Daily Headlines: July 29, 2015 (Updated)

* Peru: Peruvian authorities claimed to have rescued thirty-nine people including thirteen children held hostage by the Shining Path rebels.

* Puerto Rico: U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew ruled out a federal bailout for Puerto Rico’s massive debt and instead called on changing the law to allow the commonwealth to file for bankruptcy.

* Mexico: The roller coaster ride of Miguel “El Piojo” Herrera as head coach of Mexico’s men’s national soccer team came to a screeching halt after he allegedly struck a journalist.

* Cuba: Rep. Tom Emmer introduced a bill to end the decades-long U.S. trade embargo against Cuba though his proposal faces stiff opposition from fellow Republican legislators.

Update: U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will urge Congress to remove the embargo on Cuba this Friday in Miami.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English

Online Sources including Update – France24, Bloomberg, SI.com, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Politico

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2015

* Brazil: A new report found that Brazil has the world’s fourth-largest prison population with some 607,730 inmates crammed in correctional facilities built for about 377,000 detainees.

* Peru: Investigators found the remains of 17 people in a mass grave who may have been killed in the 1980s during the armed conflict between the Peruvian government and the Shining Path guerillas.

* Puerto Rico: The executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Energy Authority. which is over $9 billion in debt, resigned on Tuesday.

* Colombia: U.S. justice officials announced charges related to drug trafficking against seventeen members of Colombia’s Clan Usuga criminal gang.

YouTube Source – CCTV America 

Online Sources – BBC News, Reuters, Fox News Latino, ABC News

Daily Headlines: October 28, 2014

* Uruguay: The ruling Frente Amplio maintained its majority in the Uruguayan legislature, which could be very good news for Tabare Vazquez who is the odds on favorite to return to the presidency in November’s runoff election.

* Nicaragua: A new World Economic Forum report ranked Nicaragua as the world’s sixth best country in the world for gender equality and the best among Latin American and Caribbean states.

* Peru: The bodies of eighty victims of Peru’s Dirty War between the military and Shining Path rebels were returned to their families.

* Argentina: Daniel Filmus, the Argentine secretary regarding the Falkland Islands, blasted British efforts to allow for the offshore drilling of hydrocarbons near the contested archipelago.

Video Source – teleSUR English via YouTube

Online Sources – MercoPress; Inside Costa Rica; Bernama; The Guardian

Top Peruvian Shining Path Rebels Killed

Two senior members of Peru’s Shining Path guerillas were reportedly killed in a military operation carried out late Sunday night.

Alejandro Borda Casafranca, who was the rebels’ second-in-command and nicknamed "Comrade Alipio", and Marco Antonio Quispe Palomino ("Comrade Gabriel") were slain along with at lest one other suspected rebel in the Ayacucho region according to President Ollanta Humala.

"Intelligence sources that took part in this operation confirm ... they would be the number one and number two in control of Shining Path's military structure," Humala said on television on Monday morning.

Authorities are performing autopsies to confirm identities though armed forces chief Adm. Jose Cueto claimed "(Comrade) Alipio for certain. Still to be determined is (Comrade) Gabriel but it is nearly certain that it is him as well."

At its peak in the 1980s when the group seriously threatened the Peruvian state with terrorist activities in the capital city of Lima, massacres of hundreds of rural residents and the disappearances of thousands of people.  Since the capture of then-rebel leader and cult figure Abimael Guzman in 1992, however, the Shining Path has become severely debilitated militarily and politically.  One of the most recent blows against the guerillas was the capture in February of 2012 of their chief, “Comrade Artemio,” who was subsequently convicted on charges of terrorism and drug trafficking.

While the Shining Path may be a shell of what it one was some three decades ago, the rebels have not been completely defeated and they continue battling against the Peruvian military.  In April 2012, a group led by Borda and Quispe briefly kidnapped and then released thirty-six workers on the Camisea gas pipeline.  The rebels have also allied themselves to illegal drug trade and finances itself by growing and smuggling coca out of the Apurimac and Ene river valley region (VREAM).

