Daily Headlines: March 5, 2008

* Less than a week after the U.S. State Department released a report on counternarcotics efforts worldwide, the U.N. issued their own study warning against the “rampant flow” of drugs.

* What is the rhetoric of the U.S. presidential candidates on Latin America? The Council on Hemispheric Affairs tries to explain.

(We’ll discuss Tuesday’s primary election results later today).

* Chile’s government wants to drastically cut taxes as part of an economic stimulus plan.

* Officials from the European Union and Latin America met yesterday to discuss how they can meet the challenges caused by global warming/climate change.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, Reuters, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Houston Chronicle, Reuters

Image- TIME (Mexican police seized 26 tons of cocaine in a drug bust last year)

Daily Headlines: February 3, 2008

Note: Apologies for the lack of posts on Saturday; we had problems with the internet connection here at Latin Americanist HQ.

* The massacre of eleven people in Guyana last weekend highlights the problem of crime in the Caribbean according to the Economist.com.

* A defense witness in the case against ex-Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori claimed that the country engaged in a “dirty war” years before Fujimori came to power in 1990.

* A former torture center during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship has been transformed into a cultural center by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

* Follow-up: Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said he will sign an anti-immigrant pledge promoted by an Alabama senator. This comes over two weeks since he endorsed a similar oath.

Sources- Economist.com, CBS News, the Latin Americanist, AFP, BBC News

Image- BBC News (“Residents (in Guyana) demanded greater protection from security forces.”)

GOP hopefuls seek Cuban exile support in Florida

Several Republican presidential hopefuls have eyed the Cuban exile vote in Florida as critical in winning the state’s primary a week from today. Though the national Latino vote leans towards the rival Democrats, the Cuban-American voting bloc has been strongly Republican and they are expected to make a difference during the closed primary.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has focused most of his resources to winning in Florida and he has been actively campaigning there for weeks. He appeared in a Spanish-language ad being played across the state despite his October campaign appearance at a Philadelphia “English-only” steak stand. While other candidates stumped in New Hampshire and Michigan, Giuliani spoke at a Hispanic evangelical Christian church in Miami and held a campaign rally at a Three Kings Day Parade in the Little Havana neighborhood.

Senator John McCain appeared in Little Havana yesterday while flanked by Cuban-American legislators Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart. As he sipped a cortadito at the famed Versailles restaurant, McCain called Hugo Chavez “a threat” to the Americas and said that he would open an investigation against Fidel Castro. However, McCain was ambiguous when asked about the possibility of changing U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba.

Recent poll numbers have given ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney a slight lead in Florida over McCain and Giuliani. Yet Romney is also courting the Cuban exile vote via his bilingual son Craig who narrated an ad in Spanish.

Unlike the other Republican candidates mentioned above, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has placed little emphasis on Florida and is campaigning elsewhere.

Image- New York Daily News (John McCain drinks Cuban coffee during an appearance in Miami yesterday)

Sources- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, MiamiHerald.com, Guanabee, Wonkette, CBS News, Baltimore Sun, Associated Press, The Latin Americanist, New York Daily News

Huckabee pledges against immigrant “amnesty”

Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee signed a "No Amnesty" pledge touted by anti-immigrant groups. The former Arkansas governor added his signature to an oversized document where he promised that if elected president he would:

“fully implement measures that over time will lead to the attrition of our illegal immigrant population and…also pledge to make security of our borders top priority in my administration.”

Huckabee has increased the rhetoric on immigration while campaigning in South Carolina. During an appearance on Tuesday, he advocated ending all immigration from countries that harbor or sponsor terrorists.

A new poll in South Carolina released yesterday showed that Huckabee and Senator John McCain are in a statistical dead heat.

Sources- Baltimore Sun, FOX News, Washington Times, boston.com

Image- boston.com

News briefs: Caribbean

* At least eight people have been officially declared dead in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic due to heavy rains and flash floods caused by Tropical Storm Olga.

* Presidential contender Mike Huckabee has been accused of flip-flopping after changing his stance to support the trade embargo on Cuba.

* A researcher has concluded that Jamaica is suffering from “brain drain” caused by specialized workers immigrating off the island.

* A U.S. appeals court will decide if a Haitian man convicted of murder should be deported despite needing special medical attention.

* In the aftermath of the massacring of pets in Puerto Rico, island officials pledged to improve the treatment of animals and “tell the world that Puerto Rico is a civilized society.”

Sources-Sydney Morning Herald, Los Angeles Times, Jamaica Gleaner, International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist

Image- BBC News