to extreme weather, says Ricardo Lozano, who heads the government's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies. He points out that just before the floods, Colombia suffered through a lengthy drought. "It's wrong to think that climate change is a future threat because it is taking place right now," Lozano says. "The world should learn from what's happening in Colombia."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2069653,00.html#ixzz1NImrU5muIn the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, a five-year-long downpour imprisons people... more
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Red-crested Tree Rat Rediscovered in Sierra Nevadas After 113 Years
Red-Crested Tree Rat
A unique guinea-pig sized rodent, not seen since 1898, has been rediscovered. The Red-crested Tree Rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) showed up at the front door of the ProAves' El Dorado Nature Reserve Eco-lodge in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. NPR says the rodent was presumed to be extinct.
The animal was rediscovered by Lizzie Noble and Simon McKeown - two volunteers with ProAves monitoring endangered amphibians. The tree rat stayed for about two hours and posed for pictures before heading back into the forest.
Lizzie Noble says, "He just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting and seemed totally unperturbed by all the excitement he was causing. We are absolutely delighted to have rediscovered such a wonderful creature after just a month of volunteering with ProAves. Clearly the El Dorado Reserve has many more exciting discoveries waiting."
ProAves says the The Red-crested Tree Rat will now likely be designated as Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species criteria.
Red-Crested Tree Rat
Photos: Lizzie Noble / proaves.orgRed-crested Tree Rat Rediscovered in Sierra Nevadas After 113 Years
Red-Crested... more
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Los analistas mejoraron sus expectativas para los papeles colombianos luego de que la Bolsa local subiera durante cinco días la semana pasada y recuperaran parte del terreno perdido durante el año.Los analistas mejoraron sus expectativas para los papeles colombianos luego de que la... more
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Los analistas estiman que luego de las caídas sufridas desde principios de año los papeles locales podrían mostrarse nuevamente tentadores para los inversores.Los analistas estiman que luego de las caídas sufridas desde principios de... more
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El cierre de trimestre estuvo lleno de noticias positivas para la petrolera colombiana que, además de los excelentes resultados, vio elevada su calificación de riesgo a categoría de grado de inversión por parte de Standard & Poor´s.El cierre de trimestre estuvo lleno de noticias positivas para la petrolera colombiana... more
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Recopilación de las notas que más interés han despertado en los lectores del portal a lo largo del mes de abril, en base a la cantidad de visitas generadas.Recopilación de las notas que más interés han despertado en los... more
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En las primeras pruebas, la compañía produjo 92 barriles de petróleo al día con una calidad de 30 grados API en el pozo Nunda-1, en el municipio de Tello.En las primeras pruebas, la compañía produjo 92 barriles de... more
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Las expectativas de crecimiento de la economía colombiana para 2011 auguran un buen potencial de revalorización para el mercado de acciones en el mediano y corto plazo.Las expectativas de crecimiento de la economía colombiana para 2011 auguran un... more
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By Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger
Too often, the immigration debate in this country ignores the role U.S. foreign policy plays in fueling unauthorized immigration. But as the Obama administration continues to stall on immigration reform in the United States—all the while moving forward with two contentious trade agreements with Colombia and Panama—the connections between the two are worth examining.
CAFTA impoverished Salvadoran famers
During President Obama’s tour of Latin America last month, ongoing mass protests underscored the U.S. government’s own hand in stimulating unauthorized immigration to its borders. Reporting on the president’s visit to El Salvador, for example, Juan Gonzales of Democracy Now! notes that hundreds of Salvadorans gathered to demand the renegotiation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which devastated the country’s agricultural sector, impoverishing and displacing farmers. Considered alongside the country’s tragic history of U.S.-backed military repression (which Democracy Now! explores in greater detail), it should be no surprise that El Salvador is the second largest source of undocumented immigrants to the United States.
NAFTA displaces one million Mexican farmers
The first, of course, is Mexico—which has its own sordid history of U.S. involvement. As Michelle Chen at Colorlines.com explains, “the deregulation of agriculture under [the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s] coincided with the devastation of Mexico’s farm sector, displacing some one million farmers and driving many northward across the border in search of work.”
