Daily Headlines: October 17, 2011

* Nicaragua: According to Nicaraguan health officials at least 32 people have been infected with a new outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

* U.S.: At a Tea Party rally over the weekend presidential hopeful Herman Cain proposed building an electrified fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez threatened that planes suspected of transporting illegal drugs could be shot down by the Venezuelan military.

* Cuba: Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzon called for the end to the decades-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.

Image – Via Flickr user Guerry (The 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus first appeared in Mexico).

Online Sources- Solvision, Press TV, New York Times, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: March 24, 2011

* South America: At least 100 cases of the H1N1 virus (a.k.a. the swine flu) have been reported in Venezuela’s Merida state while an Argentine girl died after contracting dengue fever.

* Mexico: Mexican and Ecuadorian law enforcement officials conducted a number of raids and arrests aimed at weakening the Sinaloa drug gang.

* Cuba: The government released the last pair of political prisoners from a group of 75 dissidents detained in the infamous 2003 "Black Spring" crackdown.

* Brazil: Automakers like Volkswagen and Fiat are allegedly trying to boost production in order to satisfy Brazil’s rapidly growing car market.

Image – AFP/Getty via The Telegraph (Archived photo of people trying to protect themselves from the swine flu by wearing facial masks).
Online Sources- Univision.com, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Guardian, CNN

Daily Headlines: March 18, 2011

* Colombia: Colombia’s refugee crisis worsened with the displacement this month of over 800 mostly Afro-Colombian residents originally from the Pacific coast.

* Venezuela: One fatality has been reported as a result of a “resurgence” of the swine flu in Venezuela.

* Guatemala: A class action lawsuit was filed against the U.S. government in the name of a group of Guatemalans secretly infected with syphilis in the 1940s.

* Brazil: A French court has charged airplane manufacturer Airbus with manslaughter over the 2009 crash of Air France flight 447 off the Brazilian coast.

Image – AFP Photo / Inaldo Perez via Russia Today (Colombia has the world’s second-largest population of internal refugees).
Online Sources- CBS News, CNN, LAHT, Bloomberg

Chagas alert issued by WHO

It was around this time last year that the swine flu/H1N1 outbreak became front page news worldwide. The disease may have claimed the lives of thousands of people according to one estimate while focus was placed on Mexico due to its high level of cases.

The attention and resources mobilized in 2009 to combat swine flu/H1N1 distracted from other deadly yet underreported diseases throughout the Americas such as the dengue fever. More recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning to travelers regarding Chagas disease- an ailment that can become “potentially life-threatening.” An estimated 10 million people are infected worldwide, according to the WHO, especially in Latin America where the disease used to be contained.

Within the Americas several countries like Brazil, Chile and Uruguay have been active in trying to control spreading of Chagas. Nonetheless there have been outbreaks in recent years like in Venezuela, where the growth of Chagas infections has become a political talking point:

Chagas is increasing steadily in Venezuela, said Dr. Oscar Noya of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, who blamed human encroachment on the kissing bug’s environment. More worrying still is that the kissing bug appears to be adapting to human habitats, he said…

For critics of the government, the increase in cases of Chagas is not only a sign of neglect of a previously successful program of control through fumigation, but also an indicator that President Hugo Chavez’s socialist government’s assertion that it has dramatically reduced poverty is not as watertight as it claims.

While there is no vaccine for Chagas the parasite that carries it can be eradicated if diagnosed in its early stages.

Image- Anthropology Works
Online Sources- Wikipedia, BBC News, DNA, The Latin Americanist, WHO, El Mundo, scidev.net, Global Post

World Watch: Beauty is more than skin deep

* China: What would have been China’s first gay pageant was shutdown at the last minute by authorities who said that the event was not “properly licensed.”

* Ukraine: Eighteen candidates are contesting Ukraine’s presidential election this weekend; the first since the 2004 “Orange Revolution.”

* Russia: The country’s legislature backtracked from its strong opposition to the European Court of Human Rights.

