Daily Headlines: October 16, 2013

* Ecuador: Proceedings began yesterday in a trial where Chevron is attempting to prevent having to pay an $18 billion restitution to Ecuadorian villagers in an environmental damages case.

* Chile: Three years after the rescue of 33 miners trapped hundreds of feet below the surface, most of the men reportedly continue to suffer from “psychological trauma.”

* Brazil: A Brazilian Senate investigative panel and the country’s the federal police's intelligence chief expressed their willingness to interview Edward Snowden.

* Central America: Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla claimed that her country enjoyed a “moral victory” at an International Court of Justice hearing regarding the construction of two interoceanic canals through Nicaragua.

Video Source – YouTube via Pulitzer Center (Video uploaded in 2008).
 
Online Sources- Tico Times; IOL; CSMonitor.com; The Latin Americanist; Businessweek

Central American Leaders Blast Nicaragua at U.N.

Yesterday we looked at Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her speech at the U.N. general assembly (UNGA) that criticized alleged U.S. surveillance.  Yet she was not the only Latin American leader at the UNGA to critique the actions of a country in the Americas.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli denounced what he referred as Nicaragua’s “attempt to expand its maritime boundaries.”

In his speech to the UNGA today, Martinelli acknowledged that Nicaragua has the right to file a claim with the appropriate UN authorities seeking to “extend its continental shelf by over 200 nautical miles.”  But he also expressed his “deep and profound worry” that Nicaragua’s maritime claims could endanger treaties between that country and other Latin American states.

“The Panamanian government and its people are upset that we have not been consulted before Nicaragua filed its case,” Martinelli added.

Martinelli refrained from discussing at the UNGA Nicaragua’s plans to build an interoceanic canal that would rival the Panama Canal that’s currently undergoing a $5 billon expansion.

Martinelli’s remarks were more measured in tone than those of his Costa Rican counterpart, Laura Chinchilla, at the UNGA.

Daily Headlines: May 17, 2013

* Mexico: The author of the Blog del Narco website, which offered an unflinching look of Mexico's drug war, reportedly fled to Spain while the fate of her partner is unknown.

* El Salvador: The country’s Supreme Court began hearing arguments regarding the case of “Beatriz”, an ill and pregnant woman with a deformed fetus who is seeking permission for an abortion.

* Brazil: Will a planned 10,000 mile “virtual border fence” help control drug smuggling and undocumented immigrants of will it be a $13 billion boondoggle?

* Costa Rica: Communications Minister Francisco Chacon resigned over the growing scandal regarding President Laura Chinchilla using a plane owned by a shady Colombian businessman.

Video Source – YouTube via user McClatchyDC
 
Online Sources- The Guardian; The Latin Americanistl ABC News; NPR Parallels; GlobalPost

Daily Headlines: May 15, 2013

* Mexico: The Cinderella story of Mexican soccer team Xolos de Tijuana continues following their surprising qualification to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals.

* Brazil: Brazil could soon become the latest Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage after a judicial panel ruled that gay couples can receive marriage licenses.

* Costa Rica: President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica has come under fire after using a private plane owned by a Colombian oil company to travel to Peru and Venezuela.

* Caribbean: A rise in dengue favor cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has prompted British doctors to warn against travelling to parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

Video Source – YouTube via user FutbolAlRevesChannel
 
Online Sources- The Guardian; euronewsl France 24; Reuters

Daily Headlines: October 11, 2012

* Honduras: A new study from a Mexican thin-tank found that the San Pedro Sula, Honduras is the most dangerous city on Earth and that forty of the world's most violent urban areas are in Latin America.

* Costa Rica: President Laura Chinchilla signed an executive order banning shark-finning days after the country’s legislature passed a bill barring hunting for sport.

* Puerto Rico: Health officials declared a dengue epidemic in the commonwealth that has killed two and infected over 4800 individuals.

* Argentina: Latin American defense chiefs at a conference in Uruguay passed a resolution supporting Argentina’s sovereignty claim to the Falklands Islands.

