Today's Video: Reaching through the rubble

We'll be posting tomorrow on several news and notes throughout the Americas.

In the meantime, the following is a brief update on the situation days after the massive tremors in Haiti:

Online Source - YouTube

Weekend World Watch: Freeze frame

* U.S.: The F.B.I. has egg on their face after Spanish legislator Gaspar Llamazares discovered that part of his image was used in a mock photo image of how Osama bin Laden could look like.

* Guinea: The country is one step closer to transitioning into civilian rule roughly four months after 150 anti-military junta demonstrators were massacred.

* Iran: Diplomats from six countries including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council met behind closed doors today in order to discuss possible sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program.

* Japan: The man described as “Japan’s most influential politician” has come under fire over his alleged role in a fundraising scandal.

Image – Guardian UK (“Digitally enhanced photo of Osama bin-Laden released by the US Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] which shows an age-progression image of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden.”)
Online Sources- The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist, New York Times, Xinhua, BBC News

Weekend Headlines: January 16-17, 2010

* Argentina: A former Argentine Navy lieutenant is close to being extradited from Spain in order to stand trial for allegedly involvement “death flights” during the Dirty War.

* Latin America: At least 26 patients of Cuba’s largest psychiatric hospital died due to a cold snap while the freezing weather has claimed the lives of about 22 people in Mexico.

* Brazil: State-run oil firm Petrobras rejected rumors that they will buy a stake in Portugal's Galp Energia.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez declared a 25% hike to the minimum wage and defied his opponents during the annual state-of-the-nation speech yesterday.

Image – EFE (Julio Alberto Poch was arrested last September and has been accused of participating in the “death flights” of Argentine dissidents).
Online Sources- AFP, Xinhua, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Guardian UK

World Watch: Beauty is more than skin deep

* China: What would have been China’s first gay pageant was shutdown at the last minute by authorities who said that the event was not “properly licensed.”

* Ukraine: Eighteen candidates are contesting Ukraine’s presidential election this weekend; the first since the 2004 “Orange Revolution.”

* Russia: The country’s legislature backtracked from its strong opposition to the European Court of Human Rights.

* U.S.: According to government data up to 80 million people in the U.S. received the swine flu vaccine though that only represents roughly one of every five in the total population.

Image – BBC News
Online Sources- Guardiann UK, Xinhua, New York Times, Reuters

Quake hits Venezuela

As if the massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti this week wasn’t enough, another tremor struck in the Americas today:

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Venezuela near the small Caribbean coastal town of Carupano, the United States Geological Survey said on Friday.

The quake, at a relatively shallow depth of 7.3 miles (12 km), was centered about 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Carupano and was felt in Puerto La Cruz, where state oil company PDVSA has a refinery.

PDVSA said it had no immediate reports of damage.

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 235 miles away from the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Furthermore, the country’s head of seismology reported that the tremor was felt in several eastern provinces.

Image- flagshag.com
Online Sources- Canadian Press, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, CNN

Today's Video: The science behind a tragedy

How could such a strong earthquake hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti? Here's how:

Online Sources - YouTube, BBC News

Massive economic loss for quake-hit Haiti

In the aftermath of the massive loss of life Haiti it is difficult to discuss issues relating to dollars and cents. Yet the earthquake that has shattered Haiti came at a time when the country’s impoverished economy was slowly bouncing back from previous natural disasters and the global economic crisis. According to the World Bank, the economic loss caused by the earthquake could be pretty hefty:

The earthquake in Haiti will cost the nation’s economy at least 15 percent of its gross domestic product, said Pamela Cox, the World Bank’s vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Jan. 12 quake is a “much bigger tragedy” than the four tropical storms or hurricanes that struck the nation in 2008, Cox said in an interview today with Bloomberg Television. Reconstruction efforts will take years and require help from the private sector, she said.

Image- The Telegraph
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Guardian UK

Drug War Continues with Mexico on Front Lines

A new timeline on Reuters encouraged us to check in on the drug war.

Yesterday, the news company issued a new timeline of key points in the U.S.-Latin America drug war, including President Nixon setting up the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973 and President Clinton gifting Colombia with $1.3 billion in aid under Plan Colombia.

In other drug news:

Mexico plans to send 2,000 more elite police toward the United States border.

A big drug bust in South Carolina was tipped off by a traffic stop. They connected the traffickers to marijuana shipped from Mexico.

