There was great attention during the works of the United Nations General Assembly towards Iran’s new President. However the debate of the last week was not characterized just by the Middle East question.

Iran and Middle East

In contrast to Ahmadinejad, Iran’s President Hasan Rouhani doesn’t deny the Holocaust or predicts that Israel has to disappear from the Map. He has clearly made a break from his ultraconservative predecessor, and from his politics of confrontation and provocation.

His Iran will be an anchor of stability in a volatile region and he highlighted his commitment to resolve regional conflicts with diplomacy.

On the sides of the General Assembly in New York he called on Israel to acknowledge its nuclear arsenal and join the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He also criticized the country for being the only Middle East state to not sign onto the pact.

“Almost four decades of international efforts to establish a nuclear-​weapon-​free zone in the Middle East have regrettably failed. He added that all nuclear activities in the region should be subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections and nuclear safeguards.

“No nation should possess nuclear weapons, since there are no right hands for these wrong weapons,” he said. “As long as nuclear weapons exist, the risk of their use, threat of use and proliferation persist. The only absolute guarantee is their total elimination.”

Latin America

The latin american countries drew the attention to the global network of electronic espionage, seeking more respect for their rights and their sovereignty. It was also proposed a reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Dilma Youssef highlighted that citizens’ personal data, corporate information and diplomatic information had been intercepted, as well as communications of the Office of the President.  “Tampering in such a manner in the affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and an affront to the principles that must guide relations among them, especially among friendly nations.”

“The right to safety of citizens of one country”, she said, “could never be guaranteed by violating fundamental human rights of citizens of another”. As many other Latin Americans, she had fought against authoritarianism and censorship, and she could not be defend the right to privacy — of individuals and the nation itself. In the absence of privacy, there could be no true freedom of expression and opinion, and therefore, no effective democracy. In the absence of respect for sovereignty, there was no basis for the relationship among nations. She demanded from the United States’ Government explanations, apologies and guarantees that such procedures would never be repeated.

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales said that much had been heard about democracy, respect and social justice during the debate. But, he asked, “What justice are they talking about? What democracy were they talking about when countries like the United States could spy even on their democratic allies? What peace could be discussed when there were so many unemployed in that country and yet billions of dollars went to military expenditure every year?”

He said terrorism was not to be fought with more military spending but with more democracy, more social justice and more education.

The West can maybe be happy for the the detente of its relations with a part of Middle East, but it has certainly to reconsider its behavior towards that part of the world who decided to get through several years of misery and oppression.

US President Barack Obama used his speech at the UN General Assembly to demand the world take action on the crisis in Syria. Syria and renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear program are set to dominate the annual meeting.

President Obama defended his threat of force against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime at the annual UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, saying Damascus must face consequences after the use of chemical weapons.

"There must be a strong Security Council resolution to verify that the Assad regime is keeping its commitments, and there must be consequences if they fail to do so," Obama said to the world leaders.

His remarks come as the US and Russia negotiate a UN Security Council resolution in connection with an agreement by Damascus to give up its chemical weapons.

The US-Russia brokered deal was struck following a push by Obama for a military strike on Syria.

Obama denounced critics who questioned whether Assad carried out the August 21 chemical attack outside Damascus, which the US says killed more than 1,400 people.

"It is an insult to human reason - and to the legitimacy of this institution - to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack," he said.

"Nevertheless, a leader who slaughtered his citizens and gassed children to death cannot regain the legitimacy to lead a badly fractured country," he said of Assad.

Obama cautioned, however, that military action would not achieve lasting peace and that any nation, including the US, should not determine who will lead Syria.

Renewed talks on Iran

Obama also used his time in front of the Assembly to welcome the new Iranian government's pursuit of what he called a "more moderate course," in relation to stalled negotiations over its nuclear program.

"The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested," Obama said.

On Monday, the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, announced that Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, would join talks with six key nations due to "energy and determination" shown by Tehran for fresh talks.

The foreign ministers of the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are set to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

The meeting between the six powers and Iran will be the first since April, when discussions on how to reduce fears that Tehran might use its nuclear technology to create weapons stalled at a meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The UN Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment and sanctions from the US and its allies have had a crippling effect on Iran's economy.

Obama did not say whether he will meet with Iran's new moderate conservative President Hasan Rouhani. Even a handshake would mark the first such encounter between US and Iranian leaders in over 30 years.

