Haiti’s Secretaries of State Not Haitian, Including One Implicated In Dismissal of Mayors | Plusieurs secrétaires d’Etat ne sont pas Haïtiens, y compris celui accusé du licensement des maires

By staff (jep kft), AlterPresse | English translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Several secretaries in Michel Martelly’s cabinet have a foreign nationality. Secretary of State for the Interior Georges Racine was discovered to be a U.S. citizen; the Secretary of State for Culture and Heritage was discovered to be Spanish, and the Secretary of State for Higher Education was found to be Canadian. The citizenships of Michel Martelly himself and his latest PM designate Laurent Lamothe are also under investigation. (English | French)

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International Community Pushes for Permanent Electoral Council, New Haitian Elections

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Representatives of Haiti and the international community participated in a one-hour meeting in the National Palace on Thursday, March 1 on the urgent need to establish a Permanent Electoral Council and schedule new elections, as prescribed by the Haitian Constitution. In another meeting between the representatives of Haiti and Venezuela on March 2-3, Venezuela announced $369 million of projects including a gift of financial and technical support for a National Identification system.

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Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango: Music and Dance

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery | You Tube. Superb orchestral and dance performances of Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango are offered as a nod to the residents of Famatima and Chilecito whose protests have helped to save their lands and water from Canadian mining.

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Argentina’s Famatima, Chilecito Protesters Halt Open-Pit Gold Mine

By Staff, MercoPress. Residents of the towns of Famatina and Chilecito, in Argentina, led a huge march that arrived on Thursday March 1, 2012, at their governor’s office in La Rioja – the provincial capital – to call for a halt to Canadian firm Osisko’s open-pit gold mining project.

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Haiti’s Elected Mayors Dismissed, Illegally Replaced by Presidential Appointees | Prefeitos Eleitos do Haiti Demitidos, Substituídos Ilegalmente por Nomeados pelo Presidente

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Thirteen Haitian mayors were dismissed and replaced on February 18, 2012 by presidential decree. In a press conference, one mayor said that a new individual recently arrived claiming to be his municipality’s new mayor, and two days later he got a letter telling him to assist this person in taking inventory of the region’s heritage. Another mayor wrote in open letter on February 3 that his life is under threat. Secretary of the Interior Georges Racine is thought to be behind the wave of illegal dismissals. (English | Portuguese)

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Poland Government: We Were Wrong, We Will Not Ratify ACTA

By Alice Trudelle, Warsaw Business Journal | By Staff, The Slovenia Times | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. “I was wrong,” said Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who announced that he wrote to his party not to back ACTA in the EU Parliament in its current form. A protest by Anonymous is underway.

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Haitian Senate Resolution: UN Soldiers Accused of Rape Should Be Tried In Place | Le Sénat vote une résolution réclamant que des soldats de l’ONU accusés de crimes soient jugés en Haïti

By staff, AHP | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. The Haitian Senate has strongly condemned the latest rape of a boy on Jan 20, 2012 by Pakistani UN soldiers and noted that in such cases it is the law of the place where the crime is committed that should prevail. (English | French)

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U.N. Tightens Belt: No More Cruise Ship Hotels | La ONU se ajusta el cinturón : No mas barcos de crucero

By Thalif Deen, IPS. Compared to the $5.4 B U.N. budget for 2010-11, the 2012-13 budget will be cut by $260 M. This is a cut of less than 5%, but the news are still significant because, since its inception over 50 years ago, the U.N. has expanded every year, except for one instance 14 years ago. (English | Spanish)

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Act Up Against ACTA Saturday Feb 11th

By Staff, Access Now | YouTube | Haiti Chery. Protests against ACTA will take place worldwide on Saturday February 11, 2012. Over 1.75 million people have signed a petition against ACTA that is expected to get the endorsement of more than 2 million.

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ACTA Not Yet International Law | French MEP Quits in Protest

By Olivia Solon, Wired | Kader Arif, European MP Socialists & Democrats of the EU, Translated from the French by Dady Chery for Haiti Chery. It is not over. ACTA will not become law if the European Parliament is prevented from making it so in June 2012. Translation of full statement from Kader Arif included. (English | French)

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In Famatina, Water Is Worth Far More Than Gold | El agua vale más que el oro en Famatina | Famatina, onde a água vale mais do que o ouro

By Marcela Valente, IPS | Periodismo Humano | TN Argentina | You Tube. Thousands in the northwest Argentina province of La Rioja are mobilizing to stop an open-cast gold mining project in the Nevados de Famatina, a snowy peak that is the semi-arid area’s sole source of drinking water. “We take turns [blocking the road to the mountain], and we’re going to hold our ground until the government and the company drop this project,” – Carina Diaz Moreno, teacher from Famatima. (English | Spanish | Portuguese | Includes music video)

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Block Thursday Jan 26th EU Ratification of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement ACTA

By John Kennedy, Silicon Republic | Sharon Polsky, Interweb Freedom | YouTube (courtesy of Defend Your Freedom) | Why You Should Care About ACTA (booklet, in multiple languages), European Digital Rights | Assembled by Haiti Chery. European countries, including Ireland, might later this week join the US, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Canada in supporting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement ACTA. This bill would deputize Internet Service Providers to spy on their customers, among other things. Includes PDF with text of ACTA. UPDATED Jan 26th.

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Pirate Party: a Global Civil Rights Movement

By PP International. Pirate Parties are in place or being formed in over 50 countries. See the Principles of Pirate Party.

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Haiti-Bound Cholera Vaccine ‘Absolutely Useless’ According to Bangladesh Field Trial | Le vaccin pour Haïti contre le choléra est ‘absolument inutile,’ d’après un essai au Bangladesh

By Dr. Rashid Haider, The Independent | Ahmed Sadiq, News from Bangladesh | Translated by Dady Chery for Haiti Chery. Incidents of scientific fraud have reached a record high, and one area that requires careful scrutiny is vaccine trials in far-away developing countries. A detailed report of Bangladesh’s 2011 field trials, for the Shanchol vaccine being pushed on Haiti, thoroughly disproves claims made about this vaccine. (English | French)

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