Daily Headlines: June 10, 2013

* Peru: What do former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori and Shining Path guerilla leader “Comrade Artemio” have in common?  Both men will likely spend their rest of their lives in prison.

* Argentina: China approved the importation of four new strains of genetically modified soybeans and corn from Argentina days after worldwide protests were held over the use of genetically modified food.

* Mexico: Authorities believe the Knights Templar drug gang is behind the attack on a Guerrero prison where nine inmates escaped and two prison guards were killed.

* Brazil: According to a new poll, President Dilma Rousseff popularity has fallen though a majority of Brazilians would vote for her if she chooses to run for reelection next year.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews (Shining Path guerilla leader “Comrade Artemio”, who was captured in a february 2012 military raid, was sentenced to life in prison and fined $183 million). 

Online Sources- Al Jazeera English; Xinhua; Reuters; Los Angeles Times; Businessweek

Daily Headlines: February 20, 2013

* Cuba: Dissident Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez praised freedom of expression in Brazil even though she was jeered by a small group of protesters in Recife.

* U.S.: President Obama talked with three Republican senators including Marco Rubio in order to discuss “bipartisan, commonsense immigration reform.”

* Latin America: Has Latin America become increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks?

* Peru: Officials returned to their families the bodies of twenty-six people killed two decades ago during combat between the Peruvian army and Shining Path rebels.

Video Source – YouTube via user libertadigitaltv

Online Sources- ABC News, CBS News, Huffington Post, infosurhoy.com

Daily Headlines: December 21, 2012

* Mexico: According to the Propuesta Civica organization at least 20,851 people including over 1200 children under age eleven have gone missing in Mexico over the past six years.

* U.S.: The Justice Department filed a suit against a South Carolina sheriff accused of discriminating against Latinos including ordering officers to “go out there and get me some of those taco eaters.”

* Peru: Proceedings began this week in the trial of Shining Path rebel leader Florindo Eleuterio Flores, alias Comrade Artemio.

* Costa Rica: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Costa Rica should overturn its ban on in vitro fertilization.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- ABC News, Washington Post, Tico Times, Kansas City Star

Daily Headlines: October 8, 2012

* Uruguay: “The use of the military to perform civil law enforcement cannot be a long-term solution,” declared U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to his Latin American counterparts at a conference this morning in Punta Del Este, Uruguay.

* Mexico: No reports of casualties or major damage have resulted after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California off the Mexican coast in the overnight hours.

* Peru: The Shining Path rebels are believed to have been behind the burning of three helicopters owned by “international gas pipeline consortium” Transportadora de Gas del Peru.

* Cuba: Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez and her husband were released from police custody over thirty hours after they were detained last Thursday.

Video Source – YouTube via user ElMuerto

Online Sources- RTT News, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor

Daily Headlines: September 13, 2012

* Peru: On the twentieth anniversary of the capture of Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman, President Ollanta Humala said that he will not negotiate with the guerillas.

* Cuba: Cuban officials said that they would be willing to talk with the U.S. government over possibly releasing imprisoned contractor Alan Gross.

* Latin America: Latin American governments condemned the violent attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that left four people including Ambassador Christopher Stevens dead.

* El Salvador: Ex-senior Salvadoran military officer Inocente Orlando Montano pled guilty in the U.S. to immigration fraud and could be extradited to Spain over his alleged role in the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- NPR, RTT, Reuters, infosurhoy.com, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: September 6, 2012

* Paraguay: Reporters Without Borders denounced the “purge” of twenty-seven employees of a state-run TV station allegedly due to their support of ousted President Fernando Lugo.

* Latin America: “The balance of the political and economic performance of (Latin America and the Caribbean) during the last twelve months in general is positive,” claimed Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza.

* Argentina: Debate commenced yesterday in the Senate on a government-backed proposal that would lower the voting age from eighteen to sixteen.

