Brazil to sell missiles to Pakistan

Brazil will sell approximately 100 missiles to Pakistan according to the Brazilian defense minister Nelson Jobim. The $107 million deal involves missiles that can reportedly be mounted on jets and used to blow up radar installations.

The finalization of the deal comes days after the Mumbai attacks which were allegedly carried out from Pakistan. Pakistan’s president denied that his government was implicated in the attacks while Jobim has tried to downplay worries over the missile pact:

"I do not know whether the terrorists (involved in the Mumbai bombings) are Pakistanis, but the business we are doing is with the (Pakistani) government, not with terrorists," he said.

Image- PRESS TV (“An airborne anti-radar missile.”)
Sources- Bloomberg, Xinhua, AP, AFP

Ingrid Betancourt meets Madonna in Argentina

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt continued her tour of Latin America with a stop yesterday in Argentina. It was there that she met with Argentine President Cristina Kirchner at the official palace along with an unexpected guest (image):

Madonna met with a president and a former guerrilla-held hostage Tuesday at Argentina's presidential palace, where she filmed "Evita" 12 years ago.

The pop star, in Buenos Aires on the Latin America leg of her "Sticky & Sweet" world tour, showed up early for a visit Argentine President Cristina Fernandez — who was then meeting with one of the world's best-known ex-hostages.

Earlier today, Chilean president Michele Bachelet met with Betancourt in Santiago. “When I come here I feel Chilean since so much pain has passed between us”, said Betancourt who also thanked Bachelet for nominating her for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Betancourt’s anti-kidnapping campaign has so far included stops in her native land and Ecuador where President Rafael Correa vowed to do “everything in our power to ensure these people are freed.”

Betancourt will continue her tour by traveling to Brazil and Venezuela; rumor has it that she will personally meet with Hugo Chavez and discuss a possible humanitarian exchange.

Image- AP
Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, AFP, AP, Al Jazeera English
Sources (Spanish)- La Nacion

Richardson tapped for Obama cabinet

Just a short while ago, U.S. president-elect Barack Obama nominated New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to be the next Secretary of Commerce. Though Richardson had been one of the leading candidates for Secretary of State, Obama claimed that Richardson would serve as a "leading economic diplomat" for U.S. interests.

Richardson mentioned that the Department of Commerce would play “a vital role” in Obama’s economic recovery plans. In addition, Richardson gave comments in Spanish were he thanked the Latino electorate for helping elect Obama. More importantly, however, Richardson mentioned that the Obama administration will engage economically with Latin American governments.

Richardson may not be the only Latino politico to be part of Obama’s Cabinet. Representative Xavier Becerra will reportedly be chosen the next U.S. Trade Representative, a post that would very well compliment Richardson’s (assuming he’s accepted).

Richardson’s nomination may please Latino politicos, yet Asian-Americans may not be too glad:

In a move bound to create political tension between Latinos and Asian-Americans, a group of Chinese-American activists in Silicon Valley has launched a nationwide grass-roots movement to fight President-elect Barack Obama's nomination today of Bill Richardson as commerce secretary.

The group is upset at the New Mexico governor for his handling of the nearly decade-old case of Taiwanese-American Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. U.S. officials once suspected Lee of giving nuclear secrets to China when Richardson was President Clinton's energy secretary.

Image- AP
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Fox News, AFP, San Jose Mercury News, U.S. News & World Report

Today’s Video: Promoting the rights of the disabled

Today is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, a date that has been commemorated since 1992 by the United Nations. This year’s theme is to celebrate the recent ratification of an international treaty designed to promote the rights of disabled persons around the world.

According to the World Bank, at least one in ten people in Latin America and the Caribbean are disabled. Most of them live in poverty while facing economic and social barriers that impede development. Some countries lack the proper infrastructure to encourage mobility for the physically disabled as I’ve learned firsthand during my visits to Colombia.

The following video demonstrates the numerous barriers faced by persons with disabilities in Central America along with the campaigns that try to break the barriers affecting disabled individuals:

Sources- United Nations, Wikipedia, People’s Daily Online, YouTube, World Bank

Daily Headlines: December 3, 2008

* Paraguay: A substance derived from the stevia plant and popular in Paraguay may serve as the “holy grail of sweeteners.”

* Mexico: Will telecom tycoon Carlos Slim make a tidy profit from the global financial crisis?

* El Salvador: Defense minister announced that he will travel to Iraq and decide how much longer Salvadoran troops will be stationed there.

* Argentina: The Argentine peso fell in value for the fifteenth straight day in a move being reportedly managed by the country’s central bank.

Image- Dallas Morning News
Sources- Reuters, Bloomberg, ABC News, IHT

What are the top stories of 2008?

With 2008 coming soon to a close we’re interested in finding out what have been the most important headlines of the year. Thus, this Sunday (December 14th) we will reveal our poll where you can choose the top news stories that have affected the Americas.

