Weekend Headlines: March 21, 2009

* Puerto Rico: A federal jury cleared ex-governor Anibal Acevedo Vila and an associate of all charges including corruption and money laundering.

* U.S.: The families of a pair of Latinos shot dead by New Yorkpolice in 1995 received a small measure of justice via a $1.1 million settlement.

* Venezuela: Endy Chavez, Magglio Ordonez, and the rest of Venezuela’s baseball team hope to be ready for tonight’s World Baseball Classic semifinal against Korea.

* Mexico: The country’s central bank lowered the benchmark interest rate in a move designed to quell fears of a recession.

* Colombia: Mining firm Drummond is facing a new lawsuit brought up by the children of three Colombian coal miners murdered by paramilitaries.

* Brazil: The country’s Supreme Court voted by a 10-1 margin to keep the borders of a massive indigenous reservation.

Image- AP (“Former Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila greets supporters in front of the U.S. Federal Courthouse as he departs during a recess in his corruption trial in San Juan, Friday, March 20, 2009.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, AP, Voice of America, WTVM, Bloomberg, MLB.com, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: November 18, 2008

* U.S.: Congrats to Dominican slugger Albert Pujols who won his second National League Most Valuable Player award yesterday.

* Puerto Rico: Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila signed an executive order barring government agencies from discriminating against same-sex couples.

* Mexico: Famed director Guillermo del Toro will reportedly become the executive producer of an upcoming remake of “Pinocchio.”

* Haiti: A Canadian aid worker pled guilty to sexually assaulting eight Haitian orphans.

Image- AP
Sources- washingtonpost.com, New York Daily News, wired.com, Canada.com

Chavez, "boricua" politicos peeved at Palin

Last week, U.S. Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin referred to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as a “dictator” who could receive economic sanctions for trying to “mess with the United States whenever they feel like it”. Chavez responded snarkily to the Alaskan governor and alluded to her background before entering the political stage:

"I saw the vice presidential candidate, there she was talking about 'the dictator Hugo Chavez.' The poor thing, you just feel sorry for her," he said during a televised broadcast.

"She's a beauty queen that they've pulled out to be a figurehead. We need to say as Christ did: Forgive her, she knows not what she's saying."

Aside from Chavez, some Puerto Rican politicos are upset at Palin. Members of the island’s ruling Popular Democratic Party (PDP) demand that she be investigated regarding the (overblown) controversy over the Republican Party's spending of $150,000 on her wardrobe.

Why is the PDP upset? Perhaps it has to do with Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila who is under investigation for possible election fraud and embezzlement.

Image- ABC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, Reuters, El Universal, New York Daily News

Daily Headlines: August 20, 2008

* Puerto Rico: Nearly five months after being charged with possible electoral fraud and corruption, boricua Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila faces a new set of indictments of wire fraud and money laundering.

* Venezuela: Mexican officials are hoping that Venezuela’s government will negotiate with cement firm Cemex after President Hugo Chavez ordered its nationalization.

* Chile: Chilean stocks dipped in trading on Tuesday and the country’s currency also fell in value.

* Caribbean: The tropical red lionfish has somehow invaded Caribbean waters and is “wreaking havoc on an ecologically delicate region.”

Image- Los Angeles Times

Sources- Los Angeles Times, IHT, Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, UPI

Daily Headlines: July 29, 2008

* U.S.: A Justice Department memo revealed that senior aides under ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (image) engaged in “misconduct” by using politics to hire less-qualified prosecutors and immigration judges.

* Latin America: According to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living Survey Sao Paulo, Río de Janeiro, Caracas, and Bogota are among the most expensive cities in Latin America.

* Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega must decide if he’ll accept or reject a U.S. deal to destroy over 600 missiles in exchange for healthcare aid.

* Puerto Rico: Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila proposed a plan to slash taxes as part of a re-election promise to the electorate.

Image- washingtonpost.com

Sources- AFP, Forbes.com, elunivversal.com, Bloomberg, New York Times,

Puerto Rican status examined at U.N.

The United Nations’ Decolonization Committee received testimony this week from numerous representatives with regards to the political status of Puerto Rico. Chief among these was the island’s governor- Anibal Acevedo Vila- who called for the island’s right to self-determination and blasted the White House for being “clumsy and partisan” in its behavior of the issue.

Acevedo Vila was indicted last March for violating federal campaign laws and he previously backed commonwealth status for the island.

Other petitioners who spoke in front of the committee varied in their opinions of Puerto Rico’s political future; yet in the end, the committee passed a resolution with several clauses:

The Special Committee on Decolonization today called upon the Government of the United States to expedite a process that would allow the Puerto Rican people fully to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

In a resolution adopted by consensus, the decolonization body…requested the President of the United States to release all Puerto Rican political prisoners serving sentences for cases relating to the Territory’s struggle for independence and to the Vieques Island “peace struggle”.

The Special Committee…urged the Government of the United States to complete the return of occupied land and installations on Vieques Island and in Ceiba; respect the fundamental human rights to health and economic development of their inhabitants; and expedite and cover the costs of decontaminating the areas previously used in military exercises.

Last year Congress passed the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007, which allows for a congressionally authorized referendum to be held by the end of 2009. In 2006, the Bush administration laid out a set of rules on how to decide Puerto Rico’s future status.

Sources- UN.org, The Latin Americanist, BBC News

Image- Fact Checker (Protestor holding sign in favor of Puerto Rican statehood)

Feds indict Puerto Rican governor

Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila has been charged in a federal probe over possible electoral fraud and corruption. The grand jury indictment publicized today charged Acevedo Vila with violating campaign finance laws and issuing false statements to the FBI. He faces at least ten years in jail if convicted though he has proclaimed his innocence:

Acevedo says in a statement that he did nothing wrong. Thursday's indictment charges him and 12 party associates with illegal campaign fundraising.

The governor says he wants to assure the people of Puerto Rico that he has never acted illegally.

Acevedo Vila is a Democratic Party superdelgate who has pledged to support Barack Obama’s campaign. It’s unknown what effect (if any) Acevedo Vila’s indictment will have on such a tight presidential race.

Sources- AFP, Associated Press, CNN, New York Times, First Read, SignOnSanDiego.com

Image- CNN

Governor under investigation may influence Puerto Rico's status

Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila (image) admitted yesterday that he is under investigation by a U.S. grand jury. Despite repeatedly denying the allegations, Acevedo’s campaign finances are being looked into, and if the inquiry takes a long time then his possible reelection bid could be sunk.

Yet more importantly, it could bring in a governor that would try to push away from commonwealth status. Opposition politicos on the island would surely love for that to occur aside from campaigning for a referendum on Puerto Rico’s political status.

Stay tuned.

Sources- CBS News, The Latin Americanist

Image- BBC News