Tea Party Politico Pushes for “Embracing” of Immigrants

Republican Senator Rand Paul called for the GOP to “embrace” immigrants during a speech given on Tuesday after the State of the Union (SOTU).

“We must be the party who sees immigrants as assets, not liabilities,” said Paul, giving a response for the Tea Party Express political group.  “We must be the party that says, ‘If you want to work, if you want to be an American, we welcome you.’”

Paul also claimed, “We are the party that embraces hard work and ingenuity, therefore we must be the party that embraces the immigrant who wants to come to America for a better future”.

The freshman senator from Kentucky blasted President Barack Obama on several issues including federal spending and foreign policy.  Yet Rand, who is reportedly contemplating a run for the presidency, did not touch on the push for bipartisan immigration reform that has been backed by Obama and some moderate GOP lawmakers.  Nor did Paul discuss border enforcement, a factor regarding immigration that was touched by Obama in the SOTU and Sen. Marco Rubio in the official Republican response.
 
Paul’s position on immigration puts at him at loggerheads with some Tea Party activists who have emphatically rejected any compromise favoring undocumented immigrants.  Judson Phillips, of Tea Party Nation, proclaimed last month that a bipartisan plan created by a group of eight senators including Rubio is “political suicide” for the GOP.  Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas expressed “deep concerns with the proposed path to citizenship” with the proposal from the “Gang of Eight.”

Daily Headlines: February 13, 2013

* Colombia: Peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC are allegedly going well despite a guerilla military offensive.

* Peru: Archeologists located a 5000-year-old temple in a Peruvian valley that could be among the oldest sites in the world.

* Venezuela: The U.S. State Department issued sanctions against a Venezuelan state-owned weapons firm for it’s dealings with Iran, North Korea or Syria.

* Paraguay: The head of the Paraguayan national electricity agency warned that the country’s energy system is on the verge of collapse.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English (The FARC ended a weeks-long unilateral ceasefire on January 20th).

Online Sources- GlobalPost, Reuters, Businessweek, inforsurhoy.com

Haitian Musicians Allege Government Censorship

Today is the last day of carnival celebrations throughout the Americas.  Much like their better-known counterparts in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, carnival festivities in Haiti are fled with color, revelry, and upbeat music.  Yet for some musicians in that Caribbean country this year’s celebrations have been marred by unnecessary criticism.

Members of three musical groups alleged that they were barred from performing at Carnival since their tunes poke fun at singer-turned-president Michel Martelly.

"These songs reflect the Haitian reality, but (Martelly) takes it the wrong way… Where's the freedom of speech? Where's the democracy? It shows that he has no tolerance (for criticism)," said Thomas Asabath, the manager of the Brothers Posse band, according to the Associated Press. 

One of the songs from the Brothers Posse entitled “Aloral” shows the lead singer critiquing a Martelly lookalike for failing to fulfill his goals in the presidency.   (This can be seen between the first and second minutes of the music video for the song).

The singer for RAM, whose group along with Kanpech and Brothers Posse was excluded from the Carnival lineup, said that he was informed that Martelly didn’t like the song they had selected.  The music video for that tune, “Men Bwa W”, supposedly depicts “a woman who physically resembles first lady Sophia Martelly stuffing herself with food – a Haitian symbol for avarice and corruption”.

Daily Headlines: February 12, 2013

* Mexico: A report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation faulted U.S. firms for sending lead batteries to Mexican recycling plants that fail to meet U.S. standards.

* Cuba: Approximately 500 U.S. troops were sent to the Guantanamo military base as part of a drill for a "mass migration event."

* Dominican Republic: The British Foreign Office updated its warning to visitors traveling to the Dominican Republic after tourists were targeted by criminals in Santo Domingo.

* Brazil: The price of sugar rose due to rumors alleging that Brazilian sugar growers will likely increase ethanol production.

Online Sources - Bloomberg, The New York Times, UPI, The Telegraph

Will a Latin American Become the Next Pope?

