Follow-up: Isreal peeved over Palestinian recognition

On Monday we looked at the decision made by several Latin American states to formally recognize a Palestinian state. "Israeli and U.S. officials who already critiqued Brazil’s move will likely condemn Argentina’s decision," we wrote in that post. As was noted in BBC News on Tuesday our assumption was not a bad guess:

Israel has reacted angrily to Argentina's recognition of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders...

Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the moves were irresponsible.

"They never made any contribution to [the peace process]... and now they're making a decision that is completely contrary to everything that has been agreed so far," he said.

Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela along with roughly 100 other countries have previously recognized a Palestinian state. Aside from the announcements made in recent days by Brazil and Argentina, Uruguayan officials said that they will officially recognize Palestine next year.

It remains to be seen if other Latin American countries will also engage in this "recognition diplomacy" regarding Palestine. An estimated 500,000 people of Palestinian background reside in Chile while El Salvador and Honduras allegedly have "substantial Palestinian populations."

Image - Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom via CSMonitor.com ("Palestinians walk past the Brazilian (r.) and the Argentinean (l.) flags hanging on a shop in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Dec. 7. Argentina is the latest in Latin America to recognize an independent Palestinian state, just days after Brazil.") Online Sources - CSMonitor.com, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Foreign Policy Passport

Lengthy Chilean miner strike ends

One of the most notable stories of this past year was the rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for approximately 70 days. Though the media tended to focus on the human-interest side of the story, the incident also shined a light on the problems regarding the Chilean mining industry.

Weeks after the rescue at the San Jose Mine, employees at the Collahuasi copper mine went on strike. The trade union representing the workers at the world’s third largest copper mine sought an increase in wages and benefits. Despite government intervention both management and employees the strike that began on November 5th became the longest recorded at a foreign-owned Chilean copper mine.

Last week union and company representatives finally returned to the bargaining table and on Monday most of the strikers backed an agreement. After thirty-two days the stoppage finally ended and striking workers returned to their posts on Tuesday.

So was the strike worth it? It depends on who you ask; for instance, a spokesman for the mine’s owner claimed that operations were “normal” though it wasn’t specified what “normal” meant. Meanwhile, union President Manuel Munoz told the local press that the deal signified “a win for the union movement in Chile.” He may be right according to the terms of the deal:

The offer included a bonus of about $25,000, a 3.25 percent average increase in base salary and improvements in health, housing and education benefits.

Image- REUTERS/Fabian Cambero via Reuters (“Workers march in support of a strike of Collahuasi copper mine at Iquique city, some 1862 km (1156 miles) north of Santiago November 24, 2010.” The banner reads “Collahuasi (mining company) saved the 33 (trapped workers) and buries its 1531 miners.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek

World Watch: Nuked

* World: While international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program ended on a “vague” note, a deal was signed allowing a French firm to construct a pair of nuclear reactors in India.

* Ivory Coast: Hundreds of people are leaving the Ivory Coast amid growing fears of post-election violence.

* Middle East: Will the dropping of a U.S. demand to freeze Israeli settlements facilitate peace talks between that country and the Palestinian Authority?

* Britain: A British court denied bail to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after he surrendered to authorities over sexual assault allegations.

Image – Reuters/Philippe Wojazer via Reuters (“Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) shakes hands with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy as they arrive for a meeting at Hyderabad house in New Delhi, December 6, 2010.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, CNN, BBC News, MSNBC

The year that was: Up with Uruguay!

For the next few days we will highlight some of what we feel are the top stories of 2010. We’ll also post next week a poll where you can vote on what you think should be the leading story of the year.

One of the surprises of the year in the sports world was Uruguay’s extraordinary run to the semifinals of the soccer World Cup. The cynics will focus on Luis Suarez’ handball in a crucial match against Ghana. But la garra charrua demonstrated a gutsy performance throughout the tournament even in their one-goal losses in the semis and third-place games to the Netherlands and Germany, respectively.

