Daily Headlines: September 7, 2015 (Updated)

* Mexico: Families of 43 Ayotzinapa college students missing for nearly a year have called on meeting with Mexico’s president after an independent probe contradicted the official investigation.

Update: President Enrique Peña Nieto said on Monday that he would be willing to meet again with families of the missing students and claimed that the government's investigation into the disappearances remains open.

* U.S.: While some politicians on the campaign trail deride immigrants, a recent study found that “immigrant adolescents are actually less likely than native-born peers in the United States to commit crimes, use drugs or behave violently.”

* Latin America: Representatives from seventeen nations celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Petrocaribe oil alliance that has been shaken by the low price of crude and Venezuela’s economic problems.

* Colombia: FBI agents reportedly placed the late Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez under surveillance including monitoring his ties to then-Cuban president Fidel Castro.

YouTube Source – euronews
 
Online Sources including Update – El Universal, The Latin Americanist, Latina, The Washington Post, Xinhua, Excelsiór (in Spanish)

Daily Headlines: August 25, 2015

* Latin America: China’s recent economic woes could have major financial repercussions to Latin American states that rely heavily on trade with the Asian country and are heavily dependent on oil exports. 

* Caribbean: Tugboat operators are concerned over potential safety hazards regarding the expansion of the Panama Canal, while the U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua criticized potential land expropriation for the construction of a new interoceanic waterway.

* Brazil: The Brazilian government will eliminate 10 of its 39 ministries as part of “President Dilma Rousseff's commitment to an unpopular austerity plan.”

* Puerto Rico: The number of murders in Puerto Rico dropped by 40% since a record high 1164 homicides in 2011 according to the FBI.

YouTube Source – Associated Press

Online Sources – PRI, Tico Times, International Business Times, Reuters, Latin American Herald Tribune

Daily Headlines: March 27, 2014

* Cuba: According to the Cuba state media, the government is planning to introduce a new foreign investment law aimed at boosting the island’s sagging economy.

* U.S.: Could the latest Obamacare deadline change help Latinos trying to apply for medical coverage before the end of this month?

* El Salvador: The F.B.I. placed on “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” an MS-13 gang member suspected of murdering two people and who is allegedly in hiding in El Salvador.

* Uruguay: President Jose Mujica of Uruguay said that his any of the five Guantanamo Bay detainees that might be taken in by his country would be considered as refugees and, thus, could freely travel.

Video Source – AFP via YouTube (“Cuba inaugurated its new Mariel "megaport" (last January), in hopes the project will symbolize a more open stance towards commerce and become a regional hub for shipments despite a lack of investment and the US economic embargo”.)
 
Online Sources- Bloomberg; Reuters; CBS News; NBC News; The Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: May 3, 2013

* Venezuela: Henrique Capriles said that he will not “throw in the towel” as he filed a lawsuit protesting the results of last month’s presidential election.

* South America: Peru and Ecuador temporarily recalled their main diplomatic envoys after the Ecuadorian ambassador to Peru got into a fight with customers at a Lima supermarket.

* Chile: Renowned poet Pablo Neruda may have died of cancer and was not poisoned according to preliminary results conducted on his exhumed remains.

* Cuba: The FBI added Joanne Chesimard, a fugitive living in Cuba who was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper, to its list of “most wanted terrorists.”

Video Source – Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- GlobalPost; Reuters; PhysOrg; Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: April 23, 2013

* Haiti: Amnesty International accused the Haitian government for turning a blind eye to the eviction from settlement camps of thousands of survivors of a major 2010 tremor.

* Nicaragua: Eric Toth, one of the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives, will likely be extradited to the U.S. after police in Nicaragua arrested him. 

* Latin America: The U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean lowered its 2013 growth estimate for the region to 3.5% though it would still be higher than last year’s 3.0% increase.

* Colombia: The Colombian government and FARC rebels are renewing peace talks in Cuba that first began in November 2012.

Video Source – YouTube via user bri kouri nouvel gaye (“Several dozen victims of Haiti's earthquake who live in Camp Vilaume Deta demonstrated against forced evictions on October 12, 2012.”)

Online Sources- ABC News; UPI; Miami Herald; Reuters

Weekend World Watch: Freeze frame

* U.S.: The F.B.I. has egg on their face after Spanish legislator Gaspar Llamazares discovered that part of his image was used in a mock photo image of how Osama bin Laden could look like.

* Guinea: The country is one step closer to transitioning into civilian rule roughly four months after 150 anti-military junta demonstrators were massacred.

* Iran: Diplomats from six countries including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council met behind closed doors today in order to discuss possible sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program.

* Japan: The man described as “Japan’s most influential politician” has come under fire over his alleged role in a fundraising scandal.

Image – Guardian UK (“Digitally enhanced photo of Osama bin-Laden released by the US Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] which shows an age-progression image of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden.”)
Online Sources- The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist, New York Times, Xinhua, BBC News

Weekend Headlines: August 8-9, 2009

* U.S.: One of the U.S.’ leading Latino politicians- Mel Martinez- said that he would resign from the Senate one year before the end of his term.

* Mexico: The country’s Supreme Court will launch its own investigation into a deadly June daycare center fire that killed 49 kids.

* Puerto Rico: An FBI agent has been charged with “negligent homicide” in the death of a Puerto Rican policeman participating in a joint raid.

* Paraguay: One year after his historic election win, Fernando Lugo has reportedly faced more lows than highs in the Paraguayan presidency.

Image- BBC News (Mel Martinez said he would quit early from the Senate in order to spend time with his family.)
Online Sources- LAHT, AFP, MSNBC, Christian Science Monitor

Daily Headlines: November 19, 2008

* Ecuador: About 30,000 mostly peasant farmers in Ecuador’s Amazon region are hoping that oil giant Chevron pay for the “health and ecological nightmare” caused in the rainforest.

* Puerto Rico: With so much distrust between the FBI and Puerto Rico’s independence movement, is it a wise move for an FBI agent to be tapped as the island's next police chief?

* Paraguay: Indigenous tribes in Paraguay claimed that Brazilian cattle ranchers are invading their territory.

* U.S.: The owners of a Massachusetts factory involved in a massive 2007 immigration raid will be forced to pay current and former employees $850,000 in overtime.

Image- San Francisco Sentinel (Contaminated water in Ecuador’s Amazon region).
Sources- boston.com, New York Daily News, Brazzil Mag, Los Angeles Times, The Latin Americanist, miamiherald.com

Daily Headlines: October 3, 2008

* Venezuela: First it was Spain and now it’s France who supports Venezuela’s desire to develop a civilian nuclear energy plan.

* Chile: The government agreed to compensate one of the country’s “top investigative journalists” for censoring her 1999 book.

* Puerto Rico: The FBI arrested “prominent Puerto Rico lawmaker” Jorge de Castro Font for allegedly being involved in an extortion scheme.

* Mexico: Mexico’s government may revise their proposed 2009 budget due to worries over the U.S. financial crisis.

Image- CNN (“Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and France's Bernard Kouchner speak in Paris on Thursday.”)

Sources- Bloomberg, MSNBC, The Santiago Times, IHT, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: August 11, 2008

* Haiti: Haitian police officials denounced United Nations troops for allegedly assaulting two policemen.

* U.S.: “So this one time in mariachi camp…”

* South America: Spanish oil firm Repsol agreed to negotiate for a new contract with Ecuador’s government, while Brazil’s Petrobras plans to buy ExxonMobil’s assets in Esso Chile.

* Puerto Rico: Was “friendly fire” the real reason why a Puerto Rican policeman was killed by the FBI over the weekend?

Image- New York Times (“Hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers raided Haiti's largest slum (in February 2007) to arrest gang members.”)

Sources- Reuters, Canadian Press, Star-Telegram.com, Dominican Today

FBI Continues It's Harassment on Puerto Rican Independence Movement

Just this morning, a Puerto Rican independence activist was payed a not so friendly visit by the FBI. Miguel Viqueira was getting ready to leave his home to go to work when armed FBI agents showed up, insulting and threatening Viqueira .

At 8:10 this morning, the FBI continued it's witch hunt by approaching Tania Delgado Soto as she left her home in Rio Piedras.
In both cases the FBI left when the individuals asserted their legal right not to speak to agents without a warrant and without legal counsel.

These very recent examples of the continued harassment of Puerto Rican activist demonstrates just how the U.S. federal government operates with regards to the Puerto Rican people and those determined to fight for the island's sovereignty. People are reminded that they have no legal responsibility to speak to federal agents, that when they are approached they should seek legal counsel, and report all incidents of harassment so that the Feds know that they are being watched.

Update: the count of people being harassed by armed FBI agents on the island is now up to 4 and there may possibly be an arrest. Still waiting for confirmation on that last part.

Gracias to Jo Boriken for the information.

Follow-ups on Hugo Chavez, beauty queens, and more

The following are a list of follow-up articles on recently reported stories here on The Latin Americanist:

• Not content with nationalizing Venezuela’s oil and telecom sectors, President Hugo Chavez (first image) said that the government may take over the country’s banks.
• The FBI will launch a civil rights investigation into the violent conclusion of a May 1^st immigrants rights rally in Los Angeles.
• Record numbers of Haitian migrants keep trying to make it to the U.S.; earlier today the U.S. Coast Guard found a capsized boat in the Caribbean with 20 Haitians dead and over 60 missing.
• Miss Mexico isn’t the only controversial beauty queen from the Americas- Miss Peru was chosen behind closed doors and is the daughter of the president of the main sponsor of the Miss Peru contest.
• Peru’s mining strike enters a fifth day with more unions joining protesting laborers.
• After being released from a Buenos Aires hospital in early April, soccer legend Diego Maradona entered a mental health clinic yesterday to be treated for alcoholism.
• “DC Madam” Deborah Jeanne Palfrey apologized for the resignation of the former head of USAID; Randall Tobias quit last week after he revealed that he procured an escort service featuring Central American women.
• FIFA president Sepp Blatter (second image) took back comments made on Monday over the possibility of moving soccer’s 2010 World Cup to Mexico or the U.S.
• Despite his recent faux pas over the significance of the Spanish language, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be a favorite for the Republican presidential nomination should he choose to run.

Links- The Latin Americanist, International Herald Tribune, Living in Peru, Xinhua, Ireland On-line, news.com.au, WHBF, CNN, BBC News

Images- BBC News, Al Jazeera