Daily Headlines: June 21, 2016

* Venezuela: Moody’s credit agency warned that Venezuela could fall into a debt default this year starting with state-owned oil giant PDVSA.

* Brazil: More concerns over the upcoming Rio Olympics center on security following the muggings of two Paralympics hopefuls from Australia and an attack on Rio’s largest public hospital.

* Cuba: Russian media reported that the government of that country plans to develop several “production faculties” in Cuba as the island could serve as a “window” for Russia to Latin America.

* Argentina: Argentina’s most wanted criminal could help reveal possible endemic corruption under the rule of ex-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

YouTube Source – CNN

Online Sources – CBC, CNN, TASS, Bloomberg, InSight Crime

Daily Headlines: May 2, 2016 (Updated)

 
* Vatican: During his Sunday Angelus prayer from the Vatican yesterday, Pope Francis condemned pedophilia by Catholic priests, called on a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria, and suggested a “model of development that takes into account human dignity.”

* Puerto Rico: Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla affirmed that Puerto Rico will fall into default today by being unable to make a $422 million payment on its approximately $70 billion public debt.

Update: Padilla and White House officials have urged the U.S. Congress to promptly approve a debt restructuring plan, especially prior to a July 1st deadline for payment of some $2 billion.
 
* Peru: Suspected Peruvian drug cartel leader Gerson “Caracol” Galvez was deported back to his home country following his arrest in Medellin, Colombia on Saturday.

* Nicaragua: The first twenty of fifty military tanks sold by Russia to Nicaragua were sent to the Central American country last week.
YouTube Source – teleSUR English (May Day rallies to honor workers were held worldwide last Sunday and Latin America was no exception). 

Online Sources including Update – Buenos Aires Herald, The Tico Times, Business Insider, Deutsche Welle, ABC News

Daily Headlines: May 28, 2015

* Latin America: The presidents of Brazil and Mexico signed a series of trade and investment agreements in order to strengthen Latin America's two biggest economies.

* Argentina: An Argentine judge issued arrest warrants for the apprehension of three sports marketing execs named yesterday in a U.S. Department of Justice soccer corruption probe.

* Chile: Spanish investigators found no conclusive evidence indicating that renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was poisoned to death in 1973.

* Venezuela: Rosneft, Russia’s top oil producer, will spend $14 billion as part of its increased investment in the Venezuelan energy sector.

YouTube Source – AFP

Online Sources – Buenos Aires Herald, RTT News, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, euronews

Daily Headlines: May 1, 2015

* Cuba: “We will only advance toward the normalization of bilateral relations (with the U.S.) on a basis of respect for the sovereignty…which includes the lifting of the blockade,” declared the lone speaker at Cuba’s annual May Day parade today.

* Venezuela: Ex-Brazilian President Henrique Cardoso, former Mexican leader Felipe Calderon and 24 other heads of state signed an open letter to the Venezuelan government urging the release of imprisoned opposition activists.

* Nicaragua: Lawmakers in Nicaragua approved a proposal that would allow Russia to build satellite bases on the Central American country.

* Brazil: Police in Curitiba have clashed twice with teachers protesting a planned reform to the pension and retirement system of public employees.

YouTube Source – teleSUR (Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro joined Cuban leader Raul Castro and thousands of other attendees at the annual May Day parade in Havana on Friday.)
 
Online Sources – Bernama, Yahoo! News, BBC News, Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: April 27, 2015

* Brazil: Petrobras reported a $16.8 billion write-down and an approximately $8 billion loss in 2014 that wiped out profit made by the state-run oil company in its previous four years.

* Argentina: Visiting Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed numerous agreements with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as part of an “all encompassing strategic partnership” between both countries.

* Bolivia: Bolivia has reportedly become the country with the greatest number of dinosaur footprints with more than 10,000 of them found in the landlocked nation.

* Venezuela: Antonio Ledezma, the former Caracas mayor detained on charges of allegedly plotting a coup against President Nicolás Maduro, successfully underwent a hernia surgery yesterday.