Video Source – YouTube via AFP (Video uploaded in April 2012).

Online Sources- Examiner.com, New York Daily News, Mercopress, AFP, Reuters

Daily Headlines: April 11, 2012

* Peru: Nine workers trapped underground for six days in an illegal mine in southern Peru were safely rescued this morning.

* Mexico: According to a poll released yesterday support for presidential frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto gained slightly though almost one quarter of all respondents claimed to be “undecided or expressed no preference”.

* Haiti: At least six people died and over 700 Haitians were displaced after two days of heavy rainfall and flooding.

* Costa Rica: The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a tax reform bill pushed by President Laura Chinchilla was unconstitutional.

Video Source – YouTube via PeruDiario

Online Sources- CNN, USA TODAY, Reuters, Tico Times

Drug Legalization Debate Heats Up in Central America

Should certain types of narcotics be legalized in order to lessen violence by drug gangs or should the “war on drugs” continue as is? This is the question being considered by numerous Central American presidents in a region hurt by crime and violence related to the illegal drug trade.

During his visit to Mexico earlier this week, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden strongly opposed the possibility of drug legalization. “It's totally legitimate for this to be raised, and the reason it warrants a discussion is, that on examination, you realize that there are more problems with legalization than non-legalization," mentioned Biden to the Mexican press.

Biden also observed that illegal drugs have “unquestioned negative health effects” and that their consumption would certainly rise if they were made legal. “You can go out and decapitate an organization and it's like the hydra-headed monster, it'll grow another head. But you go and follow the money and the monster withers,” he added.

Biden’s remarks in Mexico echoes comments made last month by that country’s Exterior Minister. Patricia Espinosa warned that only focusing on one section of the “diverse” business of organized crime in the narcotics trade will “not permit us to solve the problem (of illegal drugs)”.

Biden refrained from discussing legalization yesterday during his visit to Honduras, the country with the highest per capita homicide rate in the world according to the U.N. “We understand the threat of narcotrafficking and gangs against the region…My country is committed to continue working with Honduras in order to win the battle against drug traffickers,” said Biden at a news conference yesterday where he appeared with Honduran President Porfirio Lobo.

The vow to help Central America combat the narcotics trade came as several leaders have urged increased aid from the U.S. "We've not found that the concern of the international community is enough to translate into a commitment to ensure that Central America, which is a victim of drug production and consumption, can confront this scourge," said Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

In recent weeks the push for discussion on drug legalization has come from two of Central America’s conservative presidents: Otto Perez of Guatemala and Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica. In an interview last month Chinchilla claimed that “if we keep doing what we have been when the results today are worse than 10 years ago, we’ll never get anywhere and could wind up like Mexico or Colombia.” Meanwhile, Perez said yesterday that he would soon present to Biden “our plan seeking alternatives” to combat the narcotics trade.

The leaders of other Central American states such as El Salvador and Panama do not agree with the notion of decriminalizing narcotics though they have expressed their willingness to discuss the issue. That chance may occur on the 24th of this month at a meeting of Central American heads of state in Guatemala. Furthermore, the issue will likely be discussed at next month’s Summit of the Americas in Colombia.

Image Source – Flickr via Knight Foundation (“A police investigator looks for evidence following a drug-related hit in Hermosillo, Mexico.”) (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Online Sources – U.S. State Department, La Tribuna, La Prensa, Vanguardia, Bloomberg, UPI, BBC News, AFP

Who controls Calero Island?

Tensions between the neighboring countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua continue to be high over the sovereignty of a disputed territory known as the Calero Island. Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza insisted that both countries seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue but it doesn’t look like that will occur any time soon.

Yesterday Costa Rica 's foreign ministry filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Nicaraguan troops invaded Costa Rican territory and this "threatens imminent and irreparable harm" to Costa Rica according to the case filed with the U.N.’s highest court. The suit requests that the ICJ halt Nicaraguan plans to build “a canal on Costa Rican soil” and also claimed that environmental damage is occurring due to a Nicaraguan “dredging project” along the San Juan River.

