Daily Headlines: July 3, 2015

* Colombia: The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime found that coca cultivation in Colombia increased by 44% in 2014.

* Brazil: The Brazilian Congress rejected a bill that would have allowed criminals as young as 16 to be tried as adults and potentially sent to overcrowded adult prisons.

* Venezuela: The Spanish government will seek from Venezuela the extradition of a convicted member of Basque separatist group ETA.

* Mexico: Human rights investigators accused the Mexican army of the extrajudicial killings of drug gang suspects including twenty-two people in Tlatlaya last year.

YouTube Source – AFP
 
Online Sources – BBC News, teleSUR English, ABC News, ABC Online

World Watch: Beyond Gadhafi

Note: The major news headline of today was the death of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. There have been other important pieces of news from around the world, however, which we will highlight in today’s “World Watch”.

* Spain: Representatives of militant Basque separatist group ETA claimed that they will halt their decades-long armed campaign.

* Afghanistan: At least 115 suspected insurgents were reportedly killed over the past week by NATO and Afghan forces.

* Philippines: Colleagues of the late Father Fausto Tentorio have accused the army of killing the “great advocate for disadvantaged people.”

* Denmark: A study by Danish researchers has raised doubts over the rumored links between cell phone use and brain cancer.

Video Source – YouTube user europapress

Online Sources- Reuters, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English, ABC News

World Watch: Seven billion and counting

* World: According to the U.N. Population Fund the global population is expected to reach the 7 billion person mark by the end of October.

* Israel: Israel’s Supreme Court approved the planned exchange of over 1000 prisoners for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas.

* U.S.: Questions over safety have been raised after the death of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon who passed away in a massive accident while racing on Sunday.

* Spain: Several international delegates including ex-U.N. chief Kofi Annan and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern urged Basque separatist group ETA to lay down their arms.

Image – Via Flickr user storyvillegirl (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Online Sources – The Telegraph, Voice of America, SI.com, BBC News

Daily Headlines: November 4, 2010

* Mexico: Mexicans commemorated the Day of the Dead this week with mourners honoring deceased ancestors, friends, and family.

* Uruguay: The country’s Supreme Court ruled that an amnesty law protecting members of the 1973-1985 dictatorship is unconstitutional.

* Venezuela: A “high-level Venezuelan official” could be extradited to Spain where he’s suspected of training ETA separatists.

* Guatemala: Missouri’s high court will start hearing arguments next week in the case of a possibly illegal Guatemalan adoption.

Image – The Guardian (“A cemetery during the Day of the Dead celebrations in San Gregorio, Mexico. Photograph: Alexandre Meneghini/AP.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, LAHT, CNN, Kansas City Star

Weekend World Watch: Seven and fifty

* World: Marches were held around the U.S. on Saturday in protest of the seventh anniversary of the military invasion of Iraq while South Africans are preparing to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre.

* Europe: Outrage over sex abuse scandals in countries like Ireland and Germany continue to put pressure on Pope Benedict XVI.

* Russia: Approximately fifty rallies were held nationwide as part of a "Day of Anger" against the Russian government’s economic policies.

* France: French officials have egg on their face after mistaking five Catalan firefighters on vacation for a group of ETA separatists.

Image – Guardian UK (“The day that changed the course of South African history: on 21 March 1960, police opened fire on thousands of unarmed protesters, killing 69 people. The massacre sparked decades of armed struggle and forced the world to confront apartheid Photograph: Corbis.”)
Online Sources- Washington Post, BBC News, Times Online, Reuters, New York Times

Weekend Headlines: March 13-14, 2010

* Mexico: Five same-sex couples on Thursday became the first homosexual pairs to wed in Mexico City since a landmark gay marriage law took effect earlier this month.

* Venezuela: While a Spanish judge has insinuated that the Venezuelan government has links to ETA the head of the U.S. Southern Command publicly denied “a direct government-to-terrorist connection.”

* Peru: In the aftermath of last month’s deadly earthquake in Chile, Peru's government has created a tsunami early warning system.

* Paraguay: China’s latest move in strengthen their presence in Latin America is to seek closer relations with Paraguay.

