Daily Headlines: January 18, 2016

* Guatemala: Political newcomer turned president Jimmy Morales repeated his campaign pledge to combat Guatemala’s deeply-rooted corruption during his inauguration address last Thursday.

* Latin America: Brazilian scientists will receive public funds to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus though one researcher claimed that it could take from three to five years.

* Bolivia: Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada of Bolivia, currently living in the U.S. on asylum, could become the next former Latin American president to go on trial.

* Mexico: “Emerging markets need to be ready for a potentially severe shock,” warned Mexican central bank Agustín Carstens amid investor worry over the weakening Chinese economy.

YouTube Source – efeinternational

Online Sources – Bloomberg, CNBC, Christian Science Monitor, teleSUR English

Bolivia: The Evo Strikes Back in Viral Video

In Latin American countries, the themes of political campaign ads may vary between the inventive, the edgy and the downright silly. But what type of ads is most effective? It’s a question that comes to mind after watching a recently released spot from Bolivia that has become a viral video.

“Bolivian Wars: El Despertar del Sí” (“Bolivian Wars: The Awakening of Yes”) was done for the campaign in favor of constitution reforms allowing President Evo Morales to run again in 2019. The video shows scenes from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and superimposes Morales’ face on several characters representing the Resistance such as Finn. The Dark Side is depicted by faces of former leaders prior to Morales getting into power in 1998 like ex-president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada as the villainous Emperor. In order to hammer the good versus evil point home, the video shows real life images of deep unrest and violence during the “gas wars” of 2003. The video ends mentioning that its “premier” will be on February 21st, which is the date of the constitutional referendum next year.

Published seven days following the world premiere of the latest “Star Wars” entry, the official video on the Sí Bolivia Facebook account has received at least 139,000 views and has been shared over 3000 times.

Daily Headlines: June 1, 2009

* U.S.: A “right-wing shock jock” from Boston will return to the airwaves tomorrow after bring suspended since April for numerous deregotary remarks including calling Mexicans “leeches” and claiming that “women with mustaches and VD” are one of Mexico’s top exports.

* Peru: The country’s foreign minister defended the decision to grant asylum to four South American opposition figures including ex-Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Venezuela’s Manuel Rosales.

* Brazil: Authorities released a man of Lebanese background who was arrested and misidentified as an Al-Qaeda operative.

* Ecuador: President Rafael Correa declared that Ecuador will leave a global arbitration body affiliated to the World Bank.

Image- Gimme Noise
Online Sources- Boston Herald, Boston Globe, Forbes, Voice of America, BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: May 20, 2009

* Cuba: Democratic legislators and President Obama aren’t seeing eye-to-eye after Senate Democrats refused to allocate funds for the upcoming shutdown of the Guantanamo detention center.

* Venezuela: The good news – Venezuela’s economy continues to grow. The bad news – the rate of growth is at its slowest pace in roughly six years.

* Peru: Oil production has slowed down significantly as a result of growing protests by indigenous groups.

* Bolivia: Former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada may be tried in absentia for his supposed role in the deaths of 60 demonstrators six years ago.

Image- AFP
Online Sources- Voice of America, Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC News

Bolivia to U.S.: Give us “Goni”

The Bolivian government has requested the extradition of former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. According to the AP, the 2700-page request issued by Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry accuses the former leader of genocide during anti-government riots in 2003. As we mentioned last year, prosecutors in the Andean country said that “Goni” would face 25 years in prison if tried and convicted.

Lawyers for the ex-president claimed that the charges are political propaganda:

The ex-president's lawyers say the extradition attempt is no more than political harassment by leftist President Evo Morales.

"The actions taken by the Sanchez de Lozada government were constitutional, lawful, and appropriate," Howard Gutman, a lawyer representing the former president, said in a statement released Tuesday.

The extradition "is part of a politically motivated offensive orchestrated by Evo Morales against democracy and those he considers his political foes," he said.