Obama faces criticism over NSA

Despite the focus on Syria and Iran, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff used her opening speech at the General Assembly to criticize Obama and the US National Security Agency (NSA) over reports it had spied on Brazilian government communications.

She announced Brazil would adopt legislation and technology to protect it from illegal interception of communications.

Last week, Rousseff called off a high-profile state visit to Washington scheduled for October over the reports.

"Meddling in such a manner in the lives and affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and, as such, it is an affront to the principles that should otherwise govern relations among countries, especially among friendly nations," Rousseff said to the gathering of world leaders.

President Obama was en route to the UN during her speech and therefore not present.

hc/kms (Reuters, AFP, AP)

The journalist who broke the story about an intelligence leaker says he has even more damaging information about US spying activities. He said this would be released if something were to happen to Edward Snowden.

Glenn Greenwald, a journalist with Britain's Guardian newspaper, which first published Snowden's revelations, told Argentina's La Nacion that the former National Security Agency contractor and Central Intelligence Agency employee had so far elected to withhold much of the information he has.

"Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the US government in a single minute than any other person has ever had," Greenwald said in an interview in Rio de Janeiro published in the Saturday edition of the paper.  

"The US government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare," Greenwald added.

He also said among the documents Snowden had hid away in several different locations were some that detail how US spy programs conduct surveillance in Latin America.

"One way of intercepting communications is through a telephone company in the United States that has contracts with telecommunications companies in most Latin American countries," Greenwald said, without naming the company.

Stranded in Sheremetyvo

Snowden, 30, has been stranded in the transit area of one of Moscow's international airports since he left Hong Kong three weeks ago. It was while he was in Hong Kong that the Guardian first published his revelations.

Since then, US authorities have been seeking to get Snowden extradited so that he can be put on trial on espionage charges.

On Friday, Snowden told activists who visited him at Sheremetyvo Airport that he planned to apply for temporary asylum in Russia until it was safe for him to travel on to a permanent destination in Latin America.

On Saturday, Russian authorities said that they had not yet received such an application from Snowden. Meanwhile, Bolivian President Evo Morales reiterated his offer of asylum to Snowden while at the same time pledging that La Paz would adhere to all "diplomatic norms and international accords."

pfd/mkg (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Four South American countries say they will recall some of their ambassadors after the Bolivian president's plane was banned from European airspace.

Evo Morales' plane, returning from Russia, was rerouted to Austria, amid rumours that American fugitive Edward Snowden was on board.

Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay say the incident violated international law.

Envoys will be recalled from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, they say.

Mr Snowden, a former CIA contractor, is wanted by Washington on charges of leaking secrets about US surveillance schemes.

'Hostile act'

Speaking at a summit in Montevideo, the Uruguayan foreign minister, Luis Almagro, said the actions of the European governments were "groundless, discriminatory and arbitrary".

He went on: "The gravity of the situation - which is a typical neo-colonial practice - is an unusual, unfriendly and hostile act which violates human rights and affects the freedom of transit, displacement and immunity that is enjoyed by every head of state."

The European countries have called the incident a "misunderstanding". France has apologised, blaming "conflicting information" while Spain said it had been told Mr Snowden had been on the plane.

On Friday, Mr Snowden said he sought asylum in Russia as he was unable to travel to Latin America.

Continue reading the main story

“

Start Quote

We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum”

Mercosur statement

He spoke at a Moscow airport, in his first appearance in three weeks, after meeting human rights groups and lawyers.

He has been in the transit area at Sheremetyevo airport since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June.

The American has sent requests for political asylum to at least 21 countries, most of which have been turned him down.

However, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have indicated they could take him in.

South American anger

The decision by South American nations to recall four of their Europe envoys was taken in the framework of the presidential summit of the regional trade bloc, Mercosur, which comprises Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay.

Some European countries are likely to close their airspace again to any plane suspected of carrying the fugitive.

In a statement, Mercosur said: "We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum."

It called for "solidarity with the governments of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which have offered to grant asylum to Mr Edward Snowden".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Mercosur would also demand "explanations and public apologies" from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal over the plane forced landing.

Bolivia, which is an associate member of Mercosur, summoned the ambassadors of the four European countries last week over the diversion of the plane, which it called an act of aggression.

Source: BBC

Bolivia's leader Evo Morales has accused the United States of breaking international law. South American leaders joined him in condemning the diversion of Morales' jet on the suspicion that Edward Snowden was on board.

The presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Suriname, Venezuela and Uruguay called the treatment of Morales by European leaders "an offense" to all South American nations, according to a joint statement released early Friday. The leaders had convened in the central Bolivian city of Chochabamba overnight following Morales' return from Europe.
Earlier in the week, European officials had rerouted the Bolivian president's return flight from Moscow, forcing him to land in Vienna where he remained grounded for over 13 hours. They reportedly believed that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden had been on board the airplane. Bolivian President Morales alleged that France, Italy, Portugal and Spain all revoked flight clearance for his plane based on the "false rumor."
President Morales express outrage at the move, threatening to retaliate against the United States for breaking international law.
"United we will defeat American imperialism. We met with the leaders of my party and they asked us for several measures," he said.
"We don't need a US embassy in Bolivia," Morales added. "My hand would not shake to close the US embassy. We have dignity, sovereignty. Without the United States, we are better politically, democratically."
Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru also condemned the diversion of Morales' plane, but did not attend the meeting.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden is currently believed to be residing in the Moscow airport, where he awaits approval for asylum from a number of Western nations. The US wants Snowden on charges of espionage for leaking details of a wide-reaching surveillance program, known as Prism.
South America outraged
Comments from the leaders in attendance also emerged separately from the group's official statement, expressing anger over the lingering influence of Europe and over the US' recurrent meddling in their politics.
"The leaders and authorities in Europe have to take a lesson in history and understand that we're not 500 years behind. This Latin America of the 21st century is independent, dignified and sovereign," said Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa.
"Imagine if this happened to a European head of state, if this had happened to the president of the United States. It probably would have been a casus belli, a case for war," Correa said. "They think they can attack, crush, destroy international law."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the CIA of strong-arming EU officials into complying with its wishes.
"A minister of one of those European governments told me personally that it was the CIA who gave the order to [ground the plane]," Maduro said late Thursday. "The CIA is more powerful that governments."
France has already issued an apology, which Bolivian President Morales immediately rejected. However, the Argentine president renewed calls for apologizes from the other European nations to ease tensions.
The diplomatic row also sparked public ire in the Bolivia ahead of the meeting. In La Paz, small demonstrations too place outside the US and French embassies. In the city of Santa Cruz, government sympathies spray painted graffiti on the US embassy.
kms/rg (AP, AFP)

Los Presidentes de los países de la Unasur se reúnen de emergencia este jueves la ciudad boliviana de Cochabamba, tras el incidente que involucró el avión en el que viajaba el presidente de ese país, Evo Morales.

Varias naciones europeas le cerraron su espacio aéreo a la nave este martes, por rumores de que transportaba también al excontratista de la CIA -solicitado por Estados Unidos- Edward Snowden.

Presidentes de la región han coincidido en expresar indignación por el tratamiento dado a Morales, que han descrito como una amenaza a la dignidad de Bolivia y del continente.

Francia se disculpó por su papel en lo ocurrido.

Fuente: BBC

Edward Snowden not on Bolivian president's diverted plane 

A jet carrying the Bolivian president is on its way home after being forced to land at Vienna airport because of the refusal of some European countries to let it pass through their airspace. Eva Morales was returning from a visit to Moscow. He called it "an excuse to scare, intimidate and punish me". 

The US government has admitted that it had been in contact with other nations about potential flights involving Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower. The State Department would not comment on whether it had made any specific respresentations over Morales's flight.

Bolivian and Austrian authorities insisted Snowden was not on the plane. The extent to which the Austrian police officers searched the jet was unclear.

An Austrian official told AP that Morales's aircraft asked controllers at Vienna airport to land because there was "no clear indication" that the plane had enough fuel to continue on its journey. 

Bolivia's UN ambassador has said that the country will file a formal complaint with the United Nations over the "kidnapping" of Morales. A number of South American leaders voiced outrage at the incident, including the Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner and Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador.

Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino says Ecuador has found a hidden microphone inside its London embassy, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is living, and it would disclose who controls the device. Patino described it as "another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments"

The Complete Coverage

Flight of the plane in real time

Source: The Guardian 

Chilean former President Michelle Bachelet has secured her place in November's presidential election by winning a key party primary.

Preliminary results from Sunday's poll show she cannot be caught by her rivals in the left-wing opposition coalition.

A primary was also held in the governing conservative Alliance for Chile. Results so far indicate a close race between two former ministers.

Sunday's primary elections were the first ever held in Chile.