On Monday Pope Benedict XVI declared that he would resign from his post effective February 28th.  “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” said Benedict in a statement read on Vatican radio.

His surprise announcement has led to speculation over who could soon replace the 85-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church.  Is it possible that the new pontiff will come from Latin America rather than Europe?  Here are six possible candidates from the Americas who could become the church’s 266th pope:

Odilo Scherer (Brazil): Scherer is the Archbishop of São Paulo, which is the largest diocese in the world’s largest Catholic country.  He is young compared to other papal candidates (63-years-old) and his relatively moderate views could attract those dissatisfied with the scandals under Benedict.  The growth of evangelicals in Brazil could be a disadvantage for Scherer’s candidacy even though the next World Youth Day will be held this year in Rio de Janeiro.
 
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras): Betting house Paddy Power gave 10-to-1 odds in favor of the papal candidacy of the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and ex-President of the Latin American Episcopal Conference.  As President of Caritas Internationalis, he has urged “the world’s richest nations to keep their promises to increase and improve development aid to the world’s poorest countries”.  His views on social inequality aside, he has also shared the Vatican’s hard line on areas such as homosexuality and birth control.

Leonardo Sandri (Argentina): Sandri is the head of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and he was also chief of staff, the third most important Vatican post, under Pope John Paul II between 2000 and 2007.  His experience and his Italian heritage are factors that led one religious commentator to label Sandri as a "safe hands" candidate.

Daily Headlines: February 11, 2013

* U.S.: Juanes, Lila Downs and Quetzal were some of the winners in the Grammys' Latin categories that were awarded yesterday.

* South America: Parts of Peru, Chile and Bolivia have been hit hard by flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains.

* Mexico: According to a new federal government report over 1100 people were killed in violent incidents last month.

* Ecuador: Recent poll results indicated that President Rafael Correa appears poised to win reelection in next Sunday’s elections.

Video Source – YouTube via user Marlow Rosado (Marlow Rosado y La Riqueña upset Romeo Santos to win the 2013 Grammy for "Best Tropical Latin Album.")

Online Sources- Billboard.com, BBC News, LAHT, Reuters

Report: 15,000 Rape Cases Yearly in Mexico

The recent rape of six Spanish tourists in Acapulco has served to highlight the problem of sexual assault against women in Mexico.  A report mentioned in one of Mexico’s main dailies described just how bad this problem is.

The “unpublished” study, which was mentioned in Wednesday’s edition of La Jornada, found that approximately 15,000 instances of rape were denounced yearly. Hence, the report concluded that levels of sexual violence in Mexico are “unacceptably high and, worse still, increasing.”  

The report’s authors, who include the U.N.’s agency on women and Mexico’s National Women’s Institute, also noted that despite such a high number of reported cases of abuse the number of defendants who go on trial decreased between 2002 and 2010.

Furthermore, the study described that 76% of those accused of rape between 1997 and 2006 were convicted of their crimes.  Yet this percentage has supposedly decreased and over the past four years less than 30% of cases have lead to a conviction. 

This study appears to support the results of another report that was presented last year to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.  As written in an October 2012 article in VOXXI:

Daily Headlines: February 8, 2013

* Mexico: Mexico’s Yaquis de Obregon won the Caribbean Series over the Dominican Republic's Leones del Escogido in a nail-biting eighteen inning marathon game that took nearly 7.5 hours to play. 

* Venezuela: Ailing President Hugo Chavez might soon be able to rule by decree after an opposition lawmaker changed party affiliation.

* Haiti: A judge ruled that ex-President Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier must appear in court later this month to face charges of human rights abuse.

* El Salvador: The Salvadoran military will reportedly be withdrawn from several “peace zone” municipalities where the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs agreed to a non-violence truce.

Video Source – YouTube via user iPhoneActualidad

Online Sources- ESPN, Christian Science Monitor, NBC News, Bloomberg

Argentine Ambassador Rebukes Italian Newspaper

Over the past few weeks Argentina’s government has been at loggerheads with several countries across the Atlantic.

