Costa Rica: Security Chief Suggests Firearms Ban

In the week since the Newtown massacre one of the main worries is how to prevent another mass shooting from occurring.  Could gun control measures such as the reinstatement of an assault weapons ban help?  Are placing more arms in schools and creating a “national database of the mentally ill” sensible or silly? Might reforming the U.S. mental health system help lessen violence?

This week Costa Rican Security Minister Mario Zamora suggested that banning all types of firearms could help diminish violence in the U.S.

“If less firearms are available for the population there will be a lower possibility that they will be used,” he said when asked in a radio interview about his views on the Newtown massacre.

“Human beings may enter in a state of violent emotion and they will react based on what is at their reach,” noted Zamora who also deemed as “erroneous” the belief that greater arms ownership is a solution to combating violence.

According to the U.S. State Department “crime is a significant concern for Costa Ricans and visitors alike,” and the agency advises tourists to exercise the same level of caution that would be used “in major cities or tourist areas” in the U.S.  Nevertheless the homicide rate dropped by 10% in 2011, which Zamora attributed in part to Costa Rica’s gun control laws.

Daily Headlines: December 21, 2012

* Mexico: According to the Propuesta Civica organization at least 20,851 people including over 1200 children under age eleven have gone missing in Mexico over the past six years.

* U.S.: The Justice Department filed a suit against a South Carolina sheriff accused of discriminating against Latinos including ordering officers to “go out there and get me some of those taco eaters.”

* Peru: Proceedings began this week in the trial of Shining Path rebel leader Florindo Eleuterio Flores, alias Comrade Artemio.

* Costa Rica: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Costa Rica should overturn its ban on in vitro fertilization.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- ABC News, Washington Post, Tico Times, Kansas City Star

Daily Headlines: December 20, 2012

* Nicaragua: A Nicaraguan judge convicted on money laundering and drug trafficking charges eighteen Mexicans who posed as journalists working for Televisa. 

* U.S.: Family members and close associates of the late musician Jenni Rivera praised her in a “graduation to heaven” memorial service yesterday in Los Angeles.

* Venezuela: Did Miss Venezuela Irene Sofia Esser Quintero’s choice to not use a translator in the Q&A segment cost her the Miss Universe crown?

* Ecuador: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to speak later today from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has resided in for the past six months.

Video Source – YouTube via user PrensaLatinaTV (Video uploaded in October 2012).

Online Sources- CNN, BBC News, Huffington Post, CBC News

Daily Headlines: December 19, 2012

* Paraguay: Amnesty International called on authorities to look into the “potential responsibility of police” involved in June land clashes that led to the ouster of then-President Fernando Lugo.

* U.S.: Fans and loved ones of recently deceased musician Jenni Rivera are expected to attend a memorial service today in Los Angeles.

* Latin America: Five Latin American countries including Colombia and Ecuador surpassed eighteenth-placed Brazil in the latest FIFA soccer rankings.

* Mexico: At least seventeen people died in an attempted prison break yesterday in the northern Durango state.

Today's Video: From Copacabana to Connecticut

On Wednesday we'll discuss the aftermath of the recent massacre of twenty-seven people including twenty children in Newtown, Connecticut.

The mass killings that took place last Friday have led to all sorts of reactions worldwide such as  messages of condolence from heads of state, signs of support from European soccer players and prayers from students in Edmonton, Canada.

On the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil a simple and poignant memorial was created in remembrance of all those who died in the Newtown massacre.

The tribute from the Rio de Paz (River of Peace) group is reportedly a sign of solidarity to those affected by the massacre and a call to greater arms control in both Brazil and the U.S.

Video Source - YouTube via user newdailyplanet2 (This video was taken from this euronews article).



Online Sources - CBS News, Los Angeles Times, Edmonton Journal, CNN  

Daily Headlines: December 18, 2012

* Mexico: New president Enrique Peña Nieto unveiled a six-point anti-crime plan that includes the creation of a paramilitary police force and combating corruption in law enforcement.

* U.S.: Hate crimes against Latinos dropped by 31% in 2011 according to a new report from the FBI.

* Ecuador: Several thousand villagers were evacuated as a result of increased risk of erupiton of the Tungurahua volcano.

* Argentina: On Monday the Argentine government began the process of breaking up the Clarin media conglomerate.

Video Source – YouTube via Milenio 

Online Sources- UPI, KPBS, ABC Online, Mercopress

Daily Headlines: December 17, 2012

* Venezuela: Defeated opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles was reelected as Merida state governor though the ruling Socialist Party won twenty of twenty-three states.

* Cuba: Will the Cuban government expand its radio and television ban on reggaeton to other genres of music?

* Brazil: Corinthians of Brazil beat England’s Chelsea 1-0 in World Club Cup final and, thus, became the first from South America team to win the competition since 2006.

* Argentina: The International Monetary Fund could expel Argentina from the organization after failing to meet an inflation deadline.