Daily Headlines: February 10, 2012

* Latin America: Amerigo Incalcaterra, the U.N. human rights representative for South America, denounced the “alarming pattern of prison violence” in the region due to overcrowding and substandard sanitary conditions.

* Brazil: Police in Rio de Janeiro state went on strike days before the beginning of Carnival celebrations and prison guards and firefighters might join them.

* Mexico: The U.S. State Department expanded its travel warning from ten to fourteen states in northern and central Mexico.

* Peru: Shining Path leader Florindo Eleuterio Flores-Hala, alias Artemio, was reportedly wounded in a raid conducted by Peruvian troops and dissident guerillas.

Image Source – Flickr via CDI Europe (Lemos de Brito prison in Brazil). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, Reuters, The Guardian, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: February 9, 2012

* Argentina: Legendary Argentine rock musician Luis Alberto Spinetta died at the age of 62 after months of battling lung cancer.

* Venezuela: Possible rivals to president Hugo Chavez wrap up their campaigns ahead of this Sunday’s opposition primary.

* Ecuador: Emilio Palacio, the former El Universo newspaper editor facing prison after losing a libel case against the Ecuadorian president, has sought asylum in the U.S.

* U.S.: An estimated 12.2 million Latinos are expected to vote in this November’s general election according to the Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.

Video Source – YouTube via ghanderhva

Online Sources- Buenos Aires Herald, AS/COA Online, USA TODAY, Boston.com

World Watch: Iced Cooly

* Antarctica: The sub-glacial Lake Vostok was reached for the first time after a team of Russian scientists drilled over two miles below the Antarctic surface.


* Egypt: The Egyptian government’s crackdown on nongovernment organizations could hurt relations between that country and the U.S.


* Maldives: Mohamed Nasheed claimed that he was ousted from the presidency in a coup while some of his supporters have clashed with police.


* Somalia: A “suicide car bomber” in the capital city of Mogadishu killed at least eleven people.

Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press

Online Sources – National Geographic, Voice of America, CNN, Reuters

Daily Headlines: February 8, 2012

* Brazil: Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro could be threatened by police officers that may reportedly join their comrades in Bahia state and go on an illegal strike.

* Mexico: A judge dropped some of the charges against two people accused of trying to smuggle members of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's family into Mexico.

* U.S.: A preliminary deal over state and federal redistricting in Texas might not reflect the state’s growing Latino population according to some local legislators.

* Latin America: Drought conditions in several Latin American countries could lead to a global spike in the prices of corn.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- NASDAQ, CBS News, Bloomberg, CBC News

World Watch: Homs Under Siege

* Syria: While foreign powers debate over how to end violence in Syria, the military continued its deadly offensive against residents in the city of Homs.

* U.S.: A federal appeals court ruled that California’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional though the final decision may rest with the Supreme Court.

* Philippines: At least twenty-two people died and dozens are missing after an earthquake shook the Negros Island.

* Palestine: Rival factions Hamas and Fatah signed a pact that would form a unity government led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Video Source– YouTube via telegraphtv

Online Sources – USA TODAY, CBS News, Reuters

Daily Headlines: February 7, 2012

* Brazil: Authorities filed a lawsuit seeking to block Twitter accounts and messages warning about “radar locations, speed traps, and DUI checkpoints.”

* Mexico: Josefina Vasquez Mota became the first female presidential candidate from a major political party after winning the primary for the ruling PAN on Sunday.

* Dominican Republic: At least eighteen migrants died after the boat they where traveling in capsized off the Dominican coast.

* Cuba: Former president Fidel Castro made a “rare appearance” in Havana in order to promote his new memoir.

Image Source – Flickr via xioubin low (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- CNet News, Reuters, Voice of America, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: February 6, 2012

* Panama: At least one person was killed after police clashed with indigenous protesters blockading the Pan American Highway.

* Brazil: The military have been deployed to Bahia where 10,000 members of the state police went on strike and refused to return to their posts.

* Ecuador: Chevron refused to issue a “court-mandated” public apology accepting guilt for polluting the Ecuadorian Amazon.

* U.S.: The mayor of East Haven, Connecticut refused to fire his police chief despite a federal investigation charging four officers of racial profiling and harassing Latino residents.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- CBC News, LAHT, Fox News, Global Voices Online