The exiled “Goni” lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland though that hasn’t stopped lawyers for victims in Bolivia to file civil suits against him in U.S. courts.

Image- CNN
Sources- The Latin Americanist, PRESS TV, coha.org, CNN

Today’s Video: James Carville’s Bolivian adventure

All the talk about violence regarding Bolivia’s recall referendum and division over president Evo Morales reminds me of a wonderful 2006 documentary entitled “Our Brand is Crisis”. In short, the film analyzes how James Carville and other U.S.-based consultants worked behind the scenes for the 2002 campaign of ex-president Gonzalo “Goni” Sanchez de Lozada. Though Carville and company’s sleazy tactics helped Goni win, he would soon resign in disgrace amid widespread protests.

What does Goni have to do with Morales? His failure coincided with the rise of Morales as a key opposition figure and subsequently the presidency. Furthermore, the exiled Goni is wanted by the Morales administration for alleged genocide.

Without further ado, here’s the trailer for “Our Brand is Crisis”:

Sources- YouTube, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, BBC News, imdb.com

Daily Headlines: April 17, 2008

* Peru: The country’s Supreme Court upheld a six-year jail sentence against former president Alberto Fujimori while he continues to stand trial for human rights abuses.

* Honduras: In order to curb rising food prices (and avoid violence like in Haiti) the government started a program designed to increase agrarian output.

* Bolivia: Ex-president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada is being sued in a U.S. federal court over deaths caused during protests in 2003.

* Chile: The country’s education minister was booted from her post due to alleged accounting irregularities.

Sources- Associated Press, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, CNN, MSNBC

Image- Christian Science Monitor

Bolivia: “Goni” accused of genocide

Ex-Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada has been accused of several charges including genocide by prosecutors from that Andean country. Head prosecutor Milton Mendoza told EFE that Sanchez de Lozada would face a maximum of 25 years in jail if convicted, which is why the Bolivian government is seeking extradition of the exiled “Goni” from the United States.

The announcement by Bolivian prosecutors coincided with the fourth anniversary of Sanchez de Lozada’s resignation which was observed by thousands of Bolivians who protested in front of U.S. embassy at La Paz.

Despite fleeing his troubles in Bolivia, Sanchez de Lozada has been unable to escape legal battles against him; last month, a civil lawsuit was filed in Maryland by lawyers for ten Bolivians whose relatives were killed in 2003.

“Goni” held power between 2002 and 2003, a turbulent period in Bolivia’s history typified by nationwide protests against his neoliberal economic policies. As Nick Buxton recalled in a 2005 blog post, the Sanchez de Lozada administration was heavy handed in trying to control the ever-growing marches:

The first deaths took place on 23 September, when an attempt by the Government to "rescue" tourists trapped in Sorata led to shootings in Warisata which claimed the lives of 6 people including an 8 year-old girl, Marlene Nanci Rojas Ramos. As protests intensified, La Paz found itself cut off…

On the 11th October, the army arrived in El Alto and the shootings started. David Salinas was one of the first to be killed. Shot whilst trying to help someone had been injured.
The shootings, however, didn't crush the protests. Instead even more people took to the streets demanding Goni's resignation. He eventually resigned and fled the country on the 17th October.

Image- MWC News

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, Associated Press, Wikipedia, BBC News, Prensa Latina

Sources (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa

Daily Headlines: September 27, 2007

* A recently released report claimed that a whopping 61% of Hispanics under the age of 65 in the U.S. have gone without health insurance during some part of the last two years.

* Former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada is being sued in the U.S. for “crimes against humanity.”

* An Argentine court approved that a sex change operation can be performed on a minor.

* Here’s an uncomfortable mental image: “Jailed former President Alberto Fujimori will be allowed…twice-monthly conjugal visits as he awaits trial.”

Sources- UPI, SignOnSanDiego.com, Monsters & Critics, BBC News

Image- El Diario/La Prensa