Daily Headlines: July 1, 2016

* El Salvador: Around 300 protesters marched to the residence of El Salvador’s president and called for better prison conditions for inmates including suspected gang members targeted in a security crackdown.

* Brazil: The head of Brazil’s anti-doping agency was replaced though the sports ministry claimed it had nothing to do with the suspension of its Rio de Janeiro laboratory weeks before the start of the Olympics.

* Latin America: “We cannot remain frozen in the face of a decision that could be difficult and catastrophic,” said Mexico’s economics secretary in reference to the possible aftermath of this year’s U.S. presidential election.

* Colombia: Thirty-three people were arrested and eleven tons of cocaine seized in a joint counternarcotics operation involving Italian and Colombian authorities.

YouTube Source – CCTV Americas Now (From December 2012: An “in-depth look at the issue of prison overcrowding in El Salvador, where many are packed into penitentiaries way beyond their limits forced to live a life of filth.”)

Online Sources – The Washington Post, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, MercoPress

Daily Headlines: February 3, 2016

* Haiti: In an unusual twist in Haiti’s electoral crisis, musician turned president Michel Martelly released a song criticizing his political rivals that includes “sexually suggestive lyrics” against “an award-winning female journalist.”

* Argentina: The Argentine Congress is expected to approve a deal to pay $1.35 billion to Italian creditors holding unpaid debt related to a record $100 billion default in 2002.

* U.S.: Approximately 10,500 Latinos are believed to have voted in the Iowa presidential caucuses last Monday, which far outnumbers the 1000 from four years ago and triple the participation in 2008.

* El Salvador: Is San Salvador truly the world’s most violent city instead of Caracas, Venezuela?

YouTube Source – TRT World 

Online Sources – InSight Crime, Voice of America, Buzzfeed, Reuters

Daily Headlines: October 14, 2014

* South America: An Italian judge ruled that twenty-one officials from former military dictatorships in four South American countries should be put on trial for their alleged role in Operation Condor.

* Bolivia: Newly reelected President Evo Morales promised to not enact anymore major nationalizations and claimed that he will pursue “realistic, practical” economic policies.

* Venezuela: The U.N. Human Rights Council called on Venezuelan authorities to “immediately release” imprisoned opposition politician Leopoldo López.

* Mexico: Two gunmen murdered a Sonoran activist and radio show host while he was presenting his program live on the air.

Video Source – YouTube user JourneymanVOD
 
Online Sources – spyghana.com; Reuters; MercoPress; The Guardian

Suárez Allegedly Bites Opponent in World Cup Win

Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez is one of the world’s best soccer players and he demonstrates this often such as his two goals in his country’s win over England at the World Cup.  Occasionally, however, his dark side can get the better of him as he apparently showed in this afternoon’s victory by Uruguay over Italy.

In the eightieth minute of the deadlocked, must-win match for the Celeste, Suárez collided with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini and both players went down.  Initially it seemed that Suárez head butted Chiellini who may have responded by elbowing the Uruguayan.  But TV replays and images the incident apparently showed that Suárez appeared to have bitten his opponent on or near the left shoulder.

Chiellini pulled down his jersey sleeve to show the apparent injury to match referee Marco Rodríguez of Mexico.  Yet Rodriguez, who had previously sent off Italian Claudio Marchisio for a dangerous tackle, did not foul Suárez or Chiellini.

Diego Godin scored the lone goal one minute later that would send Uruguay to the next round and eliminate the Azzuri.

“It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off. It is clear, clear-cut,” said an irate Chiellini after the final whistle.

“Then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn't have done,” he added.

Suárez did not mention the incident with Chiellini but his coach did speak out.

“I would like to see it again”, admitted Óscar Washington Tabárez following the match.

“If something would’ve happened then the referee would’ve observed it.  Thus, there are no further comments that can be made,” mentioned El Profesor Tabárez.

Costa Rica Continues World Cup Cinderella Story

On June 20, 1990, the Costa Rican men’s national team surprised Sweden and qualified for the first time to the knockout stages of the World Cup.  History repeated itself exactly twenty-four years later as the Ticos surprised another European opponent to continue their amazing run.

Costa Rica secured its ticket to the Round of 16 at this year’s tournament in Brazil by beating Italy 1-0. A close-range header from captain Bryan Ruiz near the stroke of halftime gave Costa Rica the victory in front of a raucous crowd in Recife.

