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MANY CANDIDATES IN DANGER IN COLOMBIA
The Miami Herald
Oct. 25, 2007
EL DONCELLO, Colombia --
Jair Diaz is one of the brave ones. After leftist rebels gunned down two city councilmen, most other politicians fled this town in the shadow of Colombia's rebel-controlled southern jungles.
Despite death threats and pleas from his family, the 36-year-old accountant refuses to drop his mayoral bid.
"The assassins trying to kill me are also afraid," Diaz said coolly as he canvassed for votes while his four armed bodyguards kept a constant eye on passing motorbikes.
Election-related violence is soaring in rural Colombia ahead of Sunday's local and regional elections. Twenty candidates have been assassinated the past two months, almost all of them attacks carried out by leftist rebels against allies of conservative President Alvaro Uribe.
MEXICO OIL RIG ACCIDENT KILLS 18
The Miami Herald
Oct. 25, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
At least 18 oil workers were killed when a drilling rig hit an oil platform in stormy weather, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the state-owned oil company said Wednesday. Seven workers were still missing.
Rescuers have pulled 61 oil workers to safety from storm-tossed waters but have yet to control the oil leak, Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said in a news release.
One survivor, Eder Ortega Flores, 25, told the Televisa television network that workers abandoned the rig amid 25-foot waves only after leaking gas rose to unbearable levels and the supply of air from emergency breathing devices ran out. Once in the water, the waves battered the workers' orange-colored, covered life rafts.
SUSPECTED CANNIBAL REFUSES TO MAKE PLEA
The Miaqmi Herald
Oct. 26, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
An aspiring writer who left a horror scene of body parts in his apartment was arraigned on Thursday on charges of murder and desecrating a corpse after he allegedly cut up and ate part of his girlfriend's body.
Jose Luis Calva - better known in tabloids as Mexico City's "cannibal" - refused to make a formal plea, saying "I can't get my thoughts together right now."
Police say he had previously acknowledged killing 32-year-old girlfriend Alejandra Galeana, and prosecutors believe he killed and dismembered two other girlfriends, but have not charged him for those crimes.
PRESIDENT’S WIFE LEADING FOR ARGENTINA PRESIDENCY
The New York Times
October 29, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 28 — Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the wife of Argentina’s president, Néstor Kirchner, appeared poised late Sunday to become the first woman to be elected president of the country and part of a new political dynasty in the South American country.
In Buenos Aires, Argentines celebrated a victory claimed by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the first lady, on Sunday.
Mrs. Kirchner, 54, the center-left Peronist party candidate and a senator, was leading in early official results over Roberto Lavagna, a former finance minister, and Elisa Carrió, a center-left congresswoman.
ARGENTINA EXPECTS FIRST LADY TO WIN VOTE
The Miami Herald
Oct. 26, 2007
SAN JUSTO, Argentina --
Most polls project first lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will crush 13 rivals Sunday to replace her husband as Argentina's president. But no matter how easy her win, what follows will be tough: easing poverty, inflation and unemployment.
In San Justo, a gritty Buenos Aires suburb of more than 1 million people, the voters crying "Cristina! Cristina!" at one of her final rallies besieged her with hand-scrawled messages on slips of paper, pleading for jobs, better schools, better roads.
Some asked for electricity and running water - basics still lacking in the trash-strewn shantytowns that circle the capital five years after an economic meltdown hobbled Argentina.
ARGENTINA GETS SET TO ELECT ITS 'HILLARY'
The Christian Science Monitor
October 26, 2007
Buenos Aires - She met her husband in law school, launched her career at his side, then played an active role as first lady during his presidency. Now, she is poised to step into his shoes.
No, this is not Hillary Clinton.
Meet Sen. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the front-runner in Argentina's presidential race.
Ms. Fernández, nicknamed "Queen Cristina" for her feistiness and penchant for designer clothes, is not adored. But many analysts say Sunday's election will be a vote of confidence for President Nestor Kirchner, who is widely seen as leading Argentina out of the 2002 economic meltdown that impoverished many Argentines.
CUBAN PRIMA BALLERINA CRITICIZES EMBARGO
The Miami Herald
Oct. 26, 2007
HAVANA --
The head of the Cuban national ballet implored American artists, writers and intellectuals to denounce Washington's 45-year-old embargo against the communist-run island, saying Friday that cultural exchanges between both countries should not be considered crimes.
