Reforzarán seguridad del área metropolitana

Si las intenciones de los Gobiernos Local, Departamental y Nacional se cumplen, al comenzar marzo del presente año el área metropolitana de Bucaramanga tendrá mayor capacidad operativa y de respuesta contra la delincuencia. Eso estará garantizado en un mayor pie de fuerza de la Policía, disponibilidad de equipos, independencia financiera y autonomía en el manejo de la información de inteligencia contra el delito organizado, además de un mando independiente del Comando de Policía Santander.

La estrategia se completará antes de comenzar el segundo semestre de este año.

De voz del propio ministro de Defensa, Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, se confirmó ayer, durante el consejo de seguridad celebrado en Bucaramanga, la creación para la ciudad y el área metropolitana, del Comando Metropolitano de Policía. De él harán parte los municipios de Bucaramanga, Girón, Piedecuesta y Floridablanca, además de Rionegro y Lebrija.

Bucaramanga y el área metropolitana, sumados a estos dos municipios, están bajo la jurisdicción del departamento de Policía de Santander. Con la creación del nuevo Comando Metropolitano, estos municipios tendrán una Policía autónoma, con un comandante diferente al del comando del Departamento.

El anunció se concretó al cierre del primer consejo de seguridad del año, al cual asistieron las máximas autoridades del departamento, junto al Ministro de Defensa y toda la cúpula militar.

Ventajas

Según el General Óscar Naranjo Trujillo, director general de la Policía Nacional, el primero de marzo el Comando Metropolitano de Policía estará listo para entrar en funcionamiento.

Las ventajas del Comando Metropolitano, explicó el Oficial, se reflejarán en el manejo de un presupuesto independiente, lo cual permitirá inversión en nuevos equipos.

“La operatividad y la información de inteligencia estarán más centradas en el área metropolitana”, aseguró el General Naranjo.

Otra de las ventajas del nuevo comando será el aumento del pie de fuerza. Así lo ratificó el ministro Santos Calderón, quien anunció que en dos meses, 300 nuevos hombres de la Policía llegarán al nuevo Comando Metropolitano, y para julio próximo, otros 350 agentes serán enviados a reforzar la seguridad de la ciudad y su área metropolitana.

Durante el consejo de seguridad se definió que la base central del Comando Metropolitano estará ubicada donde hoy funciona el Fuerte Sur de la Policía del departamento, en el municipio de Floridablanca, Santander.

Financiación

“Del presupuesto nacional de la Policía, cerca de $40 mil millones de pesos serán invertidos en seguridad. $15 millones se invertirán en equipos de comunicaciones, $12 mil millones para movilidad, $4 mil millones para gastos de funcionamiento y cerca de $9 mil millones para la construcción de estaciones y sub-estaciones”, aseguró Naranjo Trujillo.

Aunque las Administra-ciones municipales aún no saben cuánto ni de dónde saldrán los recursos económicos para financiar lo que será el nuevo Comando Metropolitano de Policía, los mandatarios se comprometieron con destinar los recursos necesarios para sacar adelante esta iniciativa, que también contará con el apoyo económico del Gobierno Nacional.

Homicidios se incrementaron en 21%



En 2007, en Bucaramanga y el área metropolitana se presentaron 325 homicidios, 58 muertes violentas más que en 2006. Una inusitada ‘ola’ de asesinatos, que según algunas ONG obedecieron a ajuste de cuentas entre bandas dedicadas al narcotráfico y al rearme de paramilitares desmovilizados, se vivió en las calles de la ciudad y el área. La inseguridad llegó a tal punto que en dos días durante noviembre de 2007, ocho personas fueron asesinadas con disparos en la cabeza. El recrudecimiento de la violencia tuvo su punto máximo en diciembre del año pasado cuando 32 personas fueron asesinadas. El desmantelamiento, por parte de la Unidad Investigativa de Homicidios de la Sijin, de una banda de sicarios a sueldo, todos desmovilizados del Bloque Central Bolívar de las Auc, puso en evidencia el rearme de estas agrupaciones criminales, a las cuales se les atribuyen varios asesinatos selectivos en la ciudad.

Paso a paso

Lo que viene

1.- Desde ayer mismo, en una reunión privada en la cual participaron el ministro Santos Calderón, la cúpula militar del país y regional, los Alcaldes del área metropolitana y el Gobernador de Santander, comenzó la planificación para conformar el Comando Metropolitano de Policía.

2.- Vanguardia Liberal conoció que, en primera instancia, se definirá el nombramiento del general que se encargará del nuevo Comando.

3.- Luego se conformará una comisión integrada por los Alcaldes del área y la Gobernación, para definir el aporte presupuestal y el direccionamiento del proyecto.

4.- Estos puntos tendrán que definirse en los próximos 30 días, ya que el ministro de Defensa se comprometió a que el 1 de marzo el Comando Metropolitano de Policía estará funcionando.

Voz del experto

Para el Senador Alirio Villamizar Afanador, la creación del Comando de Policía Metropolitano servirá para mejorar las condiciones de seguridad en la ciudad y el área metropolitana. “Esto implica que tenemos un comando adicional al comando departamental de Policía, con mayor pie de fuerza, más logística en vehículos y en equipos de comunicaciones. En estos momentos el recurso humano no es suficiente para combatir los delitos más comunes y para brindarle seguridad a la ciudadanía”. El senador, quien fue uno de lo primeros ponentes en plantear la necesidad de un Comando Metropolitano de Policía para la ciudad, agregó que el Gobierno Nacional ha sido conciente de que la política de seguridad democrática ha direccionado la mayoría de los recursos al sector rural, descuidando en cierta forma las áreas metropolitanas.

“El Comando Metropolitano de Policía demanda una mayor responsabilidad de los diferentes municipios con respecto a la inversión en seguridad. Esa será otra de las ventajas de esta iniciativa”, agregó Villamizar.

Etiquetas: Colombia, In Vanguardia Liberal

"El Estado ejerce el terrorismo a través de órganos de justicia"

Una vez declarado sin lugar el sobreseimiento de la causa y ratificada la medida privativa de libertad, el comisario Iván Simonovis reiteró su posición de no asistir más al juicio que se le sigue en la ciudad de Maracay junto a Henry Vivas, Lázaro Forero y ocho funcionarios de la Policía Metropolitana, por considerar "un exabrupto jurídico" la decisión de la jueza Marjorie Calderón.

Lleno de indignación, Simonovis redactó desde su centro de reclusión un comunicado en el que señala que los venezolanos "están frente a un Estado paraguerrillero que ejerce el terrorismo a través de los operadores de justicia como la Fiscalía y tribunales". Recordó palabras de la senadora colombiana Ingrid Betancourt, secuestrada por la FARC hace seis años, quien señaló en su última misiva enviada a sus familiares que "todo aquí es No".

"Igual pasa en nuestro caso, el No es constante", dijo refiriéndose a la negativa del Tribunal de conceder cualquier beneficio procesal que la defensa solicite. Por ello asumió la determinación de no acudir, de manera voluntaria, al juicio.

