Daily Headlines: February 8, 2016 (Updated)

* Haiti: Monday marks the first full day a transitional government rules Haiti after Michel Martelly stepped down as president amid political chaos and instability.

* Mexico: A ninth inning home run by Jorge Vazquez in the final game helped power Mexico to the Caribbean Series title for the third time in four years.

Update: On a related note, Cuba's Gourriel brothers including "star infielder" Yulieski reportedly left the team hotel and plan to defect as part of an attempt to play in the major leagues. 

* Venezuela: Shopping malls in Caracas will cut their hours of service to four hours per day as a result of weather-related energy rationing.

* El Salvador: Human rights advocates and friends of six Jesuit priests massacred in 1989 are pleased with the recent arrest of four ex-military members accused of committing the murders.

YouTube Source – AFP
 
Online Sources including Update – Vice News, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, ESPN

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: January 22, 2016 (Updated)

* Latin America: A World Bank study warned that the number of youth in Latin America who are not in school or employed (“ninis”) has grown since 1992.

* Haiti: President Michel Martelly confirmed that the controversial runoff election for his successor will take place this Sunday and ruled out opposition calls to back a transitional government.

Update (January 23rd, 12:20 AM): Haitian electoral officials postponed the January 24th runoff due to "a deteriorating security environment and threats to the electoral process." The election has thus been delayed for a third time after originally being scheduled for December 27, 2015.

* Mexico: The Mexican government reported that homicides increased in 2015 for the first time in four years though other serious crimes like kidnapping and extortion decreased.

* South America: Bolivia and Ecuador are among the eight countries added to a Centers for Disease Control travel advisory warning due to the spreading Zika virus.

YouTube Source – CCTV America 

Online Sources – The Guardian, Mashable, France 24, The Latin Americanist, Reuters

Haiti’s Célestin Blasts Presidential Election "Masquerade" (Updated)

Opposition candidate Jude Célestin assailed Haiti’s oft-delayed presidential election scheduled for this Sunday and threatened with officially withdrawing.

“I refuse to participate in this masquerade that has only one goal, swallow snakes to the entire Haitian population, stop taking us for idiots,” declared the candidate of the Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Empowerment (LAPEH). 

Without mentioning him by name, Célestin claimed that ruling party pick Jovenel Moise would be a “traitor” if he were to participate in the January 24th runoff. He also warned voters they would be committing a “serious mistake” if they head to the polls, and blamed current President Michel Martelly for interfering in the electoral process.

Célestin and Moise emerged from a first round in October packed with fifty-four candidates but the LAPEH alliance and some runners-up accused Martelly forces of widespread electoral fraud. An independent panel on January 3rd noted “irregularities” by poll workers including problems at a majority of polling stations. Nevertheless, they concluded that the runoff could go ahead for later in the month.

Update (January 20, Noon): Violent protests continued for a second straight day in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday with some opposition demonstrators chanting "The revolution has started, get your gun ready." 

President Martelly said that the runoff will take place on Sunday though legislators are debating postponing the vote yet again and establishing a "verification commission."

Update (January 20, 9:30 PM): Haiti's Senate passed a resolution calling for the runoff to be suspended and rescheduled. The declaration is non-binding, however, and the election will surely be held as planned for this Sunday.

Daily Headlines: April 21, 2015

* Mexico: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the Mexican government to investigate supposed coercion against the families of the 43 missing Ayotzinapa students.

* Argentina: The prosecutor who took over for the late Alberto Nisman dismissed allegations claiming that Argentine officials helped protect suspected Iranian involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing.

* Haiti: The U.S. State Department is none too pleased over a Haitian court dropping charges against a man accused in a kidnapping ring with close ties to the family of President Michel Martelly.

* Venezuela: The President of Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA claimed that they are exporting around 2.5 million barrels of crude each day.

YouTube Source – user AJ+
 
Online Sources –The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Latin American Herald Tribune, CNN

Daily Headlines: March 13, 2015

* Haiti: Haiti's electoral council announced the dates for legislative and municipal elections that have been delayed since 2011 due to political bickering between President Michel Martelly and the opposition.

* Brazil: The probe into a major bribery scheme at state-run oil firm Petrobras has expanded to include investigations of three former governors.

* Latin America: According to a World Bank report published this week 130 million residents in Latin America and the Caribbean live in “chronic poverty” though there are variations between countries.

* Venezuela: The European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the Venezuelan government to free opposition figures and student protesters “arbitrarily detained” in anti-government marches last year.

Video Source – YouTube use Reuters (From New Year’s Day 2015: “Thousands of Haitians protest in Port-au-Prince, marking their independence day and calling for their leader to resign.”)