Prima ballerina Alicia Alonso released copies in English and Spanish of an open letter to the American arts and academic community that dismissed the trade sanctions as absurd.
"I address you all, admired and dear friends, to request you to raise your voices with the purpose of rejecting so unfair (a) measure, and demand the end of this inhuman and unjustifiable siege," wrote Alonso, a friend of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
COURT DROPS CHARGES VS. PINOCHET FAMILY
The Miami Herald
Oct. 26, 2007
SANTIAGO, Chile --
A Chilean appeals court on Friday dropped corruption charges against former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet's widow and four of his children, who had been accused of misuse of state funds related to multimillion-dollar overseas bank accounts.
A judge failed to question the Pinochet family and former associates before indicting them on the corruption charges, the appeals court ruled. It also ruled that the Pinochet family could not be charged with misuse of state funds because none of them was a government employee.
NEW COLOMBIAN POLITICAL TREND: CHOICE
The Christian Science Monitor
October 26, 2007
Reporter Sibylla Brodzinsky discusses Columbia's electoral climate following the demobilization of some 31,000 paramilitary fighters.
Bogota, Colombia - The last time voters in the town of San Onofre on Colombia's northern coast were asked to elect a mayor, they were given few choices. Only one candidate ran in the 2003 elections after potential contenders backed down under threats from the right-wing paramilitary forces that controlled the region.
Four years later, the winner of that vote is in jail on conspiracy and fraud charges in a burgeoning scandal over ties between politicians and paramilitaries. And four candidates from across the political spectrum are vying to replace him in Sunday's local and regional elections.
INTERVIEW WITH VENEZUELA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL
The Washington Post's
October 26, 2007
Q: Is Venezuela a major country for drug trafficking?
A: "The rhetoric against Venezuela on the drug issues should be put into context. . . . We're a transit country, without a doubt. We cannot hide that we're a transit country because we're next to Colombia, which is the big producer of illegal drugs."
Q: What's the global context?
A: "The biggest consumer countries in the world are in Europe and the United States. . . . They need to finance that consumption and they see it in the capitalist terms of supply and demand. They don't see the good or bad. For them, it's how much money do I produce, how much can I make in this business and not how do we resolve this problem. Very few people talk about it this way. People say it's the Colombians and the Bolivians, and that they distribute to the world, as if the bad guys are the Colombians and the Bolivians."
BRAZIL POLICE NAB MAN IN POWDER MAILING
The Miami Herald
Oct. 26, 2007
BRASILIA, Brazil --
Police said Friday they arrested a man suspected of sending envelopes containing a mysterious but harmless green powder to the U.S. embassy and 18 other foreign missions in Brazil.
Divino Aloisio de Souza, 42, was arrested Thursday night in Sao Paulo after police identified his fingerprints on the envelopes, police spokeswoman Fernanda Canto said.
At least 19 embassies and the powerful Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo State this week received envelopes holding small quantities of green powder, Canto said. The Brazil missions of Israel, Iran, Bolivia, Great Britain, Syria, Germany and Saudi Arabia were among those receiving the envelopes.
ARGENTINE FIRST LADY BUILD OWN CAREER
The Miami Herald
Oct. 28, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
When President Nestor Kirchner decided not to run for re-election and instead nominated his wife, critics saw a plot to bypass term limits. Supporters of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner saw a recognition of her political clout.
Even as she followed her husband from the wind-swept plains of Patagonia to Argentina's presidential palace, she built an impressive - and impressively independent - political career.
Fernandez, 54, boasts that she won her first national election, as senator for Santa Cruz province, when Kirchner was a mere state official - the governor. When Kirchner moved into the presidency, she switched her residence, and became a senator for powerful Buenos Aires province.
ARGENTINE FIRST LADY HOLDS WIDE LEAD ON EVE OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
The Washington Post
October 28, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 27 -- If the latest polls are right, the only real suspense that remains in Sunday's election is whether Argentine first lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will receive enough votes to win the presidency outright or be forced into a runoff next month.
The broadly held assumption of an inevitable victory for the 54-year-old wife of President Nestor Kirchner has resulted in an uncommonly low-key campaign. Fernandez de Kirchner preserved a commanding lead over 13 opposition candidates without participating in a debate or granting an interview to the national media, aside from a single radio interview a day before the campaign closed.
To avoid a second-round runoff, the leading candidate must get either 45 percent of the total vote, or 40 percent with at least a 10-point lead over the runner-up. Most polls are predicting that Fernandez de Kirchner will receive just over 40 percent of the total vote and defeat her nearest rival by as many as 25 points.