YouTube Source – France 24 English

Online Sources – Fortune, Fox News Latino, MercoPress, Rappler

Daily Headlines: November 18, 2014

* Peru: A new report published two weeks before Peru hosts a U. N. climate conference found that the country is the world’s fourth most dangerous state for environmental activists.

* Brazil: Approximately 400,000 signatures have been gathered on a public petition to prevent a controversial pick-up artist from speaking in Brazil.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan state-owned oil firm PDVSA agreed to sell 1.6 million tons of oil and nine tons of petroleum derivates to Russia over the next five years.

* U.S.: The U.S. Border Patrol has allegedly conducted at least ten thousand drone flights along roughly nine hundred miles of the border region near Mexico. 

Video Source – Pulitzer Center via YouTube (Video uploaded in 2012),
 
Online Sources – BBC News; The Guardian; Latin American Herald Tribune; The Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: October 21, 2014

* U.S.: Iconic Dominican-born fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died at the age of 82 reportedly due to cancer.

* Panama: Panamanian Supreme Court judge Alejandro Moncada was arrested and charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment.

* Argentina: An Argentine human rights group claimed that refugee status was given to a gay Russian man violently targeted due to his sexual orientation.

* Bolivia: Bolivia’s top electoral tribunal ratified President Evo Morales' victory in the presidential polls and gave the green light for him to rule for a third straight term.

Video Source – Associated Press via YouTube

Online Sources – JURIST; Variety; Zee News; Reuters

Daily Headlines: July 14, 2014

* Colombia: Colombian James Rodriguez became the third South American player since 1978 to win the Golden Boot Award as top scorer at the World Cup.

* Argentina: Visiting Russian president Vladimir Putin backed Argentina’s claim to the Falklands and also signed a nuclear energy cooperation pact with his counterpart, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
 
* Peru: Peruvian officials claimed that their country could double their copper production by 2016 and surpass China as the world’s second-largest producer of the metal.

* Brazil: The BRICS group of developing countries that includes Brazil will reportedly launch its own development bank that could curb the influence of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Video Source – Richard Swarbrick via YouTube
 
Online Sources – USA TODAY; euronews; The West Australian; mining.com

Daily Headlines: June 20, 2014

* Latin America: Today is World Refugee Day and according to the U.N. the number of refugees in Latin America is expected to rise this year as a result of “increasing violence from new criminal entities.”

* Ecuador: As Julian Assange’s stay in the Ecuadorean embassy in London moves past its second year, Ecuador's Foreign Minister admitted that talks with Britain to safely release the WikiLeaks founder have reached a legal “impasse.”

* Cuba: Russia state-owned firm Rosneft is reportedly seeking an agreement that would allow for the exploration of potentially lucrative Cuban offshore oil fields.

* Mexico: Legislative approval of a major energy reform backed by President Enrique Peña Nieto has been delayed due to opposition from both the left and right in Mexico’s Congress.

Video Source – YouTube user The VJ Movement (Video uploaded in 2011 shows Colombian refugees laboring as sex workers in neighboring Ecuador).
 
Online Sources – Newsweek; The Wire; Reuters; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Daily Headlines: March 7, 2014

* South Africa: Brazil may have romped South Africa 5-0 in an international soccer friendly on Wednesday but the big winner was a five-year-old boy who entered the field and received a warm reception from the verdeamarela players.

* U.S.: Florida’s Supreme Court ruled against granting undocumented immigrants licenses to practice law in a case whose plaintiff entered the U.S. from Mexico at the age of nine, and later graduated from law school and passed the state bar exam.

* Colombia: Famous Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez celebrated his 87th birthday by greeting journalists and well-wishers outside of his Mexico City residence.

* Nicaragua: Senior Nicaraguan government officials denied rumors that Russia would build a military base in the Central American country.

Video Source – YouTube user Neymar Junior
 
Online Sources - Huffington Post; Russia & India Report; seattlepi.com; Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: February 28, 2014

* Argentina: Two gay men from Russia legally married in Argentina as part of a campaign by some LGBT activists “who want Argentina to become a refuge for Russians and other nationalities who fear persecution at home because of their sexual orientation”.