Before doing so, however, we would like to know your ideas for which news stories we can include in the poll. It can be item we’ve talked about in this blog or something you’ve read about elsewhere. Maybe it’s an underreported story or something that has specifically touched you.

If you have any ideas of what we can include in the poll please comment to this post or e-mail us at ourlatinamerica@yahoo.com. We’re always glad to hear from you, our esteemed readers.

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist

Chile-Peru tensions reignite

Chile and Peru have a long history of animosity ever since both countries faced each other in the War of the Pacific back in the 19th-century. Hard feelings between the neighbors have lingered on even serving as the butt of jokes in these outtakes for Don Francisco’s program several decades ago.

Relations between Chile and Peru have markedly improved over the past few years though there have been some disagreements. In the most recent incident, Peruvian General Edwin Donayre’s not-so-smart comments have led to a diplomatic crisis between both countries:

Donayre made the remarks in 2006 or 2007 at a party at a friend's house. The video was downloaded to YouTube in February and surfaced a week ago to wider attention when an independent Peruvian member of Congress Gustavo Espilnoza sent copies to Chilean counterparts.

"We are not going to let Chileans pass by," Donayre says in the amateur-quality video as he offers a toast. "Chilean who enters will not leave. Or will leave in a coffin. And if there aren't sufficient coffins, there will be plastic bags."

Donayre has stood by his remarks claiming that they were done at a “private gathering” and shouldn’t have been made public. Chile’s government has called for Donayre to be fired from his post while Peruvian President Alan Garcia replied that Peru will not accept being pressured by a foreign country.

In the end, let’s hope cooler heads prevail and tensions can soon simmer down.
Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube, Xinhua, CNN, MercoPress

Dubya’s regrets include immigration

In a televised interview last night George W. Bush expressed numerous regrets that he has had over his two terms in the presidency. He cited that his biggest regret was “the intelligence failure in Iraq” though he waffled when asked if he would take back the decision to invade the Middle Eastern country.
In addition, Bush expressed how “sorry” he felt over the current financial crisis as well as his regrets over a lack of immigration reform:

The failure to enact immigration reform was another disappointment, Bush said.

"I firmly believe that the immigration debate really didn't show the true nature of America as a welcoming society. I fully understand we need to enforce law and enforce borders," Bush told ABC News. "But the debate took on a tone that undermined the true greatness of America, which is that we welcome people who want to work hard and support their families."

Pity that part of the reason that the debate took on such an ugly tone was through his lack of being an effective party leader. The GOP’s hard-line stance on immigration was a key factor in the Latino vote shying away from John McCain’s presidential bid, for example. When strong leadership was needed to enact meaningful reform Bush turned his back and tacitly permitted a deeply flawed system to continue. He had the chance to do something great on immigration yet he permitted the opportunity slip out of his hands.

During the interview Bush declared that he “will leave the presidency with my head held high.” Yet he may be weighed down with the burden of his numerous fallacies while in office like his dropping the ball on immigration. Such is the stigma he must live with.

Image- AFP
Sources- The Latin Americanist, UPI, Guardian UK, Reuters, Bloomberg

Judge drops most charges vs. P.R. governor

The legal load on the back of Puerto Rican governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá just got a whole lot lighter:

A U.S. judge on Monday threw out most of the federal corruption charges against Puerto Rico's governor, who faces trial in February for alleged campaign finance violations.

The judge dismissed 15 of the 24 charges against Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila. All but two were dismissed with prejudice and cannot be filed again.

Acevedo Vilá was indicted in March on charges related to campaign fraud and electoral wrongdoing during his 2004 gubernatorial campaign. But according to Judge Paul Barbadoro some of the charges were based on a misinterpretation of Puerto Rican electoral law.

Acevedo Vilá is still supposed to stand for trial in February. By then he will not be the governor anymore after his electoral loss last month to Luis Fortuño. Acevedo Vila’s loss was partially as a result of his legal problems.

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Caribbean Net News, IHT

Honduras chooses presidential candidates for 2009

Yesterday saw the final tallies of the Honduran presidential primaries, which were pushed back from their original date due to flooding, and were even threatened to be thwarted by continuous threats of teacher strikes.

Nonetheless, the ballots were cast peacefully all across the country and the presidential candidates of the two major parties were determined; Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo won the primary for the conservative national party (PNH) by a landslide while Mauricio Villeda eked out 52% of the liberal party (PLH) votes to seal the nomination over the erstwhile PLH front runner and current vice-president, Elvin Santos (who is technically barred from running since he served temporarily as commander in chief during a brief absence of President Zelaya).

I haven't seen any reliable polls on the general election outlook yet, but all reliable sources suggest that Lobo's margin of victory and his "change" oriented campaign in the face of an abysmally low Mel Zelaya approval rating put his campaign in a very strong position as the marathon general election campaigns begin in earnest (the election season in Honduras appears to be one of the longest in Latin America, as the general election takes place nearly 12 months from today).

