Floods have killed 23 people in Haiti. Below is a story from Jamaica-based Heartbeat News with links to additional stories. The rain is continuing a very dangerous situation Hardbeatnews, PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Mon. Oct. 15, 2007: Some 23 people were killed in Cabaret, Haiti Friday after flooding, triggered by torrential rain, swept through the village read more
The Honorable José Miguel Insulza Secretary GeneralOrganization of American States17th Street & Constitution Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20006read more
Manipulation and Pressure Tactics win the CAFTA ReferendumOctober 9, 2007By Tom Loudon, Alliance for Responsible Trade
Take Action: Tell Congress that expanding NAFTA and CAFTA to Peru is a bad idea The Bush administration has begun moving the Peru Free Trade Agreement (FTA) through Congress. A final vote in the House of Representatives is expected in late October, with the Senate to follow shortly thereafter. read more
As we head out to observe the voting on the CAFTA referendum, it seems appropriate to compare the state of democracy in the U.S. with that of Costa Rica. We have only been here a short time, but we’ve received an intensive course in Costa Rican history and politics. It has become obvious from this instruction that we in the U.S.
The scandal that broke yesterday around the funding of the campaign of President Arias provides yet another insight into what is at stake in the referendum on CAFTA. (The source story in Spanish) read more
By Jessica Walker Beaumont, Alliance for Responsible TradeOctober 6, 2007 – the eve before the first ever referendum on a trade agreement As the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement goes through Congress at a rapid pace with little resistance from the very same Democrats who so adamantly took a stand against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), I am honored to be in Costa Rica to witness a vivacious grassroots movement likely to stop CAFTA’s ratification in tomorrow’s referendum. read more
We headed out of the office at 7am, destination San Carlos, a city about 120 kilometers from San Jose. In addition to giving the delegation a splendid tour, the purpose was to take the latest flyers and stickers to offices there and around the province of Alejuela. By the end of the day we would feel, up close, the energy of popular participation in this David and Goliath struggle. read more
Costa Rica is buzzing with ‘referendum fever.’ It is lit up almost as if there were a presidential election. Because Costa Rica has relatively strong institutions, one of which is the Electoral Tribunal, it is possible to have some idea of which side of this life or death debate has had the most funding. Of the $58,000,000. which has been spent on the campaign only about $4,000,000. has been spent by the people who oppose the referendum. It is known that the U/S/ Embassy has poured generous quantities of money into the campaign for passing of the referendum.