Nicaraguan officials denied that their troops invaded Costa Rican territory and instead alleged that the Calero Island sits on the Nicaraguan side of the border. Nicaraguan Ambassador to the OAS Denis Moncada said that his country will also file suit at the ICJ and that the OAS has “no jurisdiction” over the matter. The OAS previously urged that Nicaraguan troops leave the disputed area yet President Daniel Ortega said that the troops would stay on the island “indefinitely.”

The border dispute is best known over claims that Nicaragua occupied Calero Island due to a glitch in Google Maps. But an article in the New York Times insinuated that Nicaraguan soldiers deliberately crossed the border in order to encourage nationalist support for Ortega. The article also linked to a Tico Times interview with Ortega where he said that the controversial dredging operation is legal via a previous ICJ decision on the San Juan River.

Blogger Kevin Alvarez expressed his disgust over the “pissing contest” between Ortega and his Costa Rican counterpart Laura Chinchilla over Calero Island. Though he places most of the blame on Ortega, he also points the finger at Chinchilla for seeking "quick political capital":

Gaining sovereignty over Isla Calero will not solve Costa Rica or Nicaragua’s problems. It will rile Central American against Central American and reignite distrust between these two neighbors. Not only will this not alleviate poverty, reduce corruption (it might increase), or make one nation stronger than the other but it will prolong the hostility in Latin America over lines in sand/water/earth drawn by colonial conquerors and liberators long ago.

Image- Google Earth via The Guardian (“Google Earth shows the stretch of land at the center of the Central American dispute.”)
Online Sources- El Sueno de Bolivar, Americas Quarterly, CNN, LAHT, Tico Times, New York Times

Daily Headlines: October 7, 2010

* U.S.: Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women includes Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor (19th), Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen (72nd), and the presidents of Argentina and Costa Rica (68th and 83rd respectively).

* Puerto Rico: FBI agents arrested nearly 130 people including about 90 cops as part of an investigation into alleged corruption within the Puerto Rican police.

* Latin America: The International Monetary Fund claimed that Latin America and the Caribbean are recuperating from the global economic slowdown faster than originally prognosticated.

* Cuba: President Raul Castro claimed that the U.S. has ignored at least three offers since 2001 for "bilateral cooperation to fight against terrorism."

Image – CBS News
Online Sources- Bloomberg, AP, Forbes, Miami Herald

Daily Headlines: July 30, 2010

* Latin America: According to German researchers marsupials such as kangaroos and koalas may have descended from a “common ancestor” in the Americas.

* Cuba: Roughly three weeks after ending his four-month hunger strike Cuban authorities allowed dissident Guillermo Farinas to leave hospital and return home.

* Costa Rica: President Laura Chinchilla State Department vowed not to reverse a decree allowing an open-pit gold mine to operate near the border with Nicaragua.

* Mexico: U.S. authorities indefinitely closed the consulate in Ciudad Juarez in order to conduct a “security review.”

Image – The Telegraph
Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, BusinessWeek

Chinchilla sworn in as Costa Rican president

Three months and one day after being elected Laura Chinchilla was inaugurated as Costa Rica’s first female president.

The center-right Chinchilla took the oath of office on Saturday in an event attended by heads of state from around the Americas as well as dignitaries from China and Spain. According to CNN during her inauguration speech she pledged “to move the country toward a more innovating, intelligent and entrepreneurial path”.

Chinchilla is expected to continue the policies of her predecessor- Nobel laureate Oscar Arias- though “she appealed both to Costa Ricans seeking a fresh face and those reluctant to risk the unknown.” Despite the reconciliatory tone of her discourse Chinchilla faces stiff legislative opposition in areas such as free trade:

She was expected to continue Arias's support of free trade and international business ties, but could face tough deal-making in Congress, where her National Liberation Party (PLN) lacks an absolute majority.

Her government is due to oversee free trade deals with Singapore and China -- Costa Rica’s second trading partner after the United States -- and take over recently stalled talks for a Central American trade pact with the European Union.

