EDITORIAL

You will find at the end of this issue, a supplement almost, a choice of the news from the September number of the Colombian Good News Bulletin, just recently published. It is an homage to those, who independently from their living conditions, raises his head and works to change them.
Furthermore, also thanks to the initiative of our friends down there, we can announce that there is a new autonomous mailing list where it is possible to send news directly in Spanish. This will help in creating an edition of this agency independent of the translations from Italian to Spanish. Whoever is interested can sign up at the web address:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/buenasnuevas

SUMMARY


USA: for human rights in the USA
Martinique: colonial situation denounced
Guinea-Bissau: for peace
Guatemala: plan for getting rid of mines in the country
Mexico: protests against nuclear waste sites
Morocco: political prisoners freed
Argentina, Internet: campaign in real time
South Africa: to fight AIDS
Brazil: agreement with the "sem terra"
Peru: found Inca mummies
Mozambique: how to avoid mines
USA: appeal for a Native America
The Earth, Space: new galaxies discovered
Belgium, Europe: against expulsions
Argentina: Humanist march in Buenos Aires
Italy: campaign for political responsibility
Africa: award for press freedom
Argentina: Humanist success at the elections
United Nations: Convention for the ban of landmines is ratified
Spain: ETA declares cease-fire
France: first hand transplant
The Earth: Amnesty in black for Kosovo
Hungary: Humanist candidates
The Earth: Campaigns against MAI
France: Campaign for the year 2000 without wars
Colombia: Indian association for production
Colombia: crusade by mother’s for peace
Colombia: racket for peace
Colombia: discriminatory article eliminated

NEWS


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Where: USA
About: for human rights in the USA
When: 10/06/98
Source: Amnesty International, agencies
For the first time Amnesty International launched a world campaign against the United States. Amnesty International accuses the United States’ prison system of persistent and generalized violation of human rights, accuses the police forces of brutality, denounces the sexual abuse of inmates and the ill-treatment of those who seek asylum, who are treated like criminals. It seems that in the USA constrictive instruments that are cruel, degrading and dangerous are habitually used; as well as, electrical weapons like shields, straps and electroshock batons. The movement denounced how the United States applies in an arbitrary and partial manner the death penalty, and how even those who were minors at the time they committed a crime are condemned to the death; as in countries like Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Over 3,500 minors, apparently, are enclosed in adult prisons in violation of the international conventions on civil rights. During the course of the press conference, which counted with the presence of the former world boxing champion, Muhammad Ali’, a 153 page report entitled "Rights for Everyone" was presented. It contains all of the worried of the international movement for the defense of human rights. In every country, regardless of its political system, the rights of all citizens must be protected. Instead in the United States thousands of persons are victims of the violation of human rights", declared Pierre Sane’, Amnesty International’s secretary general. "Too often, with human rights, in the United States, there is a double standard: rich and poor, white and black, men and women."
The international site of the campaign can be found in the following address:
http://www.rightsforall-usa.org

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Where: Martinique
About: colonial situation denounced
When: 10/08/98
Source: agencies
Six independence-seeking organizations of the Caribbean island of Martinique have made public a manifesto which denounces the "colonial situation" present in the country and the anachronistic character of the institutions which regulate the life of the population. The gravity of the economical crisis, the high unemployment rate, the rise of social plagues such as, drug addiction and delinquency were highlighted.
"Without the suppression of the colonial type of relations and the remaking of the relationships with France and Europe we are unable to straighten out the situation.

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Where: Guinea-Bissau
About: for peace
When: 10/11/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
After days of great tension in the country and clashes between the two opposing functions, a procession of youths headed by the missionary father Guerino Vitali headed for the President’s house. They intended to express the determination of the people and the church in favor of a platform of national reconciliation. The procession, after unwinding itself along the streets of the capital, stopped a kilometer away from the President’s residence and the crowd proclaimed various peace slogans. At the same time another procession of young people directed itself towards the barracks of the Bra, stronghold of General Ansumane Mané’s Military Joint, to express to the rebels the same feelings of reconciliation. Sources of MISNA, report that Sunday passed calmly almost everywhere in the country and that the "cease fire" was respected by both sides. Many of those evacuated, who were amassed in the Catholic missions of the capital and its vicinity, have returned to their homes.