Justamente, para hacer entender su decisión, el ex secretario de seguridad ciudadana revivió momentos en que la jueza Calderón negó la Amnistía. "Allí, con sonrisas, las esbirros de la Fiscalía asentaban complacidas de este nuevo exabrupto jurídico (¿) es así como este régimen tuerce y doblega a la justicia de acuerdo a sus intereses y convenientemente termina siendo entonces la justicia algo intangible, bizarro e inalcanzable".

Relató que al ver esa situación, "abandoné la sala de juicio antes de seguir oyendo cómo se faltaba el respeto a la inteligencia humana ante este nuevo No del tribunal del terror". "No volveré a la sala de audiencia hasta que los órganos internacionales de DDHH conozcan de nuestro secuestro".

Peso a la decisión, Simonovis confía en que "la verdad nos dará la razón, sin embargo nunca ha sido tan importante que afrontemos la realidad de nuestros retos, unirnos, luchar y vencer. La razón y la democracia son objeto de un ataque sistemático y de desinformación, es una estrategia planificada, una política del miedo y de terror, pero jamás erosionarán mis sueños y esperanzas de una Venezuela libre y democrática".

Sentencia adelantada
El abogado defensor de Simonovis, José Luis Tamayo, destacó que la jueza Marjorie Calderón sentenció a los comisarios "de manera anticipada" una vez que los once detenidos fueran señalados "de haber cometido delitos a los derechos humanos".

"Lamentablemente la jueza dejó de lado la presunción de inocencia y sin haberse demostrado lo contrario dijo que habían incurrido en delitos de violación a los DDHH para no darles la amnistía". Refirió que ese pronunciamiento ya deja ver lo que viene al final del juicio.

En los próximos días, la defensa interpondrá un recurso de apelación del cual esperan tener respuesta en un tiempo máximo de un mes.

Etiquetas: In El Universal, Venezuela

Aceleración de vehículos en casco aumentó entre 2 y 3 %

A raíz del desalojo de los buhoneros de las aceras y esquinas del casco central, la aceleración de vehículos, velocidad de circulación, en las calles y avenidas ha aumentado entre 2 y 3 %, según evaluación que ha realizado el Cuerpo Técnico de Vigilancia de Tránsito Terrestre.

El comisario Landis García, jefe de Investigación de este organismo, aclara que a pesar de que no hay un método establecido para medir el congestionamiento en el centro de Caracas, se puede determinar que tras el desalojo de los informales mejoró la fluidez vehicular porque los peatones caminan por las aceras y no toman las calles, que era uno de los factores del embotellamiento.

Explicó que en las avenidas principales como Universidad, Baralt y Urdaneta se mantiene igual número de vehículos circulando, que en su mayoría se trata de transporte público que no respetan las paradas de pasajeros establecidas, por lo que la demora en el recorrido se mantiene, pero menor que la que se registró en diciembre.

Carlos Mantilla, mototaxista, afirmó que "el tránsito está más suave en estos días, debe ser porque la gente ya no utiliza la calle para caminar. Aunque para nosotros nunca hay congestionamiemto".

Raúl González, conductor de transporte público de la ruta Fuerzas Armadas-Coche, señaló que "el tránsito ha mejora 90% gracias al Gobierno. De las tres horas que demoraba entre el centro de Coche, ahora lo hago en 20 minutos".

Sin embargo, a falta de buhoneros en las aceras y bulevares del centro ahora los particulares los utilizan como estacionamiento. En el casco central se observan vehículos mal estacionados sobre las aceras, al igual que los mototaxis, que circulan por las aceras.

Mientras, efectivos de Policaracas sólo están pendientes de evitar que los informales se coloquen con sus manteles en las aceras. Los transeúntes que ahora disfrutan de caminar por el centro solicitan a las autoridades que implementen operativos de tránsito en el casco para sancionar a los infractores.

Etiquetas: In El Universal, Venezuela

Venezuela entre las naciones con más trabas para hacer negocios

Todas as notícias estão em: http://todaywnews.blogspot.com/ 

El país ahora ocupa el puesto 172, pero desde el BM aseguran que puede decaer más
América Latina fue la región que menos avances mostró para facilitar los negocios en el período 2006-2007, liderada por Venezuela -en el puesto 172 de 178 posiciones- que recrudeció el clima hostil para las inversiones, según consta en un informe del Banco Mundial (BM).

"Si se hace la pregunta de cuál es el país que está retrocediendo, entonces Venezuela, indiscutiblemente, es el líder mundial. Creo que al ritmo que va pronto va a colocarse al final de la lista por detrás de la República Democrática del Congo (posición 178)", vaticinó Simeon Djankov, jefe economista del organismo internacional, según destaca la agencia Efe.

El deterioro del clima de negocios en Venezuela se debe a que los exportadores ahora necesitan una licencia individual para cada transacción y para obtenerla deben remitir prueba de su identidad y solvencia a través de documentos que deben renovarse frecuentemente.

El tiempo de exportación en Venezuela ha aumentado a 45 días, "un plazo escasamente inferior al necesario en Burundi, que no tiene salida al mar", según el informe.

"Pese a todo, los empleados más lentos no han de preocuparse por sus empleos: Venezuela amplió su prohibición de despedir a los trabajadores, protegiendo ahora a todo aquel que perciba un salario inferior a tres veces el salario mínimo", agregó el documento.

Entre los primeros 20 países del mundo donde es más fácil hacer negocios no figura alguno de América Latina. Chile, el primero de la región, está en el puesto 33 y México en el 44.

Colombia, y en menor medida México, son los países que emprendieron reformas significativas en el último año y por ello la nación andina se sitúa en la lista de las 10 principales reformadoras del período 2006-2007, liderada por Egipto y donde están incluidos Croacia, Ghana y Macedonia, entre otros.

"Colombia es un país interesante, el Gobierno del presidente Álvaro Uribe ha estado emprendiendo una serie de reformas exitosas y ha logrado adoptar medidas importantes como la reforma fiscal", destacó Djankov.

En México, los inversores tuvieron un buen año en 2006 al adoptarse una ley de títulos valores que sustituyó las regulaciones con protecciones a los grandes inversores.

El experto resaltó el retroceso de Chile, que aunque sigue siendo el país de Latinoamérica donde es menos complicado hacer negocios, no ha mostrado reformas en los últimos años, por lo que perdió su posición entre los primeros 20.

Entre los latinoamericanos que hicieron reformas para la creación de empresas están Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay y República Dominicana.

El informe del BM mide las regulaciones que afectan 10 áreas de la actividad empresarial, entre las que se encuentran la creación de empresas, manejo de licencias, contratación de empleados, registro de propiedad, obtención de crédito y protección a inversionistas.

Etiquetas: In El Universal, Venezuela

Mourners fill arena for teens' wake

Streams of people filed quietly Tuesday into a hockey arena that normally resounds with cheers and laughter to see the open coffins holding the bodies of seven young basketball players killed in a devastating traffic accident.

There was an eerie silence in the rink as hundreds of people, most of whom waited patiently for up to two hours in the cold, filed in to pay their respects and view the remains.

