Daily Headlines: October 19, 2015

* Colombia: In the latest pact between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels, both sides agreed to work together and provide information on the tens of thousands of people missing due to the armed conflict.

* Bolivia: Bolivian officials claimed that spy planes have crossed into national territory and, thus, the government will buy some $229 million in radar equipment from France.

* Argentina: For the first time Argentina made it through to the final four of the Rugby World Cup after Los Pumas blitzed Ireland by a score of 43-20 in the quarterfinals.

* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff backed beleaguered Finance Minister Joaquim Levy despite mounting pressure against her proposed austerity measures designed to boost the weakened Brazilian economy.

YouTube Source – AFP (“Thirteen years after Medellin was rocked by violence when the government decided to recapture a sector of the city disputed by right-wing paramilitaries and militias, family members and others take part in commemoration events.”)
 
Online Sources – BBC Sport, Voice of America, Fox News Latino, Reuters

Today’s Video: Eire

In honor of St. Patrick's Day it's worth recognizing the Irish influence in Latin America. The following video highlights the Irish diaspora in Argentina:

Revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, actor Anthony Quinn, and independence figure Bernardo O'Higgins were all Latin Americans of Irish background.

Video Source - YouTube

Weekend World Watch: Unholy behavior

* Vatican: According to diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks Vatican officials were "offended” by an Irish investigation into alleged child abuse while the Holy See backed U.S. efforts in 2004 to ban “human cloning.”

* Iran: Did an Iranian women sentenced to death by stoning for the death of her husband really commit the crime as was depicted on a documentary on state-run TV or was the program government propaganda?

* Sudan: Southern Sudan’s ruling party backed independence for the region weeks before a critical referendum vote.

* China: Exports from China jumped by nearly 35% last month compared to November 2009 though the country’s trade surplus continued to grow.

Image – AP via CBS News (“Pope Benedict XVI uses a handkerchief during a canonization ceremony at the Vatican Oct. 11, 2009.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, Reuters, BBC News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English

World Watch: Change of heart?

* Vatican: Vatican authorities said that condom use may be acceptable to avoid the spread of AIDS and other diseases yet they are still “immoral” as a birth control device.

* Asia: Tensions increased between the two Koreas after one of the most serious military clashes since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

* Germany: Samuel Kunz, the "world's third most wanted" suspected Nazi, died last week near his hometown near Bonn, Germany.

* Ireland: The Irish government has come under fire over approving an $11 billion bailout from the E.U. and I.M.F.

Image – Getty Images via The Guardian ("The Vatican attempted to clarify the pope's comments about condoms.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, New York Daily News, ABC News, CNN

World Watch: Tensions on the seas

* Middle East: Harsh condemnation worldwide has focused against Israel after nine people died in a military raid on ships carrying humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

* Pakistan: A court removed the government ban on Facebook yet it’s reported that authorities monitor content via a “central exchange”.

* Ireland: Pope Benedict XVI appointed a panel to investigate child abuse in the Irish archdiocese.

* Africa: Economic growth and political stability are expected to be two of the main topics at the 25th Africa-France summit that opened on Monday.

Image – Newsweek (“An image from video of Israeli forces storming an aid ship bound for Gaza.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, BBC News, AP, MSNBC

World Watch: Moving forwards and backwards

* Russia: On the one hand Russian officials claimed that they and the U.S. are close to signing a deal reducing the number of nuclear weapons in both countries.

* Israel: On the other hand relations between Israel and the U.S. don’t appear like they will improve soon.

* China: No verdict has been declared in the case against four Rio Tinto mining company execs accused of bribery and selling company secrets.

* Ireland: The Irish bishop in the middle of a sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Vatican resigned from his post.

Image – CBC (“U.S. President Barack Obama, left, speaks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Singapore in November.”)
Online Sources- ABC News, Washington Post, BBC News, MSNBC

Today's Video: Che's lost in translation

Today is St. Patrick's Day and in recognition of such we're featurnig a rather unique interview from Ernesto "Che" Guevara's 1965 trip to Ireland. The famed revolutionary had, shall we say, an interesting translator according to the description provided to the YouTube vid:

The lady speaking to CHE is an Air Hostess pulled from the plane he was on at the last minute,not a translator,and more so ,Che understood what she was saying in English anyway!

