Daily Headlines: October 10, 2016

* Haiti: Doctors warned that Haiti could face its second cholera outbreak in recent years following the more than 1000 fatalities and towns still isolated by Hurricane Matthew.

* Argentina: An estimated 70,000 people marched in the Argentine city of Rosario for women’s rights and against all forms of gender violence including femicides.

* Mexico: The Mexican peso has strengthened by 2.3 percent in a reported indication that the market is confident over a Hillary Clinton victory in the United States presidential election.

* Uruguay: Rodolfo Nin Novoa, Uruguay’s Foreign Minister, called on ex-Guantanamo detainee Jihad Diyab to end his two-month-old hunger strike and “continue looking for a better future for him and his family.”

YouTube Source – Al Jazeera English (“The death toll has reached 1,000, but rescue teams are still combing through wreckage in the remote southwest of the country. A number of cholera cases have been reported, raising fears of a renewed outbreak of the disease.”)

Online Sources – NBC News, Financial Times, teleSUR English, Reuters

Daily Headlines: September 21, 2016 (Updated)

* Brazil: A Brazilian judge determined ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will need to stand trial over allegedly accepting some $1.1 in bribes in connection to the Lava Jato corruption scandal.

Update (September 22nd): Guido Mantega, the former Finance Minister under Lula, was detained for several hours and then released on Thursday as part of the Lava Jato probe.  

* Latin America: Outgoing United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he felt “tremendous regret” over a cholera outbreak that hit Haiti, while the Venezuelan government is upset with critical remarks made by Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at the UN General Assembly.

* United States: A new study found that the number of undocumented migrants from Mexico to the United States has dropped from a high of 6.9 million in 2007 to 5.8 million in 2014, and those from Central America have sharply increased in recent years.

* Honduras: Authorities began the transfer of thirty-seven “high-risk prisoners” including former gang leaders to a new maximum-security facility as part of planned reforms to the corrections system.

YouTube Source – AFP 

Online Sources including Update – ABC News, The Miami Herald, Reuters, InSight Crime, BBC News, Reuters

Daily Headlines: August 18, 2016

* Haiti: The United Nations admitted to have “played a role” in a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 10,000 people in Haiti but stopped short of admitting peacekeepers caused the epidemic.

* El Salvador: The Salvadoran Supreme Court unanimously ruled to send former Colonel Guillermo Benavides to prison over civil war crimes and refused an extradition request from Spain relating to the 1989 massacre of a group of Jesuit priests.

* Venezuela: “Venezuela will represent a growing supply risk for oil markets in 2017,” concluded a recent report from Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

* Paraguay: Several hundred protesters participated in an anti-government march on the second anniversary of the inauguration of President Horacio Cartes.

YouTube Source – AFP (From January 2015: “Five years since the 2010 earthquake, the cholera epidemic in Haiti is still claiming lives, and there are recriminations over who was responsible for bringing it to the country.”)
 
Online Sources – Fox News Latino, Bloomberg, Reuters, The New York Times

Daily Headlines: March 2, 2016

* Latin America: The Food and Agriculture Organization acknowledged strides throughout Latin America to combat hunger but warned that 34.3 million people in the region lack access to food.

* Cuba: British rock group the Rolling Stones announced that they’ll play a free concert this month in Havana, while U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to attend a Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cuba baseball game during his visit to the island on the 22nd.

* Peru: Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru became the latest prominent Latin American figure to assail Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

* Haiti: A three-judge court in the U.S. began listening to the case of Haitian plaintiffs suing the United Nations regarding a cholera epidemic has killed more than 9,000 people in the Caribbean state.

YouTube Source – AFP (Video uploaded in 2012).
 
Online Sources – Xinhua, NPR, ESPN, The Guardian, The New York Times

Daily Headlines: June 29, 2015

* Latin America: A recent study found a shift in migration flow between 2007 and 2012 with more Europeans leaving their countries for Latin America rather than vice versa.

