*Today marked the debut of the Quechua-language version of Microsoft Windows XP. (Image via ABC News).
*The
*Columnist Andres Oppenheimer’s not a happy camper after moderating
The U.S. State Department echoed an offer from the White House to leaders in 
*Journalism watchdog groups call on Guatemalan government to be more active in protecting journalists. *
*
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate last May would cost $127 billion over the next 10 years. Both sides of the immigration debate are spinning this information in their direction, like anti-immigrant Representative James Sensenbrenner calling it “a staggering burden on American taxpayers”, whereas supports of the Senate bill claim that reform is necessary to save money in the future. (Image via the linked article). 
The following are follow-ups from previous posts on the blog: *
*Chavez and Bush actually agree…:
*Follow-up: ICJ gives
*Ecuadorian volcano may erupt again: Slowly but surely the rebuilding effort is underway in areas affected by a volcano in
*Evening headlines: Rape case divides…: An Argentine court overturned a previous ruling that would have allowed a mentally disabled rape victim undergo an abortion.
Update (25 August): A court overruled the injunction against the rape victim and as of now she has the legal right to perform an abortion.*"Salvation, salvation…": Foreign Policy’s blog refutes Pat Buchanan’s claims of an “i
nvasion” of immigrants into the U.S.
*Controversial book on
*Pause that refreshes… and Op/ed article…: Coca-Cola has been getting stigmatized by activists partly due to union-busting in
In an interview with the German media Mexican president Vicente Fox warned supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that he would use force if protestors try to disrupt his State of the Nation speech on September 1st. Meanwhile, “conservative” Felipe Calderon (image via this site) promised to boost social spending by $5.5 billion if confirmed as 
*Over 200 students were arrested after clashing with police in *
*Textile exports from the
*Hostage exchange plan with Colombian guerillas at a standstill.
Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, armed conflict, education, international economy
*Big business in
*Magazine editor Gustavo Guzman, the new Bolivian ambassador to the
*
*Costa Rican president Oscar Arias is enjoying good levels of popularity.
*Lastly, yet another reason why I love
p.s. Sorry for the late posting today.
immigration, international economy, international politics, food, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Latin America
Conservative and church groups in 
*U.S. Senator Bob Melendez blamed President Bush for creating “a void” in U.S. relations with Latin America that has been exploited by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
*The situation surrounding teachers strike in
*
*Guyanese political parties head down the homestretch as elections are less than a week away, while Bloggings by Boz crunches the latest poll numbers in
The Muslim cleric who influenced one of the culprits behind the 2005 armed conflict, crime, Jamaica
Approximately 40 Dominican and Ecuadorian migrants were caught off the Puerto Rican coast and are expected to be deported back to their home countries. In the meantime, can you guess which conservative commentator asked if “the American Southwest (will) become a giant Kosovo” in his latest book? By the way, did anyone get the musical reference made in the title? (Image via MSNBC).
*Hugo Chavez leaves today for a five-day trip to *Guaraní natives seize Paraguayan gas pipeline.
*The Falklands War ended nearly 25 years ago, yet it still upsets Argentineans today. (Image via Time).
*
*Lastly, a new candidate for the lamest headline involving Latin America has emerged. Can it beat the reigning title-holder?
Colombian government officials denied a report published over the weekend by the New York Times claiming that efforts to eradicate coca have “left the price, quality and availability of cocaine on American streets virtually unchanged”. “The world would be inundated with coca if not for the efforts by 
Gangs in 
Private security companies working in 
The candidates from the PRI and PRD for the governor of 
*Via Metafilter: a link to a fantastic Brazilian short film entitled “Ilha das Flores.” (Left image, from this site).
*Tim’s
*Fidel y Hugo- who’s the pitcher and who’s the catcher? (Link not safe for work!)
*Former
*Peruvian refugees who recently fled from war-torn
*Blogger Critical
*The latest from the reggaeton music scene via La Onda Tropical. (Right image of reggaton artist Don Omar, via this site).
*The Washington Post’s blog on 
g the presidential election controversy and also links to other blog entries.
*Columnist Andres Oppenheimer links to a Spanish-language report claiming that the possible next president of
*Fidel Castro’s death would seriously hurt both the Democrats and Republicans, according to the Guardian UK’s “Comment is Free” blog.
*Speaking of
*We all can sleep a little easier tonight now that the chupacabra is dead.
Latin America, blogs
Monday August 14:*Cuban newspaper Granma published photos taken over the weekend of Fidel Castro recuperating in bed accompanied by brother Raul and Hugo Chavez.
*Speaking of Chavez, he flew to
*A tough new anti-smoking law begins enforcement in
*
*Protestors and police clashed in front of
*The New York Times’ Charlie LeDuff looked at one man’s life as a Minuteman along the U.S.-Mexico border.
*A
*Prosecutors in
Tuesday August 15:
*
*Australian television aired a BBC documentary investigating the murders of nearly 700 women in
*Mexican police denied accusations of brutality during Monday’s demonstrations in
Wednesday August 16:
*Ex-Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner died at the age of 93 after spending several weeks in hospital.
*
*Several Colombian right-wing paramilitary members were arrested for not obeying the rules set during peace negotiations with the government.
*Brazilian soccer team Internacional dethroned defending champion
*
*Mexico's highest electoral court confirmed the results of legislative elections allowing the ruling PAN to have majorities in both chambers.
Thursday August 17:
*A volcano exploded in
*Three Mexican fishermen tell their story after being rescued from nearly a year adrift at sea.
*U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff claimed that illegal crossings of the border with Mexico have decreased due to the presence of the National Guard.
Friday August 18:
*Appointment of a special
*Speaking of
*
*The 16th International AIDS Conference in
*British authorities recovered a valuable antique Peruvian headdress stolen nearly two decades before.
*Striking miners in
*
Saturday August 19:
*Manuel Rosales, the main opposition candidate for Venezuelan president, registered his candidacy.
*A Chilean judge stripped the immunity of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet in a tax fraud case.
*Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell equaled his world record time for the 100-meter dash during a track meet in
Sunday August 20:
*Gubernatorial elections take place in
*Leon Trotsky was fatally shot while in exile in
*Ecuadorian soccer player Edison Mendez makes his debut with defending Dutch league champions PSV Eindhoven.
Latin America, week in review