“We’ve dreamed about this and we had the faith to accomplish it,” said the exhausted yet elated twenty-eight year old after the final whistle.

“We were in the group of death but the others are the ones who are dead,” added Ruiz who started in last Saturday’s 3-1 upset over Uruguay.

Ignoring their supposed role of World Cup minnows, Costa Rica was not troubled by Italy despite Mario Balotelli coming close in the 32nd minute when he mishit a lob with only goalkeeper Keylor Navas to beat. The Central American side could’ve lost control when Chilean ref Enrique Osses refused to give a penalty shot after Joel Campbell was apparently fouled in the area. But a minute after the non-call by Osses, the Ticos grabbed the lead through Ruiz off a stellar cross from Junior Diaz.

Costa Rica’s organized play, crisp passing and neutralizing of Andrea Pirlo ensured that the Azzuri would not come close to grabbing the equalizing goal in the second half.

“We did what we needed to do (and) we took away the game from the Italians,” Costa Rica’s Colombian-born coach Jorge Luis Pinto said following the match.

The emotional Pinto dedicated the win over the four-time World Cup champs to one of Costa Rica’s biggest detractors.

Argentine Ambassador Rebukes Italian Newspaper

Over the past few weeks Argentina’s government has been at loggerheads with several countries across the Atlantic.

Several days ago, Argentine Foreign Minister Hectór Timerman clamed that his country will control the disputed Falklands Islands “within twenty years.”  Last week Timerman and Israeli officials criticized each other after Argentine and Iranian diplomats agreed to creating a joint “truth commission” to investigate the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center.

In the latest incident, Argentina’s ambassador to Italy criticized a recent opinion article that appeared in the Corriere della Sera entitled “The Creative ‘Lies’ of Our Argentine Friends”.

In a letter sent to the chief editor of the influential newspaper, Ambassador Torcuato Di Tella called for “a little more balanced news coverage.”

“I know very well that your newspaper doesn’t treat Italian politics tenderly…Anyway, among so many news stories a little fun isn’t too bad.  But I expected the Corriere, which I read and keep many articles written by teachers, colleagues and friends as Sartori, Panebianco, Sapelli, a little more balanced news coverage," Di Tella said in his communique.

The article in question was originally published on Monday’s edition of the Italian daily and was a tongue-in-cheek critique of Argentina’s fudging of key economic data. 

The article that was written by a Corriere’s correspondent in Brazil did not pull punches:

Daily Headlines: April 26, 2012

* Venezuela: Suspected drug trafficker Walid Makled claimed in court that he maintained close ties to Eladio Aponte, a former Venezuelan Supreme Court judge who alleged that government officials have links to drug traffickers.

* South America: Standard & Poor's downgraded its credit rating outlook for Argentina in the wake of the government takeover of YPF, while Moody’s revised Uruguay's rating outlook from stable to positive.
 
* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff is expected to use her line-item veto powers against a controversial environmental bill that critics believe will lead to increased deforestation.

* Panama: Security minister Jose Raul Mulino denied corruption allegations linking President Ricardo Martinelli to an Italian associate of disgraced ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Video Source – YouTube via NTDTV (Suspected drug trafficker Walid Makled was sought by both the U.S. and Venezuela but he was eventually extradited from Colombia to its South American neighbor in May 2011). 
 
Online Sources- UPI, Reuters, MSNBC, CBS News, AFP

Weekend World Watch: The Long Road Ahead in Yemen

* Yemen: At least twenty-six people were killed in a car bombing that occurred hours after Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was sworn in as the country’s new president.

* Italy: Judges dismissed the bribery case against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi though he continues to face charges of corruption and sex with an underage prostitute.

* Pakistan: Authorities began demolishing the residence where U.S. special forces killed ex-Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden last year.

* Afghanistan: NATO withdrew its personnel working in Afghan ministries in Kabul after two U.S. officers were killed amid heavy protests.

Video Source– YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources – USA TODAY, Reuters, BBC News, Bloomberg

World Watch: Etta and Johnny

* U.S.: The world of music is in mourning after the deaths this week of critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Etta James and “godfather of rhythm and blues” Johnny Otis.

