Presidential campaign resumes
after a break for holiday


The nation's election officials gave the go ahead Thursday to a resumption of the presidential campaign.

The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones reminded political parties that the moratorium on campaigning is over. The election rules shut down campaigning over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Most political parties comply. Johnny Araya of the Partido Libración Nacional is getting heat because he sent out a New Year's greeting on the Internet. He did so Jan. 1, and opponents are construing this as a campaign action.

Members of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana caused a minor flap when they carried party flags and beat a bongo drum during the Tope Nacional, the Dec. 26 horse parade. Police ushered them away.

However, many of the presidential candidates also were there, but they were on horses and not obviously campaigning.

The election is Sunday, Feb. 2, so there is not much time to mount a campaign. Most have been less than memorable so far. Many voters are not sure if they will vote, and many more are undecided for whom they will vote.

Another election rule requires survey firms to register. Election officials believe that reputable firms will produce reputable results even if they are working at the behest of a political party. The idea is to avoid the use of fake polls that promote one candidate over another. Poll results showing a likely winner have a tendency to suppress the vote for opponents

Meanwhile the Tribunal is getting ready to begin the delivery of more than a million ballots to the appropriate polling spots.


At least eight murder victims
died in the last three days


The judicial morgue received 17 corpses Tuesday and Wednesday, said the Judicial Investigating Organization.

Seven were the bodies of murder victims, and one was a suicide, according to the agency. Five were victims of traffic accidents, according to the summary. Two deaths remain under investigation.

Among the victims was a 74-year-old man with the last name of Solano who died at the hands of a presumed intruder. He lived in Santa Rosa de Tilarán.

Solano was found by one of his sons about 7 a.m. New Year's Day, agents said, adding that there was evidence that entry to the home had been forced. In addition to a flat screen television, a pistol and a rifle were missing, they said.

The man had been shot and stabbed.

Another man on the list is an 18 year old with the last name of  Moreno. He died in Barrio San José in Alajuela New Year's morning. Agents detained a man Thursday afternoon as the prime suspect.

Not on the morgue list is a 34-year-old man with the last name of Navarro who was knifed to death in San Jose's Barrio México about 1:45 a.m. Thursday while he was walking home with a relative. Three men jumped and killed him, agents said. They added that they were still uncertain about the motive.


Judge protects Guatemalan VP
against critical journalist


A judge in Guatemala has issued a no-contact order to protect the nation's vice president from a reporter.

The Inter American Press Association repudiated the surprising order by a judge. The action is in favor of the Central American country’s vice president, Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías. The order prohibits a journalist from getting physically near her due to criticism and statements he has been making in his publications.

Dec. 11 the judge of the criminal court for offenses and violence against women and sexual violence, Karen Jeannette Chinchilla Menéndez, issued an order for the physical protection of Ms. Baldetti, labeling the newsman, José Rubén Zamora, editor of the newspaper el Periódico, an aggressor and prohibiting him from disturbing or intimidating Ms. Baldetti and any member of her family.

The order also bans Rubén Zamora’s access to her permanent or temporary home and place of work or study for six months.

In recent months Rubén Zamora has published investigations and formulated serious criticism and allegations of wrongdoing in the work in which the vice president is engaged. He has also shown that the national government has withdrawn official advertising from his newspaper in reprisal for those criticisms and that his online edition has been hacked.

“What most calls the attention to this incredible court order is that it is a new way of shielding an official from criticism,” declared Claudio Paolillo, chairman of the press association's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information.

Paolillo, editor of the Montevideo, Uruguay, weekly Búsqueda, added, “We energetically repudiate this new form of censorship, an order that re-invents the offense of contempt, giving public officials the privilege of silencing criticism.”

He publicly called on the Guatemala judiciary to set aside this censorship order for contravening constitutional and elemental legal principles regarding freedom of expression in Guatemala.


Chinese icebreaker may be stuck
after chopper rescue in Antarctica


All 52 passengers aboard a Russian research ship stuck in ice for over a week in Antarctica were airlifted to safety Thursday, but now there are concerns that a Chinese vessel involved in the rescue has also gotten stuck.

Today the crew of the Chinese icebreaker "Snow Dragon," which provided the helicopter used in the airlift, said they were worried about their ship's ability to move through the thick sea ice after remaining stationary for several days.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority reported that the Australian icebreaker "Aurora Australis," tasked with taking the rescued passengers back to Australia, has been instructed to stay in the area temporarily in case the "Snow Dragon" needs help. The authority said the crew of the Chinese ship will attempt to break through to open water early Saturday when tidal conditions are more favorable.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Thursday that the passengers had been safely evacuated from the "Akademik Shokalskiy," which has been stranded since Dec. 24.

All passengers aboard the research ship were airlifted to safety after a rescue helicopter was finally able to land nearby.

Chris Turney, one of the scientists on the ship, posted a message to Twitter saying the passengers reached a nearby Australian icebreaker ship safe and sound.

The passengers, including scientists, tourists, and journalists, were airlifted 12 at a time to the Australian vessel.

Blizzard conditions hampered previous attempts to evacuate the passengers by helicopter. Icebreaker ships from China, Australia and France had also failed to reach the Russian vessel.

Seventy-four people were on board the "Akademik Shokalskiy," which has weeks of supplies and is in no danger of sinking. Most of the 22-member Russian crew are expected to stay behind and wait for the ice to break up naturally.

The Russian ship, which left New Zealand on Nov. 28, was trying to recreate Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's century-old voyage to Antarctica.