And the Christian Science Monitor has a story on the three stages of corruption with a few suggestions of how Mexico can follow Colombia's lead. In Mexico, 27 percent of the Congressional members who were elected in 2006 are under suspicion of "colluding with paramilitaries," according to the article.

Sources: Reuters, WSPA, CSM

Photo: Mexico, from AP

France, Canada enacts Haiti immigration changes

Yesterday we mentioned how the U.S. temporarily suspended the deportations of Haitian migrants in light of Tuesday’s earthquake. At least two other industrialized nations have also enacted immigration changes of their own.

French officials have also placed a hold on deportations to Haiti in light of the tremors. According to a statement from French immigration minister Eric Besson, his country will only temporarily permit “earthquake victims who need medical assistance into the country.” (One estimate claimed that at least 38,000 Haitians have been repatriated “over the last couple of years.”)

In Canada, meanwhile, authorities have been examining whether to relax immigration measures for Haitian migrants. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that options to “fast-tracking” Haitians into Canada could include waiving fees and making it easy for families to reunify. According to one analyst, however, those options would be insufficient compared to a more in-depth system reform:

But simply speeding up the application process does not necessarily mean more Haitians will qualify to come to Canada, warned Audrey Macklin, law professor at the University of Toronto.

"Our immigration system makes it extremely difficult for people to come from poor countries," she said. "You're up against a whole bureaucracy set up to prevent them from coming."

In order to make sure Haitians benefit from the changes Ottawa makes, officials should also relax their demands for proof of family ties and good health, she said, especially if the applicants have links to Canadians who have said they will take care of them.

Image- Canadian Press
Online Sources- Canadian Press, AFP, The Latin Americanist, Huffington Post

Daily Headlines: January 15, 2010

* Venezuela: Citing the need for his government to “rectify” mistakes, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ordered an indefinite suspension of rolling blackouts in Caracas.

* Argentina: Coming soon to a TV near you – a channel dedicated to Argentine soccer legend/coaching joke Diego Maradona.

* Mexico: If you’re planning to nosh on chicharrones while crossing the Mexican border into the U.S. you may want to think again.

* Panama: Ex-president Ernesto Perez Balladares was placed under house arrest after being accused of money laundering.

Image – Guardian UK (“Police officers control traffic during a partial blackout in Caracas, Venezuela.”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, ABC News, USA TODAY, MSNBC

Today's Video: Caetano's call

With our thoughts and prayers focused on the victims of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti, we wish to feature Caetano Veloso's song of social awareness on that Caribbean country:

Don't forget that there are many ways to help Haiti whether it be via text messaging, major aid groups, or local organizations. Every little bit of help counts so please give what you can.

Online Sources - YouTube, The Latin Americanist

World Watch: Nap Time

* World: According to a study carried out by U.S. researchers chronic sleep deprivation cannot be resolved by a night or two of very good sleeping.

* Iraq: A court sentenced eleven suspects to death over their role in a series of 2008 bombings that killed over 100 people.

* Sudan: Tensions have escalated ahead of national elections after the military and rebels clashed in the region of Darfur.

* Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has blamed the U.S. and Israel in the recent death of a prominent Iranian scientist and professor.

Image – CBC
Online Sources- UPI, BBC News, Voice of America, Reuters

Dominican Republic key in Haiti relief

The Dominican Republic was spared much of the death and destruction of its earthquake-damaged neighbor Haiti and, thus, has served as a key conduit for relief efforts. Indeed, the country on the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola was amongst the first to send aid including “10 mobile cafeterias capable of serving 100,000 meals a day, heavy debris-removing equipment, and medicine.” Furthermore, some reporters from around the world that have converged in Haiti have resorted to traveling via unsafe and iffy means from the Dominican Republic.

Though the aid to Haiti from its neighbor has reportedly eased tensions between both countries, a source of friction may arise with the hundreds of displaced Haitians seeking to cross the border. Before the tremors Dominican authorities said that they would strengthen their efforts to prevent Haitians from illegally crossing. Clashes in the border area occur occasionally and there’s the worry that it could escalate in the aftermath of the earthquake:

Media sources in the Dominican Republic are reporting that thousands of Haitians are trying to cross into the Dominican Republic, the Spanish-speaking nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with its sister republic. Haitians are trying to cross the frontier into the Dominican Republic to purchase food, fuel, water, and candles. The electric system in Haiti has collapsed and Haitians are contending with pitch black darkness, along with the lack of adequate medical care.

