Today’s Video: Counting backwards?

Did electoral fraud take place in the recent Honduran presidential elections or is it a silly conspiracy theory? Take a look at this video and judge for yourself:

Online Sources- RealNewsNetwork.com, YouTube

Crime Blotter: LatAm Style

The Venezuelan Interior Minister says up to 20% of violent crimes in the country are committed by the police. Not good.

Guatemalans must be getting really fed up with crime: On Sunday group of vigilantes in Panahachel beat a suspected criminal to death and threatened to burn three women after dousing them with gasoline. Sunday's incident marked the third straight day of mob violence against suspected criminals

Guatemalan Retired Col. Marco Antonio Sanchez was sentenced to 53 years in prison for his involvement in the disapearence of eight people in the village of El Jute in 1981. Sanchez is the first person convicted of failing to respect the rights of civilians.

Brazilian thieves pulled off a $6 million heist after tunneling from a rented house into an armored car company

Also in Brazil, authorities busted 11 people who sold fake US work visas to 4,500 people over the course of 7 years.

Online Sources: Inquirer.net, Houston Chronicle, AP, Yahoo! News
Image Source: AFP via BBC

Young couple forced to stay in Chile

An English immigration law designed to combat forced marriages has wrecked havoc on a British teen and her Chilean husband.

18-year-old Amber Aguilar married 19-year-old Diego Andres Aguilar Quila last year. His visa expired in August and faced with the choice of advancing her career in her native Britain or live with her husband in Chile she choose to cross the Atlantic with him. Yet when they wanted to legally return to Britain, the couple where rejected by immigration authorities. A change in immigration law only five days after they wed will force them to stay in Chile until both are 21-years-old.

Earlier today the court’s decided against the couple, a decision that their family viewed as unfair:

Her mother Helen Jeffery, a 57-year-old head teacher, said both families were angered by the ruling...

“The cruel irony is that the actual effect of the rule is to force my daughter to live thousands of miles from her family and prevent her going to university in the UK, despite the fact nobody would ever suggest her marriage was anything but genuine.”

Image- Guardian UK

Online Sources- The Telegraph, The Press Association

Morales triumphs in Bolivian elections

In the biggest Latin American story of the weekend, Bolivian president Evo Morales easily won reelection to a second term.

According to exit polls the Andean leader triumphed over his conservative rival- former governor Manfred Reyes- with between 61% and 63% of the vote. Official results are expected in the coming days while foreign observers have reportedly “praised the election for its transparency and fairness.”

Morales’ victory was further strengthened by supposed gains made by the pro-government Movement Toward Socialism (MAS, in Spanish) party in the Bolivian legislature. MAS is expected to have won at least two-thirds of the seats; thus, Morales is expected to have a strong mandate to push through his polices such as greater state control of the economy.

Why did Morales and his cohorts win so easily? He has gained wide support among Bolivia’s indigenous and poor, as well as charm:

(…) for a majority of voters, it is Morales who will give Bolivians their best chance at moving forward, and he is a man they simply like and trust. "He's a really charismatic candidate. ... He's a president who has represented the people since his first day in office," says Tatiana Albarracín Murillo, a young lawyer and Morales supporter who lives in La Paz. "He's the first indigenous president of Bolivia – that affects his image. That along with his honesty, and the way he resolves problems from day to day, make him a very likable person. At the same time other groups, for the same characteristics, hate him. Even today, there are people who can't believe an Indian is president."

Image- Sydney Morning Herald (“Ballots for change ... an indigenous woman casts her vote during the presidential elections which returned the President, Evo Morales. Much of his support came from Bolivia’s indigenous majority.”)

Online Sources- Christian Science Monitor, BBC News, The Telegraph

Daily Headlines: December 7, 2009

* Mexico: According to the Government Accountability Office only two percent of U.S. counternarcotics aid under the Merida Initiative has been sent to Mexico.

* Chile: Thousands of Chileans honored the late folk singer Victor Jara who was tortured and killed days after a 1973 military coup.