Despite the great team effort, it’s necessary to recognize one player in particular: Diego Forlan. The striker deservedly won the best player at the World Cup honors for his stellar leadership as well as phenomenal goals such as those shown in the video compilation below:

Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC Sport
Video Source - YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 7, 2010

* Mexico: In an insensitive act of violence a Ciudad Juarez nursery school was allegedly burnt to the ground after its owners did not pay extortion money.

* Central America: Costa Rica closed its embassy in Nicaragua as part of a tense-filled border dispute between both countries.

* Venezuela: Candidates from President Hugo Chavez’s party emerged as the big winners of local elections held amid a backdrop of torrential rains and terrible flooding.

* Haiti: At least five people including two infants were killed when a boat full of Haitian migrants crashed and capsized near the British Virgin Islands.

Image – PRESS TV
Online Sources- AP, BBC News, People’s Daily Online, Bloomberg

World Watch: Plugging Wikileaks?

* Switzerland: While Wikileaks continues to release documents a Swiss bank froze the assets of an account used by the website’s founder, Julian Assange.

* North Korea: International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo could charge North Korea with war crimes over a deadly military attack last month on a South Korean island.

* Ivory Coast: The E.U. could raise sanctions against the Ivory Coast due to the country’s heavily disputed presidential election.

* Iran: Representatives of Iran and “six world powers” met on Monday to discuss concerns about the controversial Iranian nuclear program.

Image – CTV (“Cable released by WikiLeaks reveals Canadian sites 'vital' to U.S.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, CNN, BBC News, The Guardian

More U.S. tourists to Cuba say Reuters

Is Cuba’s tourism industry on the up-and-up? According to a Reuters article published today the answer is “yes.”

The article cites several “travel industry and diplomatic sources” in claiming that visitors from the U.S. have jumped over the past year. "Through October around 265,000 have traveled. November and December are the peak months, so we expect 330,000 will go to Cuba on direct flights from the United States this year," said airline charter company president Armando Garcia. Furthermore, an unnamed “U.S. State Department source” claimed that the estimated number of tourists from the U.S. to Cuba in 2010 would be over 400,000. Of these visitors the article claimed that most are of Cuban origin; thus implying that the easing of travel restrictions under the Obama administration has had a notable effect on travel.

Tourism is a key portion of a Cuban economy that has been hit hard by the global financial slowdown. Despite the U.S. embargo on Cuba being blamed for decimating the country’s cruise industry, the government has recently allowed foreign cruise ships to dock on the island. Furthermore, Cuban officials claimed that tourism revenue increased in the first nine months of this year by 3.5% with revenues reaching $1.35 billion.

In the meantime, existing U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba might not change any time soon; staunch anti-Castro critic Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee after the Republican majority to that chamber gets sworn in next month. She may have to butt heads with incoming libertarian-leaning members, however, according to The Hill:

Although many conservatives have traditionally supported the ban as a way of pressuring Cuba's communist dictatorship, the incoming class of Republicans brings with it a libertarian streak that favors individual freedoms above government intrusion, many observers note.



That position could place them at odds with GOP incumbents — notably Ros-Lehtinen — who have fought for years to keep U.S. restrictions on Cuba in place.

Image- Tampabay.com (“A British-style double-decker offers free sightseeing tours at Varadero beach in Cuba.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, FT.com, The Hill, Canadian Press

Latino hockey pioneer retires

Generally Latinos are associated with sports like baseball and soccer. Yet a few hockey players are of Latino background and perhaps one of the most famous Latino players to lace the skates decided to call it quits.

Earlier today Bill Guerin announced that he would retire after an extraordinary eighteen-season career. Guerin, who is of Nicaraguan descent, played for eight different teams and played in four National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Games. He also was part of the 1996 U.S. team that would upset Canada in the World Cup and the 2002 silver-medal winning team. He was the first player to score at least a twenty goals per season with seven different teams.

Guerin won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995 and with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. Though Guerin may be best remembered as a member of the successful mid-1990s Devils sides, his brief time with Pittsburgh cannot be understated. Acquired at the 2009 trade deadline, Guerin scored twenty-six goals including a pair of game-winners in the playoffs and his invaluable leadership helped the Penguins win the title.

