Daily Headlines: September 22, 2016

* Puerto Rico: An estimated 1.5 million Puerto Rican customers remain without power following a blackout that first began on Wednesday afternoon.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan electoral officials announced that the recall referendum of President Nicolas Maduro would likely be held sometime in the first three months of next year.

* Brazil: Andrew Mackenzie, the CEO of BHP Billiton, had his salary slashed in half after the mining giant suffered a massive annual loss partly due to the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil.

* Chile: Chile could become the next Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage.

YouTube Source – euronews 

Online Sources – CNN, Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg

Mexican Boy Blocks Anti-Gay Rights March

The actions of a child at a protest against gay rights and same sex marriage in Mexico over the weekend has reportedly become viral.

Foto de niño bloqueando protesta anti gay en Guanajuato, #México se vuelve viralhttps://t.co/ihZ8qwYc7f pic.twitter.com/TofksecuCQ

— Noticias Telemundo (@TelemundoNews) September 12, 2016

In the image, the boy stands alone in the middle of the street with his arms outstretched in front of the multitude of protesters. He seemingly halts the demonstration including the police escort ahead of it.

Nationwide marches organized by the Frente Nacional por la Familia organization were held last Saturday across Mexico including the city of Celaya in Guanajuato where local newspaper photographer Manuel Rodriguez took the photo.

The image was not placed online by the publication Rodriguez works for but instead by an online news site via their Facebook page. The snapshot included the caption “I was nauseous by the sight of so much homophobia but I’ll stick with the image of a boy 'stopping' the protesters.”

Since the photo became more widespread via social media, Rodriguez has been accused of doctoring the image for political purposes or career advancement. Both accusations have been steadfastly denied by the photog who explained to Buzzfeed Mexico how he was placed on an elevated pedestrian crossing when the child ran on to the street and the image was taken.

Daily Headlines: May 18, 2016

* Dominican Republic: Luis Abinader conceded Sunday’s president election to Danilo Medina but not before blasting the policies of the incumbent and denouncing problems at voting stations.

* South America: The Paraguayan Congress is considering a bill to help combat a recent surge in femicides, while lawyers for the Bogota, Colombia government have come under fire for blaming the female victim of having been raped and killed in a 2012 murder.

* Argentina: Monsanto will reportedly “suspend future soybean technologies” as part of a dispute with the Argentine government and framers of genetically modified soybeans.

* Mexico: President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed expanding the legalization of same-sex marriages from a few locations like Mexico City to the entire Mexican nation.

YouTube Source – euronews

Online Sources – ABC News, teleSUR English, Colombia Reports, Reuters, The Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: April 29, 2016

* Colombia: Colombia became the fourth Latin American state to legalize same-sex marriage following a series of recent rulings by the country’s Constitutional Court.

* Peru: Polls have placed Keiko Fujimori back as the favorite in June’s presidential race even though she faces stiff competition from rival Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, controversy over the authorities rule of her ex-president father and a new spat with her congressman brother.

* Mexico: A Mexican general received the stiffest punishment against a senior military official after a court sentenced him to 52.5 years in prison for torture.

* Cuba: The Cuban government ruled out eliminating a ban on defectors from playing with the national baseball team despite improving ties between the island and the U.S.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English
 
Online Sources – Deutsche Welle, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, ABC News

Colombian High Court Continues Push to Expand Gay Rights

Thus far Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay were the only three Latin American states to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. Colombia could soon be added to that list depending on the actions of the country’s Constitutional Court (CC).

According to reports from the Colombian press, CC judge Alberto Rojas Ríos is planning to introduce for debate a project that would recognize same sex marriages. The measure would also reaffirm an April 7th high court decision stating that marriage doesn’t apply exclusively to unions between men and women, and established a path that would allow Congress to legalize same sex marriage.

Rojas’ project argues that the decision last week is constitutional and based on a 2011 CC edict recognizing homosexual couples as a family and ordered the legislature to create rules to ensure the non-discrimination of civil unions for gay and heterosexual couples. Congress failed to do so, however, which led to confusion starting in 2013 among public notaries designating civil unions as marriages or refusing to do so.

One of the main points for debate in the plan by Rojas is interpreting marriage, be it by couples of the same or different sex, as “fundamental right” based on the constitution allowing for the right to create a family. Doing so would not only grant greater leeway for Congress to reform marriage laws but also recognize marriage as beyond the religious framework exclusively as a method to facilitate procreation.