Dominican military stationed along the border are allowing only those Haitians in possession of passports and valid Dominican visas to cross into Dominican territory. The Dominican military has reinforced its presence all along the border, reportedly so as to prevent a deluge of immigrants – according to Dominican media.

Image- AFP ("People walk past dead bodies in the center of Port-au-Prince.")
Online Sources- TVNZ, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, LAHT, Spero News

Clinton, Bush to help Obama for Haiti relief

President Barack Obama has sought help from his predecessor- George W. Bush- to help in the relief efforts for Haiti.

According to AFP, an anonymous White House official claimed that Bush "will join (ex-president Bill) Clinton in helping with disaster relief" for the country still reeling from Tuesday's massive earthquake. Furthermore, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that Obama spoke with Bush last night to create an alliance similar to one made by Clinton and George H.W. Bush in the aftermath of 2005’s deadly tsunami in the Pacific.

Earlier today Obama announced that at least $100 million would be allocated in humanitarian and rescue aid to Haiti where the Haitian Red Cross estimated the death toll between 45,000 and 50,000 people.

Clinton already has ties to Haiti after being named U.N. special envoy to Haiti in 2008, and he recently called on all Americans to help in the relief efforts. Meanwhile, the alliance with Obama comes as the White House has tried to avoid the mistakes made by the Bush administration after other natural disasters:

The administration urgently sought to show it had learned from the mistakes of Obama's predecessor, who was criticized for the initial U.S. response to a tsunami disaster in south Asia in 2004 and for his handling of Hurricane Katrina's onslaught on the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005.

The White House also took pains to show Obama was staying on top of events, in contrast to Bush, widely seen as detached as Katrina battered New Orleans for days more than five years ago…

That attitude could boost Obama's earlier promise to devote more attention to Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that felt neglected under the Bush administration and had not been high on the current president's policy agenda either.

Image- ABC News (January 2009 image of Barack Obama and George W. Bush).
Online Sources- FOX News, New York Times, AFP, ABC News

Could Haitian migrants receive TPS?

It is very difficult (and in some cases grossly insensitive) to bring politics into the aftermath of Tuesday’s massive earthquake in Haiti. Yet in the few days since the tragedy there has been at least one major change to U.S.-Haiti policy.

Hours after the quake struck the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decided to temporarily suspend the deportations of detained Haitian migrants. According to a DHS spokesman, U.S. immigration officials continue “to closely monitor the situation" in the impoverished Caribbean nation as the fate of an estimated 30,000 undocumented Haitians in the U.S. is in limbo.

The move opens the door for the possible granting of temporary protected status (TPS) to Haitians illegally residing in the U.S. Migrants from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras have previously received the TPS privilege that is given when countries fall victims to severe natural disasters. According to TheHill.com, an unnamed DHS official told them that TPS remains “within the range of consideration."

Haitian expats and immigration advocates have long clamored for TPS for Haitians, especially in light of numerous hurricanes and major storms over the past decade. Though their pleas had fallen on deaf ears by both the Bush and Obama administrations, support for Haitian TPS has gained backing from key lawmakers:

Among those calling on Wednesday for the Obama administration to reconsider were Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, both Democrats, and Representatives Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart of south Florida, both Republicans, as well as the Roman Catholic Bishops.

“If this is not a slam-dunk case for temporary protected status, I don’t know what is,” said Kevin Appleby, a spokesman for the bishops. He said the status would allow Haitian immigrants here to work here and send money back to relatives in Haiti trying to recover from the quake.

Image- BBC News (Some Haitians residing in Miami have clamored to the heavens in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly earthquake).
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, TheHill.com, New York Times

Daily Headlines: January 14, 2010

* Colombia: The country’s Inspector General has shamelessly urged the Constitutional Court to back a referendum that could permit President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third consecutive term.

* Latin America: “The intersection of water and climate could serve to reconcile the conflicting priorities that hobbled negotiations in Copenhagen,” mentioned Inter-American Development Bank head Luis Alberto Moreno in an Los Angeles Times op/ed piece yesterday.

* Mexico: Dutch brewer Heineken agreed to take up the multibillion-dollar debt of Mexican firm FEMSA.

* Bolivia: Is President Evo Morales the biggest fan of the blockbuster film, “Avatar”?

Image – CNN
Online Sources- Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Latina, AFP