It’s unknown what Guerin’s immediate future will hold; for now, he expressed his immense gratitude towards his family in his retirement speech:

“There's not much I can actually say because I couldn't put into words what you mean to me, what you've sacrificed and how much you guys have done for me. I love you incredibly. I'm looking forward to spending more time with you, and doing all the things I've dreamt about for a long time. I'm looking forward to the second half of my life and you guys being the focal point. I love you guys. Thank you.”

Other Latino players currently playing in the NHL are Scott Gomez (Colombian and Mexican background) and Raffi Torres (Mexican and Peruvian descent). In addition, defenseman Francis Bouillon’s father was originally from Haiti.

Image- Jamie Sabau/Getty Images via CBC (“Bill Guerin will be honored by the Pittsburgh Penguins in an on-ice ceremony before Monday night's game.”)
Online Sources- Official websites of the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils, Wikipedia, Sporting News, USA TODAY

Palestine state recognized by South American countries

On Monday the Argentine government recognized a "free and independent” Palestinian state.

In a letter written from Argentine President Cristina Kirchner wrote to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, the South American government officially recognizes Palestine based on the 1967 borders. Furthermore, Argentina claimed that such a recognition “reflected a general consensus” in the Mercosur economic bloc whose members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

On Friday the Brazilian Foreign Ministry emitted a similar statement to the one announced today by Argentina. ”Considering that the demand presented by his Excellency (Abbas) is just and consistent with the principles upheld by Brazil with regard to the Palestinian issue, Brazil, through this letter, recognizes a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders,“ read the statement. Thus, both Argentina and Brazil would back Palestinian demands for a state in areas controlled by Israel (i.e. most of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and east Jerusalem).

Israeli and U.S. officials who already critiqued Brazil’s move will likely condemn Argentina’s decision. A cable from the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused Brazil of “advancing in a unilateral manner” by circumventing the 2003 Middle East roadmap for peace. “Brazil is sending a message to the Palestinians that they need not make peace to gain recognition as a sovereign state,” said U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel to Bloomberg.

Despite the controversy a Brazilian official told Politico.com that recognizing a Palestine state “was the natural thing to do." Indeed over 100 countries, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, have already recognized a Palestinian state. More crucially, however, Brazil becomes the last of the emerging BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) to do so.

In the meantime it appears as if other Latin American states will soon follow the example set by Argentina and Brazil:

Following Brazil and Argentina's footsteps, Uruguay announced Monday that it recognizes an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, according to AFP.



"Uruguay will surely follow the same path as Argentina in 2011," Uruguayan Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Conde told AFP.



"We are working towards opening a diplomatic representation in Palestine, most likely in Ramallah," he said.

Image- PRESS TV (“Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.”)
Online Sources- AFP, Mercopress, PRESS TV, Bloomberg, Politico.com, Jerusalem Post

Tensions rise over Haitian elections

Haiti’s political divisions have deepened over allegations of widespread electoral fraud during last month’s presidential elections. Yesterday ten of the nineteen presidential hopefuls marched with an estimated 1500 protesters and called for the election results to be annulled. As the following video from Al Jazeera shows, the protest in Port-au-Prince turned violent as some demonstrators fought with police:

Despite allegations that President Rene Preval conspired to give the presidency to his party's candidate, Jude Celestin, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council proclaimed the elections as a “success." A report from an international team of observers from the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community noted a number of voting irregularities such as "deliberate acts of violence and intimidation to derail the electoral process." Yet the group also noted that these problems should not “invalidate the process."

Whoever becomes certified as the next president will have plenty of problems to deal with including Haiti’s crushing poverty as well as rebuilding after last January’s major earthquake. In addition, the next leader will have to contend with a spreading cholera epidemic that has officially claimed over 2000 lives and nearly 89,000 cases.