* U.S.: According to government data up to 80 million people in the U.S. received the swine flu vaccine though that only represents roughly one of every five in the total population.

Image – BBC News
Online Sources- Guardiann UK, Xinhua, New York Times, Reuters

Today's Video: Swine Flu Hits Amazon

Seven members of the Yanomami tribe have died recently after contracting Swine Flu. With little resistance to outside diseases, health officials fear the disease could wreak havoc among the isolated tribe that lives in the jungle border area between Venezuela and Brazil.

One outstanding issue remains: if the tribe is so isolated, how did its members contract swine flu in the first place?



Online Source: Reuters

Weekend World Watch: Gesundheit

* U.S.: President Barack Obama has declared the swine flu a national emergency aimed at a possible surge in new cases.

* World: Several thousand demonstrations from hiking atop Antarctica’s tallest mountain to diving off the Great Barrier Reef were held in order to raise awareness on climate change.

* Palestine: Tensions have gone up between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas selected January 24th as Election Day.

* Africa: A U.N. report found that cell phone usage has boomed across Africa by a whopping 550% between 2003 and 2008.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- CNN, Voice of America, Guardian UK, Reuters

Daily Headlines: September 8, 2009

* Brazil: The presidents of France and Brazil issued a joint statement confirming Brazil’s over $2 billion deal to buy three dozen French-made jet fighters.

* Chile: In a shocking incident a heartbroken 26-year-old Chilean committed suicide as onlookers including his ex-girlfriend witnessed it via a live webcam.

* Ecuador: The head of security for President Rafael Correa died on Sunday after being ill for over a month with the swine flu.

* Cuba: More than twenty dissidents including the co-founder of the Ladies in White publicly backed the September 20th peace concert in Havana organized by Colombian musician Juanes.

Image- AP (“Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaks during the Independence Day parade, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sep. 7, 2009.”)
Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, LAHT, CNN

Daily Headlines: August 31, 2009

* Mexico: Another day, another case of a disabled U.S. citizen getting inadvertently deported to Mexico.

* Latin America: Colombian president Alvaro Uribe joins his Costa Rican counterpart Oscar Arias as the latest regional leader to get the swine flu.

* Puerto Rico: How bad is Puerto Rico’s economy? The pay gap between the island and the rest of the U.S. has nearly doubled according to recent figures.

* Chile: First swine flu was recently found in Chilean turkeys and now nearly 1000 sea lion pups were found dead off the country’s northern coast.

Image- MSNBC (“A youth stands in the gates at the U.S.-Mexico border in late May awaiting his deportation at the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico.”)
Online Sources- New York Times, UPI, BBC News, LAHT, AHN, Bloomberg

Daily Headlines: August 28, 2009

* Uruguay: Despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church Uruguayan legislators approved a landmark gay adoption bill that is expected to soon become law.

* Cuba: A weakening Florida economy and politics in Cuba are possible reasons experts cite for a massive dip in the number of Cubans migrating by sea to the U.S.

* Chile: Some scientists worry that the strain of swine flu recently found in Chilean turkeys could spread the virus more easily to humans.

* U.S.: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will reportedly be cleared of corruption charges from a supposed pay-for-play deal.

Image- Queerty
Online Sources- Reuters, AP, BBC News, CNN

Daily Headlines: August 25, 2009

* Latin America: Brazil and Bolivia confirmed their close economic ties as presidents of both nations cordially met in the province of Cochabamba.

* Chile: While tensions are still high between the Chilean government and the Mapuche, prosecutors are seeking ten years in jail for the policeman accused in the fatal shooting of an indigenous protestor last year.

* Guatemala: Activists have accused the Obama administration of preventing access to more affordable drugs in developing countries including Guatemala where supplies of AIDS drugs have diminished.

* Mexico: Students in the state of Chiapas will have to wait a little longer to return to school due to the swine flu.

