Daily Headlines: June 26, 2015

* U.S.: New Census Bureau data revealed that the U.S. Hispanic population increased to 55.4 million people last year with growth seen in nearly all states.

* Argentina: An Argentine court confirmed the indictment against Vice President Amado Boudou on charges of bribery and conflict of interest while investigators are looking into allegations of embezzlement.

* Venezuela: A Brazilian government delegation traveled to Venezuela in order to promote dialogue and calm political tensions between officials and the opposition.

* Cuba: The U.S. State Department denounced human rights abuses in Cuba including harassment against dissidents, restricting Internet access and the government’s control of the media.

YouTube Source – The Economist (“The city’s Latino population has grown 13-fold since 1990, making it one of the fastest growing Hispanic cities in America and a harbinger of the country’s changing demography.”)

Online Sources – Latin American Herald Tribune, MercoPress, Reuters, BBC News

Daily Headlines: June 25, 2015

* Argentina: Numerous commemorative events were held in Buenos Aires yesterday on the eightieth anniversary of the death of tango legend Carlos Gardel.

* Paraguay: Doctors in Paraguay allegedly plan to induce into labor a pregnant eleven-year-old girl raped by her stepfather and whose appeal for an abortion was denied by health officials.

* Chile: A late strike from Mauricio Isla was enough for host country Chile to eliminate defending titleholders Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the Copa America.

* Panama: Reactions among Panamanians were reportedly mixed following former strongman Manuel Noriega publicly asking forgiveness to those “offended, affected, injured or humiliated” during his rule.

YouTube Source – user fandegardel
 
Online Sources – The Guardian, Fox News Latino, BBC Sport, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2015

* Brazil: A new report found that Brazil has the world’s fourth-largest prison population with some 607,730 inmates crammed in correctional facilities built for about 377,000 detainees.

* Peru: Investigators found the remains of 17 people in a mass grave who may have been killed in the 1980s during the armed conflict between the Peruvian government and the Shining Path guerillas.

* Puerto Rico: The executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Energy Authority. which is over $9 billion in debt, resigned on Tuesday.

* Colombia: U.S. justice officials announced charges related to drug trafficking against seventeen members of Colombia’s Clan Usuga criminal gang.

YouTube Source – CCTV America 

Online Sources – BBC News, Reuters, Fox News Latino, ABC News

Guatemalan Poll Respondents Urge President to Quit

A recently released poll indicated the mounting pressure against embattled Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina to resign from his office.

According to Guatemala's Prensa Libre daily on June 20th, 84% of poll respondents replied “yes” to the question “Do you believe Otto Pérez Molina supports a corrupt system and should resign?”  Only 6% answered in the negative while 10% admitted, “I don’t know.”

In addition, 86% of those surveyed believed that the legislature couldn’t be trusted to enact reforms regarding political parties and upcoming elections.

The poll was carried out on June 16th by members of the #HagámonosElParo youth movement who asked questions to car drivers waiting at intersections in Guatemala City.

Only 1397 people were polled despite plans to inquire 15,000 respondents, which is a small sample size. Nevertheless, mass protests have been held every weekend throughout Guatemala for the past nine weeks against Pérez Molina who has been battling a growing corruption scandal involving members of his government.

On May 16th, for instance, thousands of Guatemalans marched in street protests in thirteen cities nationwide organized via social media networks. Tens of thousands of Guatemalans purportedly from different social, economic and political classes rallied near the National Palace earlier this month.

“The protests are like a democratic spring where the people have taken to the streets to demand many things,” affirmed one of the marchers, Pedro Cruz.  “I have seen the people awaken.”

A smaller rally took place this past Saturday in Guatemala City though one of the participants was Oswaldo Ochoa, a 62-year-old who trekked 125 miles in six days while also undergoing a hunger strike.

Daily Headlines: June 23, 2015

* Panama: The expansion of the Panama Canal is about 90% complete after engineers this week began filled water on the Pacific locks of the project.

* Latin America: The number of billionaires in Latin America increased by 38% last year, which was more than any other region in the world.

* Brazil: A pair of Singaporean shipbuilders could be involved in a widening corruption scandal involving Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras.

* Venezuela: Facing mounting pressure from international observers and opposition activists, Venezuelan electoral officials set December 6th as the date for the country’s congressional vote.

YouTube Source – Financial Times (Video uploaded in March 2015).

Online Sources – American Journal of Transportation, Bloomberg, Voice of America, teleSUR English

Daily Headlines: June 22, 2015

* Venezuela: Approximately 400 people protested in Caracas on Saturday and called for the liberation of imprisoned Venezuelan opposition activists such as Leopoldo Lopez.

* Argentina: Outgoing president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ruled out running for a seat in the Argentine legislature but “she has set up supporters in key candidacies for the primaries in which 13 presidential hopefuls are participating.”

* Brazil: Corruption scandals and a floundering economy could explain why poll results published on Sunday showed Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s approval rating has reached a record low of 10%.

* Cuba: Venezuelan National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello revealed photos purportedly of him and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro at a meeting in Havana over the weekend.

YouTube Source – euronews

Online Sources – Yahoo News, Fox News Latino, NASDAQ, teleSUR English