It is now safe to include tomatoes in your diet again. Just stay away from Mexican peppers, specifically jalapeños and serranos. The FDA lifted it's warning, that some varieties of tomatoes may contain salmonella amid signs an outbreak of the illness is slowing...Source : NPR
Venezuela has been internationally recognized for the physical beauty of their women; just ask newly-crowned Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza. Yet that fame has a hidden side in the faces of thousands of women hurt by physical and mental violence. Not enough has been done to prevent violence against Venezuelan women according to a report released by human rights group Amnesty International (AI):Thousands of women in Venezuela live in a constant state of fear of violence from their partners, fear for their lives and the safety of their children. When a safety net is not provided, many women feel that they have no choice but to stay with their abuser or to be homeless and unable to support themselves or their children.
The AI report applauded a law passed last year designed to strengthen penalties for those who abuse women yet a senior AI official emphasized that “Venezuelan authorities must enforce it.” The study also noted that there are only three women’s shelters in the entire country and authorities “have not been properly trained” to handle crimes of abuse against women.
Sadly, violence against women is an all too common problem in the Americas; several cases of girls being raped in jail emerged in Brazil while Mexican police have been unable to solve the mysterious deaths of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez.
Image- BBC News
Sources- ABC News, BBC News, Amnesty International UK, The Latin Americanist, Reuters UK, El Universal
* Argentina: The country’s Senate voted by a razor-thin one vote margin in favor of farmers and against a government-backed plan to raise export taxes.* Panama: Geologists have found hundreds of animal fossils which could help explain how the American continent was formed.
* Brazil: Thousands of striking workers of state-run oil firm Petrobras may soon expand their strike across the country.
* Cuba: Has Cuba been “working around the U.S. internet embargo” by secretly cooperating with Venezuela?
Image- New York Times (“Farmers in Buenos Aires on Thursday celebrated the rejection by the Argentinean senate of the grain-export tax package.”)
Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Bloomberg, Slashdot
The following video is a 1983 documentary looking at Nicaragua and the effects of the Sandinista regime. Produced by John Pilger, (who Wikipedia describes as a supporter of Hugo Chavez and a fervent critic of U.S. foreign policy), the film praised the “generosity of spirit” in Nicaragua under the Sandinistas and blasted the growing influence of the U.S.-backed Contras.
(Warning: Some scenes Not Safe for Work).
Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Wikipedia, YouTube
Gunmen reportedly killed a Guatemalan prosecutor who was investigating the deaths of three Salvadoran politicians in February 2007. El Salvador's President Tony Saca blamed drug gangs for gunning down Juan Carlos Martinez as he was driving his car near his home on Monday. “Someone is blocking us from knowing what they are,” said Saca who alluded of a cover-up in the investigation.The bodies of Central American Parliament members Eduardo D'Aubuisson, William Pichinte and Jose Ramon Gonzalez along with their chauffeur were found dead and charred in an abandoned car. Days after the finding, Guatemalan police arrested four cops yet they were soon killed while in jail and before they could testify.
Image- Voice of America (“Agents of the National Civil Police stand before a charred Toyota Land Cruiser where three Salvadoran representatives were assassinated and torched by alleged hit men, 20 Feb 2007.”)
Sources- The Peninsula, The Latin Americanist, Reuters UK
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a temporary injunction against the executions of five Mexican nationals on death row in Texas. The ruling by the United Nations' highest court said that the U.S. should "take all measures necessary" to ensure that the Mexicans do not get executed.Despite the decision Texan authorities claimed that the executions will go on as scheduled such as that of Jose Medellin on August 5th:
"This court ruling does not change anything," said Allison Castle, a spokeswoman in Gov. Rick Perry's office. "Those who come to Texas and commit crimes will have to pay the consequences"…
"(Mexico) hopes for proper enforcement of the injunction because of its legally binding nature," the country's Foreign Affairs Minister Patricia Espinosa Cantellano said in a statement written in Spanish.
The ICJ’s decision was the latest in a five-year dispute between the U.S. and its southern neighbor with Mexico arguing that nationals on death row have been denied their right to consular access.
The international court’s ruling contradicts the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled in March that states did not have to abide by a previous ICJ ruling in favor of Mexicans waiting execution.