Nestled between clusters of bouquets, the coffins were draped with sports jerseys, in most cases more than one since the teens were all keen athletes and played on more than one team.

Family members of the victims sat nearby.

Personal mementoes lay inside each coffin, including a small "Habs fan" teddy bear tucked next to 17-year-old Nathan Cleland, and a small monkey holding a basketball beside Daniel Hains, also 17.

Family photos were carefully placed in the breast pocket of one of the boys while another was wearing his Phantoms basketball jacket.

It was a scene of overwhelming sadness.

New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock was among the mourners.

"I hope, in some small way, we were able to communicate to the folks here that we're all hugging our kids a little tighter tonight and thinking about what these families are going through," Lamrock said after visiting the rink.

Christopher Quinn of nearby Beresford, father of 16-year-old victim Nick Quinn, said the outpouring of grief and emotion is helping the families get through the tragedy.

"It takes a little bit of the weight off, but it doesn't take away the pain," he said outside the arena, struggling to control tears.

"It shows how special these boys were."

Justin Cormier, Javier Acevedo and Codey Branch, all 17, and Nicholas Kelly, 15, also died in the weekend crash.

Quinn said people have told him to remember only the good things about his son, who he described as a natural born leader.

"To be honest, I don't have a lot of bad things to remember," he said.

"He had so much potential."

Etiquetas: Canada, In Daily Press

Medical waits cost Canadian economy $14.8B

Recently, an elderly Ottawa man visited his optometrist to find out about having cataract surgery before renewing his driver's licence, which Ontarians must do when they turn 80.

But Dr. William Clarke couldn't guarantee an ophthalmologist would remove the cataracts before the man's scheduled driver's test.

"He thought it was absurd that I couldn't get him in to see the specialist within that time period," Clarke recounted.

Clarke sympathizes with his patient. It's frustrating having to tell people worried about their sight that they may face a long wait to have their cataracts removed.

"What's going to happen is that the patient is going to vent their frustration on us."

At least if the man couldn't drive for a short period, Ottawa has public transit, Clarke noted.

"What if you're in Northern Ontario and you don't even have access to that?"

The costs of waiting too long for cataract surgery aren't just borne by the patient, however. According to a study for the Canadian Medical Association, excessive waits for medical procedures cost the economy at least $14.8 billion in 2007.

The study, which focused on just four specialties, also concludes that the federal and provincial governments lost $4.4 billion in revenues last year because of prolonged wait times.

The "conservative" figures are based on loss of productivity for those awaiting hip and knee replacements, MRI scans, coronary bypass grafts, and cataract surgery. These areas were singled out for number-crunching because the provincial premiers agreed to make them priorities back in 2004.

"To put this in perspective, the economic value lost to excess wait times for these four procedures is equivalent to 40 per cent of Ontario's total health-care budget," said the study, carried out by the Centre for Spatial Economics. It does not estimate what the cost to the economy would be to reduce wait times to meet physicians' recommendations.

Lost productivity was calculated based on the inability of the patient to work or spend due to poor health while awaiting the medical procedure past the recommended wait time.

Also factored in was the cost of having a friend or family member give up some of their own work and leisure activities to help the person on the waiting list. Extra health costs were added, too, such as additional checkups and drugs that would not have been needed if the patient had not been kept waiting so long.

"As an orthopedic surgeon, I have seen patients develop chronic and severe irreversible damage, addiction to painkillers and depression" from waiting too long for surgery, said Dr. Brian Day, head of the Canadian Medical Association. "Auditor generals should insist that finance ministers write this debt into their annual budgets."

In a speech to The Economic Club of Toronto Tuesday, Day blamed governments for creating the excessive wait times, decrying their "monopoly on the funding and delivery of hospital and physician services.

"Forcing patients to endure pain and suffering in order to sustain a social program is wrong," Day said.

The study acknowledges wait-time improvements in some areas since provincial governments identified priorities for action. In many regions of Ontario, for instance, the wait for routine cataract surgery is well within acceptable limits, said Dr. Sherif El-Defrawy, head of ophthalmology at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, Ont. El-Defrawy performs 10 cataract operations a day. The hospital handles about 3,200 a year.

El-Defrawy said the mean wait time for the procedure at Hotel Dieu is currently two to three months.

For routine surgeries, "we know that a wait time of 60 days is very reasonable," he told Sun Media.

When he arrived at the hospital three-and-half years ago, waits were much longer, but resources and staffing have been expanded.

He added that while cataract wait times have been reduced, other areas of ophthalmology, such as glaucoma and corneal surgery "don't have that kind of success."Wait Times

Maximum recommended wait times for key medical procedures:

Total joint replacement surgery (knee and hip) - 182 days.

Cataract surgery - 112 days.

Coronary artery bypass graft - 42 days.

Current median wait times in Ontario:

Total joint replacement surgery - 81days.

Cataract surgery - 49 days.

Coronary artery bypass graft - 18 days.

Etiquetas: Canada, In Daily Press

Le quartier Va­nier forme un co­mi­té pour garder son curé

Les ci­toyens de Va­nier tien­nent à gar­der ­leur cu­ré, l’ab­bé Pier­re Gin­gras. Ils son­gent mê­me à boy­cot­ter la mes­se du di­man­che si ja­mais l’ar­che­vê­ché ­leur en­lè­ve le prê­tre qu’ils cô­toient de­puis 15 ans.

L’ab­bé Pier­re, com­me l’ap­pel­lent af­fec­tueu­se­ment ses pa­rois­siens, n’est pas in­dif­fé­rent aux ac­tions faites par des Va­nié­rois ­pour convain­cre l’ar­che­vê­ché de lui ­confier la di­rec­tion de la pa­rois­se No­tre-Da­me-de-Va­nier ­pour un au­tre man­dat de six ans.

On a mê­me for­mé le co­mi­té des ci­toyens ­pour la sau­ve­gar­de du cu­ré Gin­gras à Va­nier. Le co­mi­té ­fait cir­cu­ler une pé­ti­tion qui se­ra ache­mi­née aux au­to­ri­tés du dio­cè­se de Qué­bec.

«C’est une bel­le mar­que de re­con­nais­san­ce, c’est gra­ti­fiant», de di­re l’ab­bé Pier­re Gingras. «C’est ­mieux que de par­tir ­dans l’in­dif­fé­ren­ce», ajou­te-t-il.

­L’idée de boy­cot­ter les cé­ré­mo­nies re­li­gieu­ses a été évo­quée ­hier par De­ni­se ­Drouin, ­une paroissienne très ac­ti­ve au ­sein du co­mi­té de ci­toyens.

«Pour­quoi chan­ger quel­que cho­se qui va ­très ­bien?» de­man­de Mme ­Drouin, qui ne ta­rit pas d’élo­ges à l’en­droit du cu­ré.

