Daily Headlines: October 27, 2014

* Dominican Republic: Top St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras and his 18-year-old girlfriend died in a car crash yesterday near the ballplayer’s hometown in the Dominican Republic.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan government backed down from plans to sell Citgo, which is valued at approximately $10 billion.

* Ecuador: A 22-year-old Ecudoran woman became the second person to die from an attack last Wednesday in the Israeli capital city of Jerusalem.

* Colombia: A U.S. federal judge last week sentenced a FARC commander to 27 years in prison for his role in the 2003 kidnapping of three U.S. citizens in Colombia.

Video Source – MLB via YouTube (Oscar Taveras followed his first rookie season in the majors by going 3-for-7 in the postseason including hitting a game-tying home run in the National League Championship Series).

Online Sources – SI.com; Bloomberg; NDTV; LAHT

Daily Headlines: December 14, 2011

* Central America: Are pesticides and herbicides causing a “major epidemic” of chronic kidney disease throughout Central America?

* Haiti: Politicians and human rights activists in Brazil expressed their concern over a possible “humanitarian crisis” due to an influx of Haitian migrants.

* Venezuela: Citgo, which is owned by the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s PDVSA, will resume a program providing heating oil to low-income U.S. families.

* Argentina: Prosecutors in the U.S. accused eight former Siemens executives of paying over $100 million in bribes to the Argentine government during a ten-year period.

Image Source – Flickr via JoePhoto (“Taken on the outskirts of Chichicastenango” in Guatemala.) (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources – PRI’s The World, El Universal, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters

Venezuela to return island to the U.S. (updated)

Update:

Apparently Gov. Corazine skipped appearing at the handover ceremony due to fears over being labeled as a "socialist." (Link via FP Passport).

Original Post:

The Venezuelan government will give back an island near Philadelphia that had been used as an oil storage facility.

Petty's Island – a 300-acre island in the Delaware River- will be transferred from Citgo to the government of New Jersey for use as a wildlife sanctuary. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced the move at last week’s Summit of the Americas as a gesture in favor of environmental conservation.

In a news release issued on Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine welcomed Citgo’s decision:

"Earth Day is a fitting time to consummate the donation of this special place," Corzine said in the news release. "Petty's Island has become an important home to bald eagles, kestrels and a wide variety of waterfowl. We are opening a new chapter in the island's long history by restoring it and giving it back to nature and the people of New Jersey."

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection must certify that Citgo's cleanup of the island has met state standards before the title can be transferred, the news release said.

According to Corazine, Citgo pledged to create a $2 million fund for the Natural Lands Trust to manage the island which is home to endangered black-crowned night herons and a pair of bald eagles.

Image- New York Times (2005 photo of Petty's Island is with the Philadelphia skyline in the background).
Online Sources- FOX News, CNN, BBC News

Alaska to get cheap Venezuelan oil

Despite the falling price of oil, Venezuela’s government has continued to provide low-cost heating oil to the U.S. The program had been suspended in January after three years of selling inexpensive heating oil though it will be renewed. The latest area to receive help is, ironically, the oil-rich state of Alaska:

Millions of dollars in free heating fuel will flow through Alaska villages early next month courtesy of a controversial giveaway program paid for by the Venezuelan government.

The sooner the better, say many villagers and rural nonprofits who appear more concerned about their towering energy bills than international politics.

"The whole town, we've been waiting all winter," said Margaret Schaeffer of Kiana, an Inupiat village of about 380 people where heating fuel costs $6.64 a gallon.

The program is run by CITGO which is owned by Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA. Critics of the plan allege that it’s all a “political ploy” and propaganda run by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. (“Mister Danger” may be out of the White House, for instance, though that hasn’t stopped Chavez criticism of the U.S. government).

To some Alaskan community leaders, however, the program has helped defray expensive heating costs especially in light of the current recession. “Some have written thank-you notes for last year’s free fuel, saying things like the program ‘saved me money so it was the first year I was able to purchase extra fishing nets’” mentioned Alaska Inter-Tribal Council director Brad Garness in one local daily.

Image- Marketplace
Online Sources- adn.com, newsminer.com, The Latin Americanist, IHT

Daily Headlines: January 30, 2009

* Venezuela: Venezuelan-owned oil firm Citgo resumed shipments of free heating oil in the U.S. yesterday with a delivery to a shelter.

* Mexico: More bad news for the Mexican economy – Volkswagen will lay off 800 workers at its Puebla plant.

* Bolivia: The last Drug Enforcement Administration agent departed Bolivia months after the entire operation was ordered to leave.

* Chilean: A local appeals court upheld the life sentences against Manuel Contreras- the intelligence chief under the Pinochet dictatorship who was convicted in June 2008.

Image- daylife.com (“Felix Rodriguez, CITGO president and CEO climbs out of a heating oil truck during a ceremony in which a homeowner receives discounted heating oil as part of the CITGO-Venezuela heating oil program, in partnership with Citizens Energy Corporation, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, Los Angeles Times, IHT, BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: January 8, 2009

* Colombia: Thin-skinned execs at the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation are planning a multimillion dollar lawsuit against cartoonist Mike Peters for the above comic strip.

* Venezuela: The country’s state-run oil firm PDVSA announced that it would reverse a decision which would’ve halted a program supplying cheap heating oil to underprivileged U.S. neighborhoods.

* Dominican Republic: Officials in Haiti are none too pleased with their neighbors after the deportation of over 500 Haitians seeking refuge in a Dominican church.

* Ecuador: Legislators in Ecuador condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza and called them “crimes against humanity.”

Image- Colombia Reports
Online Sources- Dominican Today, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, Ynetnews, AP

Giuliani blasts Chavez, defends Venezuelan lobbying links

In a speech to The Latino Coalition yesterday, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani deemed Hugo Chavez as a “dangerous” leader who would have “little power” if it weren’t for oil revenues. However, the former New York City mayor echoed previous statements defending his law firm’s ties to Citgo, which is controlled by Venezuela’s state-run oil company.

In the same speech, Giuliani rejected claims that he has taken a more right-wing stance on immigration compared to his time as mayor. According to NBC's Carrie Dann, Giuliani was:

“careful to portray the immigration debate through the prism of national security -- his strongest issue by far”.

Links- Guardian UK, Newsday, The Latin Americanist, New York Sun, New York Daily News, MSNBC- First Read

Image- FOX News