* Guatemala: Several hundred protesters gathered once again in Guatemala City and called for the resignation of scandal-plagued President Otto Perez Molina.

* Chile: Copa America host nation Chile will face Peru tonight in the semifinals amid controversy over the suspended Gonzalo Jara, while Paraguay will hope to shock Argentina in the other match on Tuesday .

* Cuba: Cuban scientists claimed to have successfully developed a new oral vaccine against cholera, a bacterial disease that is the cause of death for 100,000 to 120,000 people globally according to the World Health Organization.

YouTube Source – euronews (Video uploaded in June 2014).

Online Sources – Global Voices Online, The Latin Americanist, Fox News Latino, Yahoo Sports, Xinhua

Daily Headlines: July 16, 2014

* Argentina: “Lobbyists” acting on behalf of investment funds seeking repayment of debts from Argentina paid for a newspaper ad today claiming “Time is running out for Argentina.”

* Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro announced that he would soon provide details of a “fiscal revolution” though it remains to be seen if that will fix problems like Venezuela’s high inflation, overvalued currency and food shortages.

* Haiti: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Haitian victims of a cholera outbreak that may have been caused by visiting peacekeepers.

* Central America: Costa Rica’s government has urged neighboring Nicaragua to conduct environmental impact studies on a planned interoceanic canal project.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube
 
Online Sources – Tico Times; Reuters; ABC News; Miami Herald

Daily Headlines: March 13, 2014

* Venezuela: Three people were killed in Venezuela on Wednesday on the one month anniversary of clashes between opposition protesters and pro-government activists in Caracas.

* Mexico: Some areas of Mexico may be hit by drug-related violence but that hasn’t stopped international tourism in the country from increasing by 17.4% in January 2013.

* Haiti: A new class action lawsuit was filed in a U.S. federal court this week against the U.N. to hold the international body responsible for a cholera epidemic that killed thousands across the Americas.

* Chile: “Chile must value the diversity that characterizes Latin America and effectively tackle the challenges presented by our relations with neighbors,” declared new president Michelle Bachelet during her inauguration address on Tuesday.

Video Source – YouTube user ExcelsiorTV (“Venezuela marks one month of protests and the violence has apparently not ceased.  24 people have died.”)

Online Sources- Reuters; SBS; The Guardian; Xinhua

Daily Headlines: March 5, 2014

* Vatican: Despite helping shepherd increased interest in Catholicism and being named as a finalist to the next Nobel Peace prize, Argentine-born Pope Francis insisted in an interview that he is a “normal person.”

* U.S.: The head of the National Council of La Raza Latino rights group blasted U.S. President Barack Obama over his immigration policy, while the Supreme Court declined hearing appeals in two cases regarding controversial local immigration ordinances.

* Mexico: Hundreds of members of a “self-defense group” entered the city of Apatzingan in Michoacán and ordered the mayor to resign due to his supposed ties to the Caballeros Templarios drug cartel.

* Haiti: Gustavo Gallon, the U.N.-appointed expert on human rights in Haiti, said that “full compensation” should be paid to the thousands of victims of a cholera epidemic.

Video Source – Catholic News Service via YouTube
 
Online Sources- The Guardian; Politico.com; Reuters; BBC News; LAHT

Daily Headlines: November 25, 2013

* Mexico: Mexican health officials claimed that a cholera outbreak is "under control" with only 184 cases of the disease nationwide.

* Dominican Republic: Some 354 Haitians and people of Haitian background were recently deported from the Dominican Republic after three people were killed near the border dividing Hispaniola.

* Puerto Rico: In the latest sign of Puerto Rico's financial woes, the island's unemployment rate rose for the fourth straight month and is at 14.7%.

* Colombia: Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt will reportedly run for the Colombian presidency though she faces stiff competition in order to represent the Green Party.