Online Sources – Yahoo News; Fox News Latino; Reuters; ABC News

Daily Headlines: November 19, 2013

* U.S.: A new study published in the journal Neurology found that being bilingual could delay the onset of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia by several years.

* Latin America: Uruguay’s senate is expected to pass a “far-reaching” marijuana decriminalization proposal this week while Puerto Rican legislators delayed until next a year a bill that would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.

* Haiti: Police in Port-au-Prince clashed with demonstrators opposed to President Michel Martelly and to call attention to “complaints ranging from the cost of living to high levels of corruption”.

* Cuba: The Cuban government may have inadvertently received information from the U.S. pertaining to a $6 million grant program for dissidents on the island.

Video Source – YouTube via user DNews

Online Sources- UPI; USA TODAY; Fox News Latino; The Huffington Post; The Guardian

Haitian Musicians Allege Government Censorship

Today is the last day of carnival celebrations throughout the Americas.  Much like their better-known counterparts in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, carnival festivities in Haiti are fled with color, revelry, and upbeat music.  Yet for some musicians in that Caribbean country this year’s celebrations have been marred by unnecessary criticism.

Members of three musical groups alleged that they were barred from performing at Carnival since their tunes poke fun at singer-turned-president Michel Martelly.

"These songs reflect the Haitian reality, but (Martelly) takes it the wrong way… Where's the freedom of speech? Where's the democracy? It shows that he has no tolerance (for criticism)," said Thomas Asabath, the manager of the Brothers Posse band, according to the Associated Press. 

One of the songs from the Brothers Posse entitled “Aloral” shows the lead singer critiquing a Martelly lookalike for failing to fulfill his goals in the presidency.   (This can be seen between the first and second minutes of the music video for the song).

The singer for RAM, whose group along with Kanpech and Brothers Posse was excluded from the Carnival lineup, said that he was informed that Martelly didn’t like the song they had selected.  The music video for that tune, “Men Bwa W”, supposedly depicts “a woman who physically resembles first lady Sophia Martelly stuffing herself with food – a Haitian symbol for avarice and corruption”.

Daily Headlines: December 11, 2012

* Puerto Rico: A “Marcha por la Paz” (March for Peace) is scheduled for December 15th to protest rampant violence on the island including the recent brutal murder of publicist Jose Enrique Gomez.

* Chile: Retried Supreme Court judge Alejandro Solis claimed that the late strongman Augusto Pinochet knew details of disappearances and assassinations committed by the secret police.

* U.S.: A new poll found that 77% of Latinos including 69% of “self-described born-again Christians” back increasing taxes on the rich as way in which to deal with the fiscal cliff.

* Haiti: President Michel Martelly tried to emphasize the “good things” of his eighteen months in power during a meeting with Haitian expats in South Florida.

Video Source – YouTube via user JOPICA19 (Individuals post their photos online as part of the “Todos somos José Enrique" ("We are all José Enrique") campaign against violence in Puerto Rico.)

Online Sources- Huffington Post, Prensa Latina, ABC News, Caribbean Journal

Daily Headlines: October 15, 2012

* Brazil: Over 1000 police raided a pair of favelas in Rio de Janeiro that are reportedly notorious for crime and drug-related violence.
 
* Haiti: Several hundred protesters marched in Port-au-Prince and called on President Michel Martelly to resign.
 
* Cuba: The Ladies in White dissident group marched in Havana yesterday on the one-year anniversary of the death of former leader Laura Pollan.

* U.S.: The U.S. Treasury Department officially designated the El Salvador-based MS-13 street gang as a “transnational criminal organization.”

Video Source – YouTube via AFP

Online Sources- IOL news, LAHT, The Telegraph, Christian Science Monitor

Weekend Headlines: April 14-15, 2012

* Argentina: Ex-military strongman Jorge Videla admitted that as many as 8000 people were killed by the state during the “Dirty War” era and coldheartedly justified such deaths as “the price we had to pay to win the war against subversion.”

* Haiti: A former Dominican military officer has been accused of being involved in an alleged plot to overthrow Haitian President Michel Martelly.

* Cuba: Ten former Cuban political prisoners currently residing in Spain have gone on a hunger strike in order to seek additional government assistance.

Daily Headlines: April 2, 2012

* Brazil: Several hundred people protested in Rio de Janeiro last week against a private event commemorating the anniversary of the 1964 military coup d'état.

* Mexico: Former President Miguel de la Madrid, who was in power from 1982 to 1988, died on Sunday at the age of 77.

* Haiti: Did Haitian President Michel Martelly receive “at least $2.5 million in kickbacks” as alleged by a Dominican investigative journalist?