* Colombia: At a conference in Colombia the U.N. warned that major cuts would be made to anti-landmine funds unless countries ante up and help.

* Cuba: U.S.-Cuba migration talks that resumed in July after years of suspension will be put on hold again until February.

Image – AP (“Soldiers guard next to a transportation warehouse where a tunnel was found, near the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009.”)

Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, AP, Al Jazeera English, Voice of America

Today's Video: Praise the pancake and pass the syrup

We''ll be back on Sunday to cover a few things such as Bolivia's national elections. For now, we leave you with the latest Virgen Maria-in-food apparition:

Online Source - YouTube

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The World Cup draw

The 2010 World Cup draw took place earlier today in Cape Town, South Africa. So how did the luck of the draw affect the qualified teams from the Americas? Here’s a quick look at a few of the teams from where I sit:

Lo Bueno

• U.S. - The U.S. was drawn into Group C with tourney favorites England but also African minnows Algeria and European side Slovenia. Los gringos should make it out of the group phase (before probably getting blown out by Germany in the second round).
• Argentina – Despite qualifying to the World Cup on the final date Argentina was seeded as one of the group leaders. Their rivals (South Korea, Nigeria, Greece) should be relatively easy and they should reach the quarters if head coach Diego Maradona can keep his head together.

Lo Malo

• Mexico – El Tri will be facing extra pressure in that they will be playing the hosts South Africa in the inaugural game of the tourney. Their road to the second round may be bumpy in facing a strong French side and a physical Uruguayan team.
• Paraguay – The South Americans are in Group F along with defending champs Italy but also with one of the weakest teams in New Zealand. The key match will be against Slovakia with the winner likely to qualify into the next stage.

Lo Feo

• Brazil – In every World Cup there is a “Group of Death” and surely that can be designated to Group H. Brazil will definitely need to play its A-game against a stacked Portugal, one of the strongest African sides in the Ivory Coast, and possible dark horses North Korea.
• Honduras – Simply put, Honduras will need plenty of luck to at least get a point against Spain, Chile, and Switzerland.

Click here to check out the configuration and match dates of all eight groups. Let the speculation begin!

Image- BBC Sport (Italy is the reigning World Cup champion).

Online Sources- Guanabee, FIFA.com

Ecuadorian side captures Sudamericana

We'll discuss the 2010 World Cup draw later today, though if you can’t wait please check out Guanabee’s liveblog of the ceremony.

Care to hazard which soccer team is currently the best in South America? It isn’t a traditional powerhouse like Argentina’s Boca Juniors or a Brazilian side like Palmeiras. It isn’t even a Southern Cone squad like Uruguay’s Penarol or Colo Colo of Chile.

Try Liga Deportiva Univeristaria de Quito.

The Ecuadorian squad cemented their status as the hottest futbolistas of South America after winning the Copa Sudamericana this week. Despite losing the second leg of the final against Brazilian heavyweights Fluminese, LDU de Quito captured the Sudamericana by a 5-4 aggregate score. Thus, the fashioned Ecuadorian side captured their third regional title in less than two years (Copa Libertadores in 2008 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2008).

What accounts for LDU de Quito’s success? Part of it is their stellar play in the high altitude of their home pitch but there are other factors too:

Liga's undisputed success is a combination of several factors, most notably its infrastructure and the impressive board of intelligent, hardworking people, who had planned meticulously to take Liga to the next level. Leading club directors, the father-and-son duo of Rodrigo and Esteban Paz, have been at the head of Liga's rise to prominence. For years, they've been transforming the club into a South American heavyweight, and with dedication, hard work and patience, they finally have their juggernaut…

The signings this year of Ecuadorian national-team veterans Édison Méndez and Ulises de la Cruz, two experienced players who spent considerable time in Europe's big leagues, made all of the difference for Liga. The fact the club board also kept prolific Argentine striker Claudio Bieler was also important, as he topped the Sudamericana scoring charts with eight goals.