* Italy: While the captain of the capsized Costa Concordia continues to face intense scrutiny over his role in the accident, the ship’s owners may soon face a class-action lawsuit in the U.S.

* Nigeria: At least seven people are dead in the northern city of Kano reportedly due to sectarian attacks.

* Afghanistan: France halted its military operations in Afghanistan and threatened to pull out its troops after four French soldiers were killed in combat on Friday.

Video Source– YouTube via rovingeye2

Online Sources – CNN, The Telegraph, BBC News, Voice of America, The Guardian

World Watch: Renewed protesting in Tahrir Square (Updated)

* Egypt: Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for a quicker transfer of power to civilian rule. (Update: Over the weekend at least four people died amid clashes between protesters and police attempting to clear Tahrir Square).

* U.S.: Will the need to move some operations indoors due to the winter have a major impact on Occupy movements across the country?

* Iran: The U.N.'s “nuclear watchdog” approved a resolution that blasted Iran’ s nuclear plans but refrained from referring the country to the U.N. Security Council.

* Italy: Recently named Prime Minister Mario Monti easily won a vote of confidence from parliament, which will likely boost his plans to combat Italy’s debt crisis.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg

World Watch: Ciao Silvio

* Italy: The Senate is poised to approve a series of austerity measures that will likely lead to the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

* China: The country’s inflation rate decreased for a third consecutive month as the government is supposedly trying to “cool economic growth.”

* Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran would not back down from its nuclear program despite a U.N. report indicating “serious concern” over developing nuclear arms.

* Libya: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that he was close to completing an investigation regarding hundreds of rapes allegedly overseen by officials under former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Voice of America

Today’s Video: Viva Italia

On previous Columbus Days we've pondered whether the day ought to be renamed for a different Italian explorer with a less checkered past than Christopher Columbus. Ultimately, however, today is really an occasion in which to celebrate the rich Italian culture and the many contributions Italian migrants have brought to the U.S. and other parts of the Americas.

On a lighter note, here is the following Columbus Day-themed video from a vintage episode of "Sesame Street":

Video Source - YouTube user sawing14s

Online Sources - The Latin Americanist, Migration Information Source

World Watch: Visa denied

* South Africa: Much to the chagrin of Bishop Desmond Tutu the Dalai Lama cancelled his planned trip to South Africa due to visa problems.

* Saudi Arabia: Officials blamed a “foreign country” for provoking unrest amid growing protests in eastern Saudi Arabia.

* Syria: Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would’ve placed sanctions against Syria.

* Italy: In the latest blow to the European economy Moody’s slashed the Italian government’s credit rating.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube (“Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has had to cancel a trip to South Africa because his visa didn't arrive in time.”)

Online Sources- Voice of America, CNN, MSNBC, BBC News

World Watch: Good night Wangari

* Kenya: Rest in peace Wangari Maathai; the environmental activist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient died at the age of 71 on Monday.

* Middle East: The U.N. Security Council will start holding meetings on Wednesday to decide on the recognition of Palestinian statehood to the global body.

* Italy: A senior member of the Catholic Church blasted the Italian political class for numerous scandals that have implicated top officials.

* China: A pair of Tibetan monks set themselves on fire in protest against the Chinese government's policies.

Image – The Guardian

Online Sources- CNN, BBC News, New York Times, CBC News

Brazil: Italian government peeved over Battisti decision

A diplomatic kerfuffle has developed between Brazil and Italy over the fate of former guerilla Cesare Battisti.

On Thursday the Brazilian Supreme Court denied extraditing the ex-militant to his native Italy where he would've faced life imprisonment. In two separate 6-3 decisions the high court ruled that a foreign government cannot question a “sovereign act” by the Brazilian government. (Shortly before leaving office last year then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reused to extradite Battisti).

As a result of the court’s ruling, Battisti was freed from the prison where he had been held while legal proceedings were taking place. This has enraged numerous Italian government officials and politicos who blasted the Brazilian court’s move:

Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister, said it was "shameful" that Battisti was now free to sun himself on a Brazilian beach and said the decision did not meet "the requirements of international law."

Giorgia Meloni, Youth Minister, called it "an act unworthy of a civilized and democratic nation" and said it marked "the umpteenth humiliation for the families of his victims."

