BRASILIA, Brazil — With 10 days to go until Brazil's presidential election, a leftist candidate tops the opinion polls and may win a first round victory with an absolute majority of the votes. 

The focus of the race now is to see who will come in second, and possibly face the front-runner in a runoff election later in October. 

The catchy campaign song for leftist candidate Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva invites Brazilians to vote for change. "Only if you want it," goes the song, "then it will happen." 

Da Silva, a former metal worker and union leader known by his nickname, Lula, has stressed the theme of change after eight years of a centrist government that brought economic stability, but low growth. 

Brazil, the world's eighth-largest economy, is still struggling to overcome widespread poverty. About 53 million people, one-third of the population, live below the poverty line and Brazil's income distribution is one of the most skewed in the world.

Luiz Pedone, University of Brasilia professor, said voters appear to want change that will bring economic growth. 

"There is a hope, a need, and demand for change after eight years of the same government. For change of government, change of doing other things that could work better in terms of employment, in terms of making the economy grow, that we have not had in the past 10 years. The average growth has been very little, 2 percent a year, which for a country like Brazil is nothing," said Pedone. 

Opinion polls show da Silva has successfully capitalized on this desire for change, and now leads his three major rivals with around 40 percent of the intended vote.

Some surveys show da Silva could win an absolute majority Oct. 6, an outright victory that would let him avoid a runoff election later in the month with the candidate who finishes second.

This prospect has spooked financial markets that fear da Silva and his leftist Workers' Party (PT) would halt the free-market reforms of the current government. The markets also are uncertain about how Lula would manage Brazil's $260 billion debt. 

As a result, Brazil's currency — the real — has sunk to record lows against the U.S. dollar. 

Analyst Pedone said this reflects uncertainty over the true intentions of the leftist Workers' Party. 

"There is this unknown question about whether the PT is going to be a social democratic [party] playing within the rules of the game in modern, contemporary capitalism or is it going to still be a party that will propose socialism, and statism, etc," he said. 

Da Silva, who ran unsuccessfully for president three times before, has moderated his tone and leftist views in an effort to relieve concerns.

Much of Brazil's business community favors Da Silva's chief rival, Jose Serra, of the governing Social Democratic Party. Serra, a former health minister, has pledged to continue economic reforms and create eight million jobs if elected president.

But opinion polls show him with only 20 percent of the vote. 

Serra's hold on second place is shaky as surveys show a third candidate, Anthony Garotinho, former populist governor, gaining ground. Garotinho, who governed Rio de Janeiro state, is campaigning on the promise to raise Brazil's minimum wage, which is about $55 a month. 

A fourth candidate, Ciro Gomes, of a Workers' Front coalition, was running a strong second in August, but lost much of his support after a series of campaign blunders.

Colombian army claims
life of leftist leader

BOGOTA, Colombia — The Colombian army says the commander of a leftist rebel unit blamed for kidnappings and assassinations has been killed in combat.

Officials say Jesus Vargas died Wednesday during heavy fighting near the town of Acacias, south of here. 

Vargas commanded the 54th front of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) which is active in the Meta and Cundinamarca departments (states). 

News reports say he was accused of murdering a local priest in 1998. Vargas's death comes one day after the army announced it had captured Fabio Gil, commander of the FARC's 23rd front, in Bogota. 

Last Friday, the army reported killing 200 rebels in a series of air raids on guerrilla camps.

The Revolutionary Forces is one of two leftist guerrilla armies fighting Colombian troops and right-wing paramilitaries in the country's 38-year civil war. 

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who met with President Bush at the White House Wednesday, has pledged to crack down on the violence.

Pinochet off the hook
in civil court case

SANTIAGO, Chile — A Chilean appeals court judge has thrown out seven lawsuits that accused former dictator General Augusto Pinochet of human rights violations during his 1973 to 1990 rule. 

Judge Gabriela Corti made her decision earlier this week, saying the retired general is mentally unfit to stand trial. The general suffers from dementia and other health problems. 

The seven cases involved human rights violations that allegedly occurred here, 120 kilometers (74 miles) north of Santiago. The plaintiffs say the cases involved the torture, death and disappearance of various leftist opposition figures during the general's regime. 

The ruling follows a similar decision from Chile's Supreme Court in July. The high court ruled that Pinochet's health problems prevented him from standing trial for his alleged role in the so-called Caravan of Death, where opposition leaders were rounded up and killed in the early months of the dictatorship. 
 