ARGENTINE FIRST LADY SEEKS PRESIDENCY
The Miami Herald
Oct. 28, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whose husband is credited with Argentina's rebound from an economic collapse, overshadowed 13 rivals Sunday in her bid to become her country's first elected woman president.
Fernandez, a senator who harnessed President Nestor Kirchner's achievements in bringing Argentina back from a $100 billion debt default, won the support of many Argentines despite offering few original proposals.
Her closest challengers, former lawmaker Elisa Carrio and former Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna, were trying to force her into a Nov. 25 runoff, but all major pre-election polls showed her getting the 40 percent - with a lead of more than 10 percent - she needs to win outright.
IN ARGENTINA, A CAMPAIGN PROMISING CHANGE OFFERS MORE OF THE SAME
The New York Times
October 28, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 27 — When Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced in July that she would seek to succeed her husband, Néstor Kirchner, as Argentina’s president, the power couple said “change was just beginning.”
But that early campaign slogan, an effort to gently distance her from Mr. Kirchner, failed to resonate with the president’s supporters, who favored more of the same policies that pulled Argentina from the depths of its crushing financial crisis in 2001 and have helped the economy grow by some 50 percent.
On a rainy Thursday night here, in Mrs. Kirchner’s final campaign event before Sunday’s election, the couple many refer to as the “Clintons of the South” left little doubt that her likely victory would mean more of the same.
THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
ARGENTINA'S FRONT-RUNNER IS NO HILLARY CLINTON
The Miami Herald
Oct. 28, 2007
Argentina's first lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who according to most polls will win Sunday's presidential elections, has been repeatedly described as ``Argentina's Hillary Clinton.''
She's not.
Before we get into why such comparison is misleading, let's recap what virtually all foreign media -- including The Miami Herald -- have said about Sen. Fernández de Kirchner in their pre-election stories last week.
Like Hillary, the 54-year-old Argentine first lady is a self-described ''progressive'' senator who met her husband in law school, stood by his side when he became governor of a remote southern state, and later helped him climb all the way to the presidency.
ARGENTINA'S FIRST LADY WINS PRESIDENCY BY WIDE MARGIN
The Washington Post
October 29, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 28 -- The presidency of Argentina was handed from husband to wife Sunday, as first lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner crushed 13 opposition candidates on the promise of adhering to the political principles that made President Néstor Kirchner one of Latin America's most popular leaders.
Results with around 95 percent of polling places reporting showed that Fernández de Kirchner had received about 45 percent of the vote, nearly twice that of the second place finisher and enough of a margin to avoid a runoff.
The victory makes her the second woman to be elected president in South America in the past two years, after Chile's Michelle Bachelet.
ARGENTINE FIRST LADY NOW PRESIDENT-ELECT
The Miami Herald
Oct. 29, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
Cristina Fernandez rode into the presidency on her husband's reputation but now must learn to stand on her own: Argentina's economy is overheating, voters are angry about inflation and crime, and unpopular hikes in utility rates are inevitable.
The first lady takes over from husband Nestor Kirchner on Dec. 10 as Argentina's first elected female president, finishing 22 percentage points above her closest rival - also a woman. Following Michelle Bachelet of Chile, she will become the second South American woman in as many years to take her country's highest office.
Her success was largely due to the accomplishments of Kirchner, who oversaw a recovery from a deep financial crisis with growth rates of more than 8 percent a year. But a quarter of Argentina's 37 million people still live in poverty, 9 percent are unemployed and all struggle with inflation that analysts agree is much higher than the government admits.
U.S. GUNS BEHIND CARTEL KILLINGS IN MEXICO
The Washington Post
October 29, 2007
TIJUANA, Mexico -- Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles.
Alvarado crumpled at the wheel of his sedan, yet another victim of the weapons known here as "goat's horns" because of their curved ammunition clips, and which can fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The killing, Mexican authorities said, was a panorama of blood, shattered glass and torn metal that brutally showcased the firepower of Mexico's drug cartels. But that was just the warm-up.
Two hours later, a small army of cartel hit men descended on a federal police office and bunkhouse in this crowded city at one of the world's busiest border crossings. None of the officers, who had recently been sent here to crush the drug gangs terrorizing the city, were killed in the hail of more than 1,200 bullets, authorities said. But police veterans understood the message delivered to the newcomers: "Welcome to Tijuana. Our guns are bigger than your guns."
