Buenos Aires mayor Mauricio Macri. (Photo: Wikipedia)

The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Buenos Aires legislature signed a majority opinion on a new bill that will replace the decree on ‘defence of press freedom’, issued last week by Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri. The initiative was supported by opposition parties Proyecto Sur and Coalición Cívica.

The bill introduces some modifications to the text of the decree, which were proposed by Julio Raffo from Proyecto Sur and Fernando Sánchez of the Coalición Cívica.

Today’s meeting was held in the office of legislator Alejandro García (PRO) where amendments to articles 25 and 26 were negotiated, both referring to the creation of a competent jurisdiction on issues related to press freedom.

The changes were proposed after a Buenos Aires judge partially suspended the decree based on an injunction presented by Nuevo Encuentro legislators Gabriela Cerruti, Delia Bisutti, and Edgardo Form. They argued that the articles that stated that “freedom of press and expression of the media in the City of Buenos Aires can not be restricted, and neither can the right to free access to information of the people of the City through indirect routes, the imposition of tariffs, taxes, regulation or recurring charges for the production or importing of print paper, equipment, supplies, and machines used for the distribution of expression, information, opinions or ideas through any medium or form” were unconstitutional, as the city government cannot legislate on tax-related matters

The bill will be debated next Thursday, when it is expected that it could be passed.

Ecuador president Rafael Correa. (Photo: Cortesia Andes)

During his inauguration ceremony, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa outlined a number of policies the Alianza País (AP) government plans to implement during his second term in office. Having been re-elected in February with 57.17% of the votes he will preside over the country until 2017.

Correa stressed the need for infrastructure investment and stated that Ecuador “belongs to the people and not to small elite groups.” Eradicating poverty was also high on the agenda and the president said that overall poverty in the country had already been reduced considerably and ban on child labour was imposed, which has reportedly prevented half a million being sent to work.

“There is no doubt that our country is moving in the right direction, towards the good life, both socially and economically. Ecuador has one of the most dynamic economies,” said the head of state.

The swearing in of Correa was attended by the Cabinet and the Military High Command. Heads of state from other Latin American countries also attended including Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.

The ceremony began with the raising of the Ecuadorian flag followed by the national anthem. Gabriela Rivadeneira, the President of Parliament, gave a speech after taking Correa’s oath.

This is the second consecutive term of Correa, who first became president in 2007, although two years later he reformed the Constitution and was sworn in for a period of four years, which ended today. His party, AP, also obtained 100 out of a possible 137 seats in parliament during the assembly elections.

Correa also announced earlier this month that an amended mining bill has been presented to Congress, featuring five key reforms to the existing law in the hope of attracting foreign investors to the country’s mining industry.

SUTEBA protest (photo: Suteba)

After another meeting with the provincial government failed, the Federation of Educators of Buenos Aires (FEB) confirmed yesterday a 48-hour strike for Monday and Tuesday. They will be once again demanding higher wages in their sector.

The head of FEB, Mirta Petrocini said that “today [for yesterday] the provincial government was callous to the teachers since it did not come up with a new salary proposal.”

“The government had the opportunity to resolve the conflict and it chose misery, ratifying a proposal that in no way answers the genuine claim of educators,” she added. The government was sticking to the same offer they had made on Tuesday: paying each teacher $400 in four installments for didactic materials from May to August, without modifying the three sections nor the percentages of the proposal which had been previously rejected.

The union leader also stressed: “It can not be that until October our salary increase will be only a 12.5% and moreover up until January 2014 that we will receive a 22.6% increase. Teachers – we are struggling with our wages and we barely survive each month.”

On Tuesday the Unified Union of Educational Workers in Buenos Aires (SUTEBA) warned that a strike of 96 hours will go ahead, but now they have decided to give the government of Buenos Aires more time, even though SUTEBA head Roberto Baradel stated that “they [the government] have turned their back to the public school and deepened the crisis in education.” If the government of the province does not come up with an another solution, they will extend the strike for another 48 hours.

Nora de Lucía, General Director of Culture and Education in the province of Buenos Aires, emphasised: “From the moment governor Daniel Scioli signed the decree that raised province teachers’ salaries above the ones set on national level, the joint is closed. Most in the public sector accepted that same increase.”

Colombian Defence Minister Rodrigo Rivera and Police chief. (Photo: Globovision)

The Centre for Popular Research and Education (Cinep) in Bogotá has reported that during 2012 there were 11 separate cases of extrajudicial executions in Colombia, suggesting that executions known as ‘false positives’ are still ongoing. A further eight cases of arbitrary detention have also been reported, amassing a total of 52 victims.

The false positives scandal refers to the Colombian military’s alleged sanctioned practice of killing civilians and then dressing them up in guerrilla fatigues in order to present them as combat kills. Reports show that the executions usually target famers, social activists, and political opponents.

The scandal is part of continuous armed conflict between Colombia’s government and the FARC and ELN, both guerilla forces. In May last year the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) alleged that over 3,000 civilians had been killed between 2002 and 2008 as a result of the conflict.

