Daily Headlines: July 12, 2010

* Panama: At least two people were killed during clashes between police and banana plantation workers upset with the government’s economic policies.

* Peru: Will Peruvian authorities allow alleged Russian spy Vicky Pelaez to return to her birth country?

* U.S.: Rest in peace Ramon Eduardo Ruiz; the Mexican-American historian, professor, and National Humanities Medal award winner died at the age of 88.

* Cuba: A trio of Cuban nationals face life in jail after deceiving Cuban migrants and holding them for ransom in Mexico.

Image – Miami Herald (“An unidentified man is aid after being injured during clashes with police in Changuinola, western Panama, Thursday, July 8, 2010.”)
Online Sources- Miami Herald, Reuters, The Telegraph, Los Angeles Times

Daily Headlines: June 30, 2010

* U.S.: Peruvian-born, New York-based journalist Vicky Pelaez was arrested and has been accused along with ten others of spying for Russia.

* Cuba: Will the Obama administration close the prison at Guantanamo by 2013 after initially promising to shut it down this year?

* Brazil: Legislators recently approved a landmark racial equality law yet stopped short of enacting affirmative action policies.

* Ecuador: Allegations of illegal wiretaps against President Rafael Correa could seriously damage improving relations between Ecuador and Colombia.

Image – Grand Forks Herald (“In this courtroom sketch, Anna Chapman, left, Vicky Pelaez, second from left, the defendant known as "Richard Murphy", center, the defendant known as "Cynthia Murphy", second from right, and the defendant known as "Juan Lazaro" are seen in Manhattan federal court in New York, Monday, June 28, 2010.”)
Online Sources- WNYC, The Guardian, UPI, Reuters