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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

India go back and clings to the death penalty

In a turnaround that worries activists the Indian authorities have hanged two Islamist prisoners aftereight years without executions , a move not just branded as electioneering. The gallows was the destination for a week of Kashmiri Afzal Guru, who Indian security apparatus had been linked with a 2001 attack against the national parliament in New Delhi, which killed eight policemen and five assailants. Last November I had suffered the same fate Mohamed "Kasab", the only terrorist captured alive during the attacks by Pakistani command almost five years ago in the city of Bombay, which killed 166 people .Both terrorist actions aroused a huge outcry in India, which was in the hand of the two neighboring Pakistan. In the first case, New Delhi deployed hundreds of thousands of troops on the border with Pakistan and spoke of nuclear war, the second, suspended the dialogue process with the same country in which rivals since the independence of both, in 1947. "Any leniency with the author of a terrorist attack on the Parliament would have been the wrong decision, "claimed after the last run the secretary general of the ruling Congress Party Digvijay Singh. Beyond the justifications, the deaths of Kasab and Guru have ended a long unofficial moratorium on the application of capital punishment in India, where the previous execution (of accused of raping and murdering a schoolgirl) had been in 2004. The last two presidents, Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil , had been reluctant to sanction death sentences, referred to only in cases "rarest of the rare" ("the most extraordinary among the extraordinary"), as crimes of violence or treachery special. Kalam Patil especially chose this punishment switch (which must be ratified by the Supreme Court and the Ministry of the Interior) for life sentences, which confirmed a trend in India in recent decades to abolish the death penalty. With the arrival this summer for President of Pranab Mukherjee , a heavyweight of the Congress Party, there has been, however, a change of attitude. "In the case of Kasab had a great public pressure and the feeling that something should be done justice. Though not support it, we get it," he reasoned this week the director of Human Rights Watch for South Asia, Meenakshi Ganguly. "With Guru also had pressure , but his case has raised much controversy, "the activist said, referring to concerns that many voices have been raised about the transparency of the judicial process that condemned him to the gallows. in a column in the newspaper The Hindu , the renowned writer Arundathi Roy said that "in the most crucial part of the trial, when evidence is presented and witnesses are examined ( ...) Guru was in solitary confinement and had no lawyers ." "Now that has been posted, I hope that our collective conscience is satisfied. Is the glass half empty blood or half full?" Said Roy. For Ganguly activist, doubts in the latter case "shows the need to resume the moratorium" because the selection of inmates undergoing the gallows factors come into play such as nationality, religion or type of crime are subject to "multiple interpretations" and by extension of discord"In the last 20 years, terrorism has been used to demonize Muslims . In many attacks that were blamed on Muslims, was tested after the authors were Hindus, "said activist meanwhile Shabnand Hashmi. The director of the organization's human rights defender Anhad wondered if the government will dare to apply the same punishment to criminals from another profile, such as the three Tamils ​​convicted of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Hashmi stressed that these decisions follows a need to placate critical main political opponent, the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), because "theelections are just around the corner (2014) "and concur them likely candidates for new both forces. And for the opposition party, which ruled the country between 1998 and 2004, "the executions are part of the culmination of a process" and in both cases the condemned "committed serious crimes against India and had a proper judicial process." "The moratorium was due to inaction, but have belatedly realized. If returned to power will mean that more executions, but simply to fulfill the law, "said BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

VENEZUELA | Make the announcement "via Twitter ' Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned "to the Venezuelan homeland". This was announced via Twitter. Chavez was in Cuba recovering from his fourth operation , which took place on December 11 in Havana, on the occasion of cancer you have and, since then, had not had direct contact with their country. In fact, he could be sworn in for the 2013-2019 term, for which he was elected last October 7. In his message today, states that still " clinging to Christ "and" trusted my doctors and nurses. "
[News photo]

The Venezuelan leader is very grateful to "Fidel, Raúl and all of Cuba", but insists dump all her love to her country: " Thanks to Venezuela by so much love! Thank God! Thank you, dear people! here continue treatment. " And ends with his classic "until victory always". Last Friday, spread the first photographs of the president from surgery in Havana, which appeared convalescing with his daughters, laughing and reading the official Cuban newspaper, the 'Granma'. It was also reported that the president has trouble speaking because of the use of a tracheal cannula, through which breathes.