Ms Bachelet - who served as president between 2006 and 2010 - won two-thirds of the votes for the New Majority coalition, the preliminary results suggest.

She has spent the past three years in New York as head of the United Nations gender equality agency and is still considered one of Chile's most popular politicians.

In the governing centre-right Alliance for Chile, former ministers Andres Allamand and Pablo Longueira were neck and neck.

Voters will choose a successor to President Sebastian Pinera on 17 November. Chilean politicians are prevented from serving consecutive terms.

President Pinera became Chile's first right-wing leader in 20 years when he was elected in 2010.

However, he has seen his popularity drop sharply since then, and in last month's local elections, his centre-right alliance lost some key races, including in the capital Santiago.

Source: BBC

Brazil have defeated Spain to win their third consecutive Confederations Cup. Fred scored two and Neymar added another as the hosts dominated from minute one at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The result was never in doubt Sunday evening at the Maracana. Brazil’s impressive talent put on quite a show against a visibly tired Spain, who had clearly not fully recovered from playing 120 minutes of football in humid conditions during the semifinal on Thursday.
The hosts took the lead just two minutes into the match after Fred pounced on a failed clearance. Hulk sent a cross into the box from the left wing, two Spain defenders failed to clear ball, and Fred got a foot on it before goalkeeper Iker Casillas could grab it.
The goal ignited the crowd inside the Maracana, and the hosts fed off the energy. Brazil put enormous pressure on Spain for the entire first half. Andres Iniesta and Xavi were hardly given any time on the ball, making an already rusty-looking Spain appear even more unpolished.
Around the 40-minute mark it looked like Pedro would score the equalizer for the Spanish team. Receiving the ball on the right wing, he beat goalkeeper Julio Cesar with a low, placed shot. But a sprinting David Luiz beat the ball to the goal line and, amazingly, he blocked the shot.
Instead it was Brazil who would get the next goal. Just a minute before halftime Oscar played a ball to Neymar on the left side of the box. The young superstar took one touch and ripped a powerful shot into the top corner of the net, leaving Casillas no chance.
The goal capped what was a fantastic half for the hosts, who went into the locker room with a well-deserved 2-0 lead.
Spain capitulate
Just two minutes after the restart, things got worse for Spain. Picking up the ball near half field, Hulk played a wonderful through pass to Fred on the left wing, and he sent a low finish past Casillas to seal his brace.
In the 55^th minute, it looked like Spain were given a lifeline when substitute Jesus Navas went down in the box. The referee called a penalty, and it was Sergio Ramos who stepped up to take it. But the defender put his effort wide, making it clear that Sunday was not Spain’s night.
In minute 68, things got worse for the Spanish. Gerard Pique committed a reckless tackle on Neymar during a counter attack, and the ref had no choice but to award a red card. Down to 10 men, Spain’s faint hopes were all but dashed. The match ended 3-0 with Brazil as the champions.
The victory is Brazil’s third straight in the Confederations Cup after wins over Argentina and the United States in the 2005 and 2009 editions of the tournament.
Sunday’s performance marks what has been an impressive tournament for the Brazilians. Because they are already qualified as hosts for the 2014 World Cup, Brazil have had no competitive matches to speak of in recent years. But the hosts showed at this summer’s tournament that they have the talent to beat the world’s best. With their home crowd behind them, they’re already favorites to win next summer’s big show.

Source: DW

Este domingo se realiza una elección "histórica e inédita" en Chile, en palabras del propio gobierno chileno.

Por primera vez en el país, las dos coaliciones políticas imperantes, la gobernante Alianza por Chile (centroderecha) y la opositora Pacto Nueva Mayoría (centroizquierda), definirán sus candidatos presidenciales a través del voto popular.

Andrés Velasco, Claudio Orrego y José Antonio Gómez- y dos de la centroderecha –Andrés Allamand y Pablo Longueira- compiten por el cupo para la elección presidencial el próximo 17 de noviembre en las denominadas elecciones primarias.

Los favoritos

La expresidenta Michelle Bachelet aparece como la favorita por lejos dentro de su pacto. Según la última encuesta publicada esta semana por el Centro de Estudios Mori, la militante socialista se llevará entre un 70% y 80% de los votos de su coalición.

El segundo lugar está siendo disputado entre el exministro de Hacienda de Bachelet, Andrés Velasco (independiente) y Claudio Orrego, representante del ala más joven y reformista de la Democracia Cristiana chilena.