Ses mandats terminés

Se­lon les rè­gles éta­blies par le dio­cè­se, un prê­tre est nom­mé ­dans une pa­rois­se ­pour six ans, ­avec pos­si­bi­li­té de re­nou­vel­le­ment ­pour un deuxiè­me man­dat. Le deuxiè­me man­dat du cu­ré Gin­gras pren­dra fin en ­juin. Il a aus­si travaillé ­trois ans à la pa­rois­se No­tre-Da­me-de-la-Re­cou­vran­ce ­avant la fu­sion des ­deux pa­rois­ses de Va­nier, qui a mar­qué le dé­but of­fi­ciel de son pre­mier man­dat. Ce qui ex­pli­que les 15 ans pas­sés au mê­me en­droit.

Le cu­ré Gin­gras sau­ra le ­mois pro­chain le ­sort que lui ré­ser­ve l’ar­che­vê­ché. On ­sent ­dans ses pro­pos son at­ta­che­ment à Va­nier. «Après 15 ans au mê­me en­droit, il est nor­mal ­d’avoir des at­ta­ches ­bien mar­quées», dit-il. On ver­ra si les ac­tions des pa­rois­siens au­ront une in­fluen­ce, ajou­te-t-il.

L’ab­bé Gin­gras se plie­ra à la dé­ci­sion de son évê­que. ­Mais il ne se­ra pas fâ­ché si on lui an­non­ce qu’il res­te à Va­nier. «Je ­vais mê­me lui di­re mer­ci».

Etiquetas: Canada, in El Soleil

Man dies in house fire; Two manage to escape early morning blaze

A tragic early-morning fire has transformed a celebration of life into an overwhelming sense of loss for a young Timmins couple.

Just hours after Rachel Ratte gave birth to a baby boy Monday afternoon, fire tore through the family's home - claiming the life of her father-in-law and destroying all their possessions.

"This young family needs help to get back on their feet and get on with life so they can accept their loss and continue to take care of this little angel."

Julie Robert

Firefighters from Timmins Fire Department and the Schumacher volunteer fire department were summoned to the Elm Street North home along with police and ambulance personnel shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday

Ratte and her newborn child were still in Timmins and District Hospital when the fire broke out in the home she occupied with the father of her child, Kenny, and his brother.

Ratte's father-in-law, a 39-year-old Timmins man, was visiting the home. He was unable to escape the fire.

Julie Robert, Ratte's cousin, told The Daily Press on Tuesday morning that Kenny was able to save his brother from the fire, suffering injuries in the process, but he was unable to reach his father.

The father was transported to hospital without any vital signs and was later pronounced dead.

"They're crying all the time," Robert said.

Robert said the family didn't have insurance and not only doesn't have anywhere to live, but lost all their furniture, clothing and everything they had gathered in preparation for the new baby.

"They lost everything," Robert said.

"She was so happy she had everything ready for the baby and now she doesn't have anything, it's terrible."

More tragic, however, is the loss of a father and grandfather, who barely had the chance to get to know his grandson, Robert said.

"He was so happy about being a grandfather," Robert said.

"He said he would be coming back the next day to take pictures."

Robert is now looking to the community for help.

Since the family must start from scratch, Robert said they are in need of anything anyone can donate - food, furniture, clothing, baby toys and monetary contributions will all be accepted.

"It's a good thing she has her family around, but for all this to happen on the same day, is terrible," Robert said.

"They lost a father and Kenny almost lost his own life.

"This young family needs help to get back on their feet and get on with life so they can accept their loss and continue to take care of this little angel."

Donations can be sent to Tracy and Joel Ratte, 270 Kraft Creek Rd, Timmins, ON, P4N 7C3 or can be dropped off at Rachel's aunt's house at 9 Bogey Drive Apt. D in Fairway Village.

"This new baby and his parents are counting on your help," Robert said.

The Ontario Fire Marshal's office inspected the scene Tuesday, along with officials from Timmins Fire Department and Timmins Police Service, in hopes of determining the cause of the fire.

Family support

To help support the family who lost their home and possessions from the Elm Street North fire, donations can be sent to Tracy and Joel Ratte, 270 Kraft Creek Rd., Timmins, ON, P4N 7C3 or drop them off at 9 Bogey Dr., Apt. D in Fairway Village.

Etiquetas: Canada, In Daily Press

Intervenir au Pakistan pour gagner en Afghanistan — S. Dion

Le ­chef li­bé­ral fé­dé­ral Sté­pha­ne ­Dion ­croit que la lut­te au ter­ro­ris­me en Af­gha­nis­tan pas­se par une in­ter­ven­tion élar­gie au Pa­kis­tan. ­L’OTAN, ­dont ­fait par­tie le Ca­na­da, pour­rait ai­der à le dé­bar­ras­ser des «in­sur­gés» qui s’y re­plient.

Tou­jours par­ti­san du re­trait des for­ces ar­mées ca­na­dien­nes des zo­nes de com­bat en Af­gha­nis­tan, le ­chef du Par­ti li­bé­ral du Ca­na­da a évo­qué ce scé­na­rio ­lors de son pas­sa­ge à Qué­bec, ­hier.

De re­tour d’un sé­jour ­dans ce ­coin trou­blé de la pla­nè­te, M. ­Dion a sou­li­gné qu’il se­ra ­bien dif­fi­ci­le d’y ra­me­ner l’or­dre «­tant qu’on ne pour­ra pas met­tre ­hors ­d’état de nui­re les cen­tres de ter­ro­ris­tes au Pa­kis­tan. Plu­sieurs res­pon­sa­bles af­ghans ­nous ont dit sa­voir où ils ­sont. Le pro­blè­me, c’est qu’on ­n’agit pas.

«Il fau­dra ­agir, un ­jour. Par­ce que, lors­que nos trou­pes, cou­ra­geu­se­ment, ‘‘net­toient’’ un ter­ri­toi­re, on com­prend ­bien que, ­très sou­vent, ce qui s’est pro­duit, c’est que les in­sur­gés se ­sont ré­fu­giés au Pa­kis­tan. Ils re­vien­dront à la pre­miè­re oc­ca­sion.»

Sté­pha­ne ­Dion n’a pas vou­lu pré­ci­ser qui est res­pon­sa­ble de cet­te in­ac­tion. «Il ­faut ren­for­cer les pres­sions sur le Pa­kis­tan ­pour ré­gler les pro­blè­mes du ter­ro­ris­me» là-bas, et non seu­le­ment en Af­gha­nis­tan.

Se­lon le lea­der du PLC, le dé­bar­que­ment d’une for­ce condui­te par ­l’OTAN (l’Or­ga­ni­sa­tion du trai­té de l’At­lan­ti­que ­Nord) ­doit ­être en­vi­sa­gé. «Il fau­drait en dis­cu­ter de fa­çon ­très ac­ti­ve.

«Si (les di­ri­geants pa­kis­ta­nais) ­sont in­ca­pa­bles de le fai­re ­tout ­seuls, c’est quel­que cho­se qu’on pour­rait en­vi­sa­ger ­avec les for­ces de ­l’OTAN. Com­ment ai­der le Pa­kis­tan à ­nous ai­der à pa­ci­fier l’Af­gha­nis­tan? Si­non ça va du­rer ­très long­temps.»

