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Large protest in support of Hungary's Soros-backed university

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Large protest in support of Hungary's Soros-backed university

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Thousands of people have taken part in a protest in Hungary to demand the abolition of laws which could force the closure of one of the country's most prestigious universities.

New rules introduced by the government mean the Central European University (CEU) would be unable to award diplomas because it is registered in the US.

The university was founded by philanthropist George Soros.

The legislation has already been rushed through parliament.

Demonstrators in the capital on Sunday want President Janos Ader not to sign the controversial legislation backed by the governing right wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Unlike last Sunday's protest, it was not just students who were out in the street - there were also lots of families, with some middle-aged and some elderly people in the crowd.

They marched peacefully in the bright spring sunshine, crossing Budapest's historic Chain Bridge as they headed towards Parliament. The protesters chanted slogans urging President Janos Ader to ask the Constitutional Court to review the new law adopted by parliament last week that is likely to lead to the closure of the CEU.

BBC Budapest correspondent Nick Thorpe says it was probably the biggest anti-government protest in Budapest since Mr Orban came to power seven years ago.

The protesters took to the streets both to defend the CEU and protest against attempts by the government to pressurise human rights and environmental groups which support refugees.

At least 50,000 people - organisers say as many as 80,000 protesters - took part in the demonstration.

The government passed amendments to the Higher Education Act last week which would make it impossible for the CEU to continue working in Budapest - 26 years after it was set up by Hungarian-born billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros.

The government opposes the liberal outlook of both the university and many non-governmental organisations.

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A dominant Lewis Hamilton delivered a crushing victory at the Chinese Grand Prix to join title rival Sebastian Vettel at the summit of the Formula One championship.

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A dominant Lewis Hamilton delivered a crushing victory at the Chinese Grand Prix to join title rival Sebastian Vettel at the summit of the Formula One championship.

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Hamilton claimed his fifth victory in Shanghai with a lights-to-flag win while Vettel, who took the chequered flag at the opening round in Australia, recovered from fifth to finish in second place.

Max Verstappen, who started 16th, completed the podium following a scintillating display in the early wet-dry conditions before fending off a challenge from his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages.

The poor weather which wreaked havoc with Friday's practice schedule, and forced the sport's new owners to consider moving the race forward by 24 hours, returned overnight. But despite a damp track the grand prix went ahead as scheduled.

And pole-sitter Hamilton, for the second race in succession, made no mistake at the start as he nailed the 380-yard dash down to turn one to retain the lead with Vettel following in behind.

Canadian rookie Lance Stroll was the first casualty of the inclement conditions after he was punted from behind by the Force India of Sergio Perez. The Williams ended up in the gravel and the virtual safety car was deployed.

While Hamilton remained out on track, Vettel led a number of drivers down the pit lane to take on the slick rubber with track conditions rapidly improving under overcast but dry skies.

Antonio Giovinazzi, who has replaced the unfit Pascal Wehrlein here, was among them, but after crashing in qualifying on Saturday, the Italian was at it again, losing control of his Sauber on a damp patch of the track and crashing into the pit wall.

His Sauber was in bits and the safety car for real was sent on to the circuit. Hamilton took the opportunity to take on the dry tyres and it worked out perfectly for the Briton as he emerged from the pit lane still in the lead.

When the safety car pitted at the end of lap seven, Hamilton led from Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Verstappen, who had made up an astonishing 11 places on the opening lap, with Vettel now down in fifth.

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Bogota Hit By Xenophobic Attacks On Chinese Merchants

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Bogota Hit By Xenophobic Attacks On Chinese Merchants

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TODAY COLOMBIA – In the heart of downtown Bogotá is the sector known as San Victorino. There the inhabitants of the Colombian capital can find all kinds of imported products at prices much lower than in any other part of the city. Recently, however, the arrival of Chinese merchants has caused consternation and in some cases even violence.