Americas’ first ladies
to hold conference

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife, Marta Sahagun, are hosting a conference here Thursday for the first ladies of the Americas.

Twenty-two of the hemisphere's 35 first ladies are attending the conference, which is focusing on child poverty and looking at creative ways to address the issue.

Among those in attendance are U.S. first lady Laura Bush, Canada's Aline Chretien, Colombia's Lina Maria Moreno de Uribe and Maria Yolanda Ferrer, the secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women.

New trade benefits for
Latin nations

The George Bush administration announced Wednesday that Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru will be granted new trade benefits under the renewed and expanded Andean trade preference program called the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act.

The Act, which was approved as part of the Trade Act of 2002, promotes economic development in the Andean Ridge and provides incentives for non-narcotics production.

The Act, which will include Ecuador once it meets eligibility criteria, renews the Andean Trade Preference Act that expired in December 2001 and provides duty-free access to an additional 700 Andean products, according to a fact sheet released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Once Bush determines that providing preferential access to these new products does not harm U.S. producers, approximately 6,300 Andean products will enjoy duty-free access to the U.S. market under the expanded program.

Colombia estimates that the previous Andean Trade Preference Act generated more than $1.2 billion in exports to the U.S. and supported more than 140,000 jobs. 

Guard shot in Tibás

A guard died Thursday night when he tried to stop the theft of a vehicle in Tibás. Police at the scene said one man was arrested at the scene.

Fuerza Pública officers said the guard was Leonardo Delgado Carvaja, in his 50s. The body was found in the parking lot of the Bar Kilates. He suffered a bullet wound to the heart about 9:15 p.m. during a shootout. Police took into custody one suspect, identified as Iván Pérez Cárcamo, they said. A second suspect fled in a car.

Police said the guard went to investigate what appeared to be an attempt to steal or burglarize the car of the bar’s owner.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — This country will be denounced this week before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights after the suicide of a 15-year-old boy inside the Tipitapa adult jail in August 1999, says Casa Alianza, a child advocacy agency. 

Wilmer Gonzalez Rojas, from an economically devastated family, stole a cheap watch from a pedestrian in Managua and, although just 14 years old at the time, was condemned to three years in prison.

Despite it being illegal, Wilmer was sent to an adult prison after his first conflict with the law. Wilmer was suffering in the jail and started to have problems with other juveniles held there. He was beaten on different occasions by uniformed prison guards, according to Casa Alianza. 

The boy was then transferred to a gallery normally used for high-risk adult male prisoners. He was kept in solitary confinement for two months during which time he twice tried to kill himself. 

The response from the prison guards was to strip Wilmer naked and place him back in the cell. Wilmer was later taken to the prison psychologist and the boy pleaded with the professional to return him to the cellblock with the other youths. 

The boy's pleas went unheard and he was thrown back, naked, into solitary confinement. Two hours later, the emotionally tortured boy hung himself with a bed sheet, said Casa Alianza.

The Nicaraguan prison authorities investigated the suicide and, in a confidential document, confirmed that the boy had been beaten, punched and kicked on several occasions by prison guards. They also confirmed that he was to be held in solitary confinement for up to six months. 

Such treatment is in clear violation of international human rights norms as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by Nicaragua in 1990, said the child advocacy agency. The response from the authorities was to fire the psychologist and suspend two prison guards for 30 days. 

In August 2000, as a result of the lack of a criminal investigation into this case, Casa Alianza — with the support of Wilmer's mother — presented criminal charges against the director of Nicaragua's national prison system and against the director of El Centro Penitenciario La Modelo de Tipitapa for premeditated homicide, alleging the institutional responsibility for the suicide of the boy. 

The criminal case has lain dormant for two years, despite repeated requests to the judge by Casa Alianza lawyers to move the case. 

As a result, Casa Alianza and the Center for Justice and International Law will present the case this week before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States in Washington.

"Through the tragedy of Wilmer's death, our goal is to make sure that critical changes take place in Nicaragua's juvenile justice system to make sure that other children do not suffer in the same manner", stated Bruce Harris, Casa Alianza’s executive director for Latin America. 

"International law is quite clear in that the detention of a child should be a last resort - especially for this type of petty crime — and never, ever should a child be held in solitary confinement and much less be in an adult jail". 

Casa Alianza also said that the Inter American Commission on Human Rights will study the merits of the case and, if they feel the case is valid, will admit the case and request information from Nicaragua to justify the actions taken.