Ce­pen­dant, le pé­ri­ple qui lui a ­fait ren­con­trer le pré­si­dent af­ghan Ha­mid Kar­zaï n’a pas ­fait chan­ger ­d’idée à Sté­pha­ne ­Dion sur la pré­sen­ce des mi­li­tai­res ca­na­diens là-bas. Ces der­niers doi­vent ces­ser la mis­sion de com­bat en 2009.

­Hier, La Pres­se rap­por­tait que le pré­si­dent Kar­zaï a ré­pri­man­dé M. ­Dion et son dé­pu­té Mi­chael Igna­tieff, à ce pro­pos. Les ­deux hom­mes se ­sont ­fait aver­tir qu’un re­trait du Ca­na­da trans­for­me­ra la pro­vin­ce af­gha­ne de Kan­da­har en ­foyer du ter­ro­ris­me in­ter­na­tio­nal.

Le ­chef li­bé­ral a main­te­nu en ­point de pres­se la da­te ­pour ra­pa­trier l’es­sen­tiel des trou­pes ca­na­dien­nes. Nos for­ces ar­mées res­te­ront là-bas, ­mais ­hors de la mis­sion de com­bat. «Ce se­ra ­dans un au­tre rô­le. Il ne s’agi­rait ­plus de cher­cher ac­ti­ve­ment l’en­ga­ge­ment ­avec l’en­ne­mi.» Le sou­tien des sol­dats se can­ton­ne­rait à don­ner un ­coup de ­main à reconstruire le ­pays et à ra­me­ner la sé­cu­ri­té.

Délégation «en danger»

M. ­Dion a pro­fi­té de sa ren­con­tre ­avec les jour­na­lis­tes ­pour ac­cu­ser la se­cré­tai­re ­d’État aux Af­fai­res étran­gè­res du gou­ver­ne­ment Har­per ­d’avoir dé­li­bé­ré­ment at­ten­té à sa sé­cu­ri­té. He­le­na Guer­gis ­doit dé­mis­sion­ner ­pour ­avoir ré­vé­lé à l’avan­ce l’iti­né­rai­re qu’a sui­vi M. ­Dion, ­lors de ses dé­pla­ce­ments en Af­gha­nis­tan.

Ce ges­te «in­ac­cep­ta­ble» a mis en dan­ger tou­te la dé­lé­ga­tion ca­na­dien­ne de mê­me que les mi­li­tai­res char­gés d’as­su­rer la sé­cu­ri­té. «C’est quel­que cho­se de ­très sé­rieux, a sou­te­nu M. ­Dion. ­Nous de­man­dons que Mme Guer­gis n’ait ­plus ac­cès au se­cret du Ca­bi­net pri­vé.»

Etiquetas: Canada, in El Soleil

­Îlot des Pa­lais : le maire Labeaume suspend les travaux

Qué­bec s’est of­fert un ca­deau em­poi­son­né en ­l’îlot des Pa­lais. Le mai­re Ré­gis La­beau­me dit faire face à un di­lem­me de plu­sieurs ­millions de dol­lars : la ­Ville ­doit-el­le in­ves­tir 15 ­mil­lions $ ­pour ne pas per­dre les 4,5 ­millions $ dé­jà al­lon­gés ­pour la cons­truc­tion de ce mu­sée mu­ni­ci­pal?

Cho­se cer­tai­ne, ce legs ­pour le 400e choi­si par la dé­fun­te mai­res­se An­drée Bou­cher ne se­ra ja­mais ­prêt ­pour 2008. Au len­de­main de son élec­tion à la mai­rie, Ré­gis La­beau­me a dé­ci­dé de met­tre les tra­vaux sur la gla­ce.

«­Quand je ­suis ar­ri­vé, il y ­avait dé­jà du re­tard. Il ­était évi­dent que le legs ne se­rait pas li­vré en 2008. À par­tir de ce mo­ment, ça pre­nait ­moins d’im­por­tan­ce, il n’y ­avait ­plus d’ur­gen­ce.»

­Mais voi­là, les 4,5 ­millions $ in­ves­tis ont seu­le­ment per­mis d’éla­bo­rer les ­plans et de cou­ler — en par­tie — les fon­da­tions de ce mu­sée. À l’heu­re ac­tuel­le, le chan­tier est à l’aban­don. La nei­ge re­cou­vre les fon­da­tions du bâ­ti­ment qui, à l’in­star de Poin­te-à-Cal­liè­re à Mon­tréal, de­vait per­met­tre de dé­cou­vrir les rui­nes du pa­lais de l’in­ten­dant, cet an­cien siè­ge du gou­ver­ne­ment de Nou­vel­le-Fran­ce dé­truit par un in­cen­die en 1713.

«Je n’ai pas le ­goût qu’on ait mis 4,5 ­millions $ ­dans ­rien. ­Mais, mon di­lem­me, ce n’est pas par­ce qu’on a mal in­ves­ti cet ar­gent qu’il ­faut en ajou­ter 15 ­millions $», ré­su­me-t-il. M. La­beau­me est néan­moins convain­cu de l’in­té­rêt de ­l’îlot des Pa­lais.

«La va­leur his­to­ri­que du pro­jet est évi­den­te. C’est le siè­ge ad­mi­nis­tra­tif de la Nou­vel­le-Fran­ce.»

Mécènes recherchés

­Pour l’in­stant, le mai­re re­fu­se tou­te­fois de spé­cu­ler sur la da­te de re­pri­se des tra­vaux. «Ce pro­jet au­ra ­lieu si les gou­ver­ne­ments s’im­pli­quent et si des mé­cè­nes du pri­vé in­ves­tis­sent», po­se-t-il com­me condi­tion. Et dé­jà, M. La­beau­me écar­te ­l’idée de me­ner la deuxiè­me pha­se, qui au­rait re­cons­ti­tué le deuxiè­me pa­lais de l’in­ten­dant au co­ût d’un deuxiè­me ver­se­ment de 21 ­millions $.

­Après ­avoir ap­pris ­hier l’exis­ten­ce d’un co­mi­té de sui­vi, il s’in­ter­ro­ge sur son uti­li­té, le grou­pe pré­si­dé par An­drée Bou­cher en­tre mai 2006 et ­août dernier ne ­s’étant ré­uni qu’à ­trois re­pri­ses. Pour­tant, ses col­lè­gues au co­mi­té exé­cu­tif Fran­çois Pi­card et Ray­mond ­Dion sié­geaient à ce grou­pe. Les ­conseillers Jac­ques Jo­li-­Coeur, Pier­re Ma­heux, Pa­trick ­Huot, Loui­se La­poin­te, ­Marc Si­mo­neau ain­si que le di­rec­teur gé­né­ral ad­joint Ser­ge ­Viau et le di­rec­teur du pro­jet Guy Si­mard en fai­saient éga­le­ment par­tie.

Etiquetas: Canada, in El Soleil

Troubled Actor Brad Renfro Dies at 25

Actor Brad Renfro, whose career began promisingly with a childhood role in "The Client" but rapidly faded as he struggled with drugs and alcohol, was found dead Tuesday in his home. He was 25.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 a.m., said Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The cause of death was not immediately determined, Harvey said, but an autopsy could be conducted as early as Wednesday.

