Daily Headlines: July 4, 2013

* Central America: Four Central American countries - Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador – have issued health alerts over an outbreak of dengue fever that has killed at least seventeen people in the region this year.

* Peru: Two private building companies have been blamed for the leveling of the 5000-year-old El Paraiso pyramid near the capital city of Lima.

* Argentina: Did the Argentine government provide up to 100 tons of “yellowcake” uranium to Israel for its nuclear arms program in the 1960s?

* Venezuela: Changes were made to Venezuela’s currency exchange system in order to increase the flow of U.S. dollars into the country.

Video Source – YouTube via Prensa Latina
 
Online Sources- AFP; io9; Reuters; Jerusalem Post

Frenemies?

Relations between the US and Brazil are somewhat, well, weird. These days, Brazil is growing like wildfire, and as should be expected, it intends to make sure its economic rise is coupled with a more important place on the world stage. But power is in many ways a zero-sum game, and Brazil's gains inevitably come as the expense of the United States.

Yet there doesn't seem to be much animosity, either historical or current. Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a pragmatic center-left leader, as is Obama. And unlike many, Lula didn't seem to have too much difficulty getting along with Bush, either (they bonded over having ranches).

A good case in point is Lula's arrival to DC today for President Obama's "Nuclear Security Summit." (BTW, one fun note is to think about all the shenanigans that will be going down when 46 country delegations converge on DC--PARTY!!!!)

Lula's firm stance against Iran sanctions have been a thorn in the US' side. And his statement today that it's “understandable” that Iran wants atomic weapons because it feels threatened by Pakistan and Israel is exactly the opposite of what the US and Europeans who are pressing for Iran sanctions wanted to hear.

Add to this the less strategically important brush-up over the Honduran crisis, and you would expect things to be pretty rocky between Washington and Brasilia. Yet....they're not really. On the same day that Lula made his comments, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim met with Robert Gates at the Pentagon and the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement.

With China now seemingly leaning towards sanctions, and since Brazil can't veto the actions of the five major Security Council members, Brazil's position becomes somewhat moot. And so, I guess the occasional friendly head butting can go on without much damage.

Online Sources: Foreign Policy, Americas Quarterly, AFP, True/Slant, BBC, Business Week, Alertnet

Image Source: New York Botanical Garden (nybg.org)

Bolivia, Venezuela in Iranian nuclear dealings?

It’s no secret that Iran has increased its political and economic influence with several countries in South America. (Much to the chagrin and ire of the U.S. State Department). Yet an Israeli report leaked to the press alleges that Venezuela and Bolivia have gone too far and sold uranium to Iran.

"There are reports that Venezuela supplies Iran with uranium for its nuclear program…Bolivia also supplies uranium to Iran," according to a Foreign Ministry document cited by the mainstream media. If the allegations are true then it would mark the first time either country has been linked to Iran’s much-maligned nuclear enrichment program.

Bolivia’s government responded to the allegations with a strong denial:

Bolivia denied supplying uranium to Iran for its nuclear program, saying Tuesday it has never produced the metallic element, a key ingredient for nuclear energy and weapons.

Mining Minister Luis Alberto Echazu dismissed allegations in a secret Israeli government report, saying "there isn't even a geological study (of uranium deposits), much less export" of uranium to another country…

Bolivia has some uranium deposits but they aren't being exploited, said mining director Freddy Beltran, a subordinate of the mining minister who handles technical issues. His comments were published Tuesday by the Bolivian daily La Razon.

Venezuela’s government has yet to reply to the Israeli paper despite the additional accusation that Hezbollah has established cells in northern Venezuela and on Margarita Island.

The document was released not-so-coincidentally one week before Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is scheduled to attend the Organization of American States general assembly in Honduras.

Image- BBC News (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)
Online Sources- CNN, AFP, AP, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: December, 6, 2007

Note: Apologies for the late headlines today.

* The Police drummer Stewart Copeland to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet: sorry for calling you way uglier than Argentine president-elect Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

* Venezuela is not a nuclear threat despite closer ties to Iran, said the International Atomic Energy Agency’s chief.

* Is the murder of a Mexican police chief related to the recent discovery of a cross-border drug smuggling tunnel?

* Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to attend the Mercosur economic bloc’s summit later this month.

* Follow-up: A judge approved a settlement in a custody dispute involving a five-year-old girl’s Cuban biological father and her U.S. foster family.

Sources- Reuters Canada, Houston Chronicle, The Latin Americanist, SignOnSanDiego.com, Associated Press, International Herald Tribune

Image- The Telegraph

U.S. legislators upset with Chavez nuclear plan

A pair of Floridian congressmen has expressed their worry over Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's plans to develop a nuclear energy program. According to an article from the Associated Press:

(Representative Connie) Mack, a Republican, said Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's “dangerous alliance, and their desire to develop nuclear technology, should cause great alarm for the United States and its allies in the region.” He added: “It's imperative that our allies around the world unite to prevent Chavez from gaining access to new nuclear technology.”

“This new development of cooperation between Iran and Venezuela is too close to home,” said (Representative Ron) Klein, a Democrat.

Chavez remarked that his country will develop a nuclear energy program during an interview with French television last week. “Venezuela will also begin developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as Brazil and Argentina are doing” added Chavez during the interview which aired last Thursday.

Image- Telegraph.co.uk

Sources- International Herald Tribune, ABC Online, earthtimes.org

Is Brazil seeking nuclear weapons?

In a press conference yesterday, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim rejected allegations that the government wants to build nuclear weapons. Brazil’s plans “aren't for a nuclear bomb, that's just nonsense,” said Jobim which contradicted a Brazilian General who said that nuclear weapons would be necessary.

However, Jobim justified the need to launch a nuclear submarine based on the recent discovery of a massive offshore oil field:

"When you have a large natural source of wealth discovered in the Atlantic, it's obvious you need the means to protect it," Nelson Jobim said Thursday at a defense conference in Rio de Janeiro.

A Council on Hemispheric Affairs report published last month criticized Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva for wanting to build a “trophy military weapon”.

Image- BBC News

Sources- Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist, Associated Press

Daily Headlines: August 30, 2007

* 2005: Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona traveled to Colombia for gastric bypass surgery. Friday: Maradona will arrive in Colombia for cosmetic dental surgery.

* Brazil’s government issued a text detailing the crimes and human rights abuses committed under military rule from 1964 to 1985.

* A volcano erupted yesterday on an uninhabited area of the Galapagos Islands.

* Could the use of nuclear power spread across Latin America?

* One of Costa Rica’s most vital reefs is being decimated by algae caused by untreated sewage and other trash dumped into the sea.

Sources- BBC Sport, Xinhua, MarketWatch, Reuters AlertNet, People’s Daily Online, BBC News

Image- SI.com (Diego Maradona cheering from the stands during the 2006 World Cup)