Image- New York Times (“From left, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina and President Evo Morales of Bolivia at a meeting” in February 2008.)
Online Sources- Mercopress, LAHT, The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times, CNN

Daily Headlines: August 12, 2009

* Costa Rica: President Oscar Arias suspended his public duties yet will remain in office after doctors diagnosed him with the swine flu.

* Haiti: Immigration and community activists are campaigning to allow a pair of detained Haitians to be given permission to bury their recently-deceased eight-month-old daughter.

* Venezuela: Russia continues forging stronger ties to Venezuela by promising to use the “most modern oil extraction and processing technology” if it’s allowed to work in the oil-rich Orinoco belt.

* Colombia: A court in Thailand rejected the U.S.’ extradition request of a Russian man accused of selling weapons to Colombia’s FARC guerillas.

Image- PRESS TV
Online Sources- Reuters, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, AFP, BBC News

Daily Headlines: August 5, 2009

* Paraguay: IPS examines Paraguay’s Open Wings (Alas Abiertas) project that uses dance to empower children with disabilities.

* Argentina: Mounting debts among many teams has forced the indefinite postponement of Argentina’s upcoming soccer season.

* Brazil: How deep is the hysteria over swine flu in Latin America? Enough for one Brazilian priest to recommend that parishioners avoid shaking hands during daily mass.

* Bolivia: A pair of Iranian lawmakers has blasted the government’s decision to grant Bolivia a $280 million loan without legislative approval.

Image- El Mundo
Online Sources- Bloomberg, PRESS TV, BBC News, IPS

Mexico offers tourists free insurance

2009 has not been a banner year so far for Mexico’s tourism industry. The global economic crisis, outbursts of violence and the swine flu hysteria have combined to seriously hamper Mexican tourism.

As a way of trying to coax visitors in to the country, the government of Mexico City will experiment with a novel idea: free medical insurance for tourists.

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says the program was proposed during the April swine-flu outbreak that battered the tourism industry in the city, which is visited by about seven million tourists each year.

Anyone checking into a hotel in the capital will receive an insurance card, good for coverage of any illness, accident or hospitalization. The city government stressed that the program will cover treatment for swine flu. The card also has some coverage for lost or stolen luggage. Visitors who don't stay in a hotel can also register by providing proof of a return ticket.

The head of the Mexican Hotel Association estimated that hotel occupancy rates could rise up to 70% in August due to the proposal.

Do you think the new program will work? Should other Latin American countries hit hard by the swine flu (Argentina, for instance) implement the measure? What do you think?

Image- The Telegraph (Tourists coming from countries affected by the swine flu were often forced to wear masks while they traveled).
Online Sources- CBC, Xinhua, The Latin Americanist

The Half-Year That Was: H1N1

We continue our look at some of the notable headlines of the past six-and-a-half months with the uproar over the swine flu.

Three months ago the press couldn’t stop reporting on the H1N1 virus swine flu, especially how Mexico was hit the hardest. The capital city of Mexico City was virtually shutdown for several weeks in an effort to contain the illness. Nevertheless, the disease has officially been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic and it has spread throughout the Americas. Though the swine flu continues to expand, the danger exists that such a strong focus on the disease could drain resources from deadlier maladies like Chagas disease and the dengue fever.

The following CBS News video from April looks at how the lives of Mexico City residents were turned upside down by the flu:

Online Sources- Reuters, YouTube, The Latin Americanist

Looking out for dangerous dengue fever

Several Latin American countries continue to be on alert over the swine flu such as Argentina and Peru. Yet that shouldn’t take away from the need to combat an even deadlier disease affecting the region: dengue fever.

Brazilian health officials reported yesterday that the number of dengue fever cases this year fell by 50% compared to last year and the number of deaths dropped by 70%. Yet 131 Brazilians died from the dengue compared to one confirmed fatality due to the H1N1 virus.

According to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, climate change could lead to dengue fever spreading throughout the U.S. as more disease-carrying mosquitoes adapt to colder climates. Urbanization, climate change, and expanding global commerce are factors leading to the boost in dengue fever including more cases in Mexico and a possible threat to Puerto Rico.