Washington braces for 
Anti-capitalist protesters

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Authorities here are bracing for large protests Friday, as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund begin their annual meetings. 

More than 180 member countries are set to participate in three days of talks focusing on development, debt relief and the world economy. 

Police say they expect as many as 20,000 people on the streets of the U.S. capital demonstrating against the policies of those international financial institutions, as well as against U.S. foreign policy. 

A group called the Anti-Capitalist Convergence says it will try to shutdown the city by disrupting traffic with a mass bike ride. Authorities say other protest groups are planning to go to subway stations to disrupt morning rush hour travel Friday. 

Later in the day, marches and other protests are scheduled near the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as well as government buildings and corporate targets. 

Police plan to close streets near the meeting sites, which are not far from the White House in central Washington. Some 3,000 officers will be on duty, and neighboring cities are sending in police reinforcements. 

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven, large industrial economies, meet on Friday. Delegates from IMF and World Bank member countries will meet Saturday and Sunday. 

Hundreds of people were arrested during similar demonstrations at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in April 2000. There were fewer problems reported at last year's meeting.

Big sale is Saturday

The Canadian Club has its fourth annual outreach sale with all the proceeds for charity Saturday.

The event is in Bosques de Doña Rosa in Cariari. More information is available at 293-2739 from  Moe and Irene Laframboise.

A club member said that the inventroy of items for sale is massive and includes books, crafts, baked goods, lunches, computer stuff, toys, clothes and housewares.
 

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The U.S. citizen who died after being shot in Playa Hermosa Tuesday morning only suffered one bullet wound. But the bullet pierced both legs and severed the femoral artery, causing him to bleed to death.

That was the verdict of an autopsy conducted by the Judicial Investigating Organization.

There was a surprise for the medical examiner, too. The victim, identified as Loel Perri Hill, in his 30s, and a resident of the community, carried  a stash of marijuna in his genital region, said investigators. That also was disclosed by the autospy.

Consequently, investigators are looking at other scenarios that may have led to the man’s death. 

At first investigators said that the man suffered three wounds, two in the leg and one in the nose. 

The autopsy disclosed that both leg wounds were from the same bullet, and injury to the nose came from a blow and not a bullet, investigators said.

The man accused of the shooting is Jonas Scott Gradei, also of Playa Hermosa, according to investigators. He will be examined by forensic physicians to see if he, too, has injuries. Any injuries would help his case of self-defense.

The shooting took place in Comdominiums Playa Hermosa Tuesday morning and the victim was pronounced dead at a clinic in Jacó.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The billions of dollars sent each year by immigrants in the United States to their families in Latin America and the Caribbean are crucial to sustaining the economies of poorer countries in the Western Hemisphere, says a noted pollster of Hispanic trends in the Americas.

Speaking Thursday on a new survey he conducted of remittance senders, Sergio Bendixen said "it is difficult to overemphasize" the importance of remittances from the U.S. to Latin America. 

Bendixen said the remittances are "crucial and life-sustaining" to families in the region, allowing them "to keep their heads just above poverty and destitution."  Remittances amount to 10 times the total of U.S. foreign aid sent to the region, Bendixen said.

Such remittances offer families "a ray of hope and bring at least minimal nutrition to stave off hunger," he added. The remittances also enable families to build sturdy little homes, rather than be forced to live in hovels, Bendixen said at the Inter-American Development Bank on the topic, "Remittances: The Latin American Issue of the New Century."

Bendixen said findings from 1,000 interviews conducted by his Miami firm, Bendixen and Associates, last November and December, showed 

The immigrants in the United States send the remittances often at "tremendous personal sacrifice," Bendixen said.

He found that the poorest of the poor, those making less than $20,000 a year (or less than $400 a week), were usually the most dedicated about sending money from the United States to their families back home. These immigrants, he said, send money home on a regular basis, and do so "with almost religious fervor."

Bendixen said the personal sacrifice includes the cost of sending remittances. Money-wire transfer companies such as Western Union and MoneyGram charge a fee that takes a considerable bite out of the incomes of U.S. immigrants, many who already are earning low wages.

In addition, exchange rates in the home country can lower how much the U.S. currency is worth in Latin America.

Bendixen found that an overwhelming majority of Hispanic immigrants in the United States are unaware that their families in Latin America receive less money than what was originally sent from this country.