* Argentina: A former Cabinet minister and local human rights groups have butted heads over claims that the number of disappeared during the “Dirty War” is exaggerated.* Mexico: Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy is holding up millions of dollars in antidrug aid to Mexico after claiming that little has been done against police and military abuse.
* Bolivia: The world’s highest ski run located in the Bolivian Andes has disappeared due to climate change.
* Colombia: The mind behind a pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of average Colombians was convicted for money laundering.
Image- Sydney Morning Herald (“This file photo shows Argentinean soldiers frisking a civilian at a checkpoint in Buenos Aires in 1977.”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, LAHT, BBC News, CNN, The Latin Americanist
Republican senators Christopher S. ( "Kit" ) Bond of Missouri and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire announce vote for Sonia Sotomayor - Votation is Today's Afternoon : Thursday August 6, 2009
ReplyDeleteEight Republicans have announced that they will vote YES in the U. S. Senate to confirm the nominee for the Supreme Court
The other Republicans announcing votes for Sotomayor are Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida and Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both of Maine. Other Republican senators who haven’t seemed to tip their hand in public yet include Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and George Voinovich of Ohio.
Associated Press and Google
Senate poised to make history with Sotomayor vote
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS (AP)
August 7, 2009
Senate poised to make history with Sotomayor vote
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huyApqmCqq9U5Hw9jP5IYR1gSQEwD99TDGKO1
Some excerpts :
Senate poised to make history with Sotomayor vote
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS (AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — Sonia Sotomayor stands on the verge of making history as the Supreme Court's first Hispanic justice, despite staunch opposition from Republicans who call her ill-suited for the bench.
The Democratic-led Senate is set to vote Thursday to confirm President Barack Obama's high court nominee, a 55-year-old appeals court judge of Puerto Rican descent who was raised in a New York City housing project, educated in the Ivy League and served 17 years on the federal bench.
Sotomayor picked up more GOP support Wednesday even as nearly three-quarters of the Senate's 40 Republicans said they would vote "no" .....
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The National Rifle Association is strongly opposing her and has threatened to downgrade any senator who votes to confirm Sotomayor in its closely watched candidate ratings. The warning has made little impact on Democrats, many of whom have rallied behind the judge despite their perfect or near-perfect ratings from the NRA, but it may have influenced some Republicans who were initially considered possible supporters but have since announced their opposition, citing gun rights as a key reason.
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Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., also said he'd vote for her, adding that politicizing the confirmation process — as he argued Democrats did when they blocked GOP nominees in the past — "undermines the public's views of our courts and the integrity of our judicial system."
Milenials.com
Vicente Duque