Chinchilla becomes the second current female president in Latin America aside from Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Image- PRESS TV
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Xinhua, CNN, AFP, NPR

Daily Headlines: April 14, 2010

* Haiti: First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise visit to Haiti yesterday though that overshadowed the announcement that U.S. troops would leave the earthquake-ravaged country by June 1st.

* Honduras: Is Central America embracing the post-Zelaya Honduran government? Costa Rica president-elect Laura Chinchilla wants Honduras to be reinstated into the OAS while Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega “warmly welcomed” the visit of Porfirio Lobo last week.

* Venezuela: Defense Secretary Robert Gates denied that Venezuela is a “military threat” to U.S. interests but also accused the Chavez administration of using Iran to “distract” Venezuelans.

* Brazil: The death toll caused by nearly two weeks of heavy rains, floods, and mudslides in the Rio de Janeiro area rose to 229.

Image – Guardian UK (“Michelle Obama shakes hands with children during her visit to a child welfare project in Port-au-Prince.”)
Online Sources- CNN, Christian Science Monitor, Americas Quarterly, taiwannews.com, Reuters

New Presidenta for Costa Rica

Kudos to Costa Rica and president-elect Laura Chinchilla. Chinchilla pulled 47% of the vote Sunday to become the first female in Costa Rican history to be elected president.

Chinchilla fought off claims (and an amusing attack ad) that suggested she would be a puppet for outgoing president Oscar Arias.

Chinchilla will join Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the club of currently-serving female heads of state in the region, but Chincilla probably hopes her time in office more closely resembles that of outgoing Chilean president Michelle Bachelet instead of her Argentine counterpart.

Image Source: KPA/Zuma/Rex Features
Online Sources: NY Times, CNN, The Guardian

Today’s Video: Fishman's folly

Costa Rica’s federal elections are coming up this Sunday and it appears that Laura Chinchilla of the ruling Liberal National Party will become the country’s first female president. (Assuming her lead in the polls doesn’t continue to shrink and she avoids a runoff against Otto Guevara).

The race for the Tyco presidency has had several unusual moments as Americas Quarterly blogger Alex Leff wrote yesterday:

I was eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant here on the east side of San José, when right-wing candidate Otto Guevara popped on the restaurant's TV screen strapped to a polygraph machine.

"Have you profited in any way while carrying out your duties for which you could be legally charged?" a moderator asked Guevara, 49, of the Libertarian Movement. "Have you lied to the media during your election campaign?" she asked.

Guevara replied "No" to both, and the machine gave him a green light—Canal 7 told viewers he was telling the truth. The front-runner in the campaign, National Liberation Party's (PLN) Laura Chinchilla, refused to participate in the televised interrogation. Guevara is in second place in the polls, hovering at or under 30 percent. Not to miss the opportunity to capitalize on the polygraph test, he bought a two-page spread in national newspapers that boasted he is the only honest candidate in the race.

From Leff also comes the most unusual political ad in Costa Rican (and perhaps Latin American history) that can be boiled down to three words: guy with diapers.

(If you understand Spanish, click here to see the very serious Luis Fishman trying to defend his weird ad).

Online Sources- YouTube, Angus Reid Consultants, Reuters, Americas Quarterly

Daily Headlines: November 11, 2009

* Costa Rica: Former vice president Laura Chinchilla is the odds-on favorite to become Costa Rica’s next president and one of the few female head of states in Latin America.

* U.S.: Lost among the hullabaloo over the execution of the “D.C. Sniper” was that of ex-gang leader and convicted murderer Yosvanis “El Cubano” Valle.

* Paraguay: Who was behind the suspected poisoning with pesticide of over 200 indigenous Paraguayans?

* Puerto Rico: Tensions could once again come to a boil in Puerto Rico after an additional 2000 public workers were laid off on top of the 12,000 dismissed earlier this year.

Image – nacion.com
Online Sources- CNN, USA TODAY, Houston Chronicle, Angus Reid Consultants, Forbes.com