Additionally, the project would contend that the CC must guarantee the basic rights of gay Colombians taking into account twenty-one legislative bills on the subject of same-sex marriage. The document would also support gay marriage based on the continued jurisprudence by the high court in favor of protecting the rights of minority groups.

Daily Headlines: April 1, 2016

* Peru: The archbishop of Arequipa has come under fire after he claimed that presidential candidates Alfredo Barnechea and Veronika Mendoza should be barred from running due to their support of abortion and same-sex marriage.

* Brazil: George Hilton resigned as Brazil’s sports minister roughly four months prior to the Rio Olympics, while Cuban defector Orlando Ortega will be unable to compete at Rio due to residency issues.

* Latin America: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization an average of 348,000 tons of food are wasted each day in Latin America, which could feed some 300 million people.

* U.S.: A recent study found that Latinos in the U.S. including those who are native-born have opted to reside away from states that have enacted harsh anti-immigration measures over the past decade.

YouTube Source – Ruptly TV (Mass protests for and against the right to choose have been held in Peru over the last few months).

Online Sources – phys.org, teleSUR English, PRI, Fox News Latino, SBS

Daily Headlines: March 10, 2016 (Updated)

* Peru: Keiko Fujimori’s path to the Peruvian presidency (and possibly pardoning her imprisoned ex-presidential father, Alberto) became a lot easier after electoral officials disqualified her main rival.

Update: The Organization of American States expressed concern over the ruling against Julio Guzman and will send an observer mission ahead of the April 10th election.

* Cuba: U.S. book publishing industry representatives signed a petition urging the White House to eliminate the Cuba trade embargo for texts and educational materials.

* Puerto Rico: A U.S. District Court judge upheld Puerto Rico’s ban on same-sex marriage and claimed that the 2015 Supreme Court ruling overturning gay marriage prohibition does not apply to the commonwealth.

* El Salvador: Salvadoran officials are considering declaring a “state of exception” in order to combat violence though critics believe such a measure is illegal and an abuse of authority.

YouTube Source – CCTV English

Online Sources including Update – ABC News, Publishers Weekly, NBC News, InSight Crime

Daily Headlines: January 27, 2016

* Brazil: Brazil suffered the biggest drop in the latest Transparency International corruption perceptions index while most Latin American countries did not rank highly on the list.

* Argentina: Argentina may have one of the world’s largest cattle populations but high inflation may force the country to import its beef.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered oil minister Eulogio del Pino to visit oil-producing countries with the possibly futile aim of “stopping the madness” that is plummeting crude prices.

* Mexico: The Mexican state of Jalisco has become the latest territory in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage.

YouTube Source – AFP (Last August, “hundreds of thousands of protesters demand Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's resignation, blaming her and the leftist Workers' Party for runaway corruption and looming recession in Latin America's biggest country”.)
 
Online Sources – Reuters, ABC News, Financial Times, PRI

Daily Headlines: July 2, 2015

* Cuba: U.S. President Barack Obama called on Congress to drop the trade embargo against Cuba as both countries fully reestablished diplomatic ties for the first time since 1961.

* Mexico: Mexican Supreme Court judge Olga Sanchez urged legislature in 29 of the 31 states banning gay marriage to overturn their restrictions.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan and U.S. representatives have reportedly undergone “quiet” negotiations since March in order to improve years of bitter relations.

* Argentina: Are comparisons between the current financial quagmire in Greece and Argentina's default in 2001 constructive or inappropriate? 

YouTube Source – Associated Press

Online Sources – Bloomberg, The Guardian, BBC News, Reuters

Daily Headlines: June 30, 2015

* Latin America: Pope Francis expressed enthusiasm for his planned visit to three South American countries next month, while the Vatican released details of the Argentine-born pontiff’s trips to the U.S. and Cuba in September.

* U.S.: The U.S. has surpassed Spain to become the world’s second largest Spanish-speaking country according to a new study from the Instituto Cervantes.

* Argentina: British officials slammed the Argentine government after a judge ruled against foreign oil firms drilling near the disputed Falkland Islands.

* Colombia: “Equality is unstoppable and equality also will come to Colombia,” declared Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo as he called on the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriages.

YouTube Source – teleSUR English

Online Sources – Catholic Culture, NBC News, The Guardian, Reuters, Washington Post

Daily Headlines: February 28, 2014

* Argentina: Two gay men from Russia legally married in Argentina as part of a campaign by some LGBT activists “who want Argentina to become a refuge for Russians and other nationalities who fear persecution at home because of their sexual orientation”.