Colombian merchants say that the Chinese have come to work without a visa and that they are bringing smuggled goods into the country. The merchants allege the low prices charged by the Chinese merchants are putting them out of business. Semana magazine published a video interview featuring one such Colombian merchant who felt threatened by the competition.

San Victorino is a microcosm of free markets and commerce where an estimated 12 billion Colombian pesos per day (USD $ 4.09 million) is sold per day, the vast majority of it in cash, which reduces transaction costs between buyers and sellers.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 1, protests by Colombians against their Chinese competition turned violent, as the protesters began to attack Chinese owned storefronts. The merchants in question had to close their premises in order to avoid having all their merchandise destroyed.

In addition, one of the Colombian merchants told a representative of the Chinese community, Kenny Tsui, that they would not allow the Chinese to do business in Colombia and that they were responsible for ruining Colombian businesses, especially with regard to textiles. Tsui allegedly replied that he would speak with his colleagues to see what he could do, but he added that “competition always brings challenges” and that the world is governed through the free market.

Finally, in the video published by Semana, the Colombian merchant said that if the Chinese want to do business in Bogota, they will have to walk over dead bodies.

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Uzbek suspect in Swedish attack sympathized with Islamic State: policeUzbek suspect in Swedish attack sympathized with Islamic State: police

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Uzbek suspect in Swedish attack sympathized with Islamic State: policeUzbek suspect in Swedish attack sympathized with Islamic State: police

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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - An Uzbek man suspected of ramming a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people, had expressed sympathy for Islamic State and was wanted for failing to comply with a deportation order, Swedish police said on Sunday.

Thousands gathered in the spring sunshine near the site of Friday's attack to show support for those killed or injured when a hijacked beer delivery truck hurtled down a busy shopping street before crashing into a store and catching fire. The Uzbek man was arrested several hours later.

"The suspect had expressed sympathy for extremist organizations, among them IS," Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, told a news conference, using an acronym for the ultra-hardline militant group.

Two of those killed were Swedes, one was a British citizen and the other from Belgium, Hysing said of the attack, which echoes the earlier use of vehicles as deadly weapons in Nice, Berlin and London. Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State, but there has been no such claim yet for the Stockholm assault.

The Stockholm suspect, aged 39 and from the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, applied for permanent residence in Sweden in 2014. However, his bid was rejected and he was wanted for disregarding a deportation order, Hysing said.

Police had been looking for him since Sweden's Migration Agency in December gave him four weeks to leave, but security services had not viewed him as a militant threat.

Sweden's prosecution authority said a second person had been arrested on suspicion of having committed a terrorist offence through murder, but police said they were more convinced than ever that the Uzbek man was the driver of the truck.

Another five people were being held for questioning after raids and police said they had conducted about 500 interviews.

Police across the Nordic region went on heightened alert after the attack and in neighboring Norway police set off a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like device" in central Oslo on Sunday and took a suspect into custody.

FLOWERS AND DEFIANCE

Although nine of the 15 people injured remained in hospital, two in intensive care, Stockholm began to return normal on Sunday with the removal of police barricades along the Drottninggatan street where the attack took place.

Hundreds of flower bouquets covered steps leading down to the square next to where the truck ploughed into the Ahlens department store, with more piled up under boarded-up windows.

Only yards from the scene, thousands of people gathered in the Sergels Torg square in a show of unity as heavily armed police stood guard and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

"I want to show I'm not afraid to go out," Eva Udd, a 55-year-old nurse who had joined the demonstration with a friend, said. "I usually never go to things like this, but this just felt so very important."

Husam Kranda, a Libyan living in Sweden for the past five years and now working as translator, was among the multi-ethnic gathering which underlined Stockholm's cosmopolitan inhabitants.

"We believe it's our duty to come here and show our support for the Swedish society," he said.

"I know it's a difficult time, there is a lot going on within Swedish society and internationally. But today is not about that, it's about showing support for our neighbors and our beloved ones."