Online Sources- Herald Sun, BBC News, Voice of America, MSNBC
Video Source - YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 6, 2010 (Updated)

* Colombia: At least 174 people died and 1.5 million people have been affected by one of the wettest rainy seasons in Colombian history. (Update: The death toll has grown to 188 after a dozen bodies were recovered after a landslide near Medellin).

* Latin America: According to more documents divulged by Wikileaks the U.S. government is working closely with Mexican marines and Brazil sought the technology to build French military jets for sale to other Latin American countries.

* Chile: Scientists discovered what is believed to be the oldest mine in the Americas - a 12,000-year-old Chilean iron oxide mine.

* Uruguay: Rest in peace Maria Esther Gatti de Islas; the Uruguayan human rights activist died on Sunday at the age of 92.

Online Sources - MSNBC, Sydney Morning Herald, Voice of America, Reuters, PRESS TV, USA TODAY
Image - MSNBC ("Residents wade through a flooded street Saturday in Puerto Santander, a town on Colombia's northeastern border with Venezuela.")

Today’s Video: A crude reality

One of the biggest stories of the year here in the U.S. was the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico over the summer. The long-term environmental and economic impact of such a terrible accident remains to be seen though previous major spills have led to some notable damage.

The following CNN video looks at the aftermath of the 1979 Ixtec I oil spill off the Yucatan Peninsula. Tar balls from the estimated three billion barrels of crude can still be found on the islands near the Mexican mainland while mangrove forests in Campeche are under risk from clumps of oil.

Online Sources - CNET News
Video Source - CNN

Weekend Headlines: December 4-5, 2010

* Mexico: Did police behave “completely inappropriately” by exhibiting a presumed 14-year-old hitman in front of the assembled press?

* Cuba: A court commuted the sentence of a Salvadoran man convicted of killing an Italian tourist during a series of bombings approximate twelve years ago.

* Chile: At least two dozen people were injured after police clashed with Easter Island locals over land rights.

* Venezuela: The death toll attributed to heavy rains and increased flooding has risen to 31 according to the government.

Image – ITN (A 14-year-old nicknamed "El Ponchis" allegedly killed four people on orders of a Mexican drug gang.)
Online Sources- Reuters, TVNZ, CNN, El Universal

Today’s Video: Is it worth it?

We'll be back this weekend to cover several non-Wikileaks stories from the past few days possibly including allegations of discrimination against Latino farmers and the difficulties faced by Mexico's disabled population.

In the meantime the following video from the Associated Press examines some of the pitfalls in the "war on drugs" such as how most of those arrested in drug busts are small fish while the cartels' bosses are generally untouched.

Are the U.S. counternarcotics efforts successful or not? Please let us know what you think by leaving a comment to this post.

Video Source - YouTube

World Watch: Whose presidency is it anyway?

* Africa: Ivory Coast officials are divided as to who won last week’s presidential elections while tensions continue in Guinea after opposition leader Alpha Conde was declared as president-elect.

* India: As the 26th anniversary of the Bhopal industrial disaster approaches, some victims are seeking $1.1 billion in compensation from Dow Chemicals.

* World: According to a new survey released by Pew Research Center most Muslims in countries with large Islamic populations rejected Al Qaeda as well as the tactic of suicide bombings.

* Spain: An increased tobacco tax and pension reforms could be the next steps to strengthen an already weakened Spanish economy.

Image – Luc Gnago/REUTERS via The Guardian (“Supporters of opposition leader Alassane Outtara in the city of Gagnoa, Ivory Coast. The president's camp alleges vote rigging.”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC News, CNN

De Musica Ligera: Feliz Hanukkah! (Again)

Tonight is the fifth evening in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Judaism has had a strong (albeit understated) history in Latin America. Jewish immigrants from Europe were part of a strong "colonization" push in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Argentina, for instance. Hundreds of thousands of Jews escaping the Holocaust during World War II were provided safe haven in Latin American countries like Brazil, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Though some Jewish leaders in the region claimed that there has been an uptick in anti-Semitism, Latin America's Jewish community continues to thrive.