Mientras Orrego es conservador respecto a sus valores y partidario de un mayor rol del Estado, Velasco es liberal en todos los ámbitos, por lo que se espera que capte parte importante del voto de la derecha liberal que no se siente representada por sus candidatos.

Por la coalición gobernante, el panorama no está tan claro.

Los dos candidatos de la derecha chilena no representan diferencias sustanciales ni las han mostrado en la campaña.

Si bien Andrés Allamand (del mismo partido del presidente Sebastián Piñera, Renovación Nacional y exministro de Defensa) es del ala más "liberal" de la derecha chilena, es contrario al matrimonio homosexual, al aborto, a un mayor rol del Estado y a la educación gratuita, al igual que su contrincante, Pablo Longueira.

Longueira (del partido Unión Demócrata Independiente) fue colaborador del gobierno de Augusto Pinochet y ministro de Economía durante el gobierno de Sebastián Piñera. A pesar de tener posturas bastante conservadoras en términos valóricos y liberales en el ámbito económico, cuenta con apoyo en las bases populares.

Tensión primaria

Las primarias fueron planteadas como la vía más democrática para elegir a los presidenciables. Pero el camino no resultó ni fácil ni fluido.

La campaña pre presidencial se volvió una guerra interna en cada coalición.

En la centroizquierda la pelea por posicionarse en el segundo lugar, tras la inminente victoria de Bachelet, hizo que los otros tres candidatos dejaran en evidencia los conflictos internos de la coalición cada vez que fue posible, incluido los debates televisados.

Y en la derecha la carrera dejó varios lesionados, incluido el precandidato favorito y el único que, según las encuestas, podía hacerle frente a Bachelet en las presidenciales de noviembre: Laurence Golborne.

El exministro de minería de Piñera, famoso por liderar el rescate de los 33 mineros en 2010, fue retirado de la carrera por su propio partido, la Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI), y remplazado por Pablo Longueira.

A las tensiones partidistas se sumó un problema extra: 70 de los locales de votación estaban ocupados por estudiantes secundarios en toma. A pesar de que varios depusieron la ocupación, quedaron algunos que no transaron y el gobierno debió desalojarlos el jueves pasado, con un saldo de 146 detenidos.

clicLea también: Chile: el jaque de los estudiantes a las elecciones primarias

Universo de votos

En estas elecciones pueden votar todos los que no estén inscritos en ningún partido político (independientes) y los militantes de los partidos de los pactos Alianza y Nueva Mayoría.

Los votos para los militantes tendrán sólo a los candidatos de su pacto, mientras a los independientes se les entregará un voto con los seis precandidatos presidenciales, en el cual deben marcar sólo uno.

Con todo, no se espera una gran participación de votantes en estas primarias.

Según la última encuesta MORI, para estas primarias se espera una afluencia de entre 1.236.000 y 1.629.000 personas, es decir, entre el 10,3% y el 13,6% del universo de electores.

"Reiteramos el llamado a los más de 13 millones de ciudadanos habilitados para votar este domingo a comprometerse con nuestra democracia"

Cecilia Pérez, vocera del gobierno chileno.

"Reiteramos el llamado a los más de 13 millones de ciudadanos habilitados para votar este domingo a comprometerse con nuestra democracia", pidió la vocera de gobierno, Cecilia Pérez.

Incluso el conocido humorista e imitador local, Stefan Kramer, lanzó un video imitando a algunos de los candidatos llamando a votar. En menos de dos días el video recibió casi 700 mil visitas y fue recomendado por los propios candidatos imitados, quienes lo promovieron en la prensa y redes sociales.

Tras el cambio a la ley electoral en 2011, las elecciones de noviembre serán las primeras presidenciales donde no será necesario inscribirse, por lo que podrá votar cualquier chileno mayor de 18 años.

Fuente: BBC

El presidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, respondió duramente a las críticas a su país lanzadas por la prensa de EE.UU. por considerar la petición de asilo realizada por Edward Snowden, quien desveló el programa de espionaje de la NSA.

"¡Vaya descaro! ¿Se dan cuenta del poder de la prensa internacional?", dijo Correa en Twitter. "Han logrado centrar la atención en Snowden y en los 'malvados' países que lo apoyan, haciéndonos olvidar las terribles cosas que denunció contra el pueblo norteamericano y el mundo entero. El orden mundial no sólo es injusto, es inmoral".