While NAFTA created considerable economic opportunities for U.S. businesses eager to conduct business in low-wage Mexico, it also allowed American farmers to flood the Mexican market with government-subsidized corn—destroying the country’s own corn industry and bankrupting thousands of agricultural workers.
Obama’s 180 on Latin American policy
It’s worth noting that Obama, during his presidential campaign, promised to overhaul NAFTA on the grounds that “our trade agreements should not just be good for Wall Street, it [sic] should also be good for Main Street.” Yet, as Steve Ellner argues in the latest issue of In These Times, Obama gradually abandoned his initially critical stance on Latin American policy—choosing instead to “placate rightist critics.” Ellner adds that Obama’s shifting position on the pending (CAFTA-modeled) trade agreement with Colombia—moving “from opposition…to lukewarm endorsement…to vigorous support—is just one example of his turnabout on Latin American policy.”
While Obama has taken some steps to address potential labor abuses in the agreement (NAFTA and CAFTA’s absence of such measures is a key criticism of the deals), trade unionists in Colombia and the United States alike have voiced skepticism:
Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen argued against the agreement by pointing out that 15 million Colombians representing 82 percent of the working population are not recognized as workers and thus under the law “have no rights.”
Big Business funds paramilitary killings in Colombia
The skepticism is well founded, as the United States has a long history of favoring business interests over the rights of workers—both at home and abroad. Earlier this month, for instance, evidence surfaced that the Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International may have hired Colombian paramilitary groups “responsible for countless killings” as security for its Colombian facilities. This is in spite of the fact that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded an investigation of Chiquita in 2007, ruling that any money paid out to the paramilitary groups—one of which was a designated terrorist watch group—was extorted, and that “Chiquita never received any actual services in exchange for them.”
Jim Lobe and Aprille Muscara of Inter Press Service report that the documents were released by the National Security Archive (NSA), an independent research group, on the same day that President Obama met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to discuss labor rights in the pending trade agreement. According to Michael Evans, NSA’s chief researcher on Colombia, the evidence against Chiquita is clear.
“What we still don’t know is why U.S. prosecutors overlooked what appears to be clear evidence that Chiquita benefited from these transactions,” he told IPS.
U.S. banks launder billions for Mexican drug cartels
Even more recently, news broke that the federal government failed to prosecute a number of U.S. banks guilty of laundering billions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels. New America Media/Al Diá reports that Wachovia (now owned by Wells Fargo) alone moved $378.4 billion for cartels through money exchangers and $4.7 billion handled in bulk cash between 2004 and 2007. Yet this past March, the federal government formally dropped all charges against the bank, per a settle agreement reached the previous year, and despite Wachovia’s indirect role in financing a five-year drug war that has taken countless lives and continues to drive unauthorized immigration to the United States.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Diaspora for a complete list of articles on immigration issues, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, and health care issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Pulse. This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.By Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger
Too often, the immigration... more
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Además de la producción industrial, las ventas minoristas suelen tener una fuerte incidencia en la dinámica de la Bolsa colombiana y en los precios de algunos papeles.Además de la producción industrial, las ventas minoristas suelen tener... more
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Los inversores se muestran preocupados por las inminentes emisiones de papeles de diferentes empresas, sumado a la llegada de Semana Santa, que acortará las operaciones.Los inversores se muestran preocupados por las inminentes emisiones de papeles de... more
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En los momentos de mayor incertidumbre se presenta la posibilidad de compra ya que en algún momento la situación se revertirá y la Bolsa empezará a crecer.En los momentos de mayor incertidumbre se presenta la posibilidad de compra ya que en... more
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Según anunció la petrolera, la recompra se realizará durante un año, a partir de hoy. Los directivos de la empresa buscan que los papeles se encaminen nuevamente al alza.Según anunció la petrolera, la recompra se realizará durante un... more
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