ARISTIDE SUPPORTERS KIDNAPPED IN HAITI
The Miami Herald
Oct. 29, 2007
Haitian police are investigating the kidnapping of a high-ranking member of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Lavalas Family Party.
Maryse Narcisse, who served as spokeswoman for Aristide shortly after his February 2004 ouster amid an armed uprising, was kidnapped by gunmen Saturday night, according to police and Aristide supporters.
Narcisse is the second high-profile Lavalas member to be abducted in the last two months in Haiti. In August, Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine also disappeared after leaving his home just after midnight, according to Aristide supporters.
ARGENTINE FIRST LADY WISHES CLINTON WELL
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
First lady Cristina Fernandez, in her first televised interview since winning Argentina's presidency, wished Hillary Clinton well in her U.S. election bid and thanked her husband for helping her triumph at the polls.
Speaking on Argentina's Todo Noticias network, Fernandez denied President Nestor Kirchner had distorted the extent of inflation and promised to put a priority on creating jobs, boosting exports and bettering health care and education.
Fernandez, a 54-year-old three-term senator, captured 45 percent of the vote Sunday, outpacing another woman runner-up, independent Elisa Carrio, by more than 22 percentage points. A dozen other candidates trailed further back, in an unprecedented race where women took the top two spots.
KIRCHNERS: TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's victory in Argentina's presidential election ushers in a political experiment that goes beyond national boundaries: that of ``ruling couples.''
It's not that the Kirchners have much global influence. But they precede by a year the power duo that the Clintons may form in the United States, which gives them an aura of importance that extends far beyond Latin America.
Néstor Kirchner, Cristina's husband and Argentina's current president, did not want to run for office again, despite being legally permitted to do so and voters' preference for him over her. According to Kirchner's inner circle, he wanted to avoid becoming a ''lame duck'' at the end of a second term in office.
ARGENTINA’S FIRST LADY ELECTED PRESIDENT
The New York Times
October 30, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 29 — Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the wife of Argentina’s president, Néstor Kirchner, has become the first woman to be elected president in the country’s history, according to the latest official results published today.
Mrs. Kirchner, 54, the center-left Peronist party candidate and a senator, defeated a fractured opposition and avoided a runoff.
With 96 percent of the voting locations reporting, Mrs. Kirchner had 45 percent, ahead of Elisa Carrió, a center-left congresswoman, who had 23 percent, and Roberto Lavagna, a former finance minister, who had 17 percent, according to figures from the Ministry of Interior.
ELECTION RESULTS NOW FINAL
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
BUENOS AIRES --
Final results confirmed Monday that Argentine first lady Sen. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner won election to replace her husband as president, setting off speculation about how she'll govern a country that has emerged from a deep economic crisis but hasn't yet found its footing.
At home, the 54-year-old president-elect will be under pressure to calm widespread worries about crime and violence.
On the international stage, she'll have to balance friendships with the United States and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who has lent Argentina billions of dollars.
TOUGH TASK FOR ARGENTINA'S 'HILLARY'
The Christian Science Monitor
October 30, 2007
Buenos Aires - First lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner easily won Argentina's presidential race Sunday, launching a political dynasty not seen here since the days of Juan and Evita Perón.
President Néstor Kirchner is widely hailed for shepherding Argentina out of its economic crisis in 2001. Since then, he has overseen extraordinary economic expansion that has pushed poverty rates down from half the population five years ago to one-quarter today.
Voters want the same from Ms. Fernández, a veteran lawyer and senator. But analysts say the policies of her husband's administration – including price controls, energy subsidies, and generous public spending – could be the very formula that undermines hers. Already energy shortages and rising prices loom.
CUBA'S WANING SYSTEM OF BLOCK-WATCHERS
The Washington Post
October 30, 2007
CAMAGUEY, Cuba -- Children swarmed the table outside Blanca Peleaz's concrete home in this central Cuban city. There were cakes and cookies, gooey frosting and candy speckles, rare abundance in a place where food shortages are the norm.
The sweets came with a history lesson on a recent muggy evening during a celebration of the Cuban Revolution. Peleaz and other neighborhood adults told the youngsters about the Moncada Barracks raid that started it all. They told the little ones that the Communist Party would lead the nation to glory.
DOMINICAN STORM KILLS AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic --
Tropical Storm Noel lashed the Dominican Republic with heavy rains Monday, causing flooding and mudslides that killed at least 20 people and left another 20 missing, officials said.