Image- SI.com

Online Sources- Guanabee, ESPN, SI.com

Daily Headlines: December 4, 2009

* Peru: The country’s Candoshi natives could soon disappear after being ravaged by a hepatitis B outbreak according to their tribal leader.

* Honduras: Could Brazil soon flip-flop and recognize the results of Honduras’ recent presidential elections?

* Latin America: Colombia has drastically cut its electricity exports to Ecuador and Venezuela reportedly due to the dry weather.

* Cuba: A group of “prominent African Americans” including professor Cornel West and actress Ruby Dee Davis have called on the Cuban government to do more to combat discrimination against Afro-Cubans.

Image – AFP (“Peruvian natives in the Peruvian Amazonian town of Yurimaguas.”)

Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, Xinhua, LAHT, Miami Herald

World Watch: Bhopal, 25 years later

* India: The 25^th-anniversary of the Bhopal disaster was observed with different ceremonies including a protest calling for greater accountability from Dow Chemical.

* Switzerland: Catholic and Jewish groups have joined in protest against Switzerland’s referendum outlawing the construction of new minarets.

* Somalia: At least 19 people were killed when a bomb exploded during a graduation ceremony in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

* China: A local court sentenced five people to death in relation to July’s ethnic riots in western China.

Image – Guardian UK (“Bhopal teenager Sachin Kumar, whose legs were rendered practically useless by a birth defect, plays cricket with his friends near the deserted Union Carbide factory Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images.”)

Online Sources- Scotsman.com, Catholic News Agency, Jerusalem Post, BBC News, Washington Post

Comic Relief: Zelaya's Embassy Ordeal

When the 2006 Honduran presidential campaign got a little nasty, supporters of current president-elect Pepe Lobo frequently pointed out that deposed president Mel Zelaya never finished his university education.

Now that the amount of goodwill from Lobo's supports towards Zelaya is basically nil, it's easy to imagine Mel's critics having a good chuckle over the anecdotes the Miami Herald unearthed about Zelaya's ongoing confinement at the Brazilian embassy.

The most interesting detail of Zelaya's time in capacity should spawn at least a couple good political cartoons:

"Supporters wrapped Zelaya's room in foil to protect him from the radiation waves to block cellphones, which they believed were harmful."

Any chance that could possibly be effective?

Image Source: Miami Herald
Online Sources: Wikipedia, Miami Herald

Brazil Looks to "Gringos" to Save the Amazon

A little over a month ago, we reported that Ecuador was asking Europe to pay to halt drilling in the oil-rich Yasuni National Park in the Ecuadorian region of the Amazon. Now Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (more commonly known as Lula) is saying that "gringos" should pay to help preserve the Amazon.

"I don't want any gringo asking us to let an Amazon resident die of hunger under a tree," Silva said. "We want to preserve, but they will have to pay the price for this preservation because we never destroyed our forest like they mowed theirs down a century ago."

Lula has stated that since Western nations have already destroyed their own forests, they should pay to help preserve the Amazon. He also said that Western nations contribute more toward environmental destruction than other loggers and farmers. Lula mentioned the false notions that people have about the Amazon and the lack of understanding that about 25 million people live in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon. Sixty percent of the Amazon is in Brazil and the country has been working to reduce destruction in the area. The Amazon absorbs carbon dioxide and is thought to be the world's greatest natural defense against global warming.

Online Source: Associated Press
Image Source: Wikimedia

Obama Boosts US Image in Latin America

As domestic criticism heats up for President Obama, the US leader might want to consider a vacation to the friendly confines of Latin America. Following the abysmal record of his predecessor, Obama's tenure as US president has led to increased goodwill towards to the US throughout the region.

