Chile: Bachelet’s daughter hospitalized

Francisca Davalos- the 23-year-old daughter of Chilean president Michelle Bachelet- remains hospitalized after suffering from a cerebral thrombosis. Doctors at the Clinica Alemana in Santiago have assured that Davalos (image) is in “good condition” and without “neurological damage” after being taken to hospital late yesterday. Bachelet cleared her agenda today and has stayed at Davalos’ side. Davalos is expected to remain in hospital for several days.

Sources (English)- Pravda, BBC News

Sources (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa, La Nacion

Image- El Mercurio

Ortega and Ahmadinejad establish closer relations

Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega met with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran (image) and both agreed to closer relations between the two countries. “Nothing can get in the way of strengthening the ties between our two countries” said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a news conference earlier today. Ortega met with several important political and religious leaders during his visit to Iran.

As we mentioned last week, a pair of Floridian legislators called Ortega, Ahmadinejad, and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez a “new trio of tyrants.”

Image- PRESS TV

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, ISNA, People’s Daily Online, El Universal

Sources (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa

Weekly Debate: Immigration reform

Note: Originally, our debate was going to look at the finals of the Copa Libertadores soccer tournament. We will post about it later this week.

As we mentioned last week, the bipartisan immigration reform bill was on life-support in Congress. Senators voted against ending debate on the proposal and the House has refused to examine the bill until it possibly gets assed by the Senate. Several key politicos, such as President Bush and leaders for both the Republican and Democrat parties, have vowed to continue working hard for immigration reform.

Still, the failure of the latest proposal has had serious repercussions in Mexico and for local leaders in the border states. Here is what Arizona governor Janet Napolitano had to say in yesterday’s Washington Post:

“If we have no comprehensive immigration reform this year, and if we do not deal rigorously and openly with those already here, silent amnesty will continue. As a border-state governor who has dealt with immigration issues more than any other governor I know of, I am certain that continued inaction by Congress -- silent amnesty -- is the worst of all worlds."

• So what do you think?
• Did you support the bipartisan reform bill that was considered by the Senate? Why or why not?
• Will an immigration reform bill be considered or ignored by Congress before 2008?
• Is immigration reform that vital a topic to begin with or is the status quo fine as is?
• Will the consequences of the bill’s failure hurt relations with Mexico and other Latin American countries?

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment to this post and/or voting in our poll located on the sidebar.

Let your opinion be heard!

Image- The Irish Times (Pro-immigration reform protestors gather in front of the U.S. Capitol in March 2006)

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Yahoo! News, Bloomberg, Washington Post, ABC News

Daily Headlines: June 11, 2007

* New York’s Puerto Rican Day parade drew thousands of boricua supporters along Fifth Avenue, while over 3 million revelers packed the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil yesterday during the city’s gay pride parade (image).

* Several top congressional Democrats warned of “the infiltration of important Colombian state institutions by terrorists and drug traffickers” in a letter written last month to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

* Argentine judges denied India’s extradition request for an Italian businessman wanted in the Bofors arms scandal.

* “I would leave no troops in Iraq whatsoever,” said presidential hopeful Bill Richardson on the U.S. military occupation of Iraq.

Image- O Globo Online

Sources- Yahoo! News, Guardian UK, Monsters & Critics, Wikipedia, USA TODAY

De Musica Ligera: Que bonita bandera!

In honor of tomorrow’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade, this week’s music post will show several YouTube videos of famous boricua musicians such as parade “king” Ricky Martin. The event itself brings out strong emotions amongst Puerto Ricans, and this can be noted in the energy behind the different music clips we’ve highlighted. Boricua music also represents the richness of the island and is certainly a pure treasure to enjoy.

Ricky Martin – Perdido sin Ti

Ednita Nazario featuring Ivy Queen - Te He Querido, Te He Llorado

Don Omar – Vuelve

Hector Lavoe – Triste y Vacia

La India – Seduceme

Ray Baretto – Cocinando

Sources (English)- Gothamist, MSNBC

Sources (English)- NYRemezcla.com

“Vamos a Cuba” – to ban or not to ban?