Alessandra Mussolini, a parliamentarian and the granddaughter of the former dictator Benito Mussolini, called for a national boycott of Brazilian goods.

The Italian foreign ministry will reportedly take the Battisti case to the International Court of Justice.

Battisti was a former member of the Armed Proletarians for Communism and was alleged to have committed a variety of crimes during the 1970s. Before arriving in Brazil he resided in several countries including France and Mexico. He was convicted in absentia by an Italian court in 1998 on the murders of four people.

Despite the high court’s ruling Battisti may not be home free yet; according to Al Jazeera English current Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff may have the last word.

Image- Press TV
Online Sources- CNN, The Guardian, Folha.com, Al Jazeera English, France24, The Telegraph

World Watch: Under the surface

* Italy: While the E.U. continues to debate over immigration, rescuers keep searching the Mediterranean for survivors of a capsized boat that carried over 200 migrants from North Africa.

* Libya: Documents revealed that Moammar Gadhafi waged a PR campaign to improve his image that included favorable opinion pieces in major U.S. dailies and a failed book project on his "ideas on democracy".

* Ivory Coast: French troops and opposition forces are reportedly knocking at the presidential palace’s door yet besieged leader Laurent Gbagbo continues to bunker and not cede power.

* India: Researchers found highly resistant “superbugs” in bacteria in water supplies of the capital city of New Delhi.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube
Online Sources- AFP, Reuters, Voice of America, Monsters and Critics, CNN

World Watch: Mortality

* Japan: The death toll from Friday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan rose to at least 3373 people though the country’s disaster preparedness system was credited with saving hundreds of lives.

* Bahrain: Hundreds of anti-government protesters were injured in clashes with domestic security forces and troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

* Italy: Prosecutors reportedly accused Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with having sex thirteen times with an under-age Moroccan teen.

* Ivory Coast: Violence has intensified between factions loyal and opposed to Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.

Image – Kim Jae-Hwan/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian (“Residents on a devastated street in Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture on Tuesday.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, BBC News, Voice of America, BusinessWeek, MSNBC

World Watch: Bumps on the road

* Middle East: One person died when Bahraini police used tear gas in an attempt to clear out protesters while demonstrators in the Iranian capital of Tehran clashed with police.

* Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that he was “not worried” over going to trial despite the possibility that he could be imprisoned for fifteen years over the “bunga bunga” sex scandal.

* Japan: Officials temporarily suspended Arctic whaling due to pressure from a conservation group popularized by the TV series “Whale Wars.”

* Space: A massive solar flare was emitted from the Sun and it could possibly interfere with the Earth’s electrical power, communications systems and satellites.

Image – Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed via CBC News (“Family members and supporters of Fadel al-Matrook, a protester who was killed Tuesday morning during police clashes in Bahrain, carry his coffin to the funeral in Manama on Wednesday.”)
Online Sources- The Telegraph, Voice of America, Reuters, BBC News, MSNBC

World Watch: Seeking a real transition

* Egypt: The number of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square ballooned and continued calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

* Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi could face an “immediate trial” as a result of allegedly paying to sleep with an underage girl and subsequently trying to cover it up.

* U.S.: A proposal to extend a trio of Patriot Act provisions was rejected by the House of Representatives.

* Africa: Ex-Liberian president Robert Taylor’s lawyer left in a huff from his client’s war crimes trial at The Hague.

Image – AFP via Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, BBC News, Reuters

Daily Headlines: January 25, 2011

* Dominican Republic: Dominican model Maria Ester Garcia Polanco is one of the figures caught in the middle of the most recent sex scandal implicating Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

* Nicaragua: The ruling Sandinista party could ratify President Daniel Ortega to run for reelection though he may be constitutionally banned from doing so.

* South America: A minor diplomatic spat has arisen after the cover for Chilean author Eduardo Labarca’s latest book showed him supposedly urinating on the grave of Argentine wordsmith Jose Luis Borges.

* Mexico: Bishop Samuel Ruiz, best known for campaigning for indigenous rights and acting as a mediator with the Zapatistas, died on Monday at the age of 86.

Image – Ettore Ferrari/EPA via The Guardian (“Support for Silvio Berlusconi's party has increased from 28% to 30% this month, according to a poll published in Corriere della Sera.”)
Online Sources- The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Tico Times, BBC News