Both nominees are 60 years old, and neither have held major political offices before (though Lobo lost the presidential bid to Zelaya in 2005). Notably, both primary winners share their "platform" with female running mates, ensuring that a female will occupy the vice-presidency after November 2009 (though this will not be the first such occasion for Honduras).

Source: La Prensa, IFES Election Guide, Reuters, PepeLobopresidente.com

Daily Headlines: December 2, 2008

* Ecuador: The World Trade Organization upheld a ruling in favor of Ecuador with regards to banana exports.

* Mexico: According to officials at least 37 people were killed in the border city of Tijuana in three days.

* Argentina: Ex-president Carlos Menem has been charged with illegally selling weapons to several countries during the 1990s.

* Venezuela: In the latest chapter of the “Maletagate” ordeal, a Venezuelan lawyer was sentenced to two years in jail.

Image- AFP
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, MSNBC, BBC News, IHT

Report: Too many premature births in U.S.

The U.S. received embarrassingly low marks over premature births according to a “report card” issued last month by the March of Dimes.

Using data compiled since 2005, the report said that the country as a whole received a score of D while eighteen states and Puerto Rico received a failing grade. Unfortunately, the March of Dimes anticipates that the situation will continue to deteriorate as there’s been a steady increase of premature births since the beginning of the decade.

Why the trend of more premature births? According to health experts there are a variety of reasons including an increase in the number of C-sections, later motherhood, and more multiple births.

There are numerous risks attached to premature births including an increased chance of dying within one year of birth as well as being affected by hearing problems and cerebral palsy. Latinas are particularly susceptible to premature births; a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the March of Dimes:

Nearly 28,000 infants die before their first birthday each year – more than 5,000 to Latina mothers and more than 2,500 in California alone…

“Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. More than 100,000 Latino infants are born premature each year and the rate of preterm birth among Latinos has increased nearly 10 percent over the past decade – from 10.9 percent in 1994 to 12 percent in 2004,” said (Dr. Carolina Reyes, MD). “Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death.”

Image- CBS News
Sources- ScienceDaily, March of Dimes, washingtonpost.com, sfgate.com, WebMD, Los Angeles Times

Chavez to Venezuelans: I want another term

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez exhorted his followers to back his plan to be reelected to the presidency.

"Chavez is not leaving. Chavez is staying, if God wants and gives me life, I will be with you until 2019 or 2021," he said during a political rally yesterday.

He lost a referendum on reelection and several issues last year which means that he’s scheduled to stand down in 2012. Yet it appears as if Chavez is reacting to last week’s local elections where the opposition made some gains in urban areas including the capital, Caracas.

Chavez’ allies may opt to push the plan forward, though that will have to be ultimately decided in another national referendum. Unlike the 2007 vote where Venezuelans rejected a package of 69 constitutional amendments, the possible new referendum may hinge solely on the reelection issue.

During his speech, Chavez also railed against Colombia's consul in Maracaibo after an incident that may reopen diplomatic wounds between the neighboring countries:

Venezolana de Television, the state news channel, played the tape and said it was of Carlos Galvis Fajardo, Colombia’s consul-general in the second-largest city in Venezuela, talking with Jose Obdulio, an aide to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Comments by the person identified by the TV station as the consul included that the new governors of Zulia and Tachira states are “very good friends and I think that for our work there, it has to be marvelous.” He later referred to Tachira’s new governor, Pablo Perez, as “a very, very special friend here of ours.”

The television station didn’t say how it got the tape.

Image- BBC News
Sources- BBC News, CNN, Bloomberg, AP, Xinhua, New York Times, The Latin Americanist

Today’s Video: The struggle against HIV

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, a date in which we reflect on the millions of people affected by the disease.

There is the worry among some experts that complacency and the global economic crisis will lead to less treatment and prevention of the disease. Such is a concern in the Americas, particularly in developing countries marked by high poverty and few social opportunities. The Latino population in the U.S. continues to be susceptible after one Californian researcher found that Latinos wait the longest to get medical attention after being diagnosed.

Yet as we mentioned earlier this morning, there are numerous organizations still going strong in order to create awareness and education of the problems of HIV/AIDS in the Americas.

The following video was co-produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and examines how Dominican sex workers struggle to survive in light of the heightened risk of contracting HIV:

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Caribbean World News, Jamaica Gleaner, YouTube, Global Voices Online

Betancourt begins thank-you tour

Ingrid Betancourt is back in Colombiai to begin a tour of South America.

It is her first visit back since July, when she was rescued from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after six years as a hostage.

She met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe yesterday and will visit other South American leaders to thank them for their efforts in her release.

Betancourt will visit Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela.

Read the story here.

Source and Photo: AP

Latinas call for health education, access

A coalition of Latina organizations are demanding more access to the female condom in Latin America.

The coalition includes 37 members -- 28 groups in Latin America and 9 in the U.S. -- who say this will greatly improve women's health and reduce AIDS.

The statement, released today on World AIDS Day, asks government to improve access and education.

Read more about health and World AIDS Day here.

Source: PR News Wire, Photo: kaweenapride.org