Image – Los Angeles Times (“Same-sex couples are all smiles after getting married at the Municipal Palace in downtown Mexico City. The federal government has filed a challenge to the law. The law is also opposed by the Roman Catholic Church.”)
Online Sources- AP, LAHT, The Latin Americanist, CNN, Mercopress

Daily Headlines: March 4, 2010

* Argentina: Gonzalo Higuian took advantage of a defensive lapse and the goalkeeper’s blunder to score the lone goal in yesterday’s Argentine friendly win over Germany.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan government said that it would cooperate in a Spanish investigation accusing them of having ties to ETA and the FARC.

* Bolivia: President Evo Morales pledged half of his March salary in order to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti and Chile.

* Latin America: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights filed two cases against the governments of Peru and Ecuador regarding alleged human rights violations.

Image – Times Online (“Body blow: Higuain places the ball past Adler, the Germany goalkeeper, to give Argentina victory.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, Xinhua, BBC News, Inside Costa Rica,

Venezuela rejects ETA, FARC accusations

The Venezuelan government strongly rejected allegations of ties between officials with Colombian guerillas and Spanish separatists.
On Monday Spanish High Court Judge Eloy Velasco ruled that members of the Venezuelan government acted as intermediaries between the FARC and ETA. Velasco claimed that ETA allegedly received “a Venezuelan military escort” to a jungle site where they supposedly gave explosive courses to the FARC. Velasco added that ETA members traveled to Colombia via Venezuela and said that ETA helped the FARC plan assassination attempts against high-profile Colombian politicos.

A statement issued by the Venezuelan government disputed Velasco’s claims:

The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was informed through the media about the indictment issued by a Spanish judge containing unacceptable and politically-motivated accusations against the Venezuelan government…

All the accusations issued by this judge come from the files of the allegedly laptop seized from Raúl Reyes during a military operation where Ecuadorian territory was illegally bombed and hundreds of people were massacred. Furthermore, it is surprising that the judge revives the eroded farce of the laptop, which has become part of Colombian political folklore.

Velasco’s ruling comes as the U.S. State Department accused the Venezuelan government of helping the FARC and other Colombian guerillas with drug trafficking. Venezuela's Ambassador to the U.S. Bernardo Alvarez replied by calling the report “purely political.”

Image- Guardian UK (“2004: A man walks past graffiti that reads "Join and fight, freedom for the Basque Country" in San Sebastian.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, AFP, Reuters, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry

World Watch: August 10, 2009

* Spain: Police are after two female members of Basque separatist group ETA who are suspected of participating in a July 30 bombing that killed two Civil Guard officers.

* Iraq: A pair of truck bombings claimed the lives of at least 51 Iraqis and left over 250 people injured.

* Asia: A series of strong storms has hit the Asia-Pacific region and have so far killed several dozen people.

* Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe has had its share of ups and downs in the six months since rivals Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to share power according to the Guardian UK.

Image- The Telegraph (“Police near La Rigoletta restaurant where a bomb went off (on Sunday) causing minor damage in Majorca.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, AFP, BBC News, Times Online

ETA targeted famed Spanish judge

The infamous Basque separatist group ETA attempted to assassinate crusading Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon.

According to the Spanish press, the group planned to kill Garzon by using poisoned brandy delivered to the judge via a false admirer. The smooth liquor was to be accompanied by a note praising his role in several high profile human rights cases such as the 1998 attempt to extradite ex-Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet.

The plot was uncovered by police among several shredded documents in the possession of ETA military chief Jurdan Martitegi who was arrested earlier this year.

Garzon aimed his crosshairs in April at several members of the Bush administration for alledgedly permitting torture at the Guantanamo detention center. His desire for justice for the Spanish victims under the dictatorship of the late Francisco Franco may’ve gone too far:

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, who is known for pursuing alleged human rights abuses worldwide, is facing a court investigation on charges of professional misconduct…

The Supreme Court has agreed to probe a complaint lodged by the tiny far-right trade union Manos Limpias, which accuses Garzon of having investigated the alleged human rights violations of Spain's 1939-75 dictator Francisco Franco without having the authority to do so.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- Monsters & Critics, Typically Spanish, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist

New Basque leader vows to combat ETA

The new leader of the Basque government in Spain said that he will combat armed separatist group ETA.