The most interesting tidbits from the Gallup survey collected between July and September:

In Honduras, after the coup but before a failed deal to return Zelaya to power, 65% approved of Obama's job performance

Paraguay, not exactly the most high-profile American partner, is deeply ambivalent about the US relationship - with a majority declining to give an opinion on Obama's performance

Venezuelans aren't entirely convinced by Chavez's rhetoric that the US empire is leading them to war with Colombia, with 50% approving of US leadership

Overall, 42% of Latin Americans expect US ties with the region to strengthen in the coming years

Who knows, the president may even take the news to mean he should plan a stay at the Caracas Hilton. Oops, I mean the Alba Caracas...

Image Source: Gallup
Online Sources: Gallup, Examiner, BBC, Guardian

Today's Video: Empowerment

Today marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and according to the U.N. people with disabilities worldwide still encounter discrimination and marginalization:

(U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi) Pillay said disabilities were widespread. "Estimates indicate that more than 10 percent of the world's population have a disability themselves or have a close family member with one, and that in a quarter of all households there is someone with some sort of disability." he said.

Disabilities also disproportionately affect the poor. "According to UNESCO, more than 90 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school," Pillay said.

From what I’ve observed as a wheelchair-bound person who has occasionally traveled to Latin America, there has been a gradual changing of attitudes towards the disabled. Yes there are those who view disabled individuals with pity but there seems to be more people who understand that the disabled generally seek empowerment and equality. The following video from The Advocacy Project touches on this in the form of an El Salvadoran landmine victim grateful with his job:

I was fortunate to use the Transmilenio bus system when I was in the Colombian capital of Bogota, a public transit option that has facilitated travel for people with disabilities. Yet access to the network is hindered by its cost (compared to other choices for travel) as well as the crumbling infrastructure (e.g. broken sidewalks, street potholes) near some of the stations. This seems to be symbolic of the hindrances facing the disabled in Latin America; there have been some notable advances yet much more needs to be done.

Online Sources- Wikipedia, Xinhua, YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 3, 2009

* Chile: Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón ordered that the widow of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet post a $77 million bond after being suspected of money laundering for her late husband.

* Venezuela: After having nationalized several private banks earlier this week Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened more banks with state intervention.

* Mexico: Authorities discovered a tunnel below the U.S.-Mexico measuring nearly 1000 feet in length.

* Latin America: According to the World Bank, Latin America is in a better position than other regions to survive the effects of a possible Dubai debt default.

Image – CNN

Online Sources- Bloomberg, Reuters, MSNBC, New York Times, The Latin Americanist

Honduran Congress rejects Zelaya return

After hours of debate Honduras’ legislature decided not to permit ousted president Manuel Zelaya to finish his term in office.

Of the 126 members of Congress at least 64 MPs voted against reinstating Zelaya whose presidency officially ends next month with a mere ten legislators voting for reinstatement. Furthermore, the office of Honduras’ Attorney General concluded that it would be “inadmissible and inacceptable” to return the leader who was forcefully exiled last June.

While dozens of Zelaya backers protested outside the congressional building, the expelled leader remained defiant:

Mr. Zelaya, who was ousted in June, had told the BBC that he would refuse reinstatement because he did not want "to legitimize a coup"…

Speaking to BBC Mundo from inside the Brazilian embassy where he took refuge in September, he said: "Will the elections change the military leadership that conducted the coup that ousted me? It remains the same. Will the elections change the composition of the Supreme Court that issued an arrest warrant [against me] without due cause? It remains the same," Mr. Zelaya said.

Conservative Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo became president-elect on Sunday in elections that have not received full international recognition.

Image- Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- AFP, Hondudiario, El Heraldo, Xinhua, BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Carribean Nation still wants British Queen

Eastern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines voted in a referendum to reject a plan to replace her with a president chosen by Parliament. The outcome of the votes has decided to keep the Queen of Great Britain as their 'formal leader'.

The primaries resulted in a 56 percent rejection against the change, even though both of the country’s parties desired to replace the queen with a president as head of state.

Quite an unusual outcome, however it does not seem likely that the referendum will stop the nation's bi-partisan desire for a President rather than a Queen.