Online Sources - LAHT; NBC Latino; NPR; GlobalPost

Video Source - YouTube via user ExcelsiorTV

Daily Headlines: November 22, 2013

* U.S.: Legendary Cuban jazz musician Arturo Sandoval and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Mario Molina of Mexico were among the sixteen Medal of Freedom recipients honored this week.

* Latin America: Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that “the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over” but does U.S. policy reflect his declaration?

* Haiti: Haiti's Health Minister said that her country has not received the funds promised by international donors in order to combat a deadly cholera outbreak.

* Mexico: According to new government data, Mexico’s gross domestic product grew by 1.2% in the first nine months of 2013 and is expected to continue rising this year.

Video Source – YouTube via The Daily Conservation (“Arturo Sandoval's performance at the 2013 Medal of Freedom Awards Dinner at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.”)

Online Sources- Fox News Latino; UPI; LAHT; Xinhua

Daily Headlines: October 9, 2013

* Argentina: The spokesman for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said that she is “in good spirits” and recovering at a Buenos Aires hospital after undergoing a surgery yesterday to remove a blood clot from her brain.

* Brazil: “Anarchist groups” were blamed for causing violence during a mass protest in Rio de Janeiro that was one of the biggest since nationwide demonstrations were held in June.

* Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro said that he would seek decree powers from the legislature in order to combat “corrupt people and saboteurs of the national economy.”

* Haiti: Attorneys for victims of a major cholera epidemic that first hit Haiti three years ago have filed a lawsuit seeking compensation from the U.N.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews (Supporters of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez gathered outside of a Buenos Aires hospital prior to undergoing brain surgery yesterday).
 
Online Sources- Reuters; The Latin Americanst; The Guardian; Huffington Post; BBC News

Daily Headlines: August 28, 2013

* Caribbean: Cuba officials reported 163 new cholera cases on the island this year while there has been a recent spike in the number of people infected by cholera in the Dominican Republic.

* Brazil: Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota resigned from his post after he admitted that he helped smuggle a Bolivian opposition figure into Brazil.

* U.S.: According to a new Gallup poll Latinos have shifted their approval of U.S. President Barack Obama more than non-Hispanic whites and blacks.

* Mexico: President Enrique Peña Nieto introduced a new security plan that includes creating a militarized police force with thousands of officers.

Video Source – YouTube via CNN

Online Sources- Miami Herald; Prensa Latina; Fox News Latino; Businessweek; Reuters

Daily Headlines: March 20, 2013

* Brazil: At least 24 people are dead after heavy rainfall led to several landslides in the mountains above Rio de Janeiro.

* Cuba: Dissident blogger Yoaní Sanchez called for the end of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba that she said was used by the Castro administration as a scapegoat for the island’s economic woes.

* Colombia: Representatives for the FARC guerillas urged the Colombian government to “demilitarize” rural areas and pay reparations to the poor.

* Haiti: A recent report from Doctors Without Borders found that a “lack of funds and supplies” have caused "unnecessary deaths" from cholera.

Video Source – YouTube via ITN

Online Sources- GlobalPost, Foreign Policy Passport, Reuters, Doctors Without Borders

Daily Headlines: February 22, 2013

* Brazil: Former environment minister and presidential candidate Marina Silva launched a new political group “seeking to break the monopoly of traditional political parties.”

* Cuba: Will the U.S. State Department soon remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism?
 
* Haiti: The U.N. rejected compensating victims of a cholera outbreak that killed thousands in Haiti.

* Mexico: U.S.-based Cargill reached a settlement regarding a free trade dispute with Mexico.

Video Source – YouTube via user TEDxTalks

Online Sources- Mercopress, Miami Herald, BBC News, NBC News

Daily Headlines: January 16, 2013

* Chile: Members of the indigenous Rapa Nui community may reportedly seek to declare independence for Easter Island from Chile.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan Official Gazette published a decree signed by President Hugo Chavez hours after Vice President Nicolas Maduro alleged that the ailing leader was “making progress” in his recovery. 
     
