Daily Headlines: April 15, 2014

* Brazil: According to a researcher from Brazil, the obesity rate among children in that South American country is an “extremely high” 39%.
 
* Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rican Supreme Court struck down a teacher pension reform law that the commonwealth's government said was necessary in order to improve the island’s woeful economy.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan officials claimed that there was no political motive behind the kidnapping of TV news network Globovision journalist Nairobi Pinto who was freed eight days after she was her abducted in Caracas.

* Cuba: For the first time since 1983, France’s foreign minister visited Cuba and reportedly discussed with President Raul Castro ways to “push forward our relations in the areas of culture, education, economics and politics.”

Video Source – AFP via YouTube (“Brazil is known as home of the perfect beach body - but in reality, 48% of the population is overweight and 16% obese, a rise of 5 percentage points in just five years. At the current rate, the average Brazilian could soon be heavier than the average American.”)
 
Online Sources – Voice of America; GlobalPost; Fox News Latino; Reuters

Daily Headlines: March 29, 2012

* Brazil: Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he will return to politics after being told by doctors that his larynx cancer is in “complete remission.”

* Venezuela: The head of the Venezuelan telecom agency is taking legal action in order to force Globovision to pay a $2.1 million fine.

* El Salvador: President Mauricio Funes rejected allegations that the government was involved in an alleged truce between the Mara Salvatruchas and Mara 18 gangs.

* U.S.: Documents from the National Organization for Marriage showed how the group tried to campaign for Latino support against gay marriage.

Image Source – Flickr via Dilma Rousseff (Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with his successor, Dilma Rousseff, in this December 2011 photo). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- LAHT, El Universal, CNN, NPR

Daily Headlines: July 24, 2009

* Bolivia: The nationalization of the country's oil and gas sectors has been completed according to the interim president of state-owned oil firm YPFB.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan judge who claimed that she was illegally removed from overseeing the case against the president of Globovision presented her complaint to senior judicial officials.

* U.S.: Why are immigration authorities considering deporting a 13-year-old boy to Guatemala despite his being born in the U.S.?

* Mexico: Officials grounded seven discount airliners for breaking safety codes and not paying government fees on time.

Image- LAHT
Online Sources- Xinhua, LAHT, The Latin Americanist, Houston Chronicle, UPI

Judge in Globovision Case Fired

Alicia Torres, the judge that was handling the case against Venezuela's Globovision television network, was fired on Monday.

Torres said that last week she was pressured by a superior to rule that Guillermo Zuloaga, president of Globovision, should be prohibited from leaving the country. She called her removal illegal and vowed to fight the decision.

Zuloaga faces charges of usury and conspiracy to commit a crime after 24 new cars were recently found on his property. Zuloaga maintains that the charges are politically driven.

Online sources-Associated Press, El Universal, The Latin Americanist

Image credit- El Universal

Weekend Headlines: June 6, 2009

* Cuba: A retired State Department official and his wife were arrested on Friday and accused of spying for Cuba during almost 30 years.

* Mexico: Tragedy in Mexico where at least 29 children died when a fire blazed through a daycare center.

* Venezuela: In the latest action taken against anti-government news channel Globovision, Venezuelan authorities ordered the network pay $2.3 million in back taxes.

* Guatemala: Much like in Peru (but without the violence), hundreds of protestors in Guatemala have blocked roads and demanded more social aid from the government.

Image- CNN
Online Sources- LAHT, BBC News, New York Daily News, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK

Venezuelan Police Raid TV President's Office

On Thursday night, Venezuelan intelligence police raided the office of Guillermo Zuloaga, president of the Globovision television network, the New York Times reported.  Globovision is widely seen as an opposition network and has been under attack by the government recently for its reporting on an earthquake a few weeks ago.

The raid came after the government became aware of 24 Toyotas belonging to Zuloaga that were stored on a property located in the eastern part of the country.  Zuloaga maintains that the cars were moved there for safekeeping following a robbery at the dealership he owns.  "I don't know if they're trying to find something to try to shut me up.  They won't shut us up," Zuloaga told reporters.

Online sources: New York Times, Associated Press, The Latin Americanist

Image credit: inrealtimemedia.com

Chavez Threatens Media Outlet

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is threatening to shut down the television station Globovision for announcing an earthquake in the country before the government. He has stated that they caused unnecessary panic and accused the station of "media terrorism", according to the AFP. ''You are playing with fire, manipulating, inciting hate and much more. All of you: television networks, radio stations, papers,'' President Chávez said. "Don't make a mistake with me.''

''They are trying to shut us because we gave good information before they did,'' Alberto Ravelli, Globovision's general manager, told the Miami Herald. `"This is crazy. They don't want any information on the air inside or outside of the country on what's really happening.''

Image: Miami Herald
Online sources: AFP, Miami Herald