Cinep also claim that the general state of human rights in Colombia is poor with members of the paramilitary “the greatest violators” responsible for 565 cases, followed by the police with 268. Giraldo Serna, of Cinep, said, “Threats, tortures, disappearances, deaths, and social cleansing are still implemented in Colombia.”

The government denied ‘false positives’ are still occurring but Cinep believes the problem is far greater than people think. “Those who justify the false positives don’t realise they are damaging the prestige of the police force,” said Cinep spokesman Alejandro Angulo.

Tierra del Fuego governor Fabiana Ríos (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

A teachers’ protest, supported by the truck drivers’ union, in the Patagonian province of Tierra del Fuego ended up in clashes with the police when the crowd tried to take over the Government House in Ushuaia yesterday. At least 20 protesters and policemen were injured and had to be admitted in hospital. Some 60 teachers managed to enter the Government House, which was guarded by a riot squad, and remain there.

Yesterday, on the first day of the 48-hour strike by teachers of Tierra del Fuego, workers hit the streets in the provincial capital and Río Grande, demanding salaries’ increases.

In Ushuaia, members of the truck drivers’ union broke the barricade set up by the provincial police and started breaking the windows on the ground floor using iron bars they removed from the scaffolding that was being used for repair works. After protesters stormed into the central part of the building, they destroyed furniture and masonry. Police forces used tear gas against the protesters and successfully blocked access to the second floor, where the Governor and members of her cabinet were located.

The tensions subsided when governor Fabiana Ríos announced she would meet with Raúl Arce, the Secretary General of the teachers’ union, and a truck drivers’ union representative. However, her failure to attend the proposed meeting inflamed the situation further, and once more tear gas and pepper spray filled the air.

The Education Minister of the province, Sandra Molina, referred to yesterday’s violence saying that “these acts of worrying violence have no relation with the noble task of teaching. I repudiate the use of any violence whatsoever when our schools’ goal has always been to teach how to resolve conflict through dialogue.” Molina also denied all speculations on her resignation: “I will keep on looking for the resolution of this conflict.”

Demonstrators in Plaza Villarroel, La Paz gather to express their support for the government. (Photo: Bolivia Government)

Yesterday Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, participated in a demonstration on the streets of La Paz in a bid to “defend democracy” after the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) ended strikes and roadblocks intended to “paralyse the country,” as stated by Octavio Urquizo, head of the COB.

Morales celebrated “victory” over the COB during a speech after the march and accused Bolivia’s largest union of “serving the empire,” referring to the United States. In light of the government’s stance regarding the actions of the COB Morales said, “We are not thinking about the upcoming elections but future generations.”

The protesters were demanding increases in pensions for miners and other sectors. Earlier in the month President Evo Morales had said, “No matter what they say or do, there is no more margin for negotiation on the subject.”

However, after two weeks of tension an agreement was reached on Tuesday between the government and COB, effectively ending the strikes.

The opposition accused the president of using the march, named ’Cabildo Patriótico y Revolucionario por la Defensa de la Democracia‘ by Morales, as part of his reelection campaign. Elections in Bolivia are due late in 2014 with the new terms beginning in 2015. Whilst the Bolivian constitution only allows for one re-election, a law recently passed by the Legislative Assembly interprets that Morales’ current term is the first under the 2009 constitution, thus allowing him to be re-elected.

Much of the country’s industry was affected by the strikes with the Mario Virreira mine reportedly losing almost half a million dollars during the period.

In addition, more than 30 people have been injured, around 370 people remanded in custody, whilst three policeman have been kidnapped by a group of miners, and hundreds of sticks of dynamite and other explosives have been seized.

José Manuel de la Sota, governor of Córdoba, is embroiled in a controversy after he questioned the handling of lawsuits surrounding the dictatorship in a recent interview.

Córdoba governor José Manuel de la Sota (photo by Ricardo Stucker/ABr)

Legislators and human rights organisations strongly condemned De la Sota’s proposition to negotiate with military leaders and reduce sentences for crimes against humanity in exchange for information about the location of the disappeared.

De la Sota expressed the desire for a “reconciliation cleanse” and the reduction of penalties for crimes committed during the military dictatorship.

“There are some that follow the politics of resentment, and have not made any human rights policy,” the leader told Canal 26.

The backlash followed quickly: Remo Carlotto, he head of the Human Rights Commission and brother of disappeared woman Laura Carlotto, said that “reconciliation in this case will only fuel impunity. This cynical reasoning comes from people who are not committed to the defence of human rights.”

National deputy for Cordoba Fabián Francioni rejected De la Sota’s plans, saying “De la Sota is a true reflection of Menemism, his position resembles the pardoning of neoliberalism of the ’90s, and it seems he did not realise that this political decision of impunity for genocidal leaders is a backward policy.”

