Daily Headlines: December 17, 2008

* U.S: Rep. Xavier Becerra respectfully refused the possibility of becoming chief trade negotiator under incoming President Barack Obama.

* Chile: One of the country’s main conservative groups will campaign against a non-discrimination bill as a result of misguided worries over gay rights.

* Argentina: Executives of the Argentine and Venezuelan subsidiaries of German firm Siemens admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes.

* Peru: Peruvian immigration authorities are placing “increased scrutiny” on Mexican travelers due to drug trafficking.

Image- Los Angeles Times
Sources- Reuters, Monsters & Critics, MSNBC, Voice of America

Today’s Video: Shoe-gazing

Remember the impromptu shoe-throwing attack at President George W. Bush during his weekend visit to Iraq?

According to the AP, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez couldn’t help but publicly joke about the incident:

Chavez laughed heartily when asked about the incident on state television and called the incident "funny." Referring to the shoe-tosser, he said, "What courage!"
The leftist Venezuelan leader hedged those remarks, however, adding: "At least it didn't hit him, and it's not that one goes around supporting shoe-throwing or anything."

Sources- IHT, Reuters Video

General Assembly president received death threats

Authorities are examining supposed death threats made against the president of the U.N. General Assembly.

Former Nicaraguan foreign minister and Roman Catholic priest Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann claimed that he was the target of “death threats posted on the Internet.” "This matter is being looked into by the pertinent authorities," U.N. spokesman Enrique Yeves said yesterday though he did not provide details as to what was mentioned or what sites the threats came from.

Meanwhile, d'Escoto finds himself on one side of a diplomatic quarrel with Israel:

The statement also reacted to Israeli press reports that D'Escoto tried to prevent (Israel's UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev) from speaking last week at a plenary session to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"This is a malicious and absolute lie that could best be characterized as 'slander'," D'Escoto said through his spokesman. "Information from the media attributes senior diplomatic officials in the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations as the source for this irresponsible accusation."

D'Escoto also slammed Israel's "arbitrary detention" and denial of entry to Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories.

D'Escoto and his outspoken nature have led him to be the center of controversy several times; in October, for instance, he claimed that “there are members of the Security Council right now who have done things infinitely worse than Iran could ever do.”

Image- CBC
Sources- The Latin Americanist, AFP, Times of India, IHT

Louima cop wants sentence commuted

One of the former New York policemen convicted in the infamous Abner Louima (image) sodomy case is seeking a reduced sentence.

Justin Volpe was convicted of torturing the Haitian immigrant in 1997 and was sentenced to thirty years in prison. He has spent nearly 12 years in jail without parole and recently petitioned the Justice Department for a reduced sentence.

Along with Volpe’s petition were notes sent by family and friends on his behalf. Yet his crime outraged New Yorkers and shined a light on police abuse during the Giuliani administration:

One officer, Justin A. Volpe, admitted in court in May 1999 that he had rammed a broken broomstick into Mr. Louima’s rectum and then thrust it in his face. He said he had mistakenly believed that Mr. Louima had punched him in the head during a street brawl outside a nightclub in Flatbush, but he acknowledged that he had also intended to humiliate the handcuffed immigrant. He left the force and was later sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Image- CNN
Sources- Gothamist, NY1, newsday.com, City Room

GM’s LatAm woes continue

Auto giant General Motors has seen better days as the firm is close to collapsing. In recent years the company was able to rely on record sales in Latin America yet as we recently noted that trend has sharply reversed.

Yesterday GM’s regional woes continued:

General Motors Corp. (GM) will idle three plants in Mexico in coming weeks and will suspend production of two assembly lines until February, the company's Mexican unit said Monday…

"These idles allow for preventive maintenance on equipment and a more adequate balance of production," GM de Mexico said, adding that the company will continue reviewing its production levels in light of changing market conditions.

The work stoppages will affect over 10,000 employees whose jobs may be lost if the economic situation worsens.

Mexico was the world's 10th-biggest car producer last year and “is heavily dependent on the U.S. economy.”

Image- ABC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, AP, CNNMoney.com

Region grapples with Ecuador's default decision

President Rafael Correa's surprise decision last week to default on Ecuador's foreign debt for the second time in a decade is still being puzzled at by economists and analysts.