Earlier this week, arguments were heard in a federal court over the appeal by the Miami-Dade County School District to ban a children’s book on Cuba. Lawyers for the school board want to overturn a July 2006 decision to return the book- “Vamos a Cuba”- from public school libraries.

Blog Critical Miami has an excellent synopsis of the differing arguments in the case:

“The ACLU is all like, “All a publicly elected body has to do to ban a book is utter the word inaccurate? If that’s the case every library administrator and library association in the country should be worried.” And the judges are all like, “[what about] a book about Adolf Hitler that would credit the Nazi leader with creating the Volkswagen and bringing Germany out of the depression — but not mention the Holocaust.”

Image- New York Times

Sources- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, Critical Miami

House arrest for ex-Peruvian prez Fujimori

One day after Chile’s main prosecutor backed the extradition of Alberto Fujimori to Peru, the Chilean Supreme Court ordered the ex-Peruvian president to be put under house arrest. According to a court statement (via CNN):

“Judge Urbano Marin said he had taken the decision at the request of the Peruvian government.

‘This measure is designed to stop [Fujimori] fleeing,’ the court said in a statement, adding that Chilean police had been told to arrest the former president immediately.”

The sixty-nine-year-old Fujimori has been detained in Chile since 2005 after returning from a self-impose exile in Japan. He has been accused by Peru’s government of several human rights violations and corruption during his time as president between 1990 and 2000.

Sources (English)- Monsters & Critics, CNN, The Latin Americanist, BBC News

Sources (Spanish)- La Tercera

Image- People’s Daily Online (Photo of Alberto Fujimori, circa 2006)

Colombia: Chiquita faces “terror” lawsuit

U.S. banana firm Chiquita Brands is a defendant in lawsuit brought up by the relatives of family members killed by Colombian paramilitaries. Earlier this year, Chiquita agreed to pay a $25 million fine in a plea deal where the company admitted to hiring paramilitary groups to provide security on its Colombian facilities. This is expected to be used as a key piece of evidence against Chiquita, according to the relatives’ main lawyer:

“Given that Chiquita has pleaded guilty to the criminal aspects of this case, it is going to be extremely difficult for them to say they are not responsible in any other way for what happened down there.”

A spokesman for Chiquita confessed that he has not seen the lawsuit, but affirmed that the company hired rebels “to protect the lives of employees and their families.”

Image- Al Jazeera (Colombian paramilitary troops)

Sources- BBC NEWS, The Latin Americanist, CNN, Edmonton Sun

Immigration reform bill on the ropes

As we mentioned in yesterday’s “Titulares…”, the Senate voted against ending debate on a bipartisan immigration reform bill; thus, putting the bill in danger of being defeated before it even gets to a yes-or-no vote. Congressional leaders for both the Democrat and Republican parties have resorted to blaming each other for the proposal’s continued delays:

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he hoped to pass the measure eventually, but he devoted much of his post-vote comments Thursday night to accusing President Bush of doing too little to obtain Republican support. ``This the president's bill,'' Reid told a hushed chamber. ``Where are the president's people helping us with these votes?''

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., defended the administration. ``The White House has worked like a dog,'' he told reporters. Indeed, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lobbied senators inside the Capitol right up until Thursday's showdown vote”.

The bill is comprehensive and allows for the creation of a visa for certain illegal immigrants, a “points system” based on factors like education and language skills, and increased border security. So far it has survived several attempts to amend it such as this one from Wednesday.

Image- USA TODAY (According to the photo’s caption “Sens. Harry Reid, center, Richard Durbin, right, and Charles Schumer brief reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday”)

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, BBC News, Reuters, CNN

Sources (Spanish)- La Opinion

Daily Headlines: June 08, 2007

* In response to Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega’s visit to Iran, a pair of Floridian Congressmen criticized him as well as Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Iran’s Mahmud Ahmadinejad as a “new trio of tyrants.”

* The Panama Canal’s expansion will commence in August, said a top canal official Wednesday.