He was joined by his wife from Uzbekistan, Irana Mamedova.

"I really feel ashamed [of] that man, because this country give him everything, this country give him peace," she said of the Uzbek suspect. "He is a monster."

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, addressing a Social Democratic party conference in the western city of Gothenburg, said Sweden would never be broken by acts of terror.

"We will hunt down these murderers with the full power of Sweden's democracy. There will be no compromises," he said.

Sweden, a nation of 10 million inhabitants, has long taken pride in its tolerant liberal society and been among the world's most welcoming nations to immigrants.

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Nikki Haley warns Putin on Assad: ‘We’re not going to have you cover for this regime anymore’

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Nikki Haley warns Putin on Assad: ‘We’re not going to have you cover for this regime anymore’

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Top Trump administration officials are warning that Russia could be held accountable for the Syrian government’s chemical attacks against its own civilians — with the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations accusing the Kremlin of “covering up” for Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“You saw this terrible tragedy on innocent people, a lot of them children,” Nikki Haley said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “And the first reaction from Russia wasn’t, ‘How horrible.’ It wasn’t, ‘How could they do this?’ It wasn’t, ‘How did this happen?’ It was, ‘Assad didn’t do it, Assad didn’t do it.’ Why was that the reaction?”

Haley’s comments come three days after President Trump ordered an airstrike on a Syrian air base in response to last week’s suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people, including children, in Syria

A spokesman for the Russian defense ministry denied Assad had anything to do with last week’s attack and demanded that the Trump administration provide proof.

“First of all, it cracks me up that Russia can say those things with a straight face,” Haley said. “I mean, truly, it is amazing that they continue to cover for Assad. And it’s very telling and it’s not putting Russia in a good light at all in the international community.”

Haley said the U.S. strike should have sent a signal to Moscow.

“This is something to let Russia know, you know what? We’re not going to have you cover for this regime anymore,” Haley said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And we’re not going to allow things like this to happen to innocent people.”

Haley added: “I think we desperately needed to send a message that, ‘You know what? Russia’s not going to have your back anymore. And if they do, we’re going to make sure that both of you know that we’re not going to settle for it.'”

In his statement announcing the strike Thursday night, Trump did not mention Russia by name.

“Tonight, I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria,” Trump said, “and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.”

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 Trump said Obama needed war authority from Congress. Will he ask for it now?

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 Trump said Obama needed war authority from Congress. Will he ask for it now?

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Four years ago, Donald Trump insisted that then-President Barack Obama needed congressional approval for military strikes inside Syria after a chemical attack blamed on Bashar Assad’s government. Top Democrats and some Republicans in Congress say it is now President Trump’s duty to seek similar war-making authority.

In August 2013, Trump delivered his blunt message on Twitter. “What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs congressional aproval the entrepreneur said.

Nearly four years later, some lawmakers are sending a similar message to the new commander in chief after he rained missiles on a Syrian airbase thought to be the point of origin for a regime chemical attack earlier this week. Syria’s government has rejected blame for the atrocity, which killed dozens of   civilians including children, in an area near Turkey’s border mostly controlled by anti-Assad rebels, and drew global outrage.

Slideshow: suspected  Syria gas kills dozens including children

Apart from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who branded the missile strikes “unlawfu” because Congress had not authorized them, most top lawmakers of both parties have welcomed Trump’s decision and are now focusing on him getting formal authority only if he plans to widen the conflict.

“Tonight’s strike in Syria appears to be a proportional response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons,” Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said late Thursday. “If the president intends to escalate the U.S. military’s involvement in Syria, he must to come to Congress for an Authorization for Use of Military Force which is tailored to meet the threat and prevent another open-ended war in the Middle East

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 Us regulators accuse google of underpaying female workers

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 Us regulators accuse google of underpaying female workers

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Government investigators looking into how Google pays its employees have accused the tech giant of shortchanging women doing similar work to men.

