Daily Headlines: July 10, 2015

* Mexico: Reporters Without Borders denounced increased violence against Mexican journalists while a reporter was robbed as he was filming a live television report in Mexico City.

* U.S.: Latinos may have became the largest ethnic majority in California but a recent report found them underrepresented in local and state government posts.

* Brazil: In the latest indicator of the weekend Brazilian economy, the unemployment rate in the last quarter grew by 0.7% to 8.1%.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan officials have banned the importation of rice from Guyana amid an escalating maritime border dispute between the neighboring states.

YouTube Source – CCTV America (Video uploaded in February 2015).

Online Sources – Reporters Without Borders, The Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Latin American Herald Tribune

Daily Headlines: July 9, 2015

* Colombia: Colombia’s FARC rebels announced a month-long ceasefire starting on July 20th and that comes after weeks of increased violence by guerilla against civilian and the armed forces.

* Mexico: Officials in Mexico City proposed regulations against the same app-based Uber car service that has run into strong opposition from taxi drivers across Latin America.

* Cuba: The U.S. State Department denounced a recent Cuban crackdown on dissidents but emphasized that such actions will not slow down the push to normalize bilateral relations.

* Brazil: The Petrobras bribery scandal that has hurt Brazil’s economy and led to increased scrutiny against the government could deepen after investigators identified $17 billion in “suspicious financial activity.”

YouTube Source – CCTV America
 
Online Sources – ABC News, Australian Business Review, Reuters, euronews, teleSUR English

Daily Headlines: July 8, 2015

* Ecuador: During his official visit to Ecuador, Pope Francis has called on dialogue to ease domestic political tensions, greater protection of the environment and more opportunities for the world’s youth.

* Guatemala: A medical report concluded believe that former strongman Efrain Rios Montt is mentally incapable of standing trial where he’s accused of genocide during his brief rule in the 1980s.

* Peru: Japanese researchers have found twenty-four new geoglyphs at the famed Nazca Plateau including some about 2400 years old.

* Mexico: Official at Pemex claimed that the state-run energy firm is importing 75,000 gallons of gasoline daily in order to combat shortages in several states.

YouTube Source – AFP
 
Online Sources – Yahoo News, BBC News, Platts, Japan Times

Today’s Video: Snapshots of History

We’ll return on Wednesday with a look at several news stories in the Americas including the Pope’s visit to South America and the immigration debate on the isle of Hispaniola.

This week’s video will look at several award winning ad campaigns from Latin America, and tonight we start with a short film created for Leica Gallery Sao Paulo. FNazca S&S Brazil became the firs Brazilian ad agency in sixty-four years to win the top prize at the Cannes Lions festival. Their Grand Prix-winning video pays homage to the German optics firm but was filmed entirely in Uruguay.

“This is a nearly perfect piece of filmmaking,” said Cannes Film Lions jury head Tor Myhren. “The visual storytelling is unique and stunning. The writing is absolutely amazing. And importantly, it's a category that is challenged right now with cell phones and with photography becoming a little bit less sexy,” he added.

Please check out the “Leica 100” short film after the page break (slightly NSFW):

Daily Headlines: July 7, 2015

* Mexico: Will the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by farmers, security agents and amateur enthusiasts transform Mexico into the “drone capital of Latin America?”

* Chile: Five members of Chile’s Copa America-winning squad were named to the all-tournament team, while Argentina topped the latest FIFA world rankings despite finishing as Copa America runners-up.

* Colombia: An upcoming report to be published by a Colombian NGO found that about 140 candidates running for political office have ties to criminal groups including paramilitaries.

* Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro recalled Venezuela’s ambassador to Guyana over a maritime border dispute that involves a recently located “significant oil discovery.”

YouTube Source – user Postandfly

Online Sources – InSight Crime, MercoPress, Fusion, Goal.com, ESPN FC

Daily Headlines: July 6, 2015

* Brazil: Brazil’s government attempted to downplay new revelations from Wikileaks of U.S. surveillance on Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and other officials.

* Ecuador: Pope Francis arrived at the Ecuadoran city of Guayaquil on the first full day of his official visit to three South American countries.

* Mexico: The Greek financial crisis has spurred Mexico’s currency to hit a “record low” 15.86 pesos per U.S. dollar in trading this morning.

* Colombia: Ovidio Gonzalez, a 79-year-old affected by an incurable cancer, became the first Colombian to die legally via euthanasia last week.

YouTube Source – CCTV News

Online Sources – Zee News, CNN, Reuters, Christian Post