In honor of the eight-day "Festival of Light", the following video is from the extraordinary group Hip Hop Hoodios. "Ocho Kandelikas" is a song that we featured last year and, is a unique take on the Hanukkah festivities. Enjoy!

Online Sources - The Latin Americanist, CSMonitor.com, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Video Source - YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 3, 2010

* Argentina: Diplomatic tensions between Argentina and Britain could reignite over the finding of a new offshore oil field near the disputed Falkland Islands.

* Latin America: According to two more communiqués divulged by Wikileaks former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe “almost came to blows” with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez at a summit in February while a State Department cable expressed deep doubts over Mexican antidrug efforts.

* Mexico: Police arrested a key member of the Zetas drug gang, a “regional leader” accused of smuggling millions of dollars worth of drugs into the U.S.

* Costa Rica: President Laura Chinchilla said that she would send more police to the border with Nicaragua as part of a heated border dispute between both countries.

Image – BBC News (The chairman of British firm Desire Petroleum told BBC News that the finding of a new Falklands offshore oil field is "highly encouraging.")
Online Sources- Bloomberg, The Guardian, Voice of America, The Tico Times

World Watch: Hot hot heat

* World: 2010 could be “one of the three warmest years on record” according to data released by the World Meteorological Organization at a climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico.

* Israel: At least forty prison guards died as a result of a raging forest fire in northern Israel.

* Nigeria: Authorities plan to charge former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in a $180 million bribery case allegedly involving energy firm Halliburton.

* India: India will supposedly buy billions of dollars worth of arms from Russia and France as part of a “military modernization” plan.

Image – Mikhail Metzel/Associated Press via CBC (“Fading sunflowers droop in a field in Voronezh region, some 415 km south of Moscow, after weeks of searing heat and practically no rain during the summer of 2010. A severe drought destroyed one-fifth of the wheat crop in Russia, the world's third-largest exporter of the grain.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, BBC News, The Guardian, Voice of America

Today’s Video: Prevention (revisited)

Yesterday on World AIDS Day we featured a video on the members of an El Salvadoran charity determined to prevent the spread of AIDS among the LGBT population. In Chile another form of prevention has taken place albeit in a ruthless manner. In the video report from Al Jazeera below, several HIV-positive women alleged that they were forcibly sterilized after giving birth. The women have taken their case to an Organization of American States-related judicial body, but it will be very difficult to erase the mental and physical scars these women have.

Online Source - The Latin Americanist
Video Source - YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 2, 2010

* Mexico: Bolivia’s representative at a major climate action conference in Cancun accused wealthy countries of breaking promises to protect the environment.

* Brazil: A judge permitted clown-turned-comedian Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva “Tiririca” to take office in the Chamber of Deputies after he received over 1.3 million votes in October.

* Venezuela: A state of emergency was declared nationwide after heavy rains and flooding killed at least 29 people.

* Guatemala: The government will auction off the exploration rights of oil fields in the north to foreign oil firms.

Image – Reuters/David Gray/Files via Reuters (“A small house can be seen in front of a coal-burning power station located on the outskirts of Beijing August 17, 2009.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, LAHT

World Watch: Taking a chance

* Spain: Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced that he would skip attending the Ibero-American Summit and suggested that the government could privatize the “El Gordo” Christmas lottery.

* Egypt: The main opposition parties will boycott the runoff of legislative elections after they accused the ruling NDP of widespread electoral fraud.

* Iran: The eight-year human rights campaign to save the life of Shahla Jahed took a turn for the worse after she was executed for adultery.

* U.S.: Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is pushing Congress to back the START nuclear treaty with Russia as soon as possible.

Image – Dani Pozo/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian (“José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said today that up to 30% of El Gordo would be sold off.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, MSNBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian

Ecuadorian president denies Wikileaks offer

The fallout from the Wikileaks document dump continues with several new diplomatic cables revealed in the past 24 hours. Before getting to some of them, however, it’s worth noting an unusual aside in this already unusual story.