I have found it difficult (as a non-economist) to hash through the finance-speak and to understand the economic implications, but have been impressed with a few stories that have been able to relate sharp analyses of the issues at stake in a digestible way; if you're at all like me, you'll appreciate these:

The Latin Business Chronicle gives an overview of the decision's likely affects on the region's economy (summary: not good, thanks in part to the "Financial Times effect.") Seeking Alpha blog offers an objective summary of the ideology behind the decision. Bloggings by Boz offers meaty analysis with embedded updates in the post, including a compelling potential scenarios breakdown.

In sum, many have (rightly) cast the default as a politically motivated, ideological decision. There are already clear winners (the Ecuadoran government) and losers (investors) to see, but it seems like we will only understand the foresight - or lack thereof - of this decision after a number of other scenarios play out.

Sources: Latin Business Chronicle, AlphaNet, Investors Daily, Bloggings by Boz

Daily Headlines: December 16, 2008

* U.S: The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to reconsider its decision against four British detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison who claimed that they were tortured.

* Uruguay: The country’s ruling party has backed a former leader of the Tupamaros guerillas to run for the presidency.

* Bolivia: One dead and at least five injured was the result of clashes between police and protestors demonstrating against a ban on imported cars.

* Mexico: Four police officers in Ciudad Juarez were murdered during a thirty-minute spurt of violence.

Image- AFP (“A bird flying above the razorwire-topped fence of the "Camp Five" detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.”)
Sources- Reuters, Monsters & Critics, MSNBC, Voice of America

Today’s Video: Pablo the Drug Mule Dog

Pop quiz time, ladies and jellyspoons!

Is the following British anti-drug PSA:

a. Convincing

b. Ineffective

c. Cute

d. Lame

e. (Somehow) all of the above?

Perhaps next time Pablo will let us meet Gustavo the guerilla or the corpse of Doris the (human) drug mule.

(Hat tip: Metafilter).

Sources- Metafilter, YouTube

Anti-kidnapping expert gets kidnapped in Mexico

How bad is crime in Mexico? This bad:

A U.S. anti-kidnapping expert was abducted by gunmen in northern Mexico last week, a sign of just how bold this nation's kidnapping gangs have become.

U.S. security consultant Felix Batista was in Saltillo in Coahuila state to offer advice on how to confront abductions for ransom when he was snatched by unknown assailants on Dec. 10, said Charlie LeBlanc, the president of the Houston, Texas-based security firm ASI Global LLC., where Batista is a consultant.

"We have notified the FBI and Mexican authorities, and they are working on the case," LeBlanc said Monday. "What we are doing is we're offering our support to the family and hoping for the best."

Kidnappings in Mexico, especially in northern border states, have skyrocketed as part of increased drug-related violence. Last week authorities found the remains of Silvia Vargas; her kidnapping galvanized Mexicans beset by violence.

(Hat tip: FARK.com).

Image- BBC News (Millions of Mexicans marched in September to protest the nationwide rash of kidnappings).
Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, newsweek.com, FARK.com

IDB’s early holiday gift to Haiti

As we’ve noted before, Haiti’s citizens have been going through some very rough times over the past several months. (Worse than usual for the Western Hemisphere’s most impoverished country.)

Therefore, any assistance for the Caribbean country is more than welcome:

The Inter-American Development Bank will double its aid to Haiti next year to help the impoverished nation upgrade its crumbling infrastructure and broaden social programs, the bank's chief announced Sunday.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, in comments at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, said the bank will double its grants to Haiti to US$100 million for 2009 to help the country's government with a raft of vital investments.

"Haiti is the most fragile of our member countries. No other nation in Latin America and the Caribbean is as vulnerable to economic shocks and natural disasters," Moreno said. "It requires extraordinary assistance from the international community."

The additional $50 million from the IDB will help fund several projects including the establishing of a social development fund and a potable water project for several cities.

Image- Al Jazeera English (Tropical storms swept through Hispaniola during the summer).
Sources- The Latin Americanist, miamiherald.com, AP

Chavez to Obama: Extradite Posada Carriles

According to the Cuban press Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to extradite Luis Posada Carriles (image) to Venezuela. "President Obama, send us the terrorist,” declared Chavez during an event in the presence of visiting Cuban President Raul Castro.