Renfro had reportedly been drinking with friends the evening before his death, Harvey said.

Renfro's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to any problems with addiction.

"He was working hard on his sobriety," Kaplan said. "He was doing well. He was a nice person."

Renfro recently completed a role in "The Informers," a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel that stars Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton.

"Brad was an exceptionally talented young actor and our time spent with him was thoroughly enjoyable," Marco Weber, president of the film's production house, Senator Entertainment, said in a statement.

The actor served 10 days in jail in May 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and guilty to attempted possession of heroin.

The latter charge stemmed from his arrest in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, when he attempted to buy heroin from an undercover officer in 2005.

For several years he was better known for that drug bust and the resulting criminal case than for acting.

After one court appearance, he talked to reporters about drug rehabilitation, saying he was "tired of paying the consequences" for drinking and drug use and eager to get clean.

"It's definitely been an eye-opener," he said of his rehabilitation program.

Other run-ins with the law included a 1998 charge of cocaine and marijuana possession, for which he avoided jail time in a plea deal. He was also placed on probation in January 2001 and ordered to pay $4,000 for repairs to a 45-foot yacht he and a friend tried to steal in Florida in August 2000.

He was arrested again in May 2001 and charged with underage drinking, violating the terms of his probation, and was ordered into alcohol rehabilitation the following March.

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Renfro's film career began when he was 12, acting opposite Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in "The Client." His other credits included "Sleepers," "Deuces Wild," "Apt Pupil" and "The Jacket."

Etiquetas: In Rapid City Journal, USA

Congress Aims at Tejada, Clemens, Bonds

Taking on baseball's steroids problem once again, Congress kept the finger-pointing and tough questioning to a minimum. Maybe that's because the people under the most scrutiny this time _ Miguel Tejada, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens _ were nowhere to be seen. Commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Donald Fehr accepted responsibility for the sport's drug boom and the author of the Mitchell Report defended his findings in the same wood-paneled House hearing room that hosted a far longer and far more contentious session in March 2005.

It didn't take long for the focus to shift to players Tuesday.

The hearing opened with word that Congress wants Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP, investigated for lying to federal authorities. The first witness, former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, testified he believes a former trainer's allegations that he injected seven-time Cy Young Award winner Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone. And Selig told lawmakers that Bonds' San Francisco Giants should have reported concerns about the home run king's personal trainer.

The 4-hour, 15-minute session before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee also exposed what might be the latest drugs abused by the sport's stars: Ritalin and Adderall, stimulants better known as treatments for hyperactive kids. According to data provided to the committee by MLB and the union, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, there were 35 "Therapeutic Use Exemptions" for drugs in 2006, of which 28 were for ADD and ADHD medications. In 2007, the exemptions skyrocketed to 111, of which 103 were for ADD and ADHD.

"It seems to be a little bit odd, said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned-substances list. "I'm the guy who made the issue three years ago about amphetamines, and baseball said they didn't have a problem with greenies."

One of Mitchell's recommendations was that baseball needs an independent agency to handle drug testing, and the data about ADD drugs supports that, Wadler said.

"This demands an explanation. There's something fundamentally wrong them going from 28 to 103," Wadler said. "If we had this percentage increase in the general population, it would be on the evening news as a national epidemic. It's an outrageous number."

Overall, though, Selig and Fehr found a far friendlier audience than they did on March 17, 2005, when they were chastised and grilled by the same committee for a lax steroids program. That 11-hour hearing is best remembered for Mark McGwire's infamous and oft-repeated phrase, "I'm not here to talk about the past," and Rafael Palmeiro's finger-wagging denial of steroid use only months before failing a drug test.

"I'm proud of the progress we've made. I never delude myself, because I know there's always more work to be done," Selig said after Tuesday's hearing. "But when you think of where we were three years ago to where we are ... I appreciated the response from them today."

In the aftermath of the 2005 hearing, baseball and the union agreed to toughen their drug policy, including harsher penalties, more testing and a ban on amphetamines.

In his opening statement, Selig vowed to do more, including testing top prospects before the amateur draft. He also reiterated a willingness to test for human growth hormone "when a valid, commercially available and practical test for HGH becomes reality, regardless of whether the test is based on blood or urine."

Fehr, in turn, said the union has agreed to "allow players to be suspended for HGH use based on evidence other than a positive test."

He and Selig said they met in December to discuss the Mitchell Report's recommendations and plan to meet again.

"I hope we have all of this completed before spring training," Selig said.

Not every exchange with the lawmakers was easy.

"This scandal happened under your watch. I want that to sink in. It did," Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings told Selig and Fehr, frequent adversaries seated side-by-side at the witness table after Mitchell finished. "Do you accept responsibility for this scandal or do you think there was nothing you could do to prevent it?"

Fehr paused for several seconds.

"Did we or did I appreciate the depth of the problem? ... The answer is 'No,'" Fehr replied. "It's a failure that we didn't, and it's a failure that I didn't."

Selig then followed, starting by saying he's agonized over the question.

"Do I wish we could have reacted quicker? Should we have? One could make the case," the commissioner said. "All of us have to take responsibility, starting with me."

Before any testimony, committee chairman Henry Waxman announced he and ranking Republican Tom Davis asked the Justice Department to look into whether Tejada lied to committee staffers when questioned in connection to Palmeiro's perjury case in 2005.

"Tejada told the committee that he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and that he had no knowledge of other players using or even talking about steroids," Waxman said. "Well, the Mitchell Report, however, directly contradicts key elements of Mr. Tejada's testimony."

Palmeiro said his positive test might have resulted from a B-12 vitamin injection given to him by Tejada _ at the time, a teammate on the Baltimore Orioles _ and the committee concluded there was insufficient evidence to refer Palmeiro's case to the Justice Department.

In the Mitchell Report, Adam Piatt, Tejada's former teammate with the Oakland Athletics, said he provided Tejada with steroids and HGH in 2003. Mitchell also included copies of checks allegedly written by Tejada to Piatt in March 2003 for $3,100 and $3,200.

"We will review and respond to the letter from Chairman Waxman and Rep. Davis," Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said.

Late in the day came news that Tejada's older brother, Freddy, was killed in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic, according to the Aguilas Cibaenas, the shortstop's winter league team. Tejada, scheduled to play Tuesday night, wasn't at the ballpark and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Waxman raised Bonds' name during Selig's appearance, asking the commissioner whether the Giants should have reported their concerns about Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, and the slugger's alleged steroid use to the commissioner's office.

"Of course," Selig responded.

Pressed by Waxman about whether Giants general manager Brian Sabean violated baseball rules by not doing so, Selig said: "It's a matter that I have under review," perhaps hinting that Sabean or other team officials could face discipline.

Waxman also expressed concern that, according to the report, Giants owner Peter Magowan's lawyer called Mitchell to say Magowan "misspoke" about Bonds' possible use of steroids.

"This incident shows why it's important for baseball's management to take the problem of steroids seriously. It's possible that the BALCO scandal could have been averted if Brian Sabean and Peter Magowan acted in a responsible fashion," Waxman said. "Instead, they seemed more intent on protecting Bonds."