"I will be a president who will fight ETA day in and day out," Basque Socialist Party leader Patxi Lopez said to the regional legislature shortly before he was elected as Basque President. Lopez became the first non-nationalist Basque head in three decades after he was backed by two of Spain’s traditional parties: the leftist socialists and the right-wing Popular Party.

With no-pro-ETA groups elected to the Basque parliament, Lopez’ minority government will focus on combating the separatists as well as improving the region’s ailing economy:

"We are closer to the end of ETA but we have not arrived at that point yet," he said in a reference to a recent wave of arrests of members of the outfit in Spain as well as across the border in France.

In its latest statement ETA warned that Mr. Lopez's government would be its "priority target"…

His government plans to abolish subsidies for associations representing imprisoned ETA, ban public tributes to members of the outfit and provide Basque police with more means to fight the group.

It also intends to halt a program aimed at making Basque the main language in school, with children given the option to study mainly in Spanish if their families want them to.

As we’ve mentioned previously, rumors have linked ETA to other rebel armies such as Colombia’s FARC.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- Time, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist, AP

Beyond Borders: Bomb explodes in Madrid

Spanish authorities have blamed Basque separatist group ETA for detonating a car bomb in Madrid.

The explosive was placed in an auto in Madrid's business district and may have targeted a transportation firm working on a high-speed rail line. The bomb has not claimed any fatalities yet has caused some extensive material damage. The Red Cross organized a rapid evacuation before the explosion and after receiving a telephone warning ahead of the blast.

If ETA was behind the bombing then that would signal the group’s first attack on the Spanish capital in about two years.

Today’s bombing comes hours after two Basque political parties supposedly tied to ETA were banned from local elections:

Spain's supreme court backed Sunday a government request to bar two Basque pro-independence parties from regional elections next month, judicial sources said…

The government and prosecutors charged that Democracy Three Million (D3M) and Askatasuna have links to the armed Basque separatist group ETA and its political arm Batasuna, which the court outlawed in 2003.

Anti-terrorist Judge Baltasar Garzon is to hand down a separate decision Tuesday on whether to suspend the parties' political activities.

Image- AFP
Online Sources- AFP, Guardian UK, CNN, UPI, Times Online

Basque separatist leader caught in France

The alleged military head of designated terrorist group ETA was nabbed by French police on Monday. Garikoitz Aspiazu, alias Txeroki (image), is beloved to be the mastermind of numerous murders including the 2006 bombing of Barajas airport which killed two Ecuadorian immigrants.

French and Spanish officials celebrated Aspiazu’s arrest as a massive blow against the violent Basque separatist group. Some experts claim that ETA may be weakened yet will continue its attacks on the Spanish populace.

It has been rumored that ETA has connections to Latin American armed groups, especially Colombia’s FARC guerillas. On Friday, Spanish prosecutors sought five suspected ETA members for allegedly conspiring with the FARC to assassinate Colombians in Europe. Convicted ETA member Iňaki de Juana Chaos is fighting extradition to Spain; he was previously convicted by a Colombian court for training FARC rebels.

Image- AP
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, BBC News, csmonitor.com, CFR, AFP, Times Online

Spain to examine alleged ETA-FARC link

Authorities in Spain will examine alleged ties between the militant Basque separatist group ETA and Colombia’s FARC guerillas. According to a report on Monday by AFP, Spanish prosecutors will send an “investigative commission” to check on any claims between the FARC and ETA as well as other Basque separatist factions.

An article last week cited a Spanish daily that claimed that Venezuelan authorities were conducting their own investigation into possible ETA-FARC links. Last Friday, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos claimed that the FARC had sought to “forge an alliance” with ETA:

Santos said ""the FARC's contacts with ETA and drug traffickers exporting cocaine to Europe are not new, and when they are secure in Colombia, they try to do harm overseas,"" which, he claimed, was the rebels' goal.

The accusations made by Santos mirrors those made by Colombia’s defense minister based on the laptops seized during a controversial military strike in March.

Sources (Spanish)- El Tiempo, Univision

Sources- Tehran Times, Typically Spanish, BBC News

Image- BBC News (Graffiti sympathetic with ETA)