* Latin America: The heads of government from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are expected to meet today at the White House for a conference nicknamed the “Three Amigos summit.”

Video Source – YouTube via arunturtle7

Online Sources- National Post, Defend Haiti, IPS, Voice of America

Weekend Headlines: February 25-26, 2012

* Haiti: The U.N. urged Haitian leaders to work quickly to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille who abruptly resigned on Friday.

* Central America: A riot in the Puertas de la Esperanza prison in Nicaragua ended peacefully while Honduran President Porfirio Lobo claimed that he would pardon an inmate who “put himself at incredible risk trying to save lives” during a recent deadly prison fire.

* Brazil: The government announced plans to provide a $38 billion boost to increase ethanol output.

* U.S.: Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer convicted of selling weapons to Colombia’s FARC rebels, will soon be removed from solitary confinement.

* Puerto Rico: Who was responsible for leaving a military torpedo at a Puerto Rico recycling center?

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez underwent medical tests today in Cuba in anticipation of Monday’s surgery to a remove a possibly cancerous tumor.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- AFP, LAHT, The Guardian, CNN, BBC News, MSNBC, Reuters

Daily Headlines: October 13, 2011

* Latin America: The U.S. Congress yesterday passed several free trade agreements including pacts with Colombia and Panama.

* Chile: On the one-year anniversary of the rescue of thirty-three trapped Chilean miners Edison Peña is still in rehab and some of his cohorts haven’t fared much better.

* Haiti: President Michel Martelly met separately with former leaders Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier in order to reportedly seek a reconciliation.

* U.S.: The House of Representatives Oversight Committee ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to hand over documents related to the failed “Operation Fast and Furious.”

Image – Via Flickr user roger4336 (Shops and businesses located in the Colon, Panama free trade zone).
Online Sources- Reuters, Deutsche Welle, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, USA TODAY

Daily Headlines: September 29, 2011

* Bolivia: The backlash against a police crackdown on protesters continued yesterday when tens of thousands of demonstrators marched down the streets of La Paz.

* Haiti: President Michel Martelly is running into stiff opposition against alleged plans to rebuild the military that was dismantled in 1995.

* Cuba: A government decree issued yesterday will permit Cubans to buy and sell their cars "without any prior authorization from any entity."

* Brazil: A judge ordered the suspension to construction of a major dam project in the Amazon rainforest.

Video Source – Al Jazeera English via YouTube

Online Sources- BBC News, NPR, Reuters, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: July 28, 2011

* U.S.: A Pew Research Center analysis of Census data concluded that the wealth gap between whites and people of color is at its widest point in about 25 years.

* Haiti: Authorities are reportedly searching for a man accused of attacking President Michel Martelly over the weekend.

* Colombia: Ex-Agriculture Minister Andres Felipe Arias was jailed as part of a corruption case where subsidies aimed at helping the poor were instead diverted to wealthy firms.

* Mexico: Police in Ciudad Juarez accused federal officers of firing on them during a prison riot that ended with seventeen people dead.

Image – CSMonitor.com (“A group undergoes computer training on July 12 at STRIVE, a program in Harlem, New York, designed to prepare the unemployed for new jobs. A new study has found that blacks and Hispanics have lost a greater share of their net worth compared to whites in recent years as a result of the troubled economy.”)
Online Sources- Orange County Register, IOL News, Voice of America, BBC News

Martelly inaugurated as Haitian president

With all due respect to The Go! Team, the power was both on and off today as Michel Martelly was inaugurated as Haitian president.

During his inauguration speech, he vowed to fulfill his campaign promises including lowering poverty in the poorest country in the Americas as well as speed up rebuilding of areas decimated by a January 2010 earthquake. The fifty-year-old musician also promised that he would modernize the army in order to be "ready to intervene in times of chaos and catastrophe."

While Martelly’s speech stayed “on” message, the ceremony was “off” according to CNN:

In a sign of the nation's troubles, the electricity went out moments before the inauguration, prompting formally dressed dignitaries and guests -- including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe -- to fan themselves to stave off rising May heat.

Immediately, Twitter lit up with posts calling the blackout a "bad sign." Despite the outage, the ceremony proceeded before parliament and Martelly took his oath of office amid the lights of media cameras.

Martelly’s challenges are numerous; aside from those he mentioned in his speech, he will have to contend with political tensions that were worsened due to irregularities in the first round of presidential elections. He may have a tough time going through with his campaign vows since the political party of his predecessor, Rene Preval, controls the Haitian legislature.