Several days ago, Argentine Foreign Minister Hectór Timerman clamed that his country will control the disputed Falklands Islands “within twenty years.”  Last week Timerman and Israeli officials criticized each other after Argentine and Iranian diplomats agreed to creating a joint “truth commission” to investigate the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center.

In the latest incident, Argentina’s ambassador to Italy criticized a recent opinion article that appeared in the Corriere della Sera entitled “The Creative ‘Lies’ of Our Argentine Friends”.

In a letter sent to the chief editor of the influential newspaper, Ambassador Torcuato Di Tella called for “a little more balanced news coverage.”

“I know very well that your newspaper doesn’t treat Italian politics tenderly…Anyway, among so many news stories a little fun isn’t too bad.  But I expected the Corriere, which I read and keep many articles written by teachers, colleagues and friends as Sartori, Panebianco, Sapelli, a little more balanced news coverage," Di Tella said in his communique.

The article in question was originally published on Monday’s edition of the Italian daily and was a tongue-in-cheek critique of Argentina’s fudging of key economic data. 

The article that was written by a Corriere’s correspondent in Brazil did not pull punches:

Daily Headlines: February 7, 2013 (UPDATED)

* Chile: The Chilean Navy was ordered to investigate a group of sailors caught on video chanting, “I will kill Argentines, I will shoot Bolivians, I will behead Peruvians.”

Update: A report from the Chilean Navy said that the chant by a group of sailors in Viña del Mar was an "improvised" form of a "typical" song used by the military in training.

The report, which was ordered by the federal government in response to the controversial video, labeled the chant as "offensive" but called for the leader of the chant to be punished rather than the entire group of 27 sailors.

* South America: Police in Peru nabbed the suspected head of Los Urabeños, a Colombian neo-paramilitary criminal gang involve in drug trafficking.

* Cuba: Lack of demand is reportedly to blame for a decline in the number of charter flights between the U.S. and Cuba.

* U.S.: Can Governors Brian Sandoval and Susana Martinez help attract Latino voters to the Republican Party?

Video Source – YouTube via user Guillermo Rossini

Online Sources including Update- La Nacion, ABC News, UPI, Miami Herald, New York Times

Today’s Video: Big Dreams

In yesterday’s look at the effects of cancer in Latin America we highlighted the difficulties faced by one of Bolivia’s few children’s cancer doctors.  Though some of her patients face very difficult odds at survival some of them are able to pull through and lead normal lives.

This message of hope and overcoming immense obstacles is featured in the following Peruvian Cancer Foundation commercial from Peru that first aired several years ago:

Please click here if you’re interested in donating to the Peruvian Cancer Foundation and finding out more information about the group.

Cancer is reportedly the second-leading cause of death in Peru.

Video Source – YouTube via user Jorge Alarcon

Online Sources – The Latin Americanist, La Republica, Peruvian Cancer Foundation

Daily Headlines: February 6, 2013

* Haiti: An International Crisis Group report warned that “Haiti is in a race against time to convince its own people, donors and potential investors that progress and stability are achievable”.
 
* South America: Is a controversial under-20 soccer match between Bolivia and Argentina and played in 2010 under the scrutiny of European gambling investigators?

* Nicaragua: Money transfers to Nicaragua reached a record high of over $1 billion in 2012 according to the country’s Central Bank.

* Ecuador: President Rafael Correa claimed that an attack against supporters at a pro-government rally on Monday was not politically motivated.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews (Dozens of protests like the one seen here could sink the presidency of Michel Martelly and hamper Haitian progress according to the International Crisis Group).

Online Sources- Miami Herald, NBC Sports, Prensa Latina, Chicago Tribune

Today’s Video: One Patient at a Time

On Monday we examined a recent march in Honduras aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of cancer.  Today we continue our commemoration of World Cancer Day with a look at a Latin American country hit very hard by cancer.

A 2012 study from the World Health Organization, (WHO), found that Bolivia has the second-highest cancer death rate in Latin America and this has led to one of the world’s highest mortality rates.

