Daily Headlines: December 14, 2010

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez could seek special decree powers to be used before the new legislature comes into office on January 5th.

* Bolivia: Bolivia could take legal action at the International Court of Justice as part of their staunch opposition to a compromise deal reached at the UN Climate Summit in Cancun on Saturday.

* Ecuador: Global demand for oil will fall next year according to predictions by the OPEC oil cartel during their summit in the Ecuadorian city of Quito.

* Argentina: Is Carlos Tevez justified or petulant in his desire to leave Manchester City and play for another club?

Image – Reuters/Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters (“Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez shows a map during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas December 10, 2010.”)
Online Sources- Goal.com, UPI, Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist, Sify

Daily Headlines: July 14, 2009

* Argentina: English soccer club Manchester City confirmed the signing of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez from bitter intracity rivals Manchester United.

* Mexico: Hired gunmen are suspected in the execution and dumping of a dozen victims along a highway in western Mexico.

* Peru: Ex-president Alberto Fujimori denied culpability in a corruption trial against him which started on Monday.

* Latin America: The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Costa Rica in a maritime border dispute with Nicaragua.

Image- BBC Sport
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, LAHT, Times Online, Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo off to Spain in record deal

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to join Real Madrid for a world-record $130 million days after Brazilian Kaka completed his $94 million transfer to the Spanish side.

"At Cristiano's request…United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player” said a statement on Manchester United’s website today. The reigning World Player of the Year could finalize a deal by the end of this month.

Ronaldo had been the subject of transfer talk for quite a while now despite ManU head coach Alex Ferguson grumbling that he would not "sell that mob a virus". Yet the lure of such a big money deal seemed too hard to resist as Real president Florentino Perez is willing to spare no expense to recreate the superstar “Galacticos” squad of years ago.

Ronaldo may not be the only “red devil” to depart Old Trafford; the latest rumors is that Argentine Carlos Tevez will leave for intra-city rivals Manchester City.

Ironically, Ronaldo’s possible replacement may be an Ecuadorian player that Real Madrid has reportedly given up trying to sign:

Manchester United seem to have a clear run if they follow up their informal inquiry about Wigan Athletic's Antonio Valencia with a firm offer, with the player's representatives no longer optimistic about Real Madrid coming in with a bid.

Image- Guardian UK
Online Sources- Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, BBC Sport, forbes.com, The Telegraph, The Independent

Weekend Headlines: May 17, 2009

* Argentina: Carlos Tevez may’ve been celebrating winning the Premier League title yesterday with Manchester United, but will he leave the “red devils” for Real Madrid?

* Venezuela: Claiming that their pasta was not being sold at cheap, government-established prices, the Chavez administration “temporarily” took over a factory owned by U.S. firm Cargill.

* Mexico: Ex-President Vicente Fox said last week that he felt there should be a decriminalization of marijuana as part of a change in U.S. and Mexican drug policy.

* Haiti: The U.S. Coast Guard called off the search operation for at least nine Haitian migrants presumed dead after their boat capsized near Florida.

Image- Guardian UK (“Carlos Tevez celebrates with Alex Ferguson after Manchester United had clinched the title at Old Trafford, though the Argentinian's substitution drew some dissent from the home crowd.”)
Online Sources- UPI, CNN, BBC News, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: August 6, 2007

* Lake Titicaca- located over 10,000 feet up in the Bolivian Andes- is suffering from increased pollution by nearby cities.

* Could a radio DJ accused of racism against Hispanic immigrants be hired to take over the radio show once hosted by Don Imus?

* Archeologists in Mexico City think that they made a landmark discovery in finding the ancient tomb of Aztec king Ahuizotl.

* English club West Ham United agreed on terms that would allow Argentine striker Carlos Tevez to be transferred to soccer giants Manchester United.

* Follow-up #1: An ex-Colombian soldier arrested for corruption confessed that a drug kingpin tried to hire former troops that served in Iraq.

Follow-up #2: First it was Brazil’s defense minister, now it’s the country’s head of airports who was forced out of his post in the wake of the deadly TAM Flight 3054 accident.

Sources- IOL, Vivirlatino, Newsday.com, Guardian UK, BBC Sport, The Latin Americanist, Monsters & Critics

Image- sawf.org (According to the photo’s caption: “A woman steps through rubbish on the shoreline of Lake Titicaca”)