Researchers are looking into a possible solution though it will likely be a controversial one: genetically modified mosquitoes.

A new strategy involves a subtle reconfiguring of the bug's DNA. Scientists working in labs near Oxford have devised a genetic modification that sterilizes the male Aedes, transforming the critter into his own worst enemy. He can still mate—but he can't breed. Any offspring dies before becoming fully developed. The idea is to release a huge, all-conquering swarm of the doctored insects into the wild, let them find partners among the native females and wait for the mosquito population to decline. Preliminary trials, looking at both safety and effectiveness, have already taken place in Malaysia. Within a few years, the Franken-insects could be airborne.

Image- BBC
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Newsweek, Miami Herald, NASDAQ, Reuters, Bernama

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2009

* Uruguay: The local press revealed that Uruguay’s government quietly paid $42 million in compensation to over 3000 political prisoners who were tortured during that country’s military dictatorship between 1973 and 1985.

* Venezuela: Russia and Venezuela signed an agreement yesterday to start a joint bank with an initial capital of $4 billion.

* Honduras: Honduras became the latest country with a swine flu fatality after a 23-year-old woman died.

* Bolivia: The news director of Bolivian TV channel PAT apologized for mistakenly showing images from “Lost” and claiming that they came from the recently-crashed Air France Flight 447.

Image- CBS News (This 2005 photo shows ex-Uruguayan President Juan Maria Bordaberry who ruled the country during the “Dirty War” period.”)
Online Sources- CNN, The Latin Americanist, AFP, LAHT, CBC

Weekend Headlines: June 20-21, 2009

* Peru: The UN's Special Rapporteur for Indigenous People has called for an independent investigation into suspected abuses during recent clashes between police and indigenous protesters.

* Brazil: The government issued an amnesty against dozens of peasants who were jailed and tortured during a Dirty War-era uprising.

* Venezuela: General Motors suspend its Venezuelan operations until September after blaming the government for not helping pay its $1.2 billion debt.

* U.S.: After being criticized for belonging in the Belizean Grove, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor quit from the all-female club.

* Latin America: Several countries throughout the region reported at least 87 new cases of the swine flu on Friday.

* Colombia: This editorial in the Los Angeles Times supports the Colombian Supreme Court’s recent decision not to extradite FARC rebel Martin Sombra.

Image- New York Times (“Ashaninkas and Machiguengas, indigenous peoples of Peru, protested against the government's plans to open large parts of the Amazon for drilling, logging and dam building.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, UPI, BBC News, Los Angeles Times, LAHT, Reuters, Xinhua

Daily Headlines: June 17, 2009

* U.S.: Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor defended her membership in the all-female Belizean Grove group against allegations that she breached the Code of Judicial Conduct.

* Latin America: Are the Andes Mountains shrinking? A team of Argentine researchers think that’s a possibility.

* Costa Rica: Chinese and Costa Rican representatives have entered the latest round of free trade negotiations with China requesting that Costa Rica open their markets.

* Argentina: One day after an Argentine baby became the country’s first swine flu fatality three more people died as a result of the disease.

Image- CNN
Online Sources- BBC News, AFP, Reuters, Guardian UK, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: June 16, 2009

* Mexico: Rest in peace Carlos Pardo; the NASCAR Mexico Series driver was killed in this horrific accident on Sunday in a race that he posthumously won.

* Latin America: An Argentine baby became the country’s first swine flu fatality yesterday while visitors have been temporarily barred from visiting the Krome immigrant detention center due to three infected detainees.

* Brazil: A ninetieth minute penalty converted by Kaka proved to be decisive as Brazil eked by Egypt 4-3 in its opening Confederations Cup match.

* Dominican Republic: Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm PDVSA will buy a 49% stake in a Dominican Republic refinery days before Hugo Chavez is to visit the country.

Image- examiner.com
Online Sources- BBC Sport, Reuters, UPI, Guardian UK