* Peru: President Ollanta Humala said that the military killed Comrade Williams, one of the commanders of the Shining Path rebel army.

Video Source – YouTube via user TvPública Paraguay (Former Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo speaking on state-run TV Pública hours after he was ousted last June)

Online Sources- Reporters Without Borders, Bernama, Huffington Post, BBC News

Daily Headlines: August 17, 2012

* Dominican Republic: Newly inaugurated president Danilo Medina vowed that he would enact policies aimed at lowering illiteracy rates and helping the millions of residents mired in poverty.

* Brazil: Attorneys for Chevron filed an appeal seeking to overturn a ban against operating in Brazil due to an offshore oil spill last year.

* Peru: According to the Peruvian military five troops were killed during a battle with Shining Path rebels.

* Cuba: Police reportedly detained three dissidents yesterday who were said to have been handing out leaflets critical of the government.

Video Source – YouTube via teleSUR English

Online Sources- BBC News, ABC News, Reuters, Miami Herald

Daily Headlines: May 14, 2012

* Venezuela: Pastor Maldonado became the first Venezuelan driver to win a Formula 1 race after he triumphed in the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday.

* Mexico: Police discovered the mutilated bodies of forty-nine people along a highway near the northern city of Monterrey.

* Colombia: Former right-wing paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso alleged that the militias supported “in the communities and with money” the 2006 reelection campaign of then-President Alvaro Uribe.

* Peru: Interior Minister Daniel Lozada and Defense Minister Alberto Otarola resigned after facing heavy criticism over a “failed security operation” against Shining Path guerillas.

Video Source – YouTube via MotorsportLiveTV (“Pastor Maldonado expects there will be a "big party" in his native Venezuela after taking his maiden Formula 1 win at the Spanish Grand Prix.”)

Online Sources- ESPN, BBC News, Voice of America, Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: April 16, 2012

* Peru: Thirty-six energy workers kidnapped by the Shining Path last week were freed on Saturday though it’s unclear if a ransom was paid to the rebels.

* Mexico: According to poll results released yesterday, ruling party presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota gained 4% support though she is 19% behind frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto.

* U.S.: Film director Robert Rodriguez said that his new cable television network, El Rey, is expected to launch sometime between September 2013 and January 2014.

* Latin America: Latin America is the top destination for emerging market private equity investors in 2012 according to a global survey of investors.

Image Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- GlobalPost, UPI, Reuters, Bloomberg

Weekend Headlines: April 7-8, 2012

* Colombia: Authorities are on high alert over the possibility that renewed activity in the Nevado de Ruiz volcano could soon lead to an eruption.

* Mexico: Three men pleaded guilty to charges related to the botched gun-smuggling operation from the U.S. to Mexico known as “Operation Fast and Furious.”

* Latin America: Monsanto reported a boost in its latest quarterly profits in part due to increased sales of genetically modified seeds in Latin America.

Daily Headlines: March 5, 2012

* Mexico: Mexico City’s government decided that the cab licenses of the metropolis’ unique Volkswagen Beetle taxis, known locally by the nickname of “vochos”, would expire at the end of this year.

* Venezuela: Both the government and opposition have accused each other of being responsible of being behind an attack during a rally for presidential challenger Henrique Capriles.

* Peru: Authorities captured the suspected head of the Shining Path guerillas that succeeded the recently captured Comrade Artemio.

* Haiti: According to a new study there has been a dramatic spike in major crimes in Haiti’s major cities but “there is no single factor to explain the rise in violent crime.”

Image Source – Flickr via Fredo in (((Stereo))) (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- The Telegraph, LAHT, BBC News, ABC News

Daily Headlines: February 28, 2012 (Updated)

* Venezuela: According to documents published via Wikileaks, Cuban doctors believe that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has two years to live while Russian medics gave him one year. (Update: Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua said that Chavez was in "good health condition" after undergoing surgery yesterday in Cuba).

