Daily Headlines: December 12, 2014

* Vatican: Argentine-born Pope Francis presided over an extraordinary mass at the Vatican in honor of the day of the patroness of Latin America, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

* Cuba: Cuban musician Aldo Rodriguez Baquero denied receiving money from an allegedly secret U.S. program to fund hip-hop artists and promote anti-Castro sentiment among young people.

* Argentina: Government spokesman Jorge Capitanich claimed that Argentina will not give in to “extortion” from creditors involved in a tense debt dispute.

* Mexico: Malala Yousafzai acknowledged that there are “problems in Mexico” after a young man carrying a Mexican flag briefly interrupted the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance ceremony on Thursday.

Video Source – YouTube via Rome Reports (“Argentinian singer Ariel Ramírez composed the 'Creole Mass' 50 years ago. His son Facundo, along with Argentinian pop singer Patricia Sosa interpreted the music in St. Peter's Basilica, as Pope Francis celebrated the Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”)

Online Sources – Fox News Latino; Miami Herald; CBC News; Latin American Herald Tribune

Daily Headlines: December 11, 2014

* U.S.: Television newcomer “Jane the Virgin,” which is an adaptation of a Venezuelan series, received two Golden Globe bids including a best comedy actress nomination for Gina Rodriguez.

* Latin America: Several thousand marched in Nicaragua against the construction of an interoceanic canal while hundreds of Catholic Dominicans participated in an anti-abortion protest.

* Venezuela: U.S. President Barack Obama will likely sign into law a bill passed by Congress this week to place sanctions against Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses during political unrest this year.

* Brazil: Mines and Energy Minister Edison Lobão claimed that the government is working on a plan to help Petrobras refinance about $3.4 billion in debt.

Video Source – YouTube user The Paley Center for Media
 
Online Sources – Financial Times; Variety; Time; Dominican Today; NBC News

Daily Headlines: December 10, 2014 (Update)

* Peru: Peru’s government are none too pleased with Greenpeace activists who placed a massive banner next to the iconic Nazca lines.

Update: Greenpeace has apologized "without reservation" for the protest.

* Mexico: “Please, Malala, they are killing us. Don't forget Mexico!” declared a man carrying a Mexican flag who briefly interrupted the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance ceremony.

* Argentina: Malaysia’s Petronas signed a $550 million agreement with YPF to develop extensive shale resources in Argentina.

* Latin America: According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the number of people in Latin America and the Caribbean suffering from hunger has nearly fallen in half over the past twenty years.

Video Source – YouTube user No Comment TV

Online Sources including Update – U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization; Financial Times; Mashable; The Guardian; BBC News

Daily Headlines: December 9, 2014

* Venezuela: The U.S. Senate approved imposing sanctions against Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses but it could be all for naught unless the bill is passed by the House this week.

* Brazil: The World Cup held in Brazil and the country’s presidential election was among the top three topics most discussed among Facebook users this year.

* Puerto Rico: Legislators on the cash-strapped commonwealth passed a $2.9 billion borrowing plan that includes financing public transportation.

* Latin America: Seven Latin American countries including Costa Rica, Peru and Mexico vowed to protect about 49 million acres of degraded land.

Video Source – YouTube user AFP (“Protesters take part in a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington, on May 9, 2014, urging US President Barack Obama to impose sanctions on those responsible for human rights abuses against protesters in Venezuela.”)
 
Online Sources – Bloomberg; ABC News; Miami Herald; Inside Costa Rica

Daily Headlines: December 8, 2014

* Haiti: Thousands of people marched in anti-government protests over the weekend and called on President Michel Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe to resign from their posts.

* Bolivia: Survivors of one of the worst floods to hit Bolivia in decades last February reportedly “have found themselves destitute, hungry, thirsty, and prone to fevers, infections and mosquito-borne diseases.”

* Uruguay: President José Mujica said that six Guantanamo military prison detainees that arrived in Uruguay yesterday are classified as refugees and, hence, “can leave the country whenever they wish.”

* Mexico: Culture, education and technology are the three primary themes of the latest Ibero-American Summit starting today in Veracruz, Mexico.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews
 
Online Sources – MercoPress; euronews; The Guardian; Al Jazeera