* Canadian energy firm Sherritt International signed a deal to invest over $1 billion in Cuba.

* Hugo Chavez alluded to expanding the role of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas trade bloc to develop “a joint defense strategy.”

* The Christian Science Monitor focuses on Colombia’s chief prosecutor and looks at how far he will go in investigating politicians’ ties to paramilitary groups.

* Follow-up: Mexican community groups in New York City have questioned claims made by recent study suggesting that there’s a “baby boom” of kids born to Mexican parents residing in the “Big Apple”. (Original story in this post).

Sources (English)- New York Times, The Latin Americanist, El Universal, Reuters, CNN, Christian Science Monitor

Sources (Spanish)- HoyInternet.com

Image- Fox News (2006 photo of Daniel Ortega after winning Nicaragua’s presidential elections)

Titulares de las Americas

Bolivia

• President Evo Morales took a surprise visit to Cuba today after being personally invited by Fidel Castro.

Brazil

• Over three million people are expected to congregate in Sao Paulo as part of a “March for Jesus.”
• More details are emerging from the supposed involvement of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s brother in an illegal gambling scheme.

Colombia

• President Alvaro Uribe confessed that he would not reach all his goals regarding foreign aid and free trade during his visit to Washington, DC.
• Lead by France, the members of the G8 agreed to back the Colombian government’s efforts to “find a humanitarian solution” to the country’s civil conflict.

Mexico

• Hundreds of teachers protesting government reforms blocked access to the Mexican Stock Exchange this morning.
• President Felipe Calderon urged the group of underdeveloped states invited to the G8 summit to debate over “global topics that especially affect developing countries.”

Paraguay

• The Supreme Court determined as unconstitutional the expropriation of lands formerly belonging to the Sun Myong Moon-led Unification Church.

Peru

• Disgraced former president Alvaro Fujimori is close to being extradited from Chile to Peru after a recommendation from Chile’s attorney general. Fujimori’s daughter- a Peruvian senator- said that her father was “in good spirits” and proclaimed his innocence.

United States

• By a vote of 63-33, the Senate voted to continue debate on the bipartisan compromise bill on immigration despite optimism yesterday that a yes-or-no vote would occur on Friday.
• In Chicago, several Mexican American community groups have pitched in to help a Rumanian couple in the U.S. seeking medical help for their daughter.
• Immigration authorities detained 29 illegal immigrants in New Haven, Connecticut only one day after the local government approved a measure to provide identification cards for immigrants.

Uruguay

• It may be presumptuous to start planning soccer’s 2030 World Cup, but that has not deterred a group of Uruguayans from proposing that their country host the tournament a century after the first World Cup was first held.

Venezuela

• Ten student leaders at the forefront of the protests in favor of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) voiced their ire during a National Assembly session.
• Speak of RCTV, Venezuelan news channel Globovision agreed to transmit programs still being produced by RCTV that are currently aired online and through a few foreign TV networks.

Sources (Spanish)- El Tiempo, La Tercera, El Comercio, Granma, Globovision, Clarin, El Diario/La Prensa, La Raza, La Opinion, Hoy Internet, Diario ABC, Jornada, Sol de Mexico, RCN

Sources (Portugese)- Folha Online

Daily Headlines: June 07, 2007

* Brief follow-up #1: Soccer legend Pele and the Organization of American States have expressed their support to the leaders of several South American nations appealing FIFA’s high altitude ban.

* Brief follow-up #2: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez claimed that Washington was masterminding an “imperialist conspiracy” and denied criticisms against his government (such as those by U.S. president George W. Bush that we mentioned in yesterday’s “Daily Headlines.”)

* The U.S. Senate turned down an amendment to the compromise bill on immigration that would have placed the proposal’s emphasis on reuniting families rather than job skills.

* Brazil’s Foreign Minister said that the group of developing nations invited to the G8 summit in Germany (such as Brazil and Mexico) will be unified and will “agree on a common position”.

* Costa Rica will break its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and reestablish relations with China.