ASIA | Saturday killed 87 members of his confession Thousands of Shiites in Pakistan protesting the recent killing corpses


Some 10,000 followers of the Islamic current Shiite city of Quetta , in western Pakistan have staged a protest over the death of at least 87 members of his confession because of an attack last SaturdayAmong the protesters are relatives of the victims, who have refused to bury the bodies and have taken to the streets of the Shiite neighborhood of Hazara Town, scene of two similar killings so far this year. "For now, convened concentrations are entirely peaceful and has not recorded any violent incident," said a member of the security division of the local police. These protests are almost identical to those that were in Quetta last month after another similar attack in the same area of the city, which claimed about 90 lives, and as the attack on Saturday, was also the work of the sectarian group Lashkar -e Jhangvi. On both occasions, the group suicide powerful explosive charges set off in crowded areas of Shiite majority that caused the collapse of two separate buildings and the loss of dozens of lives. The coincidence of these actions in just one month has raised the ire of the Shia community of Quetta, where hundreds of thousands of people of this confession, mostly of Hazara. The capital of the province of Baluchistan today dawned almost paralyzed by the general strike called by various configurations Shiites, also called the general strike in other major cities of the country, especially the southern Karachi. "We will continue to concentrate until the army to take over security in Quetta," said the newspaper 'Dawn' a member of a major Shiite groups, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen. A spokesman for the Democratic Party, representing Hazara Shiite faithful, 'Ali Qadir, the authorities claimed "police operations in specific areas of the city where they are known to the perpetrators of the attacks." Ali recalled that expires tomorrow 48-hour ultimatum given to the government yesterday to act effectively and that, otherwise, the protests will be directed against the offices of the Balochistan High Court. After the slaughter last January, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, announced the start of security operations to capture terrorists, but so far there has been no concrete result. With about 40 million Shia, Pakistan is one of the countries with the largest number of followers of this confession, although a minority on its territory against Sunni current.

EU approves its mission of training soldiers in Mali

Foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) on Monday formally approved the deployment of amission to train Malian soldiers , with the participation of around 450 European soldiers, sources Community. The operation, which takes months to prepare and which accelerated after the French intervention, will be deployed in the African country in the coming weeks and plans to start training the Army of Mali in early April. The European mission , he will not participate in combat , will be under the command of General Francois Lecointre and has an initial term of 15 months. About a dozen countries, including a non-member of the European Union (EU) and Norway will participate in the operation, for whichSpain has prepared up to 50 soldiers. The final number of Spanish soldiers traveling to Mali, however, isyet to be decided , said Monday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo. "is something that has to decide the Government as a whole, because we are more concerned departments," said García-Margallo on arrival at the meeting with European counterparts. The foreign minister argued that, in his view, Spain should do within its means "every effort" in its contribution to the mission. Garcia-Margallo said that since he took office as Minister has warned that " the situation in Mali was extremely worrying , it was dangerous for all of Europe and particularly in Spain, which is the southern border." He stressed the importance of resolving the crisis Malian because " can infect all neighboring countries and destabilize all North African countries that have embarked on a democratic transition." The European mission to be deployed in Mali Bamako invitation of the Government , assisted in reforming its military and training to help several Army battalions. The aim of the EU is that the Malian military are willing to ensure state control over the entire territory of the country and deal with terrorist groups for months became strong in northern Mali. To this end, the mission EUTM baptized Mali have about 200 trainers, who will be accompanied by about 150 troops as protection force, a contingent which, according to diplomatic sources, could participate Spain. The rest of the operation is completed with administrative and logistical support to be installed in Bamako and in the area where the training take place, northeast of the capital. The EU has allocated a budget of 12.3 million euros for the mission , which will add to the costs incurred by the participating countries.

Falcao l "The footballer lives in a bubble"


Radamel Falcao Garcia  when contrasted his native living with very poor economic and social situation in Spain, a country in which he lives through his great performances football. "Clearly the situation in Spain is not easy . Footballer always live in a bubble, because it comes and does not touch the crisis, although they  know how things because otherwise it would not live in the world", confessed in an exclusive interview with the newspaper. Atletico striker  was concerned about the situation in Spain and the lack of social awareness among elite athletes . And in contrast, defended the course taken by Colombia in recent years: "The best of all is the country itself, all good things, starting with the people." Falcao spoke about the price of fame and asked to remain as it is now. I do not want to change the circumstances , or football, or fame. tried to live like I was and how I wanted it r "he said. On the sporting side, Falcao admitted that his arrival in the Spanish league did "grow up" and be "important in other parts of the world" , and no longer ruled out following his current teamWhile much of the world press says the Colombian not continue at Atletico Madrid next season, Falcao cast doubt: " I have a contract for three more years , so this is the best option. " 

Kabul l 10,000 balloons against war

Tens of thousands of pink balloons will be distributed in the spring in Afghanistan to "make us forget the war" and 'the initiative Colombian artist Yazmany Arboleda, in collaboration with the government in Kabul. "We in balloons ", and as 'the event was renamed, will take place' in an unspecified date," Sara 'surprise, one morning there will be' an explosion of color, "said the artist. The day of the balloons' already 'was organized in India, Kenya and Japan.