Why such high rates? One reason is lack of proper health care since it is not affordable.  Indeed, the WHO estimated that a whopping 90% of cancer deaths in Bolivia are among those in the lower economic classes. 

The challenge of providing cancer treatment and raising awareness of the disease is seen every da by Dr. Beatriz Salas, one of the few child cancer doctors in Bolivia.  As seen in the video below the page break, Dr. Salas provides care for her mostly impoverished patients including some who travel as far as hundreds of miles to Cochabamba.  Treatment for these patients is difficult to come by due to their poverty as well as a lack of funds to the hospital.  Yet Dr. Salas does not give up and she strives daily to help all of her patients:

Daily Headlines: February 5, 2013

* Venezuela: Vice President Nicolas Maduro read a letter purportedly from President Hugo Chavez who has not made a public appearance since undergoing surgery on December 11th.

* Colombia: Representatives for the FARC rebels denied allegations that peace talks with the Colombian government are floundering, while the ELN guerillas reportedly kidnapped two German citizens.

* U.S.: A new survey found that 18% of Latinos are gun owners, which is a smaller percentage compared to blacks (21%) and whites (33%).

* Argentina: Most Argentine supermarkets will freeze the prices of goods for two months in a move aimed at halting rising inflation rates.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- ABC News, LAHT, Terra.com, Huffington Post, Washington Post

Today’s Video: Hondurans Against Cancer

In commemoration of World Cancer Day, which is being observed today, we will highlight several videos this week showing the impact of cancer on several Latin American countries.

According to the World Health Organization, (WHO), cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide and it kills more people on Earth than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.  Researchers believe that factors such as increased rates of tobacco use, poorer diets and greater exposure to hazardous chemicals have led to most cancer deaths occurring in developing countries.

Regarding Latin America, the WHO praised the region for establishing national plans to combat cancer.

“Within Latin America there is great activity.  A network of national cancer institutes was created recently thanks to the UNASUR bloc, which allows for dialogue and the exchanging of experiences,” noted WHO official Andreas Ullrich to BBC Mundo.  Nevertheless, Ullrich also observed that these initiatives are in their early stages and there’s still a long road ahead.

Certain sectors in some Latin American countries are especially vulnerable to the cancer epidemic.  Such is the case in Honduras where one in nine women suffer from cancer.

The most common forms of cancer in Honduras are cervical cancer followed by breast cancer with the latter causing an estimated 350 yearly deaths.  As a result, women between the ages of 36 and 55 are believed to be the most vulnerable group to suffer from cancer in that Central American nation.

Despite the difficulties faced by Honduran women numerous organizations strive to promote cancer awareness.  One of these campaigns was organized last October when several hundred women marched through the streets of Tegucigalpa.

“For several years we have informed women at risk (of cancer) to undergo a mammogram and on this day we’re once against launching a message of hope,” said Lía Bueso, head of a women’s organization against cancer, to the EFE news agency.

As seen in the video below the page break, the “Pink Carnival” attracted Hondurans representing all walks of life including activists, children, and cancer survivors:

Daily Headlines: February 4, 2013 (UPDATED)

* Paraguay: Presidential candidate Lino Oviedo died in an accident that occurred on the twenty-fourth anniversary of the coup d’état that he took part in against ex-dictator Alfredo Stroessner. 

* Mexico: Funerals were held over the weekend for some of the thirty-six people killed as a result of an explosion at the PEMEX complex on Thursday.

Update: According to PEMEX a 37th dead body was found on Monday amid the rubble from last week's explosion. 

* Cuba: Former Cuban ruler Fidel Castro voted in Sunday’s general elections and, thus, made his first extended public appearance since 2010.

* Uruguay: Should the Falkands Islands really belong to Uruguay instead of Argentina or Britain?

Video Source – YouTube via user canalNTN24

Online Sources including Update- Bloomberg, euronews, The Latin Americanist, The Guardian, The Telegraph, ABC News