* Cuba: Authorities in Cuba claimed to have “contained” a cholera outbreak that has infected at least fifty-one people.

* U.S.: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar became the second Latino member of the Obama cabinet to resign over the past several days.

Video Source – YouTube via UNESCO

Online Sources- euronews, The Latin Americanist, The Guardian, Bloomberg, ABC News

Daily Headlines: December 13, 2012

* Mexico: Mexicans worldwide including millions of pilgrims who traveled to the Basilica of Tepeyac in Mexico City celebrated the annual Virgin of Guadalupe festivities on Wednesday.

* Haiti: The U.N. launched a $2.2 billion plan aimed at curbing a cholera outbreak that has killed over 7700 people since October 2010.

* Honduras: Four Supreme Court judges were dismissed in a “judicial coup” by a legislature controlled by political parties allied with President Porfirio Lobo.

* Colombia: Human rights groups blasted Congress for approving a proposal that would reportedly “give military courts greater jurisdiction over crimes committed by armed forces members.”

Video Source – YouTube via user Cadena3Noticias

Online Sources- Huffington Post, Businessweek, Bloomberg, ABC News

Daily Headlines: October 9, 2012

* Caribbean: Health officials in the neighboring countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic agreed to working on a campaign aimed at eliminating cholera by 2022.
 
* U.S.: In the race for the White House, Mitt Romney may have closed the gap in the polls but the latest Latino Decisions tracking poll showed that President Barack Obama maintains a massive 52% lead over his Republican rival.

* Latin America: The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecasts for Latin America and the Caribbean due to the possibility of a continued weakening global economy.

* Paraguay: Are members of the Mercosur bloc reconsidering the suspension placed against Paraguay weeks after the ouster of then-President Fernando Lugo?
 
Video Source – YouTube via user newsntn24 (Video uploaded in May 2011).

Online Sources- ABC News, Businessweek, Latino Decisions, Reuters, UPI

Daily Headlines: July 16, 2012

* Honduras: A radio reporter shot and killed while on vacation became the twenty-first journalist killed in Honduras since the ouster of president Manuel Zelaya in June 2009.

* Brazil: Why have the bodies of over five hundred penguins washed up on beaches of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul?

* Cuba: According to Cuban health officials a cholera outbreak that killed three people has been contained and weakening.

* Guatemala: A Guatemalan court reportedly granted the early release of a former colonel sentenced to twenty years in prison for the 1998 murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi.

Video Source– YouTube via The VJ Movement (Video posted to YouTube in March 2011).

Online Sources- The Sun Daily, The Telegraph, Fox News Latino, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: July 9, 2012

Note: Unfortunately blogging will be very light today. Therefore, we’re posting an extended edition of our daily headlines from around the Americas.

* Peru: Tensions remain high in the Cajamarca region where five people died during protests against the multi-billion dollar Conga gold mining project.

* Mexico: Despite accusations of vote-buying and electoral fraud Enrique Peña Nieto is expected to soon be officially declared the winner of Mexico’s recent presidential election.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez and opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles have accused each other’s campaigns of provoking violence.

* Latin America: According to a newly released United Nations report approximately one-third of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean live in poverty.

Daily Headlines: July 5, 2012

* Latin America: Representatives at the International Whaling Commission meeting this week in Panama approved the expansion of whaling quotas to St Vincent & the Grenadines and rejected a South American-backed plan to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.

* Cuba: At least three people died in Cuba due to a recent cholera outbreak allegedly caused by contaminated well water.

* U.S.: The League of United Latin American Citizens backed a resolution supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage.

* Mexico: U.S. officers handed over to Mexican authorities suspected La Familia drug gang operative Anel Violeta Noriega Rios "La Bonita".

Video Source – YouTube via teleSUR English

Online Sources- CNN, BBC News, Reuters, Jamaica Observer, Fox News Latino