Opposition leaders had urged voters to reject the proposal, arguing that it did not sufficiently reduce the powers of the prime minister, who would remain as head of government. They also said citizens, rather than Parliament, should elect the president.

Photo Source

Follow-up: Hoax behind Peruvian fat ring

Last month we mentioned about a suspected Peruvian criminal gang that allegedly trafficked in human fat. A pair of commentators expressed their doubts over their story and their skepticism was proven correct. However, the truth behind the story appears to be grisly and very discomforting:

Police General Eusebio Felix Murga was removed less than two weeks after telling a press conference that four Peruvians had been detained and two unnamed Italians were sought for buying human fat for as much as 15,000 dollars a liter to be used in European cosmetics.

National police chief Miguel Hidalgo told reporters that Felix Murga would be transferred to another post and that "an investigation was launched to determine the truthfulness of the case of the gang," after local news reports contradicted the police and no evidence seemed to back up the police claims.

Investigators are also looking into whether Murga may have had a role in the death a man that officials said was the only victim rather than the sixty initially claimed by Murga. In the meantime, the mayor of the region where Murga was headquartered has bemoaned the “ruse of bad taste" which has affected the area’s image.

Image- BBC News

Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, Reuters

Another Protected Witness is a Victim of Drug Violence in Mexico

A former federal policeman,Edgar Bayardo, was gunned down in a Starbucks in Mexico City on Tuesday. Bayardo was a protected witness in a drug corruption case, whose murder marks the second death of a high-profile witness in Mexico in less than two weeks.

Authorities believe that the killing bore all the hallmarks of an organized crime execution. "By the methods used ... this falls outside the realm of common crime," said Slomianski Aguilar.

Back in 2008 Bayardo was detained during the large-scale drug corruption cleanup that reached high into Mexican federal police and prosecutor's office. Federal authorities had suspected him of collaborating with the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel that has swept up Mexico.

Shortly after, Bayardo was released from house arrest and declared a protected witness, said federal and local prosecutors, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the Associated Press, the penetration of the federal system leaves officials understandably uneasy:

Observers and former law enforcement officials said the Bayardo slaying raised questions about Mexico's protected witness program and illustrated the powerful reach of the cartels.

"Obviously, they (prosecutors) should have been providing significant protection because of the kind of accusations he (Bayardo) made," former top anti-drug prosecutor Samuel Gonzalez said, referring to the fact that Bayardo reportedly implicated other top police officials in corruption. "So this is a very serious failure for the agency charged with protecting him."

"These incidents ... show that it is far too easy for criminal organizations to penetrate security arrangements," Oliva said. "The situation is getting worse all the time, and instead of seeing improvement in security, we're seeing more problems."

Photo Source

Miercoles Musical: A Yuletide treat

Last month the Recording Academy named 25 recordings to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The list included such classics as the Beach Boys' "California Girls," and James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" as well as a very appropriate tune for this time of the year. Here’s Jose Feliciano with possibly his best-known song - “Feliz Navidad”:

Online Sources- Variety, YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 2, 2009

* Argentina: Hours before Latin America’s first official gay marriage was to take place yesterday an Argentine judge ordered that the historic ceremony be suspended.

* Mexico: The mother of the figure believed to be of Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos died at the age of 70.

* Latin America: The FBI will return over 150 pre-Columbian artifacts, including some over 3000 years old, which were smuggled out of Peru and Ecuador.

* Brazil: Some Brazilians are peeved at Robin Williams after the comedian joked that Rio de Janeiro used "50 strippers and a pound of blow" to win the 2016 Olympics bid.

Image – CBC (“Jose Maria Di Bello, left, and Alex Freyre were going to marry on World AIDS Day until a national judge blocked the wedding. (Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press)”).
Online Sources- AP, AFP, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, Reuters

Notable Quotable: A perspective on Honduras

The real problem is that the apparent success of the election lets the orchestrators of the coup get away scot-free after casually kicking out an elected official. It is one thing to convince the international community to turn a blind eye to a crass deposition of a legitimate president; it is quite another to achieve that without paying any price whatsoever for it. The coup team has now accomplished both. And so the shortcomings of the Honduras's rotten political system have simply been crystallized.

---Former Costa Rican vice president and current Brookings Institution senior fellow Kevin Casas-Zamora gave his two cents on Sunday’s Honduran elections.

In the roughly two days since the ballots closed president-elect Porfirio Lobo has called for unity in a very deeply divided, volatile, and impoverished Honduras. He will have to work fast to earn international recognition of the elections; the latest Ibero-American Summit ended on Tuesday with a lack of consensus over the legitimacy of Sunday’s elections.

Should the elections be recognized regardless of the nature of Manuel Zelaya’s ouster? Are coups (military or civilian) justified in a democracy? Will Porfirio Lobo survive his term in the Honduran presidency? Could the political problems in Honduras manifest themselves in other Latin American countries?

In short, what do you think?

Image- Guardian UK (Supporters of Porfirio Lobo celebrated his victory in the Honduran presidential elections).
Online Sources- Foreign Policy, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Xinhua

Remittances to Mexico nosedive

Last month we mentioned how an increasing number of Mexicans are sending money transfers to their compatriots north of the border in the U.S. As the Mexican economy has been struggling in a recession, a recent New York Times piece observed how remittances to Mexico have gradually dropped since 2008.

The latest numbers on money transfers from Mexico's central bank were expected to be bad but they were worse than anticipated:

The Bank of Mexico said Tuesday that remittances to Mexico fell 36% to $1.69 billion in October from $2.64 billion in the same month last year.

The October numbers were also lower than the $1.74 billion that Mexican workers sent home in September, the central bank said.

Remittances for the first 10 months of the year fell 16% from the year-earlier period, to $18.13 billion.

In addition, bank officials have blamed the declining remittances on “the U.S. economic downturn, particularly in the construction market”. Yet with remittances accounting for Mexico's second largest source of foreign income, a sharp decline in money transfers is a bad sign for the country’s economy.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC

Former Miss Argentina Dies from Plastic Surgery

Argentina, a country ranking only eleventh in the world for plastic surgeries per capita, has lost a beauty queen. Former Miss Argentina (1994), Solange Magnano, died at the age of 37 after complications resulting from her elective surgery on her buttocks. Three days after undergoing gluteoplasty, a plastic surgery procedure enhancing the buttocks, Magnano died as a result of the injections used for the operation. The liquid from the injections traveled to her lungs and brain. This condition is otherwise known as pulmonary embolism, a blockage of the main artery of the lung caused by a substance in the body which travels through the bloodstream. Magnano leaves behind her two 7 -year-old twin daughters.

Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico are increasingly becoming popular tourist destinations for plastic surgery, becoming part of the medical tourism industry.

Online Sources: CNN, AOL news, Nation Master, Associated Press

Today’s Video: World AIDS Day

Today is the annual observance of World AIDS Day; an occasion where we remember the 25 million people who have succumbed to HIV/AIDS since 1981 as well as examine effective methods of treatment and prevention. According to the U.N. there were 2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2008 and “social and economic inequality” has facilitated the spread of the disease throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

The video below is a 2008 news report from Al Jazeera English that looked at the discrimination faced by Mexicans with HIV/AIDS and the health care issues related to the illness.

Online Sources- Baltimore Sun, Reuters, LAHT, YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 1, 2009

* Bolivia: Days before Bolivia’s federal elections a nationwide poll showed that President Evo Morales will easily win reelection.

* Mexico: "We should focus on what we have in common," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa regarding immigration during his visit to Mexico City.

* Latin America: According to the mayor of a Colombian border town over 600 Brazilians Colombians and Ecuadorianswere expelled from Venezuela after being accused of illegal mining.

* Argentina: Star striker Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or as Europe’s top soccer player of the year.

Image – CNN
Online Sources- LAHT, Reuters, BBC Sport, San Jose Mercury News