* Cuba: “The struggle continues, long live a free Cuba” were allegedly the last words of Cuban revolutionary turned anti-Castro activist Huber Matos before he died yesterday.

* U.S.: President Barack Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper program aimed at preventing black and Latino youth from falling into social problems in adulthood like drug use and incarceration.

* Brazil: According to new government data the Brazilian economy grew by 2.3% last year, which represents a 1.3% increase compared to 2012.

Video Source – Reuters via YouTube

Online Sources- Miami Herald; Reuters; Sydney Morning Herald; LAHT

Daily Headlines: February 27, 2014

* Latin America: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that his country plans to install military bases in several nations including Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

* Mexico: Hundreds of supporters of recently apprehended drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman marched in Culiacan yesterday, and insisted that he was innocent and a benefactor for the poor in Sinaloa.
 
* Cuba: Fernando Gonzalez, one of the “Cuban Five” men convicted in 2001 of spying in the U.S., is expected to be released from prison today after having completed his fifteen year sentence.

* Brazil: Military police in Rio de Janeiro simulated a riot in anticipation of possible street protests during the upcoming soccer World Cup. 

Video Source – Prensa Latina via YouTube (Video uploaded in May 2013).

Online Sources- CNN; ABC News; MercoPress; The Latin Americanist; BBC News

Daily Headlines: December 9, 2013

* Russia: An amnesty proposal being pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to the liberation of Argentine environmental activists Camila Speziale and Hernán Pérez Orsi. 

* Puerto Rico: Why is Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla urging the U.S. Congress to oppose granting statehood to Puerto Rico even though most voters in a 2012 referendum backed statehood?

* Venezuela: Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party won a majority of localities in Sunday’s municipal elections though the opposition made gains in several major cities.

* Colombia: Commanders of Colombia’s FARC guerillas announced a unilateral thirty day ceasefire while President Juan Manuel Santos declared that the country’s military offensive “will continue” following a deadly rebel attack.

Daily Headlines: November 6, 2013

Note: Before we get to Wednesday’s headlines we would like to apologize for the inexcusable lateness of this post.

* Cuba: William Potts said that he would return to the U.S. twenty-nine years after he hijacked a commercial airliner and forced it to land in Cuba.

* Chile: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the Chilean government to pay $32,000 to an exiled man who was tortured during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

* Colombia: Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Holguin sent a note of protest to Russia regarding the alleged incursion of a pair of Russian jets into Colombian airspace last week.

* Mexico: U.S. officials have offered a $5 million reward for the capture of recently freed Mexican drug capo Rafael Caro Quintero.

Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press

Online Sources- Fox News Latino; UPI; The Guardian; ABC News

Colombian University Bars Halloween Celebrations

Halloween is being celebrated today in several countries around the world including in parts of Latin America where the holiday has traditionally not been observed.  One of these countries is Colombia and while some people there have taken on the Halloween customs such as pumpkin decorating and trick-or-treating, others are not so pleased.

Earlier this month the dean of the Universidad Minuto de Dios called for a ban on all Halloween celebrations at the school’s campus. 

“I ask that this holiday is not celebrated in our institution, which I consider contrary to our Christian principles of love and seeking what is good, said Father Harold Castilla in a statement issued on October 22nd.  Halloween, in his view, is a “tradition with roots in the pagan adoration of spirits and the Celtic god of death.” 

Though Castilla acknowledged that individuals have a “personal choice” to observe Halloween away from school, he called on all Halloween decorations to be removed from the campus.  Instead he urged students and faculty to prepare for the celebration of Christmas, which he described as a holiday “where we can all open our hearts, homes and this intuition to receive the Christ Child.”

Some university students claimed that Castilla was censoring them and limiting their freedoms of religion and expression.

“It’s an outrage falsely based on Church doctrines,” reportedly said one person who commented on the “Memes UniMinuto” Facebook page.

“What did you expect from a religious institution? It’s like saying that partygoers at a nightclub should pray the rosary at midnight,” mentioned another commenter.