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Where: Guatemala
About: plan for de-mining the country
When: 10/11/98
Source: Pulsar
In a joint effort, members of the army, the ex-guerilla, the government, and the international organizations have taken up again, in the province of Quiche, the plan to de-mine the country’s territory.
The National Commission charged with the project, which will soon be extended to all the other regions of the country, devastated by 36 years of civil war, will eliminate from the territory the circa 20,000 mines present and will undertake an awareness campaign and to inform the population.

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Where: Mexico
About: protest against nuclear waste
When: 10/11/98
Source: Pulsar
Active environmentalists and members of the five main Mexican parties marched together with over 2000 people in front of Mexico City’s American Embassy, to protest against the project which foresees the installment at Sierra Blanca, Texas, only 20 kilometers away from Mexican border, of a deposit of nuclear waste. The experts have noted that the area is subject to geological phenomena and there is danger that the deposit will open itself and contaminate the whole area.

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Where: Morocco
About: political prisoners freed
When: 10/05/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
At Casablanca, 17 political prisoners were freed. The Moroccan authorities have decided to free from the penitentiary of Oukach all of the members of Islamic Fundamentalist Organizations. The families of the prisoners spread the news. Furthermore, according to sources, not yet confirmed, other two political prisoners, condemned in 1991 for crimes of opinion, should have been liberated from a Fez prison. Just yesterday, authorities had announced the near liberation of 28 political prisoners, and, according to official sources, after the freeing of those prisoners, there will be no prisoners for political crimes in Morocco. This affirmation was disputed by the independent organizations in favor of human rights that denounce the presence of more than 500 missing people.

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Date: Argentina, Internet
About: campaign in real time
When: 10/08/98
Source: Partido Humanista de Argentina
After the "live from the web" launch of the campaign for next year’s elections, the Humanist Party web site ha put on another live event at a social dinner in the neighborhood of Tucuman. There, Humanist militants and sympathizers gathered with the founder of the Humanist Movement, the Argentine thinker, Mario Rodriguez (Silo). Practically in real time it was possible to see the pictures at the site, listen to an audio file of the speech that was pronounced, and interchange comments, opinions, as well as formulate questions on a special chat line.
These materials are available at:
http://www.partidohumanista.deargentina.org

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Where: South Africa
About: to fight AIDS
When 19/09/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
In South Africa the flags are at half-mast in all of the buildings. It is a choice of the President Nelson Mandela to celebrate all of those who died yesterday, today and always of AIDS. The vice president Tabo Mbeki will launch, in the place of the elder President, still at rest, a program to fight this "pest" which is hitting this large country of Southern Africa.

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Where: Brazil
About: agreement with the "sem terra"
When: 10/14/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
A subsidy of a total of 117 million reais in favor of almost 15 thousand families of land workers of the state of Para’ (Brazil). This is the agreement reached in a negotiation between the Movement of the Workers Without Land (MST) of the Amazonian State and the representatives of the Federal Government. The deliberation was definitively issued in the course of a reunion which took place from October 7 to 9, at Maraba’ (Southern Para’). The subsidy; however, represents only the first, small step the direction of the long awaited agricultural reform.

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Where: Peru
About: Inca mummies found
When: 10/01/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
Sensational archeological discovery in the Peruvian Andes. Six frozen mummies, dating almost 500 years, where found yesterday in the proximity of the crater of the volcano El Misti (5,800 meters high) Northwest from the city of Arequipa. According to those responsible for the enterprise, the Peruvian archaeologist Jose Chavez and the American archaeologist Johan Reinhard, it involves six bodies given sacrifice to the Inca gods. The mummies, wrapped in alpaca wool bearing golden and silver ornaments, were perfectly preserved thanks to the low temperatures and could be able to reveal a lot of information on the style of life of the Inca Empire.

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Where: Mozambique
About: How to avoid mines
When 09/30/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
In Mozambique, a program was launched for the education of elementary school children that teaches them how to deal with land mines and educates them on how to avoid them. The program, announced yesterday, is partly sustained by the ONG "Handicap International", and coordinated by the National Commission for the Clearing of mines, as well as, the Direction for Basic Schooling. Mozambique has recently undertaken a vast action of land reclamation since the Peace Accord of 1992. Since then, in fact, more than 4200 land mines were unprimed. A total of 7200 kilometers of roads, 371 kilometers of electrical lines and 3200 hectares of land have been cleared of mines.

