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June/July 1999
 
Dear Language Enthusiast,
 
Greetings from Transparent Language! Every so often we send out this free newsletter with topics of interest to Spanish language enthusiasts. Since the introduction of the newsletter last year, we have received dozens of letters from readers with positive feedback and suggestions. We are delighted that the newsletter has been so well received, and are grateful for your insightful comments.

Of all the suggestions readers have sent, perhaps the most common one is to offer our newsletter in both English and Spanish. So, in response to your feedback, from this issue on we are proud to offer newsletters in both languages. We have first presented the following newsletter in Spanish, followed immediately by the English version. This will be a good tool for practicing your Spanish skills.

The topic of this month's newsletter is current events.

Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com

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En español:

La devastación reciente en América Central, causada por el Huracán Mitch, ha instigado los gobiernos de Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua y Guatemala a pedir unificación y solidaridad entre sus países para combatir efectivamente este desastre natural. El huracán causó aproximadamente 9.000 fatalidades y US$5 billones en daño. En relación a esta ocurrencia, los presidentes de estos paises se proponen a pedir al Presidente Clinton a llegar a un acuerdo de comercio libre para estabilizar estos paises y recobrar lo que han perdido a causa del desastre.

El conflicto entre Ecuador y Perú sobre una disputa de frontera finalmente ha sido resuelto en una manera pacífica. Después de varias incursiones militares, los dos presidentes (Jamil Mahuad de Ecuador y Alberto Fujimori de Perú) son orgullosos de contar al mundo que acción militar no tuvo un papel en este negocio. También hay indicaciones que los dos gobiernos quieren disminuir su poder militar en el futuro.

Otro desastre natural ocurrió recientemente en Colombia. Un terremoto en el estado de Armenia causó 1.500 fatalidades y 3.000 heridos, y dejó 200.000 personas sin alojamiento. A causa de este desastre, hay preocupaciones que el nivel de desempleo va a aumentar drásticamente en esta región. El gobierno ha decidido llevar a cabo un programa de construcción en la región, para crear alojamiento y emplear la gente a la vez. Este programa empezará a fines de marzo, según la proyección del gobierno colombiano.

El tribunal supremo de Londres ha decidido que el antiguo dictador de Chile, Augusto Pinochet, no tiene inmunidad del procesamiento para los crímenes que cometió, o conspiró acometer, afuera de Chile durante su reinado. La Cámara de los Lores recibió un documento que relata que él tuvo víctimas en Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia y los Estados Unidos y que había planes para implementar la conspiración en España, Francia, Italia y Portugal. Hay una correlación entre esta situación y la del dictador panameño, Manuel Noriega. En este caso, los Estados Unidos decidió que el hecho de que él era participante en el tráfico de drogas no pudiera ser considerado una acción de parte del estado panameño, sino una acción que tuvo consecuencias a un nivel internacional.

La introducción del euro, el nuevo sistema monetaria, en España ha resuelto positiva. La Unión Europea reporta que los paises más pobres de la Unión (España, Grecia, Portugal e Irlanda) han aumentado su Producto Bruto Interno (PBI) per cápita desde la introducción del euro.

En Cuba, Fidel Castro organizó una conferencia internacional económica para hablar de las implicaciones del crisis en el mercado de Asia para los mercados emergiendos de América Latina. Él sugiere que hace falta revisar los modelos económicos actuales para evitar el contagio. Representativos de Brasil, Guatemala, Indonesia, la comisión económica de las Naciones Unidas, el Banco Mundial y la Organización de Comercio Mundial están asistiendo, entre otros.
 

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In English:
 
The recent devastation in Central America caused by Hurricane Mitch has prompted the governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala to call for unification and solidarity among them in order to combat the ruinous effects of the natural disaster. The Hurricane caused an estimated 9,000 deaths and $5 billion dollars in damage. In a related story, the governments of these countries also plan to ask President Clinton to negotiate a free trade agreement with them in order to stabilize their countries and recover some of the losses incurred.

The long-standing conflict between Ecuador and Peru over border demarcation has finally been peacefully resolved. After several military incursions to try to solve the dispute, the two presidents (Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru) state that they are pleased to announce to the world that they have not taken a military approach to this resolution. There are also indications that both countries plan on stepping down their military strength.

Another natural disaster plagued Latin America recently in Colombia. An earthquake in the state of Armenia has killed an estimated 1,500 people, left 3,000 wounded, and 200,000 homeless. There is growing concern that the unemployment rate will skyrocket as a consequence. The government has decided to implement a construction project in the region beginning in March to rebuild houses and provide employment.

The high court in London has decided that former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, is not immune from prosecution for crimes that he committed, or conspired to commit, outside of Chile during his leadership. The House of Lords has received a document which states that he had victims in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and the United States and that steps were taken to implement the conspiracy in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. A correlation has been made between this case and that of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. In that case, the United States court decided that drug trafficking committed by the former leader could not be considered a public action on behalf of the Panamanian state.

The introduction of the Euro in Spain has proved positive. The European Union reports that the four poorest EU countries (Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland) have all increased the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since the introduction of the Euro.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro is holding an international economic forum to discuss the implications of the Asian market crisis on the emerging economies of Latin America. He suggests that a revision of the current economic models is needed in order to avoid the contagion. In attendance are representatives from Brazil, Guatemala, Indonesia, the United Nations' Economic Commission, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization among others.