Image- Javno
Sources- Voice of America, TheMonitor.com, El Paso Times, The Latin Americanist, CBC.ca
To some he was the man who saved Chile from a communist takeover and helped transform the country’s economy. To others he was a brutal dictator who died in impunity and was the mastermind behind the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. He was Augusto Pinochet and he continues to be a divisive figure among Chileans to this day.Chilean television network TVN created a series of the greatest Chileans ever and the first episode aired last night. Poet Pablo Neruda, war hero Arturo Prat, folk singer Violeta Parra, and even Pinchot’s predecessor- Salvador Allende- where some of the ten finalists selected. Pinochet was omitted from the preliminary list of sixty; a decision that irked some Chileans:
"They avoided 'by committee' the possibility that the authoritarianism of the masses would rush to their computers and vote in favor of Pinochet," wrote historian Alfredo Jocelyn-Holt in a column for the newspaper La Tercera. "The final list, nevertheless, came out slanted toward a certain politically correct leftism."
Pinochet's influence and power played a pivotal role in Chilean history but go ask the orphans of those whose parents where killed or “disappeared” if he deserves to be the "greatest"? Or the thousands who were tortured by the state and fortunate to make it out alive or the families of Carlos Prats and Orlando Letelier.
Augusto Pinochet as the greatest Chilean ever makes as much sense as Stalin being considered as the greatest Russian ever. In other words: no.
Image- Guardian UK (“General Augusto Pinochet, left, and President Salvador Allende pose together in August 1973, before the coup in which Pinochet seized power.”)
Sources (English)- Inside South America, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, Foreign Policy Passport
Sources (Spanish)- chile.com, Grandes Chilenos de la Historia
* Venezuela: On Wednesday we asked if a Barack “Obama presidency could hurt Venezuela’s (Hugo) Chavez?” The answer seems to be “yes” according to remarks made yesterday by Chavez.
* Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega claimed that he would be “fully willing to contribute to the peace process” with Colombian guerillas.
* Mexico: Should domestic brewer Modelo be worried over the recent takeover of its U.S. partner Anheuser-Busch?
* Haiti: Supporters of ex-president Jean Bertrand Aristide rallied in the capital Port-au-Prince on the occasion of his birthday.
Image- TIME
Sources- Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, Reuters UK, Al Jazeera English, MSNBC
If Barack Obama becomes president then problems will arise for Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, according to an article in today’s Christian Science Monitor. Though Chavez’ views are closer to the Illinois senator than GOP rival John McCain, the piece posits that Obama would be less of a “punching bag” than current president George W. Bush:Mr. Chavez has made an art out of insulting President Bush and his "imperialist" foreign policy. [ed. note – such as this diatribe on Tuesday calling for an “end to the (U.S.) empire"]
A McCain victory would allow him to sustain that message: Mr. McCain, after all, hails from the same party and shares many of the same policies as Bush. But Senator Obama is a different story…
"It's hard seeing Chavez calling Obama 'Satan' and the likes," says Ray Walser, a Latin America expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "He won't get as much traction."
Certainly there are those who back McCain such as right-wingers and proponents of free trade. Yet the article by Sara Miller Llana observes Obama's popularity in Latin America which could force Chavez to tone down his rhetoric:
"He would shift his tone probably away from personal attacks to questioning US policies and engagement in the hemisphere," Walser says. But his real aim "is his idea of restructuring Latin America, to make it an independent force."
What do you think of the article?
Image- stuff.co.nz
Sources- Xinhua, The Latin Americanist, Christian Science Monitor
Colombian President (and Hugo Chavez's new bff), Alvaro Uribe, apologized earlier today for his soldiers using the Red Cross emblem on their uniforms during the rescue mission that liberated former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 others. The misuse of the international organization's symbol violates the Geneva Convention and can be considered a war crime."We regret that this occurred," President Alvaro Uribe said in a speech following reports that the Red Cross emblem was displayed on a vest or T-shirt worn by a Colombian intelligence officer who took part in the rescue mission.The Red Cross, said through it's Colombian spokesperson that their symbol must be respected, especially as they continue to work inside Colombia.
Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross members is against the Geneva Conventions as it could put humanitarian workers at risk when they are in war zones.