The Córdoba Mayors’ forum released a statement saying “It is sad to hear this kind of position on a such a sensitive topic for the present and future of Argentina,” adding that “our country is an example to the rest of the world with regards to advances towards justice, which have allowed people to be judged and condemned, bringing the constitution and laws against murderers and torturers.”

The Qom indigenous community from the province of Formosa were granted a hearing with the Supreme Court yesterday. After on-going issues with the provincial government over land rights, the commitment was made to introduce the Supreme Court as a “referee” and “mediator”.

Qom leader Felix Diaz (Photo: Patricio Guillamón)

The provincial government were joined by the National Parks Management and the National Institute for Indigenous Affairs in the pledge to the Supreme Court to accelerate proceedings in order to delineate and officially determine the community’s ancestral land rights. The community have been claiming the land for many years, and the granting of a hearing marks a significant step in their struggle to reclaim it.

The hearing saw an agreement that land studies and surveys would be conducted as soon as possible to determine the territorial boundaries of land which the Qom community has been claiming for years. The Supreme Court will decide whether the Qom’s claim over 5,187 hectares in Formosa is valid and should officially be listed as indigenous land, or whether it in fact belongs to the provincial or federal government.

Félix Díaz, head of the Qom community, asked President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to “contribute to the ending of this conflict by encouraging the claim of indigenous peoples through the application of law 26,160, and favour the results of the land survey.”

The hearing also saw important aspects agreed upon, such as the decision to hold meetings between official bodies later in the year to discuss climate issues and the potential flooding of the Pilcomayo river that frames the disputed territories.

As the hearing was taking place in Buenos Aires yesterday, in the province of Chaco -which borders Formosa- a Qom man, Florentín Díaz, was killed. His death has been met with accusations that it was caused by the violent police eviction of protesting communities. The government minister of Chaco stated that the official cause of death according to both the police and hospital is from “a traffic accident”, while the Institute for Chaco Aboriginals maintains that the death occurred at the hands of the police when Díaz escaped from their hold, and say that his son was killed alongside him. The death occurred during a time of extreme political and police crackdown on protesters from 13 different communities, including the Qom, who were protesting and created a road block. The police dismantlement of the protest left 50 injured, and over 100 people arrested.

The Qom communities reside principally in the Chaco, Formosa, and Sante Fe provinces of Argentina.

Ecuador’s first and only satellite, Pegasus, has collided with a Russian space rocket, casting doubts over whether the portal is still in action.

President Rafael Correa at the launch of the Pegasus satellite last April (photo by Mauricio Muñoz, courtesy of Ecuadorian government)

The small cube-shaped satellite named Pegasus has been transmitting pictures of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela from 650 km into space, while playing recordings of the Ecuadorian national anthem.

The Director of the Civil Ecuadorian Space Agency (EXA), Ronnie Nader, reported that Pegasus, which was sent into space on 26th April, had crashed 1,500 km above the east coast of Madagascar with fragments of an old Russian rocket.

The nano-satellite remains in orbit, but experts are unsure as to the extent of the damage; they are predicting a 48-hour wait before the levels of damage can be assessed.

Nader assured the people of Ecuador by taking to his Twitter account today, announcing that “Ecuador still has its satellite, the people still have Pegasus”. He added that “Pegasus could be damaged or spinning out of control, but because it’s still in orbit, we have hope”.

Pegasus’ launch was filmed in April by many South American media networks from China’s Jiuquan station. A rocket from Argentina was also launched at the same time.

The Ecuadorian government contributed US$700,000 to fund the construction and logistical costs of the rocket, while US$80,000 were donated by private investors.  The insurance on the rocket is expected to cover nearly all the costs.

And all is not lost, as Ecuador is set to launch its second satellite, named Kryasor, from Russia in August.

Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced yesterday that the country will cut 28bn reales (US$13.7 bn) in spending for this year’s budget, mainly due to slower economic growth than expected.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced budget cuts (photo by Wilson Dias/ABr)

“The scenario of the international economic crisis has led the government to adopt and maintain measures to stimulate the economy, which, at this time, include a reduction in taxes and increased costs,” he said.

Mantega stressed that these cuts will not affect social programmes, plans to modernise the country’s infrastructure, public housing, health programmes, education, poverty eradication, science, and technology. It also will not affect any funds for the 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Olympics. He said the sectors most affected by the cuts will be Defence and National Integration, and that previously made investment plans will not be altered.

He said the government took steps in recent months to reduce taxes to stimulate key sectors of the economy, while public investment increased. “Investments are what drive the national economy, and they will be preserved from the cuts,” he said.

Inflation will hit 5.2% this year, higher than the original projection of 4.9%. “We are not maintaining a fiscal government of inflation,” the minister said, denying that the government’s policies are causing the inflation.

The government had set a goal of 3.5% economic growth for this year, up 0.9% from 2012. However, given the slowing of growth, Mantega said the government is revising this goal and will announce the new goal on 29th May.

Despite the cuts, the minister said the government’s original surplus target of 3.1% will not be possible, and it is more likely that GDP surplus will be around 2.3%.