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Where: USA
About: Appeal for a Native America
When 19/15/98
Source: MI.S.N.A.
In the United States, the National Council of Churches, Amnesty International, as well as singers, actors, and politicians all have underwritten the appeal delivered to the President Bill Clinton. The appeal invokes the liberation of Leonard Peltier, an Indian activist accused of having killed in 1975 two FBI agents, during an incursion of the police in the Indian Reserve of Pine Ridge (South Dakota), during which the two agents died. Peltier was arrested and condemned to two life sentences during a trial over which lays the suspicion that the evidence used to incriminate him was false and manufactured to condemn him. The letter addressed to Clinton was written by Peltier’s 13 year old nephew, Cyrus, who asks for an act of a mercy for a "political prisoner" whose health is now frail. The "Native American’s "lawyers thanks to the law on the transparency of public documents were able to put together a large dossier which proves the destruction of some laboratory tests which would have been able to free him and the evidence that some witnesses were pressured to frame him.

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Where: the Earth, Space
About: discovery of new galaxies
When: 10/09/98
Source: agencies
Galaxies found on the border of the universe and distant from the solar system 12 million light years were discovered by the space telescope "Hubble" thanks to the infra red ray spectrometer, of which the observatory is equipped. This was made known by the American Spokesman of NASA. "We have not arrived to the borders of the universe, but we are close. We’re missing, yes and no, another billion light years", declared Roger Thompson, astronomer of the University of Arizona.

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Where: Belgium, Europe
About: against expulsions
When: 22/9/98
Source: Good News, Collectif contre les expulsions
After the police killing of a young Nigerian girl, Semira Adamu, during the act of expelling her, a great number of protests took place in Belgium and other European countries, not only against police brutality (the girl was suffocated with a pillow) but, more in general, to address the problem of immigration and discrimination. The "collective against expulsions", through Internet, invited people to protest in front of the Belgian embassies of the world from October 4 to October 14.
Information: ccle@altern.org

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Where: Argentina
About: Humanist Demonstration in Buenos Aires
When: 21/9/98
Source: La Nacion on-line, Good News
Between 5000 and 7000 people participated in the demonstration of the Humanist Party in Buenos Aires where the candidate to next year's Presidency, Lia Mendes, and the one to the Vice Presidency, Jorge Pompei were presented. The "libro naranja" (orange book) was also presented containing the Humanist analysis on the country's situation and the solutions to change it.
The demonstration was characterized by the happy atmosphere among people, posters, signs and disguises of all kinds and lots of orange (the Humanist's color) everywhere.
Furthermore; during the demonstration, which was also transmitted in Internet at the HP site, spoke Mario Rodriguez Cobos (Silo), founder of the Humanist Movement.
For further information:
http://www.partidohumanista.deargentina.org

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Where: Italy
About: Campaign for political responsibility
When: 30/09/98
Source: Humanist Party, Good News
In the first week since the campaign was launched, at least 5000 people subscribed to the law proposal of popular initiative on political responsibility, according to the information divulged by the Humanist Party. The campaign is fully developing in all of the major Italian cities, mostly in the neighborhoods where the different activities of the Humanist Movement take place. It is very popular with the neighbors who usually receive Humanist newspapers and information.
To follow the campaign through Internet and to find out where to sign:
http://www.partitoumanista.org

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Where: Africa
About: award for the freedom of press
When: 15/09/98
Source: agencies
The Media Institute of Southern Africa assigned this year's award for the freedom of press to the South African press agency African Eye News Service for its investigation into public sector corruption and its commitment to the defense of the freedom of press.

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Where: Argentina
About: Humanist electoral success
When: 06/09/98
Source: Humanist Party, Good News
In a neighborhood in the city of Paranà, in the state of Entrerrios, the Humanist list of participants in the neighborhood elections (Junta de vecinos) obtained 59% of the votes, clearly defeating the list of participants headed by the exiting Partido Justicialista (the party currently in power). Thanks to this result the list obtained the presidency of the Junta and the majority in the council.

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Where: United Nations
About: the convention for the ban of landmines is ratified
When: 16/9/98
Source: agencies, ANB-BIA
Burkina-Faso was the fortieth state to ratify the Ottawa convention for the ban of anti-human land mines. Forty signatures were necessary to render the convention legally operative. Signed in December by 122 states, the convention will be operative starting in March of next year, after a preparatory period of six months.
The convention states that the signing countries commit to destroying their arsenal of land mines in four year's time and to de-mine their territory in ten years.