A U.S. Department of Labor official disclosed the agency's allegations during a Friday court hearing in San Francisco.

"We found systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce," Janette Wipper, a Labor Department regional director, testified, according to a report published by The Guardian.

Google said it vehemently disagreed with the charges, which the Mountain View, California, company said it hadn't heard until Wipper's court appearance.

"Every year, we do a comprehensive and robust analysis of pay across genders and we have found no gender pay gap," Google said in its statement.

Google and other technology companies have been trying to improve hiring practices that have historically doled out most of their technical jobs to white and Asian men. Their efforts to strike a better balance have been mostly unsuccessful so far.

For instance, only 19 percent of Google's technology jobs are held by women. Overall, nearly one-third of Google's more than 70,000 workers are women.

The Labor Department's probe evolved from a lawsuit filed in January seeking to bar Google doing business with the federal government unless the company complied with an audit of its employee-compensation records. Google has said it has turned over some of the requested records, but withheld other information that it believes would invade its workers' privacy.

While Google and its peers have been disclosing embarrassing sexual and racial imbalances in their workforces for the past few years, the technology industry so far has kept its compensation practices a closely guarded secret.

The Labor Department is now scrutinizing Silicon Valley for patterns of pay and hiring discrimination under its powers to vet companies that bid for lucrative government contracts. Earlier this year, the Labor Department also sued Oracle, alleging that the business software maker routinely pays white male workers more than their female and non-white counterparts for comparable jobs.

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Chapecoense beats Colombia’s Nacional in emotional match

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Chapecoense beats Colombia’s Nacional in emotional match

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written by The Associated Press April 5, 2017

Brazilian club Chapecoense beat Colombia’s Atletico Nacional 2-1 on Tuesday in a highly emotional match that commemorated the victims of last year’s fatal air crash in South America.

Chapecoense struck first in Tuesday’s opening leg of the Recopa Sudamericana final when Reinaldo converted from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute.

Nacional equalized when Macnelly Torres scored just under the hour before Luiz Otavio scored the winner in the 73rd minute, although the final result seemed almost not to matter as both teams and their supporters paid a series of moving tributes to the scores of people that died in last year’s plane crash in Colombia.

The Recopa Sudamericana is one of South America’s most prestigious football titles, contested between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana champions, but this year’s final has taken on added poignancy.

Atletico Nacional won the 2016 Copa Libertadores and were supposed to play Chapecoense for the Copa Sudamericana title, but the match never took place after the charter plane flying the Chapecoense team to Medellin in Colombia crashed, killing 71 out of the 77 people on board, including 19 players.

As a mark of respect, Nacional asked that Chapecoense be awarded the championship, setting up an emotional rematch in the two-legged Recopa Sudamericana.

Chapeco, a city of 200,000 residents in Southern Brazil close to the Argentine border, prepared a series of tributes both inside and outside the 22,000 seater Arena Conda, where the funerals of 50 people took place just four months ago.

Inside the packed stadium, the mayors of Chapeco and Medellin embraced each other in what organizers called “a show of gratitude” to the Colombian visitors.

The Chapeco mayor Luciano Buligon, wearing a Nacional jersey and fighting back tears, told the crowd: “Chapecoense and Atletico Nacional will be brothers forever.”

Federico Gutierrez, the mayor of Medellin, was also highly emotional when he spoke. “Chapeco is now my home. Brazil is my home. Fraternity was born out of all this great tragedy,” he said.

After 71 minutes, the crowd at the Arena Conda lit up their phones and sang “Vamos, Vamos Chape” (Let’s go Chape), a tribute they started at matches since the accident.

Four of the survivors, three Chapecoense players and radio announcer Rafael Henzel, also delivered heartfelt messages.

“Don’t wait for a plane to crash to say ‘I love you’ and to ask for forgiveness,” said central defender Neto. “Don’t wait for a plane to crash to hug, kiss and show that love always wins in the end.”