Chase Hilgenbrinck announced his retirement from soccer. Admittedly he’s not a big name player as he decided to leave the reserve squad of MLS side New England Revolution after a mere four games with the team. Yet Hilgenbrinck’s decision to retire at the age of 26 was so he could train for the priesthood. “I know that I am moving on to something much greater” said the former defender who will now attend a Catholic seminary in Maryland.
Hilgenbrinck has been no stranger to make such major decisions; after gradating from college and not getting any offers in the U.S., Hilgenbrinck decided to ply his trade far away from home:
(…) A Chilean coach, Claudio Aureas, opened the door for Hilgenbrinck's move 10,000 miles, or 16,000 kilometers, to try his luck in another culture.
On trial with Huachipato, then loaned out to a second-division team, Naval, he was drawn to local Catholic churches. It felt as natural as attending Sunday class at Holy Trinity as a boy. Eventually, he settled at Ñublense, a team he helped get promotion to the top league in Chile. He turned down offers to move closer to Santiago because he felt committed and comfortable with Ñublense.
From the soccer pitch to the church altar; it’s been quite a journey for Chase Hilgenbrinck.
Image- Diario La Discusion (Chase Hilgenbrinck during his days playing for Ñublense)
Sources- Reuters UK, International Herald Tribune, USA TODAY
Auto giant General Motors (GM) has fallen on hard times; yesterday it was announced that they will be suspending its dividend for the first time in over eighty years, withhold bonuses, and will lay off white collar workers. The overall goal is to save $15 billion by the end of the year as plummeting auto sales domestically have led to heavy losses for the largest U.S. automaker.Despite the grim picture at GM there has been a bit of good news; sales in foreign markets such as Latin America grew:
GM reported that second-quarter sales generated by its Latin America, Africa and Middle East division surged 18% and that its market share in the regions rose almost a full percentage point, to 17.5%.
Total division sales for the latest quarter reached 346,100 units, up from 294,000 a year ago, with sales in Egypt doubling in that time. Brazil, Chile and the North Africa markets also hit all-time quarterly sales records.
It may not be enough to pull GM out of its deep financial crisis, but at least there’s some silver lining that can be taken advantage of.
Image- RTE
Sources- AFP, Bloomberg, AFP, MarketWatch
* Brazil: Soccer star Ronaldinho is expected to leave Spanish side FC Barcelona to sign a three-year, $33.4 million contract with Italian club AC Milan.
* Caribbean: Scientists believe that tons of dust from arid regions in Africa could be damaging Caribbean coral reefs.
* Bolivia: President Evo Morales accused the U.S. Agency for International Development of restricting aid to Bolivia.
* Haiti: The family of a mentally disabled Haitian man who died while under custody at a U.S. immigration detention center are still seeking answers as to how and why he passed away.
Image- AFP
Sources- CBC, Xinhua, New York Times, National Geographic
The title to this post may be stating the obvious, but the past few days have been especially sanguinary and brutal in the battles between police and drug gangs in Mexico. According to local media reports, over 120 people were killed in the past week due to gang violence including at least 21 people in the western state of Sinaloa. Authorities estimate that on Thursday alone 16 people were killed in separate incidents including the execution of a police chief in Chihuahua.
Mexican president Felipe Calderon has continued to stand by his aggressive anti-crime plan; “we are determined to recover streets that never should have ceased being ours,” said Calderon in May while attending the memorial of a slain officer. Yet the seemingly out-of-control violence has increasingly claimed the lives of innocent civilians and has had a very strong impact on migration into the U.S.:
Dozens of Mexicans — including police officers, businessmen, at least one prosecutor and a journalist — are asking for political asylum in the U.S. in a desperate and probably hopeless bid to escape an unprecedented wave of drug-related killings and kidnappings south of the border…
"It's hard. I've been doing this work for 25 years. I've been a reporter for 25 years," said newspaperman Emilio Gutierrez Soto, who is seeking asylum. "We had a life there, a house, my family. It's my country. But it's not safe for a journalist."
Image- AFP (Policemen carry on the coffins of three officers killed…in Culiacan, Sinaloa State”)
Sources- Los Angeles Times, The Latin Americanist, Houston Chronicle, Newsday.com, La Plaza, Canada.com, Monsters & Critics