Posada Carriles is wanted in both Cuba and Venezuela for several incidents including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger plane. In 2005, the former CA operative was arrested for immigration fraud in the U.S. yet a federal judge tossed out the indictment last year. He is currently living somewhere in the U.S. and is forbidden from being extradited.

Chavez also mentioned that he would like to calm diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela after Obama is inaugurated:

President Hugo Chavez says relations between Venezuela and the United States, now at their lowest point in years, can only improve after President George W. Bush leaves the White House…

During a televised interview broadcast Sunday, Chavez said efforts to improve relations between Caracas and Washington will require "patience" and "good faith."

It was not clear when the interview was recorded.

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, periodico26.cu, Granma, El Universal, Wikipedia, IHT

Russia sends ships to Havana

Russia's interest in Latin America does not seem to be ceasing.

The country's military previously entertained the idea of practicing near Venezuela. Now, Russian warships plan to travel to a Havana port Friday in a show of strength closer to U.S. borders.

The ships' five-day stay will also highlight a Latin American tour by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Read the story here.

Source: AP

U.S. ignored at LatAm conference

The United States will not be represented at an Americas regional summit that begins tomorrow in Brazil.

Bloomberg reports that the gathering of the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development at a beach resort in Brazil's Bahia state will instead include nations that are not friendly toward the States, like Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

It is the first annual gathering on this topic but high-profile diplomats say the Unitd States exclusion is symbolic.

Read more here on each of the ways the U.S. role is waning in Latin America.

Source: Bloomberg

P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos, folks, my computer browser also is unfriendly right now.

Paraguay: “Tracterazo” protests commence

Several business and private sector groups in Paraguay are participating in nationwide protests this morning. The rallies are deemed by the local press as the “Tracterazo” protests since tractors and other farm equipment will be driven through urban areas like the capital, Asuncion.

Organizers of the protests claim that the “Tracterazo” events aren’t anti-government per se, but are designed to “demand increased security, better work conditions, and…social peace.”

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo’s election win helped end sixty years of one-party rule yet his first four months in office have been a mixed bag. On the one hand, Lugo has gradually tackled the need for land reform and has made progress in implementing social programs. On the other hand, tensions have risen with neighboring Brazil and economic problems have led to some unique protests:

Two women let themselves be crucified on wooden crosses and carried around Paraguay's capital…as part of citywide protests demanding President Fernando Lugo grant funds for low-income housing.

Members of various homeless organizations nailed the women's hands and bound their feet to crosses in a plaza to pressure the Social Action Secretariat to give them $1 million to purchase land and build homes.

Image- Guardian UK (Fernando Lugo on the campaign trail earlier this year).
Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, USA TODAY, IPS, Xinhua
Sources (Spanish)- Ultima Hora, ABC Digital, neike.com.py

Daily Headlines: December 15, 2008

* Brazil: A silent yet stunning protest against violence took place on Saturday as 16,000 coconuts covered sections of Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana beach.

* Venezuela: Director Oliver Stone reportedly announced plans to make a documentary focusing on Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

* Central America: The Los Angeles Times looks at the plight of Central American migrants who cross into Mexico.

* Colombia: According to a prominent NGO, despite advances in Colombia’s armed conflict the federal government grossly exaggerates the number of slain guerillas.

Image- Reuters
Sources- Los Angeles Times, Guardian UK, CNN, BBC News

Poll: What are the top stories of 2008?

We’re approximately fifteen days way from the end of the year and so many events have occurred over the past eleven-and-a-half months. Thus, we’re issuing our poll of the main headlines of 2008. Nearly one hundred votes were made in our first year-end poll last December though we hope more will be entered for this year’s poll.

• This year’s poll contains 25 stories and moments that have caught our attention over the past year including several based on your suggestions.
• The poll is multiple choice so you can choose more than one answer if you wish. You can also write-in your own entry under the “other” option.
• The poll will stay open until Sunday December 28 and we will post the top 10 news stories according to your votes between December 29 and December 31.
  

Please feel free to participate and vote for what you feel are the top headlines from this year. Let your opinions be heard!

Sources- The Latin Americanist