Goalkeeper Jakson Follmann, who lost a part of his right leg in the crash, was too emotional to finish his speech. “I want a round of applause to all those that passed. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.

The crowd sang a melody to thank the Colombians for their response to the tragedy, including the rescue and medical teams that worked at the crash site.

“If someone already gave you their hand and didn’t ask for anything in exchange, take notice, this is a special day,” the lyrics went.

Former international player and coach Zico, and current Brazilian manager Tite, were among some famous Brazilians who paid tributes in videos shown on giant screens in the stadium. There was also a tribute to the victims of the recent landslide in Mocoa, Colombia.

The second leg of the Recopa Sudamericana will be held on May 10 at the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellin.

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Leading Venezuela opposition figure barred from office 15 years

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Leading Venezuela opposition figure barred from office 15 years

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By Alexandra Ulmer and Brian Ellsworth

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles on Friday was banned from holding political office for 15 years, a move that could galvanize protests against the leftist government and upend a presidential election in 2018.

Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate and current governor of Miranda state, was seen as the opposition's best hope to defeat President Nicolas Maduro.

The national comptroller banned him from office due to "administrative irregularities" including breaking contracting laws and improper management of donations from the British and Polish embassies, according to a copy of the ban.

The punishment deals a blow to the opposition after stepped-up protests this week and accusations that Maduro, the unpopular handpicked successor of the late Hugo Chavez, was leading the country to dictatorship and cracking down on dissent.

Capriles responded to the measure in a defiant speech to emotive supporters at a small Caracas sports arena, describing the measure as a desperate gambit of a decaying dictatorship.

The decision would also likely fuel anger ahead of an opposition protest planned for Saturday after a string of violent marches, spurred by the Supreme Court assuming control of congress last week before an outcry forced it to retreat.

Over the last few days, authorities have accused Capriles of fomenting violence and bloodshed by leading increasingly intense protests against Maduro.

Capriles' punishment falls under a comptroller's office measure known as "disqualification" that blocks politicians from holding office if they are deemed to have committed "irregularities" in managing state resources.

The comptroller's office notification to Capriles said he had 15 working days to appeal the decision at that office or 180 days to ask for its annulment at the top court. Both are pro-government and unlikely to overturn the decision.

When asked about the donations mentioned in the ban, the British Embassy referred questions to the Foreign Office, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Polish Embassy did not immediately respond.

The government says the comptroller's investigations are part of its anticorruption efforts. Opposition leaders say it is an arbitrary mechanism that allows the ruling Socialist Party to sideline popular politicians without due process.

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Roger  Won't Chase No. 1, But It May Come To Him

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Roger  Won't Chase No. 1, But It May Come To Him

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After winning the three biggest titles of the year so far, Roger Federer fans dare to dream of the Swiss returning to World No. 1

Let's be clear about one thing: While Roger Federer would welcome a thoroughly unexpected return to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings, he has no interest in grinding his way back to World No. 1.

At 35, No. 1 is not the priority. Physically and mentally, it can't be. Winning Grand Slams and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, leading a balanced family life and staying healthy and motivated is what's most important to the Swiss, who holds the record for spending 302 weeks at the top spot.

Andre Agassi (33 years, 4 months) was the oldest man to reign as World No. 1. Federer, who was last No. 1 in October 2012, would be more than two years older than the American should he reclaim top spot later this year.

After sweeping the March Masters at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open presented by Itau, Federer said that he would likely shut it down this month and next before returning for Roland Garros (beginning 28 May). Currently 1,810 points clear of second-placed Rafael Nadal in the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London (a predictor of the year-end rankings), Federer’s sabbatical will see the Spaniard cut or possibly wipe out the Swiss’ lead in the Race during the clay swing.

ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert, a former World No. 4 and a winner of 20 titles, says, “Right now Fed’s got a better than 50 percent chance of finishing the year No. 1. When you look at how far Djoker and Murray are behind, I think it's going to come down to Roger and Rafa.

“Roger has finished the year No. 1 five times and in four of those five times he's left Miami first in the Race. He told me after the match that he's not 24 anymore and that possibly he'll only play the French. That's three Masters 1000s out of the way, but he can finish No. 1 if he wins one of the last three majors, which is certainly possible. He belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of the seven greatest athletes of all time, along with Michael Jordan and Tom Brady.”

Federer told Gilbert and ESPN viewers on court that he was “focussing on the French, the grass and then the hard courts is going to be the key for me. And if things happen for World No. 1 that would be great, but I still believe I’m a long way away.”

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 Russia and US ‘one step’ from clashKremlin says Trump strike on Syria has ‘ruined’ relations

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 Russia and US ‘one step’ from clashKremlin says Trump strike on Syria has ‘ruined’ relations

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Moscow warned that the United States was “one step away from military clashes with Russia” yesterday when President Trump targeted the Assad regime in Syria with the greatest show of American firepower in more than a decade.

The stark assessment by Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, came as he said that relations with Washington had been “completely ruined” after Mr Trump retaliated against the Syrian use of sarin gas on civilians this week.

US officials were investigating whether Russia had colluded in the gas attack, and in the subsequent bombing of a field hospital treating victims.

President Putin called the US strike an act of aggression and a significant blow to relations. The Kremlin said it would bolster Syria’s air defence system.

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Monuments Made Of FARC Guerrillas’ Weapons To Be Erected At UN Headquarters

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Monuments Made Of FARC Guerrillas’ Weapons To Be Erected At UN Headquarters

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TODAY COLOMBIA – Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been handing their weapons over to the United Nations as part of the peace agreement they signed with the Colombian government on November 24, 2016, to end Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict.

In an interview with Sputnik Mundo, Camilo González Posso, the Director of the Center for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation in Bogota, said the process symbolizes the end of the political transition in Colombia.

“This is a cardinal change. We can already feel the end of this war, which has been going on for over 50 years now. The road to peace will not be easy though as those accustomed to war could try to reconsider the peace accords after the 2018 elections. We must make every effort to cement the peace process,” he emphasized.

The surrendered arms will be handed over to the Colombian government and will then be melted into three monuments of peace to be erected at the UN headquarters in New York, and also in Colombia and in Cuba, where the four years of peace talks between the guerrillas and the Colombian government were held.

Dr. Posso said that this would be “a highly symbolic gesture,” “a message of peace” and a reminder that “politics are not made with arms or business deals.”

On November 24, 2016, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a peace agreement to end the armed standoff that raged for over fifty years and claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people.

In keeping with the peace deal FARC has until the end of summer to disarm and become a political party.

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World Anti-Doping Agency figures show 14% rise in doping sanctionsMore than 1,900 athletes were sanctioned for doping in 2015, new World Anti-Doping Agency figures show.

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World Anti-Doping Agency figures show 14% rise in doping sanctionsMore than 1,900 athletes were sanctioned for doping in 2015, new World Anti-Doping Agency figures show.

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The 1,929 punishments for failed drug tests were an increase of 14% on the previous year, when 1,693 doping offences were carried out.

Wada says increased focus on investigations, intelligence gathering and whistleblowing are behind the rise.

"Recent events have shown investigative work is becoming ever more important," said Wada president Sir Craig Reedie.

However he added that "testing remains vital to detecting doping".

Last year's McLaren report, which found more than 1,000 Russians benefitted from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015, was commissioned by Wada following evidence from whistleblowers.

The report led to Russians being banned from international athletics competition as well as last summer's Paralympic Games in Rio.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee is retesting hundreds of doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games based on targeted intelligence. More than 100 athletes have already been sanctioned as part of the retesting programme.

The latest Wada figures, though, are based on 2015 data. Its 2015 Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report shows there were 2,522 'adverse analytical findings' from 229,412 samples, of which 1,929 led to action against athletes.

