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

Today’s Video: World Refugee Day

Saturday commemorates World Refugee Day, a date in which we think about the over 42 million displaced people worldwide.

The topic of displaced people is a pressing issue throughout the Americas. As we mentioned earlier this week, Colombia is the country with the most internally displaced people in the world with over 3 million refugees. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refugees in Mexico and Central America are at risk, especially migrants who venture northward. Yet there are some bright spots such as the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants naming of Brazil, Ecuador and Costa Rica as the best countries for refugees.

Below is a 2008 video from the UNHCR that examines the heartbreaking experiences of a few of Colombia’s internal refugees:

Online Sources- UPI, The Latin Americanist, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Voice of America, YouTube