Presidential candidates faced questions directly from voters in the first CNN/YouTube debate
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In all, 39 questions were asked from the 3,000 submissions YouTube said it received.

The video questions came in all forms -- people facing the camera straight-on, people in makeup, people with flash cards, a man who sang about how much tax he paid, and a talking snowman with a question about global warming.

Questions included issues that could have been perfectly asked by the media as Darfur, Irak, Health Care or Global Warming, but in a very personal way and phrased that the candidates had a tough time ducking them.

Some said that the candidates dodged questions from YouTubers like they did those of the media.

The debate kicked off with a series of questions from voters that moderator Anderson Cooper described as "not making the cut." They included a questioner dressed in a Viking outfit, a 5-year-old posing a question about Social Security and a man in a chicken costume.

However, though CNN vetted the questions, it was the first time that a journalist or a professional has not dictated what is asked of the candidates. The control was solely in the voters' hands.

Republican presidential candidates will face questions from YouTube users in a debate scheduled September 17 in Florida.

What would you ask the presidential candidates?

Today Monday, July 23rd, CNN and YouTube are organizing a debate of Democrats presidential candidates in Charleston, South Caroline, at 7 pm Easter Time. Candidates are not answering questions of journalists or moderator, instead that, candidates will answer questions from regular citizens submitted via YouTube videos.

Question for the Democrats have been submitted between June 14 and July 22. The CNN political team chooses the most creative and compelling videos, and some participants get the chance to fly to Charleston to watch the debate live and offer their reactions afterward on YouTube's political video blog, Citizentube.

If you haven’t done it yet, it’s already too late to submit your question for the Democratic presidential candidates. But Republican presidential candidates are having their debate as well on Monday, September 17th in Florida.

Debates will be broadcasted on CNN and Internet on www.youtube.com/debates


Jesús de Polanco Gutiérrez has died

Jesús de Polanco Gutiérrez, president of Prisa Group, one of the most relevant communication groups in the world and the most important in Spanish language, has died at the age of 77 in Madrid on Saturday 21 of July, after months fighting with a cancer.

In 1958 he founded Editorial Santillana, company that developped during years to become Grupo PRISA, the biggest group of education, information and entertainment in the Spanish speaking countries.

During the seventies, Polanco had been one of the founders of the newspaper “El País”, one of the symbols of the transition toward the democracy in Spain and the most sold in Spain.

Nowadays, Prisa Group is one of the largest communications holdings in the world which owners editorials as Taurus, Alfaguara, Altea or Aguilar; newspapers as “El País”, “Cinco Dias” or “As”; TV channels as “Cuatro”, “Canal Plus Spain” or “Digital Plus”; radios as “Cadena Ser”; and films producer as Sogotel.

Jesús de Polanco was member of the European Academy of the Arts and the Sciences and of the Patronage of the Foundation Against Drug Addiction (FAD),

He received numerous rewards and distinctions in recognition to his work in the business environment in the defense of the liberties and the promotion of the culture, the arts and the Spanish tongue. In 1997, the Brown University (United States) invested doctor honoris causa for its contribution to foster the cultural relations between Spain and Latin America.

Ignacio de Polanco, his son and current vice-president of the Group, will follow him at the presidency of the holding.

"A Stronger Union for a Better World"

This second semester of 2007, Portugal occupied the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under the slogan “A Stronger Union for a Better World”, Portugal Presidency claims, according to their priorities, for a moment of action in which it’s essential to improve the functioning of the EU through the reform of the Treaties in order to ensure better implementation of the Lisbon Strategy and more efficient external action. The fight against poverty, in particular child poverty and reconciling work with personal and family life or dealing with climate change and making progress towards a sustainable environmental and energy model are priority actions for the Portuguese presidency.

In summary, the Portuguese Presidency is founded on a clear assumption: they are committed to seeking the common interest and to generating the necessary consensus for Europe’s progress.

The homepage made for the occasion (http://www.eu2007.pt/UE/vEN/) provides its users with all the necessary information for the next 6 months, during which Portugal will hold the Chair, as a calendar of activities, newsletters or alerts, but also information about the EU, its members and, in special, Portugal. Easy and quick to surf on, the website takes into special consideration the mobility and accessibility, and comprises a text vocalization software for the blind.

The Portugal 2007 logo reveals a Portuguese view of the visual representation of the Presidency of the European Union. The "Blue flower" is a symbol of today's Portugal: modernity, harmony, the oceans, transparency and openness to the future. The petals are arranged freely but concentrically, symbolizing the individual contribution of each Member State to the joint endeavor of building Europe. The possibility of the symbol adopting the colors of each national flag confers on the Portuguese presidency a constructive image of openness and cooperation with every Member State of the European Union.