The number of samples taken was 5% up on the 217,762 taken in 2014.

The figures do not include more than 70,000 tests and 1,200 failed tests which were not processed through Wada's anti-doping administration system (Adams). Many professional sports in North America do not use the Adams system.

The figures also show Russian athletes had the most anti-doping rule violations in 2015, with 176. The sport with the most sanctions was bodybuilding, with 270.

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Colombian Landslide: Over 200 Die In Mocoa, Even More MissingVictims’ desperate calls for help!

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Colombian Landslide: Over 200 Die In Mocoa, Even More MissingVictims’ desperate calls for help!

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Landslides have killed at least 206 people in south-west Colombia and left many more injured, aid officials say.

Hours of heavy rains overnight caused rivers to burst their banks, flooding homes with mud in Putumayo province.

The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) said that at least 220 were missing, and another 202 were injured.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who travelled to the area, said troops had been deployed as part of a national emergency response.

He declared a state of emergency in the region.

Reuters news agency said more than 1,100 soldiers and police officers had joined the rescue effort. One army officer said the main local hospital was struggling to cope.

‘The river has got us, help us please’

The region’s governor, Sorrel Aroca, told Colombian media that whole neighbourhoods had been buried.

Rescue services said their efforts had been hampered by continuing bad weather and damaged infrastructure.

“There are mobility issues on almost 80% of the roads, and from where the road ends, it is three hours to where the landslide took place,” said one police officer.

Bridges have also been swept away.

Jose Antonio Castro, mayor of the provincial capital Mocoa, told Caracol radio that the town was “totally isolated”, without electricity and water.

On arriving at the scene, President Santos told reporters, “My heart and the hearts of all Colombians are with the victims of this tragedy.”

An alarm had sounded as the river’s levels rose, leading many people to leave their homes for shelter, and avoiding wider loss of life, Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper said.

The mudslides were caused by the rise of the Mocoa river and three tributaries, a representative of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit told AFP news agency.

Rescue services said 17 neighbourhoods had been affected and Mr Castro said his own house had also been destroyed.

“The mud is up to the roof,” he told Caracol radio.

The region, bordering Ecuador and Peru, is heavily dependent on agriculture and the petroleum industry.

While landslides and heavy rains are common in the mountainous area, March was Colombia’s rainiest month since 2011, according to the state meteorological agency.

In neighbouring Peru, more than 90 people have died since the start of the year because of unusually heavy rainfall, which also caused landslides and flash floods.

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Paraguay congress set on fire amid presidential controversy.

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Paraguay congress set on fire amid presidential controversy.

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Demonstrators in Paraguay have set fire to the country’s Congress amid violent protests against a bill that would let the president seek re-election.

Protesters stormed the legislature, breaking windows and fences.

The country's 1992 constitution, introduced after 35 years of dictatorship, strictly limits the president to a single five-year term.

But sitting President Horacio Cartes is attempting to remove the restriction and run for re-election.

Protesters were photographed setting fire to barricades in the streets of Asuncion, near the congress building, on Friday night.

The AFP news agency said the protesters had managed to break into the building and "ransacked" the offices of those who backed the bill, setting several fires.

Police used rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Earlier, the crowd took to the streets following a private meeting of senators, which approved a bill to amend the constitution.

The bill must also be approved by the other house of parliament - the chamber of deputies - where President Cartes' party holds a majority.

The chamber's president, Hugo Velázquez, told ABC Color (in Spanish) that the sitting planned for the following morning would no longer take place and no decision would be made on Saturday.

He urged people to stay calm.

Opponents say the bill will weaken the country's democratic institutions.

Paraguay was controlled by dictator General Alfredo Stroessner, who seized power in a coup, from 1954 until 1989.

The new constitution in 1992 created the modern government, but there has been a long period of political instability and party infighting, as well as a failed coup attempt.

President Cartes' term is due to end in 2018.