Magowan issued a statement that did not directly address the Bonds-Anderson issue, saying instead the Giants "pledge to embrace every necessary reform to address" the steroids problem.

Since last month's release of the Mitchell Report, the focus largely has been on Clemens, who has been asked to testify at a Feb. 13 hearing, along with his former trainer, Brian McNamee. Clemens has vehemently denied McNamee's allegations.

"You continue to feel comfortable with Mr. McNamee's credibility?" Waxman asked.

"We believe that the statements provided to us were truthful," Mitchell said, adding McNamee was interviewed three times.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York and AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Etiquetas: In Rapid City Journal, USA

Attorneys waiting for DNA results

Prosecutors and defense attorneys both are awaiting DNA results in the case of a Rapid City woman charged with murdering her boyfriend in September.

Chari Miranda, 20, is charged with four alternate counts connected to the death of 24-year-old Richard Standing Bear.

Miranda can only be convicted of one of the counts. They are second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction; two first-degree manslaughter counts, which carry up to life in prison; and second-degree manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Attorneys on Tuesday asked 7th Circuit Judge A.P. "Pete" Fuller to set a status hearing next month, after the DNA results are expected to be complete. Fuller set a hearing for Feb. 19.

Miranda remains in custody at Pennington County Jail on a $1 million cash or surety bond.

Etiquetas: In Rapid City Journal, USA

LEFT IN LETHAL LIMBO

Tudo em: http://todaywnews.blogspot.com/

The end that awaits Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., barring a legal reversal of fortunes, requires him to be strapped down to a gurney and injected with a mix of lethal chemicals. The serial sex offender, convicted in 2006 of raping and murdering Dru Sjodin, is one of 55 inmates waiting on federal death row. His conviction remains on appeal, but the method of execution called for in his sentence has been challenged on the grounds that it violates constitutional protection against “cruel and unusual” punishment. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments for and against what’s called the three-drug “cocktail” method of lethal injection,

by far the nation’s most widely used means of execution.

Because North Dakota doesn’t have the death penalty, the judge selected South Dakota law as the template for Rodriguez’s execution, which remains unscheduled, pending the outcome of his appeal.

South Dakota is one of 37 states that have adopted the three-drug series of injections. Ironically, states flocked to the method after other methods, principally electrocution and the gas chamber, increasingly came under court challenges.

Many death sentences around the country have been on hold since the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case more than a year ago, in December 2006, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Both the prosecution and defense in the Rodriguez case say it’s likely the constitutionality of the triple-drug method will be decided before the appeals in his case. Federal death penalty appeals typically take from six

to eight years, said Drew Wrigley, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota.

“It’s a moot point,” he said.

Defense briefs to challenge Rodriguez’s conviction are due next month, almost a year after the former Crookston, Minn., man was sentenced to death.

If successful, the lethal injection challenge would not overturn the death penalty, which consistently has been upheld. Instead, it likely would lead to a different method of lethal injection, lawyers said.

One likely replacement would be a single injection, an overdose of barbiturates, the method veterinarians routinely use to humanely put pets to sleep.

“We’re going to at least do as well with humans as we do with animals,” said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. In fact, some states prohibit animals from being put to sleep by the three-drug method, which critics say is not based on sound medical research.

In recent years, botched injections, with condemned prisoners reportedly grimacing or taking prolonged periods to die, have called the humaneness of the cocktail into question.

One problem: Many doctors and other health professionals refuse to take part in executions, leaving the injections to corrections officers who lack medical training.

The first cocktail drug should render the prisoner unconscious, to spare him from what follows: a second drug that paralyzes his muscles, and the final injection, to stop the heart.

If improperly administered, however, the patient suffers because his paralyzed muscles prevent him from breathing, and from the potent drug used to stop the heart, said Richard Ney, one of Rodriguez’s defense lawyers and an active death penalty opponent.

“One can imagine the horrible death that would be,” Ney said. “It would be excruciatingly painful. It’s a horrible, burning, ravaging poison.”

The reason for the first two drugs, to make the inmate unconscious and paralyzed, primarily are to spare witnesses by masking the pain experienced by the executed prisoner, Ney said.

“I’m not sure why the states are fighting this,” he said. Lethal injection, with its sense of clinical sterility, was a way of giving a falsely humane face to execution, Ney added.

“This was an effort to placate society,” he said. Lethal injections of barbiturates take longer, 20 or 30 minutes, and the person may twitch involuntarily. That may be unpleasant for witnesses, but the prisoner apparently suffers no pain, Ney said.

In fact, society is becoming increasingly troubled by the death penalty, Dieter said. Executions peaked in 1999 and have been declining since then for a variety of reasons.

One reason, he said, are highly publicized cases in which condemned prisoners have been exonerated by DNA evidence. That heightens awareness of the possibility wrongful convictions resulting in death, Dieter said.

“Who knows how often that happens,” he said. “Life without parole gives jurors and judges an out.”

Also, death penalty appeals drag on for years and are costly. The average death penalty case in Texas, which executes the most prisoners, is about $3 million. In California, where executions are rare, the average cost is much higher, more like

$125 million, Dieter said.

By contrast, life in prison without parole costs an average of $125,000, he added, or $5 million for a prisoner whose life term runs 40 years. “Death penalty cases are in the multimillions when everything is taken into account.”

Finally, Dieter said, many are unconvinced of the deterrent effect of the death penalty, and whether it helps prevent murder or other heinous crimes punished by death.

“It’s a safety issue or it’s a justice issue,” he said of growing unease over the death penalty. “We do sense the public is shifting a bit.”

But courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of capital punishment, Wrigley said. The methods have changed over time, however.

Once hanging and firing squads were the standard, replaced by more technologically advanced methods, such as electrocution and the gas chamber, to be replaced by lethal injection.

Etiquetas: In The Forum, USA

Diverse group urges reform of 1872 mining law

Hard-rock mining has been getting a free ride for 136 years, a group of ranchers, environmentalists and others said at a press conference Tuesday.

The group, which included former U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont., and Julia Doney, president of the Fort Belknap Tribal Council, urged Montana's congressional delegation to back a pending bill overhauling federal mining law.

A representative of the mining industry said in an interview later that American companies favor some kind of mining law revision, but they envision a plan that calls for lower royalty rates than the ones in the bill.

"I don't want them to go out of business," Williams said of mining companies. But as it stands, federal law allows hard-rock mining alone to pay no royalties to the government. State, federal and local governments often end up paying to clean up mining scars after the companies have gone out of business.

Hard-rock mining in the United States is governed, in part, by a bill signed in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant. The law exempts hard-rock mining from paying a royalty to the government on the value of the metal extracted. Mining companies are also able to get land to locate their mines for $5 an acre or less. Additionally, said Jeff Barber, water and mining director of the Montana Environmental Information Center in Helena, federal land managers must allow mining to go forward, even if they think it might be inappropriate or might damage other uses of the land.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill changing the law in November. That bill is expected to go before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for a hearing later this month.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is a member of the committee.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., would make existing hard-rock mines pay a 4 percent royalty and make any new mines pay an 8 percent royalty on metals extracted.