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Where: Spain
About: ETA declares cease-fire
When: 17/9/98
Source: agencies
After the offer of all of the most important Basque parties to begin talks, the terrorist organization ETA has declared a cease-fire for the first time, pointing to the recent agreements between the conflicting parties in Northern Ireland. Until now the organization had only declared truces.

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Where: France
About: first hand transplant
When 23/9/98
Source: agencies
The operation, which allowed attaching a new hand to a patient maimed for 14 years, lasted 13 hours at the hospital "Eduard Herriot" in Lyon. The operation was possible thanks to the marked progress in the fields of microsurgery and immune therapy.

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Where: Spain
About: New Humanist Radio
When: 22/9/98
Source: Radio Pueblo Nuevo
A new humanist radio started transmitting in Madrid, in the neighborhood of Ciudad Lineal, where there already was an operating humanist center and newspaper. The live transmissions of "Radio Pueblo Nuevo" 106.5 MHz FM, presently occur only at night. They include a radio neighborhood news program and various cultural programs.
For information: africam@teleline.es

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Where: The Earth
About: Amnesty in black for Kosovo
When: 19/9/98
Source: Amnesty International
All over the world, on September 19th members and supporters of Amnesty International, dressed in black for Kosovo, joining a manifestation of dismay and strong protest for the persistent tragedy of the violation of human rights in the territory of Kosovo. Announcing its own International Action Day for Kosovo, the human rights organization highlighted the need for a concerted global action to stop the chain reaction of serious violations of human rights in the province.
"The members of Amnesty International will dress in black for Kosovo to express our solidarity to the victims of the violation of human rights in that province, and our anger for the inadequate reaction of the world leaders to the serious crisis in Kosovo," declared Amnesty International.
The program of the event also included wakes, manifestations, public meetings and other activities in cities and places all over the world.

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Where: Hungary
About: Humanist candidates
Date: 17/9/98
Source: Hungarian Humanist Party
In a public manifestation, the 17 candidates of the Humanist Party who will participate in the next municipal elections in Budapest were presented. The candidates subscribed to the Humanist Program and to a public declaration on political responsibility in which they committed themselves to respecting the promises they made during the electoral campaign. The campaign for the elections, which will take place on October 18, includes intense activities of spreading and contact with the inhabitants of the neighborhoods.

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Where: The Earth
About: Initiatives against MAI
When: 21-28/9/98
Source: Le Monde Diplomatique
Many initiatives were developed in Europe, the United States, Oceania to forbid the implementation of the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investments) during the world week of mobilization before the discussion of the agreement which will take place in a conference in Paris on the 20th of October. This agreement has been suspended for six weeks thanks to the popular protest. Simultaneously to these actions, in France the dossier "Lights on MAI: the Dracula test" has come out thanks to the Observatory on:
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr

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Where: Colombia
About: Indian production association
When: 09/04/98
Source: Buenas Nuevas Colombia
More than 1500 farmers of the Cauca region work since 13 years in an production and sales association of fruit and vegetables as a alternative for survival in a society based on the proliferation of illicit cultures controlled by the guerilla and drug traffic.
The association, which is called Asprome, is starting now to export its conserves and its frozen products to the United States and to some European countries.

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Where: Colombia
About: crusade of the mothers for life
When 09/04/98
Source: Buenas Nuevas Colombia
Women relatives of various political personalities of different tendencies, of journalists, soldiers, policemen, and guerilla fighters have united in the Movement of Women for Life with the goal of obtaining, as they declared, "peace through affection". Among the first adherents are the widows and the mothers of journalists recently assassinated, of generals, guerilla fighters, and persons who have suffered for the conflict of the civil war taking place in the country.

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Where: Colombia
About: racket for peace
When: 09/08/98
Source: Buenas Nuevas Colombia
In the main cities of the country a peculiar manifestation for peace was held. The idea is that, tired of the usual minutes of silence facing violence, instead of a minute of silence, a minute of racket is held. At Barranquilla, for example, 10000 youths manifested their disapproval going to the streets and whistling, screaming and hissing.

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Where: Colombia
About: discriminatory article eliminated
When 09/10/98
Source: Buenas Nuevas Colombia
The Constitutional Court has eliminated an article of a decree that considered homosexuality indecent behavior for a public employee.