*Colombian president Alvaro Uribe traveled to Washington yesterday in a bid to convince Congressional Democrats not to cut aid to Colombia and to ratify a free trade bill.

* Traffic was blocked briefly yesterday afternoon along the U.S.-Mexico border as demonstrators protested Mexico’s pension reform plan.

* Is Major League Baseball’s steroids investigation unfairly going after Latino players? Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen thinks so.

Sources- Monsters & Critics, International Herald Tribune, CNN, ESPN Soccernet, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, FOX Sports

Image- BBC News (Bolivian president Evo Morales plays a pickup futbol game high in the Andes Mountains as part of a campaign versus FIFA’s high altitude ban.)

Follow-up: Soda Stereo reunites!

According to Argentine news agency Télam, legendary rock en español group Soda Stereo will get back together after being split up for a decade. The article goes on to note that they will perform in comeback tour visiting several Latin American nations including their home country of Argentina.

Neither Soda’s official home page or Wikipedia entry have been updated with this new piece of information, which is supposed to be made official soon.

Rumors of the group’s return to the stage intensified last month after Soda’s bassist Hector Bosio and frontman Gustavo Cerati alluded to a comeback.

(Hat tip to Jennifer at VivirLatino who nearly gave me a coronary when I read her blog post!)

Sources (English)- Wikipedia, VivirLatino

Sources (Spanish)- El Comercio, sodastereo.com

Image- rock.com.ar

Disarray over AIDS funds in Puerto Rico, says NYT

A recent article originally published in the New York Times (NYT) alleged that funds destined for HIV/AIDS patients in Puerto Rico have been woefully mismanaged. As a result, “hundreds of HIV and AIDS patients are not receiving vital medical care” including getting antiviral drugs weeks late and having clinics cut needed services.

Despite Puerto Rican officials denying any misuse of funds and advocates calling on the federal government to play a more active role:

“"The state of HIV treatment here is a catastrophe," said Dr. Jose Varga Vidot, director of Community Initiative, a private group in San Juan that provides primary care to 1,600 patients including drug addicts, prostitutes and homeless people. He said he knew of at least 75 people who were unable to obtain all their drugs from government clinics for up to a month”.

Blogger Andrés Duque at Blabbeando, (who helped NYT reporter Erick Elkholm’s article), links to letters by Senators Tom Coburn (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) expressing concern over the problem with HIV funding in Puerto Rico.

Sources- Blabbeando, International Herald Tribune

Image- New York Times (According to the photo’s caption: “Six times in the last year, Rolando Warren Gonzalez said, he has suffered two-week periods with no AIDS drugs, undercutting the life-prolonging benefits of modern therapies against HIV.”)

Univision proposes presidential debates en español

While Democrats and Republicans debated this week on CNN, Univision proposed moderating Spanish-language debates for each of the major political parties. The debates would have English-language translation available, occur in September and would be held in Miami- home of Univision‘s headquarters and an immigrant-rich area.

Political blog Daily Kos wonders about the “quandary” that the debates would have on Republican candidates but also observes that South Floridians of Cuban descent make up a strong voting bloc for the GOP.

Image- Univision – Foros (Univision news anchor Maria Elena Salinas prepares to co-moderate one of the 2004 Democratic presidential debates)

Sources- International Herald Tribune, BBC News, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Daily Kos

Mexico: Court invalidates “Televisa law”

In a unanimous vote, Mexico’s Supreme Court invalidated part of a 2006 law that loosened restrictions on TV and radio broadcasters. As part of the court’s decision, magistrates ruled that granting twenty-year concessions was too long and that auctioning off broadcast licenses to the highest bidder offered unfair advantage to Mexican media conglomerates. (E.g. Televisa and TV Azteca).

According to one justice’s opinion:

“Why should we prefer colorful better-quality broadcasts at the cost of the monochromatic monopoly of the television companies?”

In the meantime, Televisa has slowly made inroads into the Chinese market by signing a deal with to produce Chinese versions of popular Televisa programs.

Sources (Spanish)- El Universal, Jornada

Sources (English)- Bloomberg, International Herald Tribune

Image- Montano