Noel was expected to dump up to 20 inches of rain on the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola, as it heads northwest toward the Bahamas.
Forecasters said a tropical storm watch, which means that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours, may be issued for southeast Florida early Tuesday.
The spinning tropical storm had been forecast to hit Haiti hardest but veered toward the Dominican Republic, apparently catching residents offguard.
NOEL'S DEATH TOLL: AT LEAST 20
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic --
(AP) -- Tropical Storm Noel headed toward the Bahamas on Tuesday after causing flooding and mudslides that killed at least 20 people in the Dominican Republic and left another 20 missing, officials said.
The spinning tropical storm had been forecast to hit Haiti hardest but veered toward the Dominican Republic, apparently catching residents off guard Monday.
''We didn't know that it was going to be like this, it took us by surprise,'' said Guarionex Rosado as he left his home in La Cienaga, one of Santo Domingo's most affected neighborhoods.
NOEL LINGERS OVER CUBA; WIND, SURF WARNINGS IN S. FLA.
The Miami Herald
Oct. 30, 2007
Trapped between Tropical Storm Noel, which sliced through central Cuba, and a powerful weather system to the north, South Florida swayed Tuesday under high winds and rough surf -- and warnings that both soon will intensify.
Noel's center was expected to remain far from South Florida and the area is not likely to experience anything like a hurricane or even a strong tropical storm, but conditions will deteriorate anyway.
Emergency managers advised swimmers to stay out of the ocean, boaters to stay in port and coastal residents to stay alert for local flooding and strong wind.
Scattered power outages are possible.
NEW CHARTER WOULD WIDEN CHÁVEZ'S REACH
The Washington Post
October 31, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia, Oct. 30 -- Under a new constitution being considered in Venezuela, the workday would be slashed from eight hours to six, so workers would have sufficient time for "personal development." But while Venezuelans might have more leisure time, the constitution would also ensure that President Hugo Chávez could toil far into the future.
One of the most controversial proposals in the charter would abolish presidential term limits, giving the 53-year-old populist the opportunity to remain in office indefinitely. The presidential term would also be extended from six to seven years. To Chávez's supporters, it makes perfect sense.
"We're giving the leader the possibility to continue directing us," Mario Isea, a legislator, said in a speech. "And we're giving ourselves the opportunity to continue enjoying his leadership."
CAMPBELL JOINS CHAVEZ AT POLITICAL RALLY
The Miami Herald
Oct. 31, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Supermodel Naomi Campbell left the glitz and bright lights of the fashion world behind Wednesday and joined Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a political rally and toured government-funded housing projects.
Chavez warmly greeted Campbell, planting a kiss on her hand as she arrived at a rally promoting state programs for single mothers in a long white dress.
"I've been here for 24 hours and I'm amazed to see the love and encouragement for the social programs that you have here for women and children in Venezuela," the British fashion model said.
PARAGUAY COURT ANNULS OVIEDO CONVICTION
The Miami Herald
Oct. 31, 2007
ASUNCION, Paraguay --
Paraguay's Supreme Court has annulled the mutiny conviction of former army Gen. Lino Cesar Oviedo, clearing the way for him to compete in April's presidential election.
Caravans of cheering supporters drove through the streets of Paraguay's capital early Wednesday to the honking of horns and chants of "You can feel it! Lino president!"
The court gave no explanation for its ruling, which, unusually, was released late at night on Tuesday.
Oviedo had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for mutiny after he disobeyed a presidential order to surrender command of the army in April 1996 and holed up in a barracks with supporters, sparking fears of a coup. He denies he planned to topple the government.
TENS OF THOUSANDS FLEE MEXICO FLOODING
The Miami Herald
Oct. 31, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
A week of heavy rains unleashed massive flooding Wednesday in southeastern Mexico, where tens of thousands fled the rising waters for shelters in Tabasco and Chiapas states.
At least 20,000 people had sought shelter in Tabasco's oil-rich capital of Villahermosa, where floodwaters reached the rooftoops of homes, and Gov. Andres Granier was urging residents to evacuate.
"If they do not leave, I'm going to order them out by force," Granier told reporters in an interview broadcast on the Televisa television network.
The flooding, which is not related to Tropical Storm Noel, also apparently caused the soil supporting a 10-inch natural gas pipeline to give way and spring a leak, officials from the state-owned company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said. Tabasco state officials said the pipeline had exploded, but that there were no deaths or injuries.
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