* Cuba: “The struggle continues, long live a free Cuba” were allegedly the last words of Cuban revolutionary turned anti-Castro activist Huber Matos before he died yesterday.

* U.S.: President Barack Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper program aimed at preventing black and Latino youth from falling into social problems in adulthood like drug use and incarceration.

* Brazil: According to new government data the Brazilian economy grew by 2.3% last year, which represents a 1.3% increase compared to 2012.

Video Source – Reuters via YouTube

Online Sources- Miami Herald; Reuters; Sydney Morning Herald; LAHT

Weekend Headlines: August 24-25, 2013

* Latin America: Uruguay held its first legal same-sex marriage on Thursday while a few fans of Brazilian soccer team Corinthians insulted Emerson over a photo of him kissing another man.

* Colombia: Months-long peace talks between Colombian government and FARC rebels were “paused” by the rebels after the country’s president recently proposed a national referendum.

* Brazil: The Brazilian real rebounded in trading on Friday after the central bank announced a $60 billion currency intervention plan that includes swaps and loans.

* Puerto Rico: Dozens of people were arrested in Puerto Rico and accused of committing widespread fraud of the Social Security Disability Insurance program.

Video Source – YouTube via user SubrayadoHD
 
Online Sources- On Top Magazine; ABC News; euronews; Bloomberg; Reuters

Daily Headlines: July 9, 2013

* Mexico: Mexico has become the world’s fattest industrialized nation according to several estimates including a report released last month from the World Health Organization.

* Costa Rica: A reform to Costa Rica 's Young Persons Law could mean that gay marriage is legal though it remains to be seen if the courts will overturn it.

* Argentina: Several U.S. legislators are upset that the Argentine government will not allow a special prosecutor investigating the 1994 AMIA bombing to testify in front of a Congressional committee.

* Colombia: Suspected drug lord Daniel "El Loco" Barrera was extradited this morning from Colombia to the U.S. where he faces trial in New York and Florida.

Video Source – YouTube via Deutsche Welle 

Online Sources- New York Daily News; MercoPress; ABC News; Tico Times

Brazil: Congressional Panel Backs “Gay Cure” Therapy Bill

Tensions remain high in Brazil where President Dilma Rousseff was expected to meet with organizers of protests regarding issues like public spending and transportation improvements.  While the demonstrations took place in major cities throughout the country, a congressional panel quietly gave the go ahead to a controversial proposal.

Last week the Chamber of Deputies commission on human rights approved a bill that would remove a fourteen-year-old ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for gays and lesbians.  Therefore, the “gay cure” bill would permit psychologists to “treat” homosexuality as an illness.

The panel is headed by evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano who reportedly tried to put the "gay cure" initiative before the commission but failed.  Commission members eventually approved the bill amid a low turnout. 
Feliciano has come under fire for referring to AIDS a "gay cancer" in a tweet and for claiming that John Lennon's murder in 1980 was “divine retribution” for saying the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ.

The proposal could be sunk, as other committees must debate it before going to the full Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for votes.  Nevertheless, the bill is symbolic of the growing political clout among evangelical Christians who make up approximately one-quarter of the Brazilian population.  This has not gone unnoticed by Rousseff who appointed an evangelical bishop to her cabinet though her choice could be seen as an example of the government corruption demonstrators have been criticizing about:

Daily Headlines: May 15, 2013

* Mexico: The Cinderella story of Mexican soccer team Xolos de Tijuana continues following their surprising qualification to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals.

* Brazil: Brazil could soon become the latest Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage after a judicial panel ruled that gay couples can receive marriage licenses.

* Costa Rica: President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica has come under fire after using a private plane owned by a Colombian oil company to travel to Peru and Venezuela.

* Caribbean: A rise in dengue favor cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has prompted British doctors to warn against travelling to parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

Video Source – YouTube via user FutbolAlRevesChannel
 
Online Sources- The Guardian; euronewsl France 24; Reuters

Colombian Congress Rejects Gay Marriage Bill

Colombian legislators today rejected a proposal that would have permitted same sex couples to marry.

In the 51-17 vote, legislators opted against the bill that was first introduced former Senate president Armando Benedetti last November.

 “The day that we are able to become a modern and progressive legislature is the day when we can start ending inequality and poverty in Colombia,” said Benedetti.

Voting on the bill had been delayed twice over the past week as tempers flared over the issue of gay rights.  On Tuesday senator Roberto Gerlein took to the floor to denounce what he deemed “the violence of the gay lobby” and allege, “Sex between homosexuals is scatological and purely recreational.”  (Last year he caused quite a stir when he declared that gay people have a smaller brain than heterosexuals and “homosexuality is a yoke placed by the bad luck of nature.”

In July 2011 the Colombian Constitutional Court granted a two-year window for Congress to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage. According to the court, if the deadline passes with no legislation, then same-sex couples will be able to formalize their unions before a notary public.  Yet it remains to be seen if notaries will be permitted to join same-sex couples after Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez recently claimed that civil unions between members of the same gender is illegal and unconstitutional.

While Gerlein and his cohorts view gay marriage as something to be repudiated and abhorred, for some gay couples in Colombia the issue is one of acceptance and having the same opportunities as straight pairs.  As was written in an article on a gay couple in Colombian daily El Pais:

Uruguayan Congress Approves Gay Marriage Bill

Uruguayan legislators overwhelmingly backed a proposal legalizing same-sex marriages and, as a result, may soon become the second Latin American country to permit such a practice.

The proposal was backed by 71 of 92 members of the lower house of Congress on Wednesday in a vote held days after the Senate approved the bill by a 23-8 vote.  It is expected to be signed into law within two weeks by President Jose Mujica.

"I agree that family is the basis of society but I also believe that love is the basis of family. And love is neither homosexual nor heterosexual," said opposition lawmaker Fernando Amado of the center-right Colorado Party according to Reuters.

Aside from permitting gay marriages, the Marriage Equality Law grants rights to same-sex couples that had formerly given exclusively to heterosexuals.   Under the proposal gay couples have the chance to choose the order of the surnames of the children they adopt and also permits those in same-sex relationships to undergo in-vitro fertilization procedures.

The plan further updates the 101-year-old law on divorce and increases the age of consent for sexual relations to 16 from the current 12 years old for girls and 14 for boys.

The plan was opposed by conservative elements including a few opposition legislators who voted against the proposal. Uruguay's Roman Catholic Church reportedly claimed that marriage equality is "not justice but an inconsistent assimilation that will only further weaken marriage."

Brazil's Supreme Court voted last year in favor of allowing same-sex couples the same legal rights as married heterosexuals.  It is in that country where a key lawmaker has come under fire for his homophobic remarks:

Daily Headlines: March 21, 2013

* Venezuela: The odds of a possible improvement in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have apparently gone from slim to practically none.

* Argentina: Pope Francis was publicly opposed to same-sex marriage while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires but was he privately in favor of gay civil unions?

* South America: Bolivia will replace Peru as one of the three South American host countries of the next edition of the Dakar Rally.

* Haiti: The U.N. Security Council called on Haiti’s political leaders to break as soon as possible a sixteen-month impasse and organize local elections.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- UN News Centre, euronews, New York Times, MercoPress

Daily Headlines: February 27, 2013

* El Salvador: A Salvadoran human rights group uncovered numerous cases of children stolen from their parents during the country’s bloody twelve-year civil war.

* South America: Diplomatic relations between Bolivia and Chile have become tenser as a result of a pair of recent border incidents.

* U.S.: Seventy-five Republicans including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez signed a letter supporting gay marriage.    

* Mexico: Police arrested Mexican teachers' union chief Elba Esther Gordillo on corruption charges days after the government passed a major educational reform law.

Video Source – YouTube via user WAVPfilms (” A documentary about the children abducted by the Salvadorian Army during the civil war, who were later sold to or adopted by parents all over the world”.)

Online Sources- GlobalPost, Newser, The Santiago Times, Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: December 12, 2012

* U.S.: Childhood obesity may be in decline in some parts of the U.S. but a report from the United Health Foundation found an increase in diabetes and obesity rates among Latino youth.

* Uruguay: The lower house of Congress overwhelmingly passed the Marriage Equality Law, a proposal that would legalize same-sex marriage.

* Brazil: Copa Libertadores winners Corinthians of Brazil advanced to the final of the Club World Cup where they’ll face European champions Chelsea of England or CONCACAF titleholders Monterrey of Mexico.

* Latin America: The economy of Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to grow at a strong 3.8% in 2013 according to U.N. estimates.

Video Source – YouTube via user besmartbewell

Online Sources- NBC Latino, Huffington Post, Salon, SI.com, Businessweek