The money would go into a trust fund to clean up abandoned mines.

Aaron Murphy, a Tester spokesman, said the senator supports the idea of changing the mining law and looks forward to the hearing.

"The mining law hasn't changed since 17 years before Montana was even a state," Murphy said. "Jon believes it needs to be updated to be fair."

Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, said his organization supports changing the 1872 mining law. However, he said the 8 percent royalty in the current bill would be the highest metal royalty assessed anywhere in the world and would put American mining at a disadvantage.


U.S. expensive
The United States is already a very expensive place to mine, he said. The U.S. has higher steel costs, energy costs and wages. Mining companies must also comply with a host of federal and state environmental laws, making getting a permit to open a mine time-consuming and expensive.

"That equals a shrinking mining industry," he said. "It would certainly discourage investment."

Popovich said many mining companies would prefer an across-the-board 4 percent royalty.

"That would ensure the public a fair rate of return and still attract investment in mining," he said.

Doney, whose reservation surrounds three sides of the defunct Zortman-Landusky gold mines, said mining companies must be held responsible for cleaning up their messes. The Zortman-Landusky mines are now being reclaimed with public money, which includes millions to treat tainted water indefinitely.

That money could be spent on schools or health care, she said.

Williams said he favors some kind of royalty fee that would be indexed to the global minerals market. When times are good, he said, mining companies could pay more in royalties.

When the market sinks, the royalty rate would also deflate, although Williams said he wouldn't want the rate to sink below 4 percent.

Williams' ideas are not part of the current bill.

Etiquetas: In Billings Gazette, USA

Vanessa Gerbelli grava cenas de 'Amor e Intrigas' no Rio

Os atores Vanessa Gerbelli, Luciano Szafir e Cláudio Gabriel gravaram cenas da novela Amor e Intrigas, da Record, nesta terça-feira, no Aterro do Flamengo, no Rio de Janeiro.

Na cena, Jurandir (Claudio Gabriel) segue Alice (Vanessa Gerbelli) para matá-la. Alice resiste e consegue se livrar de Jurandir, que corre atrás dela.

Felipe (Luciano Szafir) vai atrás de Alice e acaba tentando salvar sua amada, ele briga com Jurandir e acaba levando um tiro no ombro.

Amor e Intrigas é exibida de segunda a sexta-feira pela Rede Record por volta das 21h.

Confira as fotos:

Etiquetas: Amor e Intrigas, brasileira, Vanessa Gerbelli

Carla Regina sex tape

Carla Regina, que já posou pelada para a Revista Sexy, e considerada uma das mulheres mais Sexys do mundo, está envolvida numa grande polémica. Alegadamente, Carla terá gravado uma sua relação sexual com outra mulher. Já tentamos encontrar o video desta tape, mas não encontramos, pelo que não é possível confirmar a veracidade desta notícia.

Etiquetas: celebridades, divas, Entertainment, escandalo, famosas, Media, news, video

Exótica - Devon Aoki

Provavelmente, algumas das leitoras que mais acompanham o mundo da moda conhecem o nome e o rosto invulgares desta jovem de 21 anos. Devon Aoki é já uma modelo veterana e familiarizada com as colecções de Givenchy, Fendi, Balenciaga, Thierry Mugler, Versace ou Lancôme. Mas, à semelhança de outras modelos, Devon deixou-se também conquistar pelo mundo do cinema, e decidiu alternar as passerelles com o plateau, precisamente como corredora de automóveis em Velocidade + Furiosa, a sequela do famoso filme sobre provas de carros proibidos, Velocidade Furiosa. Isto apesar de nem sequer ter ainda carta de condução...

Devon Aoki nasceu em Nova Iorque, mas cresceu em Malibu, no seio de uma família cosmopolita, de raízes japonesas por parte do pai, o ex-campeão olímpico de luta, Rocky Aoki, e alemãs e americanas por parte da mãe, a designer de joalharia Pamela Hilburger. Ficou também conhecida pelo breve relacionamento amoroso com o rocker Lenny Kravitz. Como se percebe, os últimos anos têm sido vividos a uma velocidade semelhante ao potente Honda 2000 superequipado que guia no filme que agora estreia.

A verdade é que, apesar do sucesso em Hollywood, Aoki está empenhada em cumprir o contrato que assinou como um dos novos rostos da marca Lancôme, juntamente com Uma Thurman, Mena Suvari e Elizabeth Jagger. “Para mim, fazer cinema é uma coisa nova. Ainda agora comecei. Apesar de ser uma modelo veterana, continuo a ir a castings e a aprender tudo de novo.”

Esta mistura de culturas e ambientes acaba por se reflectir também na sua maneira de estar tão à vontade nos meios mais sofisticados de Hollywood como nos ambientes mais despreocupados. Modelo desde os 15 anos, Aoki demonstra ter um gosto muito particular ao misturar roupas e acessórios de designers com peças vintage. E assume que uma das suas maiores fraquezas são os sapatos Manolo Blahnik, um pouco à semelhança da personagem de Sarah Jessica Parker na série
O Sexo e a Cidade. “Nesse aspecto, sou completamente culpada. Tento não contar o número de ‘Manolos’ no meu armário...

Etiquetas: blog, blogging, celebridades, Devon Aoki, famosas mundiais

Daniela Cicarelli a transar na Praia

Quem não se lembra do Video da Daniela Cicarelli a transar na Praia, em Espanha?!?

Pois é, ainda não tinhamos dito que em Espanha continua a não se esquecer este episódio, e já há escursões para visitar a praia em que tal aconteceu. Se estiver interessado, consulte a sua agencia de viagens. De certo já terão essa informação.

Etiquetas: celebridades, Danielle Cicarelli, divas, Entertainment, escandalo, famosas, Media, news, video

Jodie Foster assume relação homossexual em evento

 

Find your Girlfriend / Bondage / Make Friends 

A atriz Jodie Foster, 44 anos, assumiu relacionamento homossexual ao dedicar um prêmio à sua companheira, Cydney Bernard, no evento que elege as 100 mulheres mais poderosas da indústria do entretenimento, realizado nesta terça-feira, em Los Angeles, segundo o jornal Daily Mail.

"Devo este prêmio à minha linda Cydney, que está comigo nos bons e maus momentos", disse ela em seu discurso.
Jodie Foster nunca falou sobre sexualidade publicamente. Ela é mãe de dois filhos, Charles, 9, e Kit, 6, cuja identidade do pai é um mistério.
Jodie e Cydney estão juntas há mais de 14 anos. Elas se conheceram em 1993 no set das filmagens de Sommersby - O Retorno de um Estranho.
A atriz já havia dado sinais sobre a sua relação com Cydney quando doou dinheiro ao Centro de Saúde Saban, na Califórnia, em nome dos filhos. Na época, ela entregou duas placas à instituição com os nomes: Kit Bernard Foster e Charles Bernard Foster. Find your Girlfriend / Bondage / Make Friends

Etiquetas: celebridades, celebrities, famosas mundiais, homosexualidade, Jodie Foster