Daily Headlines: October 17, 2013

* Haiti: According to the Global Slavery Index 2013, Haiti ranks as second among the countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery.

* Latin America: Russia has reportedly boosted their weapons sales into Latin America including supplying $1.7 billion in weapons this week to Peru and Brazil.

* Brazil: Inflation in Brazil is expected to reach a year low 5.7% this month though it’s expected to rise slightly by the end of 2013.

* El Salvador: World soccer governing body FIFA issued lifetime bans against fourteen Salvadoran players who were under suspension over alleged match fixing.

Video Source – YouTube via The Pulitzer Center

Online Sources- BBC News; UPI; SI.com; Reuters

Pope Criticizes “Futile” Military Solution for Syria

Pope Francis called on the heads of sate meeting at today’s G-20 summit to seek a peaceful solution to the civil conflict in Syria.

“To the leaders present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution,” said the Argentine-born Francis in a letter sent to the G-20 host, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Though the pontiff acknowledged that the G-20 summit is primarily concerned with economic issues, he urged the leaders of the twenty wealthiest countries to “reflect on the situation in the Model East and Syria.”

“Without peace, there can be no form of economic development. Violence never begets peace, the necessary condition for development,” said Francis who also observed “all governments have the moral duty to do everything possible to ensure humanitarian assistance to those suffering because of the conflict, both within and beyond the country’s borders”.

The pontiff added his criticism of "one-sided interests" in Syria that are preventing a diplomatic end to the violent situation in that country and have contributed to the "senseless massacre" of innocent civilians.

Earlier this week, the Pope announced he would lead a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria on September 7th.

"With utmost firmness, I condemn the use of chemical weapons. I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart," the pope said last Sunday in possible reference to Syria.

Daily Headlines: April 1, 2013

* Venezuela: Interim leader Nicolás Maduro and opposition rival Henrique Capriles used spiritual imagery and religious rhetoric during the Holy Week as both attempt to win the April 14 presidential election.
 
* Argentina: A U.S. appeals court is expected to soon issue a decision that could force the Argentine government to pay $1.4 billion of its defaulted debt to creditors.

* Peru: Defense officials announced the purchase of twenty-four Russian military helicopters at a cost of $407 million.

* Britain: Colombian-born Oskar Zorrilla helped guide Oxford’s rowing team to victory over rivals Cambridge at the annual university Boat Race on Sunday.

Video Source – YouTube via AFP (“Video animation shows Venezuelan late president Hugo Chavez reaching heaven and received by many late Latin American leaders including Simón Bolívar and Che Guevara.”)

Online Sources- Times of Oman, Bloomberg, Bernama, CBC.ca

World Watch: Tensions in Libya

* Middle East: According to the Libyan media “multiple arrests” were made in relation to the recent deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

* World: According to UNICEF child mortality rates have sharply declined over the past decade reportedly “amid gains in health care, education, development programs and economic progress”.

* Russia: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested the early release of three members of the Pussy Riot collective controversially sentenced to two years in prison for ''hooliganism motivated by religious hatred''.

* Afghanistan: Residents in Karachi paid their respects to over 260 employees of a garment factory who died as a result of a massive fire on Tuesday.

Video Source– YouTube via Associated Press (“The U.S. Is deploying two warships to the Libyan Coast, following the attack on a U.S. consulate that killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three others.”)

Online Sources – Voice of America, CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC News

World Watch: To the Moon and Back

* U.S.: A private service is planned on Friday for Neil Armstrong, the pioneering astronaut who was the first man to walk on the moon, after he died on Saturday at the age of 82.

* Syria: Opposition activists claimed that at least sixty-two people were killed near Damascus as part of a military jet offensive.

* Russia: Lawyers appealed the recent conviction of three members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot who face two years in prison for performing an anti-government song at a Moscow Orthodox church.

* Kenya: Violent protests have taken place in Mombasa after “radical Islamist preacher” Sheikh Aboud Rogo died in an apparent extrajudicial killing.

Video Source– YouTube via Associated Press

Online Sources – CBS News, Christian Science Monitor, Reuters, Huffington Post