Daily Headlines: June 1, 2012

* Honduras: Ten people were arrested this week in the murder of journalist Alfredo Villatoro, the twenty-fourth member of the media killed in Honduras over the past three years.

* Ecuador: Lawyers for Ecuadorian plaintiffs in a multibillion-dollar environmental damages lawsuit against Chevron have filed legal briefs against the oil firm in Canada.

* Cuba: Is music from “Sesame Street” being used to punish detainees at the U.S.-run military prison at Guantanamo Bay?

* Venezuela: Venezuela is the least competitive country for business according to a survey by the IMD business school.

Video Source – YouTube via videosproceso (The funeral for Honduran journalist Alfredo Villatoro was held last month in Tegucigalpa).

Online Sources- GlobalPost, Houston Chronicle, Huffington Post, BusinessWeek

Daily Headlines: May 31, 2012

* Colombia: French journalist Romeo Langlois is expected to return to his homeland today after Colombia’s FARC rebels released him on Wednesday.

* Brazil: Brazil's central bank cut interest rates for the seventh straight time in order to try to boost the country’s “stalled” economy.

* Chile: Colburn, Development of the controversial HydroAysen dam project has been put on hold after one of the firms backing the venture cited a “lack of government backing.”

* Venezuela: Does President Hugo Chávez have two more months to live as was alleged by U.S. reporter Dan Rather?

Video Source – YouTube via telesurenglish (“In France, the mother of journalist Romeo Langlois expressed her excitement for the return of her son who spent 33 days detained by Colombia's FARC guerrilla.”)

Online Sources- UPI, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor, Reuters

Daily Headlines: May 30, 2012

* Cuba: Spanish firm Repsol will cease looking for oil off the Cuban coast weeks after their first attempt ended up dry.

* Brazil: A coalition of indigenous groups have “blocked roads and occupied government buildings” and called for better healthcare for their communities.

* Venezuela: With five months to go in the race for the Venezuelan presidency a recent poll showed that current leader Hugo Chavez has a five-point lead over rival Henrique Capriles.

* U.S.: According to a WNYC analysis of New York Police Department data 86% of teens stopped by officers last year were either black or Latino.

Video Source – CNNMoney.com (This video report from July 2010 describes how Repsol hoped to successfully drill for oil off the Cuban coast. Alas it was not to be).

Online Sources- WNYC, Miami Herald, LAHT, BBC News

Daily Headlines: May 29, 2012

* Peru: For the second time in the last six months the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency after deadly clashes between police and anti-mining protesters.

* Argentina: Spanish oil firm Repsol will reportedly pressure the Argentine government to purchase the remaining shares of expropriated energy company YPF.

* Colombia: The FARC rebels claimed that they will release French journalist Romeo Langlois to a group of intermediaries that includes the International Red Cross.

* U.S.: According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission black and Latino children should be taught how to swim in order to decrease “racial disparities in drowning rates.”

Video Source – YouTube via IBTimesUK

Online Sources- CBS News, Reuters, euronews, Voice of America