One area that could be promising for the new president could be with Haitians living abroad. Last weekend, Haiti’s congress approved a constitutional amendment allowing for dual nationality. Martelly also suggested that Haitian expats “donate” $1 per every $100 remittance in order to help carry out his campaign promise of providing free primary education.

Image- AP via CBC News (“Michel Martelly is sworn in as Haiti's new president inside a Haitian parliamentary meeting room in Port-au-Prince.”)
Online Sources- Monsters & Critics, BBC News, CNN, CBC News, The Latin Americanist
Video Source- YouTube

Daily Headlines: May 5, 2011

* Latin America: According to a U.N. study foreign investment in Latin America and the Caribbean jumped by 40% last year while China serving as the region’s fastest growing investor.

* Cuba: Ex-President Fidel Castro criticized the late Osama bin Laden for "international terrorism" but also blasted the U.S. for “the assassination of an unarmed human being surrounded by his family.”

* Brazil: Four Brazilian soccer teams were surprisingly eliminated in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 last night including defending champs Internacional and heavy favorites Cruzeiro.

* Caribbean: Dominican President Leonel Fernandez met yesterday with Haiti's President-elect Michel Martelly in order to “strengthen the relations between both Caribbean countries.”

Image – BBC News (“Natural resources in Latin American countries such as Brazil are a key attraction for Chinese investment.”)
Online Sources- CNN, Reuters, People’s Daily Online, BusninessWeek

Martelly to Haiti expats: Help pay for rebuilding

Haitians living abroad weren’t permitted to vote in March’s presidential election but that didn’t stopped the country’s next president from trying to reach out to them this week.

During his visit to Miami yesterday, President-elect Michel Martelly urged Haitian expats to help him fulfill his campaign promise for free primary education. He proposed that Haitians sending remittances to their homeland donate $1 per every $100 wire transfer. (According to HaitiLibre.com, remittances to Haiti totaled $1.8 billion, or one-quarter of the country’s GDP).

Furthermore, Martelly suggested that $0.05 cents of foreign phone calls to Haiti could go to an education fund. "The diaspora will be able to send 860,000 kids to school for free and change their lives," he said since he estimated that both ideas would raise $86 million for schoolchildren. (As a Miami New Times blogger observed, however, “Martelly was evasive when asked where his administration would find 30,000 teachers to fill the schools.”)

Martelly’s suggestions are part of a broader pledge to give expats a greater say in his government’s policy. In order to entice the diaspora he promised to attract private investment projects and proposed that the state could intervene in land disputes. Perhaps more importantly is that the Haitian constitution may be amended after Martelly takes office and one of the key changes could include dual citizenship.

Martelly’s call for Haitians abroad to help in the rebuilding of their homeland is not a new notion to expats. An October 2010 article on the Miami Herald’s website noted that numerous presidential candidates tried to appeal to Haitians living in North America. Why? To paraphrase a colloquialism, “it’s all about the Gourdes.”

With a tight calendar of private fundraisers, courtesy calls, media interviews and airport news conferences, the candidates are scrambling to raise money among wealthy members of the diaspora and powerful allies in these cash-strapped times…

(On one October) evening about 100 supporters and a handful of journalists gathered to hear the musician-turned-candidate speak at a home in South Miami-Dade.

After a 30-minute speech at the edge of an illuminated swimming pool, Martelly posed for photos and held a brief news conference. The fundraiser netted almost $10,000.

``They [members of the diaspora] expect me to deliver,'' Martelly said. He added that he welcomes expats being more involved in Haiti and would support their right to vote.

Martelly’s visit to the U.S. comes as Haitian electoral authorities postponed legislative election results due to the possibility of electoral fraud.

Image- Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian (“Haiti's president-elect, Michel Martelly, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington” last week.)
Online Sources- HaitiLibre.com, Miami New Times, Reuters AlertNet, Miami Herald, BBC News, Jamaica Observer

Daily Headlines: April 21, 2011

* Peru: A study released this week concluded that the soaring price of gold has led to an increase of deforestation in the Peruvian rainforest region of Madre de Dios.

* Guatemala: Officials warned that the country is facing a nationwide “nutritional risk alert” since tens of thousands of impoverished Guatemalans suffer from malnutrition.

* Haiti: Now it’s official - Michel Martelly was officially declared as Haiti’s president-elect.

* Ecuador: A court threw out a lawsuit by a “prominent” law firm alleging that Chevron engaged in a “smear campaign” related to a multibillion dollar environmental damages lawsuit in Ecuador.

Image – Reuters via IOL.co.za (“View of an illegal gold mining camp, near the Amazon city of Puerto Maldonado.”)
Online Sources- Monsters and Critics, Reuters, LAHT, MSNBC