El mandatario realizó estas declaraciones en respuesta a un artículo del 'Washington Post' que se refería a Correa como "el líder autocrático del pequeño y empobrecido Ecuador". El diario también acusó a Ecuador de criticar las políticas de Washington mientras "se beneficia" de los acuerdos de libre comercio con EE.UU.

Han logrado centrar la atención en Snowden y en los 'malvados' países que lo apoyan, haciéndonos olvidar las terribles cosas que denunció contra el pueblo norteamericano y el mundo entero. El orden mundial no sólo es injusto, es inmoral  

Legisladores estadounidenses amenazaron esta semana a Ecuador con bloquear la renovación de las preferencias arancelarias si otorga el asilo político a Edward Snowden.

"Si se le concede el asilo en Ecuador a Snowden, lideraré los esfuerzos para impedir la renovación del acceso libre de aranceles de Ecuador bajo el GSP y también me aseguraré de que no haya oportunidad alguna para la renovación del ATPDEA", aseguró el senador demócrata Robert Menéndez, quien también es presidente del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores del Senado.

Por su parte, el presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, afirmó a su vez que si Snowden le pidiera asilo a su país "casi seguro" se lo daría e hizo un llamamiento al mundo para "proteger al muchacho para que no sea capturado y asesinado y pueda seguir diciendo verdades".

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has proposed a referendum on political reforms in an effort to tackle protests that have swept the country.

She also promised to boost spending on public transport and focus on health and education as part of what she called "five pacts" with the people.

She later met regional mayors and governors, who agreed to her plans.

But some activists promised to carry on with the largest protests Brazil has seen for at least two decades.

Ms Rousseff said the reforms would be broad and focus on five areas:

• Fiscal responsibility: guaranteeing economic stability and curbing inflation
• Education: investing 100% of Brazil's oil royalties in education
• Health: hiring foreign doctors to provide medical services in remote and under-developed areas
• Constituent Assembly: establishing an assembly to eventually amend Brazil's constitution to ensure reforms make it "from paper to practice"
• Public transport: investing more than 50 billion reias ($25bn, £16bn) for new investments in urban mobility projects and to improve public transport

Mayara Longo Vivian, a leader of the Free Fare Movement, said there had been "concrete measures" among the president's proposals and that the "fight would continue".

On Monday evening, there were fresh demonstrations in several cities, although they appeared to be smaller than those that led to clashes with police last week.

The BBC's Julia Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro says exactly a week ago 100,000 people marched down the city's Rio Branco Avenue, but on Monday just a few dozen were chanting in front of the Candelaria church.

More people joined in as they marched, and soon a few thousand demonstrators had popped up and were occupying the city centre's main avenue.

Street vendors were selling Brazilian flags and Anonymous masks for those who came unprepared, she says.

In other protests, hundreds of people blocked the main road to Brazil's busiest port, Santos, and hundreds more came out to protest against corruption in the capital, Brasilia.

Two women were killed at a protest in the central state of Goias, not far from Brasilia. Police said they were killed by a driver who sped through a roadblock they had set up with other protesters.

The deaths bring to four the total number of lives lost in the unrest.
'Signals'
The president met leaders of one protest faction before meeting with state governors and mayors.
"My government is listening to democratic voices," she told a televised news conference.
"We must learn to hear the voices of the street. We all must, without exception, understand these signals with humility and accuracy.
"Brazil is ready to move forward and has made it clear it does not want to stand where it is."
She also suggested tougher penalties for corruption, and warned against any repeat of the violence that was seen last Thursday.
'No plan B'
Ms Rousseff faces re-election next year, when Brazil is also due to host the football World Cup. Rio de Janeiro will also host the Olympics in 2016.
Many of those demonstrating are unhappy at the cost of building stadiums in a country where many live in poverty and ticket prices for such prestigious international competitions are out of reach.

Unrest has dogged many of the fixtures currently taking place in Brazil as part of Fifa's Confederations Cup, seen as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup and using many of the same facilities.

Fifa's Secretary General Jerome Valcke has said the organisation has "no plan B" for next year's World Cup.
The wave of rallies in more than 100 cities began in Sao Paulo, where residents were unhappy at planned rises in public-transport fares.
Those increases have since been shelved, but the protests rapidly became more widespread and the protesters' demands more wide-ranging.
Brazilians have been demanding better health and education, saying they are fed up with paying relatively high taxes and feel that they do not get enough back from the state.
Protesters are also angry about corruption and are scornful of politicians.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Barack Obama, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden's globe-trotting evasion of U.S. authorities has dealt a startling setback to efforts to strengthen ties with China and raised the prospect of worsening tensions with Russia.

