Daily Headlines: August 17, 2016

* Bolivia: Landlocked Bolivia took a big step towards being the world’s largest exporter of lithium following its first shipment of the metal to China.

* Brazil: Suspended President Dilma Rousseff proposed early elections though that may not be enough to prevent her from possibly being removed from office by the Brazilian Senate later this month.

* Puerto Rico: At least 500 passengers were evacuated from a ferry that caught fire off the Puerto Rican coast this morning.

* Nicaragua: Opposition parties have called for a boycott of Nicaragua’s upcoming presidential elections that critics claim are rigged to create a “dynastic dictatorship” for current leader Daniel Ortega.

* Mexico: Is the kidnapping of six people including the son of imprisoned capo Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman a sign of increased violence between Mexican drug gangs?

* Cuba: The Cuban government promised to advance Internet service only "gradually, according to our economic possibilities," as part of a series of modest economic reforms introduced this week.

* Guatemala: A dozen armed assailants raided the residence of Ramón Cadena Rámila, a prominent Guatemalan human rights attorney and the Central America director of the International Commission of Jurists.

* Dominican Republic: President Danilo Medina during his second inaugural address pledged taking steps to help impoverished Dominicans and further improves the national economy.

YouTube Source – France 24 English
 
Online Sources – Financial Times, Reuters, CBS News, UPI, Voice of America, The Guardian, Fox News Latino, NPR