Daily Headlines: February 15, 2016

* Cuba: Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill met with ex-Cuban President Fidel Castro days after the religious figure held historic discussions with Pope Francis in Havana.

* Haiti: Ex-legislative leader Jocelerme Privert was selected as interim president, while elections delayed since last December have once again been rescheduled for April 24th.

* U.S.: Dominican pitcher Jenrry Mejia became the first player to receive a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball following a third positive test for performance enhancing drugs.

* Colombia: Colombian flower growers are hoping to reap profits from the high Valentine’s Day demand abroad coupled with a weakened peso. 

YouTube Source – Rome Reports (Pope Francis met for the first time with the chief of the Russian Orthodox Church last Friday prior to the Argentine-born pontiff’s trip to Mexico).
 
Online Sources – teleSUR English, Reuters, Fox News Latino, USA Today, CNN

Peru: Valentine’s Day protest for gay marriage

Valentine’s Day on Sunday may have served as an occasion to exchange frivolous gifts or give empty compliments. For others, however, the day was a reminder of how we ought to share without prejudices our love and affection to those close to us. Such was the example in Latin America as was written in Living in Peru:

Five homosexual couples had a symbolic wedding in Peru on Valentine's Day, as part of their public actions advocating for their legal rights to get married…

The couples who participated in the symbolic wedding ceremony, that was officiated by an activist from the aforemention organization, took advantage of the district's rules, that ban all kind of discrimination. 


One of the “newlyweds” told the press “this is the first step to demand a change in the laws. We all have the same constitutional rights.”

If 140 Peruvian couples can unite in a mass wedding on Valentine’s Day than surely homosexual couples should be afforded the privilege to marry.

Image- Associated Content
Online Sources- Living in Peru, Press Association

Today’s Video: Every rose has its thorn

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day of appreciating friendships and romance. One of the most common and tender gifts to give are freshly cut flowers such as roses. However, the process in picking and sorting the flowers is difficult and more so in order to fill the demand in the U.S. and Europe.

While we don’t wish to be a killjoy on Valentine’s Day, it’s important to note that workers laboring in greenhouses in countries like Colombia and Ecuador often endure hardships. The following video is in Spanish and made by a Colombian labor group. They recognize Valentine’s Day but also promote February 14^th as “Flower Workers Day.”

(Video link):

Sources- Reuters, Guardian UK, YouTube, The Latin Americanist