Indeed, Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday called U.S. demands for Snowden's extradition "ungrounded and unacceptable."

Relations with both China and Russia have been at the forefront of Obama's foreign policy agenda this month, underscoring the intertwined interests among these uneasy partners. Obama met just last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland and held an unusual two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California earlier this month.

Obama has made no known phone calls to Xi since Snowden surfaced in Hong Kong earlier this month, nor has he talked to Putin since Snowden arrived in Russia.

Former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said it wasn't clear that Obama's "charm offensive" with Xi and Putin would matter much on this issue. The U.S. has "very little leverage," she said, given the broad array of issues on which the Obama administration needs Chinese and Russian cooperation.

"This isn't happening in a vacuum, and obviously China and Russia know that," said Harman, who now runs the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

Both the U.S. and China had hailed the Obama-Xi summit as a fresh start to a complex relationship, with the leaders building personal bonds during an hour-long walk through the grounds of the Sunnylands estate. But any easing of tensions appeared to vanish Monday following China's apparent flouting of U.S. demands that Snowden be returned from semi-autonomous Hong Kong to face espionage charges.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, in unusually harsh language, said China had "unquestionably" damaged its relationship with Washington.

"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust," Carney said. "We think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback. If we cannot count on them to honor their legal extradition obligations, then there is a problem."

A similar problem may be looming with Russia, where Snowden arrived Sunday. He had been expected to leave Moscow for a third country, but the White House said Monday it believed the former government contractor was still in Russia.

While the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, the White House publicly prodded the Kremlin to send Snowden back to the U.S., while officials privately negotiated with their Russian counterparts.

"We are expecting the Russians to examine the options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden for his return to the United States," Carney said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected the U.S. request, saying Snowden hasn't crossed the Russian border. He angrily lashed out at the U.S. for warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply.

"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violation of U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said.

During a stop in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State John Kerry responded by saying the United States is not looking for a confrontation with Russia.

Speaking at a news conference in Jiddah, Kerry said that while it's true the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, Moscow should comply with common law practices between countries concerning fugitives. "I would simply appeal for calm and reasonableness," Kerry said. "We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice.' "

The U.S. has deep economic ties with China and needs the Asian power's help in persuading North Korea to end its nuclear provocations. The Obama administration also needs Russia's cooperation in ending the bloodshed in Syria and reducing nuclear stockpiles held by the former Cold War foes.

Members of Congress so far have focused their anger on China and Russia, not on Obama's inability to get either country to abide by U.S. demands. However, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said in an interview with CNN on Monday that he was starting to wonder why the president hasn't been "more forceful in dealing with foreign leaders."

Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election, echoed that concern on Tuesday, telling CNN that "we've got to start dealing with Vladimir Putin for what he is."

The Arizona Republican called Putin "an old KGB colonel apparatchik" who disdains democracy and said that Putin "continues to stick his thumb in our eye."

"When you show the world you're leading from behind, these are the consequences," McCain said.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton echoed the White House's frustration with China. "That kind of action is not only detrimental to the U.S.-China relationship but it sets a bad precedent that could unravel the intricate international agreements about how countries respect the laws — and particularly the extradition treaties," the possible 2016 presidential contender told an audience in Los Angeles.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong after seizing highly classified documents disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of U.S. phone and Internet records. He shared the information with The Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. He also told the South China Morning Post that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." SMS, or short messaging service, generally means text messaging.

Snowden still has perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said over the weekend.

Hong Kong, a former British colony with a degree of autonomy from mainland China, has an extradition treaty with the U.S. Officials in Hong Kong said a formal U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with its laws, a claim the Justice Department disputes.

The White House made clear it believes the final decision to let Snowden leave for Russia was made by Chinese officials in Beijing.

Russia's ultimate response to U.S. pressure remains unclear. Putin could still agree to return Snowden to the U.S. But he may also let him stay in Russia or head elsewhere, perhaps to Ecuador or Venezuela — both options certain to earn the ire of the White House.

Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said she expected Putin to take advantage of a "golden opportunity" to publicly defy the White House.

"This is one of those opportunities to score points against the United States that I would be surprised if Russia passed up," Hill said.

___

Follow Julie Pace on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC