Daily Headlines: October 5, 2016

* Venezuela: Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino claimed a deal worked out by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC states to slash oil production could add an extra $10 to $15 per barrel of the commodity.

* Latin America: Mexico’s soccer federation plans to appeal FIFA’s latest fine imposed over homophobic chants by fans as the world governing body also handed down penalties against nine other Latin American countries over unruly crowd behavior.

* Brazil: A poll released yesterday found that most Brazilians continue to disapprove of President Michel Temer, who took over for ousted predecessor Dilma Rousseff and will remain in power until 2018.

* Mexico: Mexican police rescued 122 migrants from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras from three vehicles on a highway in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

YouTube Source – PBS NewsHour (Video uploaded in June 2016). 

Online Sources – Bloomberg, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, BBC Sport, Voice of America, Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: March 29, 2016

* Chile: President Michelle Bachelet of Chile said her government could countersue Bolivia at the International Court of Justice regarding a dispute over water rights from the Silala River located in a border region.

* Latin America: Argentina and Uruguay’s joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup received a boost from the president of FIFA, while the ex-chief of the Honduran soccer federation pled guilty to his role in the “FIFA-gate” corruption scandal.

* Brazil: A group of Brazilian legislators called for relaxing the country’s harsh gun laws even though 60,000 homicides took place in the country in 2014.

* Puerto Rico: A U.S. federal judge sided with Wal-Mart and quashed a law that raised taxes wealthy companies paid  “on goods they buy from ‘related parties’” in debt-ridden Puerto Rico.

YouTube Source – CCTV News (“Bolivia argues it owns the Silala River and is not being compensated for Chile's use of the water. Chile argues that the water flows across their shared border and therefore it constitutes as an international river.”)

Online Sources – NPR, Fortune, Sky Sports, euronews, ABC News

Daily Headlines: January 13, 2016 (Updated)

* U.S.: President Barack Obama’s call to eliminate the trade embargo against Cuba in his State of the Union speech might not sit well with Cuban-American legislators but perhaps they could agree to reform policy for migrants coming from the island.

* Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rican government will allegedly begin discussions today with creditors over the restructuring of approximately $70 million in public debt.

Update: On a related note, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday on a case that could have serious consequences for the island's future sovereignty. 

* Nicaragua: Indigenous and Afro-Caribbean community leaders claimed that officials are obligating them to allow for the building of a controversial interoceanic canal through their lands.

* Guatemala: In one of the latest chapters in the “FIFA-gate” corruption scandal, former Guatemala soccer federation president Brayan Jimenez was detained and accused of bribery.

YouTube Source – AFP

Online Sources including Update – The Hill, The Guardian, Al Jazeera America, Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC News

Daily Headlines: December 24, 2015

* Brazil: Brazilian Attorney General Rodrigo Janot is investigating if embattled congressional leader Eduardo Cunha received $475,000 in bribes related to next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

* Uruguay: Eugenio Figueredo, the former vice president of soccer governing body FIFA, was extradited to his native Uruguay where he will be arraigned in connection to a massive corruption scandal.

* Canada: Canadian immigration authorities withdrew the deportation order against a Salvadoran refugee who has received sanctuary in a British Columbia church since 2013.

* Puerto Rico: Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla believes that the island will be unable to make a $1 billion debt payment due on New Year’s Day.

YouTube Source – PBS NewsHour (The toxic waters where certain aquatic events are schedules is one of numerous problems that have arisen in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics).
 
Online Sources – CBC, Reuters, BBC News, SI.com

Daily Headlines: December 16, 2015

* Mexico: At least seventeen corpses were found abandoned in a ravine days after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed two new legal initiatives in the battle against disappearances and kidnappings.

* South America: The former head of South America’s soccer federation, Juan Angel Napout, pled not guilty to charges related to the “FIFA-gate” corruption scandal while Paraguayan officials allowed the extradition one of Napout's predecessors, Nicolas Leoz, to the U.S. for questioning.

* Venezuela: U.S. investigators will reportedly charge Venezuela’s National Guard chief Néstor Reverol with cocaine trafficking as part of a widening probe aimed at Venezuelan military officials.

* Latin America: According to the Inter-American Development Bank exports from Latin American and Caribbean will drop by 14% this year and the outlook for 2016 may not be much better.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English (“Data just released by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office indicates that 185 mass graves containing over 500 corpses have been found in the country in the last five years.”)

Online Sources – NDTV, InSight Crime, New York Daily News, Fox News Latino, MercoPress

Daily Headlines: November 25, 2015 (Updated)

* Brazil: The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Delcidio do Amaral, the ruling party’s top legislator in the Senate, over his potential role in the Lava Jato bribery scandal.

Update: Investigators also ordered the arrest of Jose Carlos Bumlai, a rancher who reportedly served as a close adviser on agricultural policy during the presidency of Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva.

* Chile: Ex-Chilean soccer federation chief Sergio Jadue refused to comment over rumors that he resigned from his post to become an FBI informant in the corruption probe against FIFA.

* Honduras: At least eight people in Honduras were killed when “heavily-armed” gunmen opened fire against a bus terminal in the northern city of Choloma.

* Venezuela: “Whoever betrays the legacy of Chavez destroys himself,” declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who invoked the name of his predecessor at a rally prior to the December 6th legislative elections.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English (“Impeachment efforts are underway against the president of the the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha, charged with corruption in the Petrobras scandal.”)

Online Sources including Update – Fox Sports, GlobalPost, The Latin Americanist, NBC News, Channel News Asia, MercoPress

Reports: Ex-Chilean Soccer Chief Becomes Informant In Corruption Probe

While World Cup qualifiers took place this past week throughout the continent, the real action may have taken place off the field regarding the corruption investigation known in some news reports a “FIFA-gate.”

According to the Chilean press, the former chief of Chile’s soccer federation (ANFP) plead guilty today in a U.S. federal court as part of a plea deal. Sergio Jadue admitted to playing a role in a bribery scheme where an estimated $150 million was paid for the allocation of television rights to regional tournaments and buying votes for the sites of competitions like the 2010 World Cup. He also agreed to act as an informant for the FBI in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.

Jadue on November 13th took a 30-day leave of absence after returning from a trip in Brazil where he was beloved to have met with U.S. authorities. At the time he claimed that his trip was for private reasons unrelated to soccer though the Chilean police issued a subpoena against him related to the allocation of salaries in the ANFP. Jadue flew on Tuesday from Santiago to New York where, according to an anonymous ANFP official, he was “traveling as a protected informant of U.S. justice.”

The 36-year-old officially quit from his post yesterday though the ANFP refused to publish the resignation letter. Chile’s Radio Cooperativa revealed the missive earlier today, where he did not explain why he resigned but instead claimed that his job was a “mission accomplished.”

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last May issued indictments against fourteen soccer officials and marketing executives (most from Latin America) for their alleged role in the corruption scandal. The U.S. has sought the extradition of most of these figures although Jeffrey Webb, the ex-vice president of global soccer governing body FIFA, voluntarily appeared in court this past July.

Daily Headlines: May 28, 2015

* Latin America: The presidents of Brazil and Mexico signed a series of trade and investment agreements in order to strengthen Latin America's two biggest economies.

* Argentina: An Argentine judge issued arrest warrants for the apprehension of three sports marketing execs named yesterday in a U.S. Department of Justice soccer corruption probe.

* Chile: Spanish investigators found no conclusive evidence indicating that renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was poisoned to death in 1973.

* Venezuela: Rosneft, Russia’s top oil producer, will spend $14 billion as part of its increased investment in the Venezuelan energy sector.

YouTube Source – AFP

Online Sources – Buenos Aires Herald, RTT News, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, euronews

Latin Americans Named in Soccer Corruption Probe (Updated)

At least thirteen soccer officials and marketing executives from the Americas including some of the most powerful regional figures in the sport were named in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) probe.

According to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, more than $150 million was spent in bribes over a 24-year period involving the awarding of media and marketing rights of soccer tournaments as well as seeking favors for choosing the sites of events like the 2010 World Cup.  Other charges against the accused include wire fraud, money laundering and racketeering.

In one example, Lynch described how $110 million in bribes were spent alone on the 2016 Copa America Centenario, a special edition of the traditional South American regional tournament that will involve sides from around the continent and set in the U.S.  She also mentioned that bribes made in connection with a "major U.S. sportswear company" who sponsored the Brazilian national team.

 “As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” said FBI Director James Comey at a DOJ press conference.

“Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA,” added Comey.

The DOJ is actively seeking the extradition of those figures named in the indictment though Paraguayan authorities admitted that the possible extradition of ex-South American soccer governing body chief Nicolás Leoz could take months or even years.

Those found guilty of racketeering could face up to twenty years in prison.

Six of those facing criminal charges were arrested in Switzerland this morning and await extradition to the U.S.  They include:

Daily Headlines: November 11, 2014

* U.S.: Cuban-born slugger José Abreu was unanimously selected as the American League Rookie of the Year following a stellar season where he batted .317 with 36 home runs and 107 RBI.

* Peru: Production in Peru’s vital copper industry has been affected by an indefinite strike that started yesterday at the country’s Antamina mine.

* Colombia: An ex-drug smuggling pilot testified in court that former capo Pablo Escobar allegedly framed a British businessman imprisoned since 1986 on murder charges.

* Brazil: FIFA will create a $100 million development fund for Brazil months after the soccer’s global governing body earned more than $4 billion in sales from the World Cup.

Video Source – MLB via YouTube

Online Sources – USA TODAY; Reuters; The Guardian; Bloomberg

Daily Headlines: September 19, 2014

* Brazil: A new poll published this morning found that President Dilma Rousseff and main opposition rival Marina Silva are statistical tied in a likely runoff to decide Brazil’s next president in October.

* Argentina: An attorney for Citibank called for the suspension of a U.S. court decision that pushed Argentina into default and claimed that the Argentine government has placed a metaphorical “gun to our head.”

* Ecuador: Environmentalists, indigenous activists and others joined Ecuador’s largest labor union in anti-government protests in Quito yesterday.

* Latin America: Argentina (2nd) and Colombia (3rd) are the top South American countries in the latest FIFA soccer rankings while Costa Rica (15th) was the highest-placed entry from CONCACAF.

Video Source – CCTV America via YouTube
 
Online Sources – Blooomberg; LAHT; Businessweek; The Latin Americanist; Goal.com

Uruguay: Investigation Requested Over World Cup Concussion

The world soccer players’ union criticized global governing FIFA following a concussion to Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira in a World Cup match on Thursday.

According to FIFPro, FIFA’s concussion protocol “failed” when in the 61st minute Pereira was briefly knocked unconscious by a blow from the knee of England’s Raheem Sterling.  Pereira woke up and appeared to be confused as he was taken off the field for examination by Uruguay’s team medic, Dr. Alberto Pan.  Pereira became angry as Pan called for a substitution to be done but the defender would return and finish the game.

“FIFPro understands that in certain moments, faced by the pressures of such an important international stage, many players would react in this way. There are times, however, when the players also require greater protection against the prospect of making any rash decisions,” said a statement from the organization.

The union added, “The World Cup must set the standard for player health and safety to educate the international football community. Medical evidence shows that a person faces the risk of very serious brain injury, or worse, if he or she suffers a severe head trauma from a concussive blow.”

In light of Pereira’s injury, which came during Uruguay’s 2-1 victory over the English, FIFPro suggested that they might appoint their own independent doctors for “all FIFA competitions.”  Another proposal would be to change the rules and allow temporary substitutions of players believed to have suffered concussions on the field.

Brazil: Thousands Protest Near Confederations Cup Venues

The Confederations Cup of soccer began in Brazil over the weekend with a convincing win by the host country and one-goal losses by Mexico and Uruguay.  Yet the real action occurred off the field as thousands of Brazilians protested outside some of the tournament’s venues.

Approximately 600 people gathered outside of the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to air numerous grievances including a proposed fare hike to the public transit system.  Police responded by launched tear gas and rubber bullets at the multitude.

“I’m with my nervous and sick children and a pregnant women. People can protest but they and the police need to remember that this is a park with children”, said Frederico Junior who was near the stadium when the police acted against the crowd.

The incident outside of the Maracana occurred one day after several of the 500 protesters outside the recently built National Stadium in Brasilia clashed with local police.

"We don't need the World Cup" and "We need money for hospitals and education" read some of the banners used by demonstrators upset at the use of billions of dollars in public funds to build venues for the Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.

“Brazilian society was explicitly told in 2007 that all of the money spent on stadiums would be private money. It hasn't worked out that way at all. More than 90% of the money being spent on football stadiums is public money,” said BBC soccer correspondent Tim Vickery.  

The protests also extended beyond Brazil to intentional cities such as New York, Sydney and Madrid. 

“Sorry for the inconvenience.  We’re building a new Brazil,” read one sign held by some of the estimated 2000 demonstrators in the Irish capital of Dublin.

FIFA Rejects Costa Rica Soccer Protest

Soccer’s world governing body denied Costa Rica’s request to replay a World Cup qualifier that was recently held in the middle of a snowstorm.

“FIFA has examined the content of the letter and, taking into consideration article 14, paragraph 4 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup regulations, has confirmed that the conditions established in the regulations for an official protest have not been met by the Costa Rica Football Association…Therefore the result of the match played on 22 March stands and is considered as valid,” read a brief statement issued by FIFA today.

The game in question was a 1-0 victory for the U.S. against the Costa Ricans in Commerce City, Colorado.  U.S. captain Clint Dempsey’s game-winning goal in the sixteenth minute occurred amidst a steady snowfall in the first half.  The second half held the match in blizzard-like conditions and referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador briefly paused the game though it was continued after he talked to players on both teams.

After the match Costa Rican players, coaches and even President Laura Chinchilla criticized that the qualifier was not suspended.  Subsequently, the Central American country’s soccer federation lodged a protest claiming that the weather conditions hampered match seeking for the qualifier to be replayed and called on match officials including Aguilar to be punished.

Numerous strict conditions must be for a post-match protest to succeed.  For instance, Costa Rican team captain Bryan Ruiz was supposed to “immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team” if the field was unplayable.  But Dempsey reportedly told the press on Monday that Ruiz never protested during the match.

Though the Costa Rican FA’s protest failed, some fans of Los Ticos dissatisfied with last Friday’s game are planning their own unique demonstration before their team’s vital match at home tonight:

Daily Headlines: December 19, 2012

* Paraguay: Amnesty International called on authorities to look into the “potential responsibility of police” involved in June land clashes that led to the ouster of then-President Fernando Lugo.

* U.S.: Fans and loved ones of recently deceased musician Jenni Rivera are expected to attend a memorial service today in Los Angeles.

* Latin America: Five Latin American countries including Colombia and Ecuador surpassed eighteenth-placed Brazil in the latest FIFA soccer rankings.

* Mexico: At least seventeen people died in an attempted prison break yesterday in the northern Durango state.

Daily Headlines: November 8, 2012

* Guatemala: At least 52 people are dead and 22 are missing after a massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala yesterday.

* Argentina: A judge ordered the freezing of Chevron’s $19 billion in assets held in Argentina while courts decide on whether those funds should be paid to plaintiffs in Ecuador.

* Peru: Bolivian officials returned to Peru a 700-year-old mummy that was stolen by traffickers in 2010.

* Brazil: FIFA approved six cities to host the Confederations Cup next year despite the slow construction progress of new soccer stadiums.

Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press

Online Sources- New York Times, IOL, The Guardian, BBC News

Daily Headlines: October 12, 2012

* Peru: Human rights activists in Peru rejected the formal request made this week of a full pardon for disgraced and imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori.

* Guatemala: Nine members of the military were arrested yesterday and charged with the  "extrajudicial execution" of several indigenous protesters last week.

* Uruguay: The Uruguay Soccer Federation blasted FIFA vice president Jim Boyce who referred to Luis Suarez as a “cancer within the game.”

* Argentina: A Ghana court rejected Argentina's appeal of an order regarding the detention of a naval ship due to a dispute with creditors.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- CNN, Los Angeles Times, ESPN, Bernama

Fail to the chief: Blatter reelected to FIFA presidency

Joseph Blatter was reelected today to a fourth term as president of FIFA, the world’s governing soccer body. He thanked the 186 of the 203 representatives who backed him and he vowed to “put FIFA's ship back on the right course in clear, transparent waters” in light of numerous controversies that have plagued his presidency.

Blatter ran unopposed after the president of the Asian Football Federation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, dropped his bid due to bribery allegations. An ethics committee found that Bin Hammam “set up bribes for 25 presidential voters in the Caribbean” as part of his failed campaign. He and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago where subsequently fined and suspended based on the committee’s recommendations.

The whistleblower against the two men was made by FIFA executive board member Chuck Blazer of the U.S. who was described as “a longtime ally of Warner’s”. Despite claiming that he gave Bin Hammam and Warner cash bribes, Blazer was rehired as general secretary of the North and Central American and Caribbean soccer region hours after he was fired.

Blatter’s reelection bid was nearly railroaded due to the possibility that there was wrongdoing behind awarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. The head of England’s soccer association, whose country was the favorite to be awarded the 2018 tournament, attempted to postpone today’s vote. Most FIFA members soundly rejected that suggestion and preferred to kowtow to Blatter.

One of the most odd remarks regarding FIFA wrongdoing came from Julio Grondona, president of the Argentinian FA and head of FIFA's finance committee. It was, for lack of a better term, stupid:

In an interview with a German press agency on Tuesday, Grondona called England "pirates" and added: "Yes, I voted for Qatar, because a vote for the US would be like a vote for England, and that is not possible.

"But with the English bid I said: Let us be brief. If you give back the Falkland Islands, which belong to us, you will get my vote. They then became sad and left."

Image- Christian Hartmann/Reuters via The Guardian (Sepp Blatter continues as FIFA president after easily winning another reelection).
Online Sources- FIFA, NPR, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, CSMonitor.com, ESPN Soccernet

Weekend Headlines: October 17-18, 2009

* Honduras: Representatives of ousted president Manuel Zelaya and de facto leader Roberto Micheletti continue to negotiate despite looming deadlines.

* Latin America: Here we go again – in a move likely to peeve South American states FIFA may try to impose a ban on high altitude soccer matches.

* Mexico: The mutilated bodies of ten people were found in the Mexican state of Guerrero along with a note from the La Familia drug gang claiming that they “deserved to die.”

* Cuba: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin traveled to Cuba on a visit “to study the island's respected disaster preparedness methods.”

* Venezuela: Spain’s Repsol confirmed the finding of a massive offshore natural gas deposit that would make it the biggest in Venezuela.

* Brazil: Two policemen were killed when drug gangs shot down a police helicopter flying near a Rio de Janeiro favela.

Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, LAHT, Canadian Press, New York Times, AFP, The Latin Americanist, The Telegraph

Image- AP (The sign from a Zelaya supporter hints at Honduras’ qualification to next year’s soccer World Cup.)

Press outburst could cost Maradona

Diego Maradona may be the mythical “el Diez” in his native Argentina yet but perhaps “el bocón” (the bigmouth) is a better nickname after his recent outburst.

Since becoming the coach of Argentina’s men’s national soccer team Maradona has been severely criticized for helming a side that has been inconsistent such as a 6-1 loss by Bolivia. The rocky road to South Africa was only secured via a 1-0 win versus Uruguay in the final qualifier on Wednesday.

After the match, Maradona snapped and ripped his critics in the Argentine press:

"Now they can suck it! Thank you, thank you to all Argentines, except for the journalists.

"They can suck it now, they can suck it now, they can suck it now, they can suck it good!

"Come on, come on Carlos! I told you I wanted you. They can suck it now! Come on, damn it.

"These ******* journalists, the bitch who gave birth to them...

"For the people, for the people!"

In the press conference afterwards, 'El Diez' was no less vulgar.

"For the people. For those who didn't believe, for those who never believed, they can suck it. And keep on sucking it.

"I am white or black, I'll never be grey in my life."

Maradona’s boasting may’ve felt like personal revenge against his critics yet soccer’s global body could sanction him. "We've been left with no other option than to open a disciplinary investigation into the Argentinean team coach," said FIFA head honcho Sepp Blatter who warned that Maradona may be suspended and/or fined as much as about $30,000.

Maradona- who once used an air rifle to shoot at reporters- was blasted by the Argentine press for his ugly tirade. Yet Argentine Football Association chief Julio Grondona defended him as “a temperamental person” while t-shirts bearing the phrase "they can keep sucking it" are reportedly a hot item in Argentina.

Online Sources- Goal.com, Fox Sports, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, YouTube, AFP