Translated by Brian Schwarz
Originally published January 4, 2010 in "La Prensa" of Managua, Nicaragua (laprensa.com.ni) under the heading Bolivia anuncia cumbre de Unasur
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (AFP) – The Bolivian government announced Monday in La Paz that the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) will host a summit in Quito, Ecuador, January 27 and 28, to discuss the issue of the seven U.S. military bases in Colombia.
“We will be arranging a meeting of the heads of state of UNASUR, January 27 and 28, where we will discuss exclusively the issue of the military bases” in Colombia, said Bolivian defense minister Walker San Miguel, interviewed by the private radio station Erbol.
The Bolivian official announced that “the Bolivian government will take its well-known stance” at the meeting, referring to La Paz’ firm criticism of the U.S. military bases, a position clearly shared by Colombia’s neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador.
The existence of more than six bases staffed with U.S. personnel has generated a total impasse in the region, which feels uncomfortable with the foreign presence”, said the defense minister, Bolivia’s point person on the Colombia-U.S. military situation.
At the last meeting of UNASUR, held in Quito last November, defense ministers agreed to organize a regional meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in order to discuss the matter.
UNASUR, headquartered in Ecuador, is comprised of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Perú, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela. [UNASUR in this article refers to the voting body formed by the UNASUR treaty, signed in 2008, which aims to organize South America in a model similar to that of the European Union with a common currency, parliament, and passport.]
Showing posts with label Colombia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colombia. Show all posts
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Gay marriage, adoption rights open path to equality in Latin America
Translated by Brian SchwarzOriginally published in “El Tiempo” of Bogota, Colombia (eltiempo.com) under the heading Poco a poco se abren paso las bodas gays en América Latina
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY – For the gay community, 2009 was a year of great advances in the fight for equal rights in a region where fierce resistance stems from a strong Catholic tradition.
With the celebration in Argentina of Latin America’s first gay marriage and the legalization of this type of wedding in Mexico City, the gay community closed the year with important advances in its fight for equal rights, this in open conflict with the strong tradition of Catholicism throughout the region.
The Argentine wedding took place just two days after the Mexico City’s legislative assembly approved December 21 a law that would allow gay couple to marry. That law becomes effective in Mexico in February.
Buenos Aires and Mexico City, as well as Uruguay and Colombia, already allow civil unions, but marriage among people of the same sex was not made legal in the region until now.
The controversy over gay marriage carries with it a debate over adoption rights for couples of the same sex.
Along these lines, this year there were advances in Uruguay. A new law passed to authorize adoption for gay couples while another passed which allows name and sex records to be changed.
In El Salvador, an attempt to expressly block gay marriages failed. While clauses that prohibit sexual discrimination were included in the constitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador.
In Colombia, an ongoing judicial struggle indicates that couples of the same sex may win adoption rights, according to Germán Rincón, member of Colombia Diversa.
Even Cuba seems to have left marginalization behind and has raised the possibility of permitting legal unions and adoptions.
On the other hand, in Costa Rica the highest court rejected a plea to legalize gay unions. And in Peru, the government passed a new police law mandating severe sanctions for officers who are gay, because they affect the image of the institution.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Zona Norte breaks down cultural barriers creating inclusive space for learning and entertainment
Translated by Brian Schwarz
Originally published Friday, December 11, 2009 in "El Colombiano" (elcolombiano.com) under the heading Zona Norte que derriba muros by Óscar Darío Montoya Gómez
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA - There is a place in Medellín without walls, a place that is open to everyone, is synonymous with social inclusion, and that has transformed into the premier place in the city for learning and entertainment.
Kicking off tonight with a free concert, this modern, safe and relaxed area where tourists and the general public alike can come to enjoy themselves will from now on be known as the Zona Norte.
The area is a cultural district that is home to nine educational and cultural institutions that plan to work more cohesively in an effort to look out for each other’s interests and to attract more visitors. This is according to a press release from the nine institutions, which are the Botanical Garden, Explora Park, the Pedro Nel Gómez House Museum, the Moravia Center for Cultural Development, North Park, The Medellín Planetarium, Atioquia University, and the Cemetery of San Pedro Museum, and the Park of Deseos.
“We are going to work together to be able to provide better service and bring people together”, said Botanical Garden Director Pilar Velilla, who mentioned the possibility of offering in the future a single book of vouchers that would be used by the public for admission to the various institutions.
“This union is more than a geographic; it seeks to impact the civic culture in science, technology and art”, said Martiniano Jaime Contreras, general vice-rector of the University of Antioquia.
A concert without walls
The Zona Norte will launch with a free concert at 6:30 p.m. today at the Paseo Urbano Carabobo Norte (in front of Explora Park). Participating in the concert are the German group Mil Santos, the local band Parlantes, and young people from the neighborhood.
It will be the first time Mil Santos will perform in the city. The Berlin-based group is funded by Mauricio Alvarez from Cali – who goes by the name Mil Santos – and is comprised of two Cubans, two Germans, a Uruguayan and a Dominican. The group performs a fusion of rap, hip hop, Latin jazz, Cuban son and salsa.
“We don’t come in the name of a country but of a language: music”, Mil Santos said, who recalls that the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago (November 9). “Today we have to tear down the mental walls that exclude minorities”, he said. And tearing down walls
Originally published Friday, December 11, 2009 in "El Colombiano" (elcolombiano.com) under the heading Zona Norte que derriba muros by Óscar Darío Montoya Gómez
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA - There is a place in Medellín without walls, a place that is open to everyone, is synonymous with social inclusion, and that has transformed into the premier place in the city for learning and entertainment.
Kicking off tonight with a free concert, this modern, safe and relaxed area where tourists and the general public alike can come to enjoy themselves will from now on be known as the Zona Norte.
The area is a cultural district that is home to nine educational and cultural institutions that plan to work more cohesively in an effort to look out for each other’s interests and to attract more visitors. This is according to a press release from the nine institutions, which are the Botanical Garden, Explora Park, the Pedro Nel Gómez House Museum, the Moravia Center for Cultural Development, North Park, The Medellín Planetarium, Atioquia University, and the Cemetery of San Pedro Museum, and the Park of Deseos.
“We are going to work together to be able to provide better service and bring people together”, said Botanical Garden Director Pilar Velilla, who mentioned the possibility of offering in the future a single book of vouchers that would be used by the public for admission to the various institutions.
“This union is more than a geographic; it seeks to impact the civic culture in science, technology and art”, said Martiniano Jaime Contreras, general vice-rector of the University of Antioquia.
A concert without walls
The Zona Norte will launch with a free concert at 6:30 p.m. today at the Paseo Urbano Carabobo Norte (in front of Explora Park). Participating in the concert are the German group Mil Santos, the local band Parlantes, and young people from the neighborhood.
It will be the first time Mil Santos will perform in the city. The Berlin-based group is funded by Mauricio Alvarez from Cali – who goes by the name Mil Santos – and is comprised of two Cubans, two Germans, a Uruguayan and a Dominican. The group performs a fusion of rap, hip hop, Latin jazz, Cuban son and salsa.
“We don’t come in the name of a country but of a language: music”, Mil Santos said, who recalls that the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago (November 9). “Today we have to tear down the mental walls that exclude minorities”, he said. And tearing down walls
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