Global outreach: Stevens Invests in Latin America's Future
In recent years, the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, has made inroads globally, starting programs, conducting research, or training teachers in places such as Beijing, China; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Saudi Arabia; Northern Ireland; Lima, Peru; and Guayaquil, Ecuador.

One region the private research and technology university is specifically focusing on is Latin America, particularly Costa Rica.

Wednesday afternoon, Stevens' President Dr. Harold Raveche discussed the steps taken to establish a technology incubator program in Costa Rica that mirrors the Technogenesis program the university now offers.

In March, Raveche is scheduled to host a workshop that will bring together officials from the Costa Rican government and industry, and scholars from the country's major research universities to set the framework for a program that will hopefully create sustainable high-tech companies that can contribute to the country's future economy.

Raveche said one of the biggest challenges of developing countries and economies is the creation of a sustainable technology base. There is often foreign investment, he said, but little of that money is reinvested in capital or education.

"They may have the dollars, but they don't have the know-how," said Raveche.

He added technology needs to be assimilated to serve as a basis for innovation. Instead of merely transferring technology, there have to policies in place to build technological capacity. That is where a program like Technogeneis can be effective, he said.

Raveche explained that Technogenesis is a program where students, teachers, and the leaders in industry jointly nurture the conception, designing, and marketplace realization of new technologies. "Governments have been coming to us," said Raveche. "They see obvious benefits of starting [a program] that produces a viable company. They really like the idea that the program can be self-sustainable."

Raveche said a program like Technogenesis is more attractive than an esoteric research project that may not have any practical use. "

According to Raveche, at the workshop the participants will discuss basic issues such as how to attract venture capital, legal issues such as how to establish international patents, and define the role research universities will play in the program.

With the framework in place in the next year or so, the program will start, companies will be formed, and innovative products will be created.

Hudson County, New Jersey and the tri-state area have one of most vibrant Latino populations in America. Raveche said establishing a technology incubator creates an excellent avenue for affluent Latinos to reinvest venture into Latin America.




LCHR to Guatemalan President: Action Needed to Protect Freedom of Speech
The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights today sent a letter to the new Guatemalan President, Oscar Berger, urging him to ensure the right to freedom of expression.

The letter focused attention on the case of Bruce Harris, Latin America Programs Director of the children’s rights organization Casa Alianza. Harris was charged with criminal defamation in 1997, and is due to go on trial in Guatemala City on January 22. Neil Hicks, Director of the Lawyers Committee’s Human Rights Defenders Program, described the charges against Harris as constituting “a violation of his fundamental right to freedom of expression and as a form of persecution against those who promote human rights in Guatemala.”

Harris is being prosecuted for criminal defamation on the complaint of Ms. Susana Maria Luarca Saracho de Umaña and, if convicted, may be sentenced to five years imprisonment. The complaint is based on statements made by Harris at a 1997 press conference given jointly by Casa Alianza and the Guatemalan Solicitor General’s office.

This press conference was organized to announce the results of an investigation conducted by Casa Alianza and the Solicitor General’s office into the trafficking of children through Guatemala. During the conference, Mr. Harris is said to have alleged that Ms. Umaña had used “undue influence” with the government authorities in facilitating international adoptions. Ms. Umaña was among several other lawyers named in criminal accusations related to child trafficking filed after the joint investigation.

In 1999, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court ruled that only journalists are entitled to freedom of expression and Mr. Harris should be prosecuted in the criminal courts.

In its letter to President Berger, the Lawyers Committee states that the 1999 ruling of the Constitutional Court is overly restrictive and contravenes international human rights law. It further argues that criminal sanctions for defamation may be excessive and that the defense of truth should be available to answer a defamation charge.

The letter further describes Bruce Harris’ important work with Casa Alianza and demands that all human rights defenders must be permitted to operate without obstruction or fear of retaliation, as required by the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

“Human rights defenders in Guatemala face serious persecution by powerful individuals and groups who feel threatened by their work, on a daily basis,” commented Hicks.

“These charges against Bruce Harris are simply one form of such persecution and the new Guatemalan president should recognize this and take action to ensure that all human rights defenders are able to express themselves freely and to continue their vital work without fear of violence, threats or spurious criminal charges.”





Strong storms in southeastern Brazil kill more than 23
Strong storms have hit several cities in southeastern Brazil in recent days, killing more than 23people in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.

Sources in support organizations said on Friday that Minas Gerais, south of Brasilia, was the most affected state with 14 killed and 7,349 people losing their homes because of the heavy downpour.

Local rescue services said that several regions in Minas Geraiswere in an alert situation and six had been declared in a state of public disaster.

In the city of Caratinga, which was flooded, banks had been closed since Monday and authorities estimated that the local business community suffered losses amounting to 4.2 million US dollars.

In the industrial city of Juiz de Fora, near the state of Rio de Janeiro, five people died because of the rains.

In Rio de Janeiro, the Civil Defense said nine people died on Thursday and Friday, 1,718 residents lost their houses and 450 of them were moved to shelters.

The rains also caused damage in the northeastern states of Alagoas and Sergipe, where one person was reported dead.

According to the National Meteorology Institute, rains were to continue this weekend in the northeastern and southeastern states, although conditions are expected to improve on Monday.