See for yourself what The Irish Echo claimed to be the "last time he spoke or was seen publicly outside of Cuba":

Online Source- YouTube

Daily Headlines: July 30, 2009

* Cuba: Ireland agreed yesterday to take in a pair of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

* Mexico: Gunmen murdered the Veracruz police commander and his family before setting fire to the remains in his home.

* Ecuador: Chevron hired the former of Department of Justice antitrust chief during the Bush administration as a new general counsel to oversee cases like a controversial environmental trial in Ecuador.

* Brazil: Five-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement in order to fill in for the badly injured Felipe Massa.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- MSNBC, Reuters, RTE, Guardian UK

Bolivian Opposition Deny Involvement in Murder Plot

Guest contributor Lauren Conover looks at the latest development in the alleged plot to kill Evo Morales.

The opposition in Bolivia has come forward to declare that they were not involved in any way with the foiled attempt to assassinate the President, Evo Morales. Last week three people where shot by Bolivian police in Santa Cruz after they were suspected of trying to kill President Morales. "We deplore the tendentious attitude of government authorities in trying to link Santa Cruz leaders with these acts of violence," said Santa Cruz Gov. Ruben Costas. He continued by saying that government's attempt to attribute the events to the opposition was merely a "show".

One of the men that was killed in the shootout was Irish. The Irish government has now become involved, sending an official from its embassy in Argentina to La Paz. The Irish Foreign Minister quoted as stating, ""The Irish government has a legitimate right to seek the facts of how one of its citizens came to be killed by the security forces of another state, particularly where prima facie evidence is sufficient to raise questions in relation to the description of events released by the Bolivian authorities."

Image- CNN
Online Sources- Reuters, BBC News, Time, The Latin Americanist

Police thwart plot to kill Evo Morales

Bolivian police were involved in a dawn shootout against a gang planning to murder president Evo Morales.

Morales- who is in Venezuela for a summit of the ALBA trade bloc- said that he ordered today’s raid after intelligence reports warned of the plans against him and other senior officials. Morales added that two people were arrested and that three foreign members of the gang were killed.

Bolivia’s police chief would later add that two Hungarians were among those who were gunned down while Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said that Irish, Croatians, and Bolivians were part of the gang.

Bolivia has gone through several bouts of violence between supporters and detractors of Morales. It should be no coincidence that today’s operation took place in the opposition stronghold of Santa Cruz where one of Morales’ opponents expressed his doubts:

Santa Cruz Governor Ruben Costas, in remarks on La Paz- based Radio Fides, said the operation was a “show” staged by the government so it can eventually blame him and other members of the opposition for threats against Morales.

Image- AFP (“Alvaro Garcia Linera (L) and Evo Morales.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, CNN, Bloomberg, UPI, The Latin Americanist, Reuters

Irish FM: U.S. should change policy to Cuba

Should the U.S. change its policy towards Cuba? One Irish official gave his two cents:

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, has said he would like to see a change in US policy towards Cuba.

Speaking during an official visit to the island, the Minister said “an evolution in policy” would be a good thing, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Radio Habana Cuba.

“I don’t propose to tell the American administration how to proceed but certainly from our view and our background we believe that dialogue and contact are important and for the welfare of the people both in Cuba and the United States, it would be a good thing to see a change in policy and an evolution in policy,” he said.

Martin also said that he was able to discuss human rights issues with the Cuban government though no other details were reported.

Martin’s visit is the first by an Irish foreign minster to Cuba since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1999.

Image- RTE News
Online Sources- EUbusiness.com, Irish Times, Xinhua

Daily Headlines: March 20, 2008

* Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper blasted Mexican authorities for imprisoning a Canadian woman without trial for over two years.

* “We are going to respond with the full force of the law” declared a Chilean government spokesman after the capital city of Santiago experienced three bomb threats in two days.

* Peruvian police claimed to have captured a pair of Colombian guerillas near the border between both countries.

* A deal between Ireland and Argentina provides young adults an easier chance to work and live in each country.

Sources- Reuters, Bloomberg, Belfast Telegraph, Reuters Canada

Image- Edmonton Journal (“Brenda Martin inside the Puente Grande Women’s Prison in Guadalajara, Mexico”)

Happy St. Pat's!

(Video link):


On a more serious note, please click here to read a detailed article on the history of Irish settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sources- YouTube, Society for Irish Latin American Studies