According to media reports yesterday WikiLeaks founder and chief Julian Assange would be permitted safe haven in the South American country of Ecuador. Deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas allegedly told the local press that the controversial figure would be permitted to speak and ply his trade freely in Ecuador. “We are open to giving him residency in Ecuador, without any problem and without any conditions," said Kintto according to the BBC News.

Last night, however, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa rejected inviting Assange to his country. "Kintto Lucas's quoted comment was a spontaneous, personal response to a question from a local journalist and garnered attention due to the high international interest in the WikiLeaks story," read part of a statement from the Ecuadoran embassy in Washington.

So what other documents has Wikileaks recently revealed and related to Latin America? Here’s a sample:

• A 2006 State Department cable alleged that Cuban intelligence officers advise Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The cheekily titled "Cuba/Venezuela Axis of Mischief: The view from Caracas, also implied that Chavez trusts Cuban intelligence more than the security apparatus in his own country.
• A 2009 note from U.S. diplomats in Havana claimed that the Cuban government provided “refuge” to members of the Basque separatist group ETA as well as Colombian guerillas. Nonetheless, the cable noted, “there’s a slim probability that they are conducting terrorist operations from Cuba.”
• Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim denied allegations in a leaked 2008 cable that said that he believed that a deputy foreign minister at the time “hates the United States.” Another note on Jobim claimed that he was upset at the “imprudence” shown by the U.S. by not seeking regional support for its controversial plan to expand its military presence in Colombia.
  

Ultimately, however, is the Wikileaks ploy much ado about nothing? Two Latin American leaders think so:

Peruvian president Alan Garcia, who has a famously sharp tongue, has already dismissed the Wikileak cables as only “gringos’” opinions and therefore, while embarrassing, “totally irrelevant”…

As Luiz Inácio Silva da Lula, the Brazilian president, said on Tuesday: “The things I have seen about Brazil are so insignificant they don’t deserve to be taken seriously.”

Image- Martial Trezzini/EPA via The Guardian (“WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange now faces calls from some quarters in the US for his arrest and extradition on espionage charges.”)
Online Sources- Too many to list!

Today’s Video: Prevention

Today is World AIDS Day and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have certainly not been immune from the effects of the deadly pandemic. According to international AIDS charity Avert over two million people in the region are hit with HIV, "more than in the U.S., Canada, Japan and the UK combined." Furthermore, Avert's comprenhensive analysis of HIV/AIDS in LAC found that certain groups, such as sex workers and migrants are more susceptible to the disease than others.

Worse is that there may be a problem with funding to prevent AIDS as the former director of the U.N.'s AIDS program told Bloomberg. “There is clearly AIDS fatigue,” said Peter Piot who also noted that funding needs to be more selective:

“In Latin America, for example, most HIV-prevention programs are directed towards the general public, people who are not at high risk and there is not much going on in the gay community where the problem is,” said Piot. “That’s a waste of money then. My mother doesn’t need HIV prevention, she’s 87.”

Not all is doom and gloom regarding HIV/AIDS prevention in LAC. Take the case of Entre Amigos (Among Friends), a Salvadoran charity aimed at the country's LGBT community. Their work has been invaluable in trying to remove the stigmas related to HIV/AIDS as well as homosexuality:

Online Sources - Avert, Bloomberg
Video Source - YouTube

Daily Headlines: December 1, 2010

* Haiti: International observers downplayed allegations of massive electoral fraud yet acknowledged “rampant disorganization.”

* Latin America: According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean poverty throughout the region will decrease as a sign of bouncing back from the global economic downturn.

* Panama: The U.S. and Panama signed a “tax-information exchange agreement” that could ease the path to a free trade pact.

* Venezuela: At least twenty-one people are dead as a result of landslides and flooding caused by torrential rains.

Image – Eduardo Munoz/Reuters via The Guardian (“UN soldiers from Sri Lanka at the Haitian election tabulation center in Port-au-Prince. The elections ended in confusion as 12 of the 18 presidential candidates denounced 'massive fraud' although international observers say the eventual result will stand.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, Toronto Sun