* Colombia: Amnesty International urged the FARC rebels not only to end kidnappings but also “other human rights abuses such as unlawful killings, the recruitment of children and the use of indiscriminate weapons such as land mines.”

* Peru: The Shining Path rebel leader known by the moniker of Comrade Artemio was charged with terrorism and drug trafficking in a Peruvian court yesterday.

* Brazil: The Brazilian Institute of Consumer Rights is rallying against a bill that they claim gives FIFA “too much power and few responsibilities” in organizing the 2014 soccer World Cup.

Image Source – Flickr via alexcovic (In 2010 “Wikileaks.org shared the more than 90.000 leaked documents with three publications before they put them online: The Guardian, The New York Times (International Herald Tribune is now the Global Edition of the NYT), Der Spiegel (weekly German magazine).”) (CC BY 2.0).

Online Sources (including Update) - SI.com, BBC News, Amnesty International, The Latin Americanist, Miami Herald, El Universal

Daily Headlines: February 14, 2012

* Venezuela: One day after winning the opposition presidential primary election, Henrique Capriles called on Venezuelans to support his campaign and criticized President Hugo Chavez’ economic policies.

* Mexico: Despite heavy media coverage of the Mexican “drug war” tourism to that country rose in 2011 with over 22 million foreign visitors arriving by air.

* Argentina: The Argentina's transport worker's union will reportedly boycott all British ships due to the dispute over the Falklands Islands.

* Peru: “The Shining Path is no longer a threat to the country,” proclaimed President Ollanta Humala after the rebel’s leader was captured in a military operation.

Image Source – Flickr via Andrea Daza Tapia (Venezuelan expats in Barcelona, Spain wait on line in order to vote in Sunday’s opposition presidential primary election). (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- CBS News, Los Angeles Times, BBC News, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: February 10, 2012

* Latin America: Amerigo Incalcaterra, the U.N. human rights representative for South America, denounced the “alarming pattern of prison violence” in the region due to overcrowding and substandard sanitary conditions.

* Brazil: Police in Rio de Janeiro state went on strike days before the beginning of Carnival celebrations and prison guards and firefighters might join them.

* Mexico: The U.S. State Department expanded its travel warning from ten to fourteen states in northern and central Mexico.

* Peru: Shining Path leader Florindo Eleuterio Flores-Hala, alias Artemio, was reportedly wounded in a raid conducted by Peruvian troops and dissident guerillas.

Image Source – Flickr via CDI Europe (Lemos de Brito prison in Brazil). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, Reuters, The Guardian, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: December 8, 2011

* Peru: The head of Peru’s Shining Path rebels, known by the nickname of “Comrade Artemio”, admitted defeat and said he was willing to negotiate with the government.

* U.S.: Three-time Most Valuable Player and free agent Albert Pujols will reportedly sign a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

* Panama: Ex-strongman Manuel Noriega could arrive in the Central American country on Sunday after being extradited from France.

* Argentina: British plans to create a nature preserve on one of the Falkland Islands could lead to increased diplomatic tensions with Argentina.

Video Source – The Guardian (Peru’s Shining Path is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and E.U.)

Online Sources – CNN, Voice of America, SI.com, The Telegraph

Daily Headlines: November 8, 2011

* Guatemala: President-elect Otto Perez Molina vowed that he would deliver on his campaign promise to crackdown on drug violence and gang-related crimes.

* Bolivia: Representatives of Bolivia and the U.S. agreed to resume full diplomatic ties three years after the U.S. ambassador was expelled from the Andean nation.

* Peru: The government extended a state of emergency in four departments that are a “coca-growing stronghold” for the Shining Path guerillas.

* Latin America: According to a New York Times report U.S. counternarcotics officials secretly deployed “commando-style squads” in Haiti, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Belize.

Image – Via Flickr user spotreporting (Voter filling out her ballot during last September’s elections in Guatemala. Former general Otto Perez Molina was declared the winner of Sunday’s presidential election). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- CNN, Xinhua, The Latin Americanist, InSight, AFP