Weekend Headlines: November 29, 2015

* Cuba: Several hundred protesters demonstrated outside of the Ecuadoran embassy in Havana after the South American country imposed new visa restrictions on visitors from Cuba.

* Venezuela: The death of Venezuelan opposition politician Luis Diaz by unknown gunmen last Wednesday has added to an already tense political climate prior to next Sunday’s legislative elections.

* Haiti: Presidential candidate Jude Célestin could drop out of the December 27th runoff amid allegations of fraud during the October 25th election.

* Chile: Jovino Novoa, described as a “founding member of Chile's largest party and former collaborator of late dictator Augusto Pinochet”, was found guilty as part of a corruption investigation.

* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff will order a freeze of some $2.65 billion in spending in order to comply while the government tries to tackle a budget crisis.

* South America: Will South American neighbors Argentina and Uruguay launch a joint bid to host the soccer World Cup in 2030?

YouTube Source – EFE (Starting on December 1st, Ecuador will halt becoming the only Latin American nation without visa requirements for visitors from Cuba).

Online Sources – Deusche Welle, Reuters, ABC News, SBS, NDTV

Daily Headlines: February 4, 2011

* Haiti: The country’s electoral commission ruled against permitting government-backed candidate Jude Celestin to participate in next month’s second round of presidential elections.

* Colombia: A U.S. appeals court reopened a lawsuit alleging that the Drummond mining firm hired paramilitaries to kill three Colombian union activists.

* Chile: Energy could soon be rationed due to a variety of factors including a dry spell causing decreased hydroelectric output.

* Venezuela: The number of cholera cases in Venezuela has increased to 239 though there has yet to be a reported fatality.

Video Source – Reuters (Ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat will face musician Michel Martelly in the March 16th runoff election for the Haitian presidency).
Online Sources- CNN, Reuters, ABC News, Xinhua

Daily Headlines: January 27, 2011

* Haiti: Haiti’s ruling political party has reportedly withdrawn support for its presidential candidate, Jude Celestin, amidst strong allegations that the first round of elections was rigged.

* Argentina: According to the Argentine press the government will pay $9 billion to the Paris Club of major creditor nations.

* U.S.: A former Border Patrol agent claimed that he was fired due to his opinions on the “war on drugs.”

* Colombia: At least 21 workers died after an explosion ripped through an underground coal mine in northeastern Colombia.

Image – Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press via CBC (“Presidential candidate Jude Celestin, seen waving to supporters during a campaign rally in Port-au-Prince, has pulled out of Haiti's election race.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Huffington Post, MSNBC