Daily Headlines: January 16, 2013

* Chile: Members of the indigenous Rapa Nui community may reportedly seek to declare independence for Easter Island from Chile.

* Venezuela: The Venezuelan Official Gazette published a decree signed by President Hugo Chavez hours after Vice President Nicolas Maduro alleged that the ailing leader was “making progress” in his recovery. 
     
* Cuba: Authorities in Cuba claimed to have “contained” a cholera outbreak that has infected at least fifty-one people.

* U.S.: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar became the second Latino member of the Obama cabinet to resign over the past several days.

Video Source – YouTube via UNESCO

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

U.S., Colombian Diplomats Discuss Possible “Change” in Venezuela

The top diplomats for the U.S. and Colombia urged Venezuela’s government to “respect” that country’s constitution should President Hugo Chavez not recover from cancer surgery.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Colombian counterpart, María Ángela Holguín, reportedly discussed the “potential for change” in Venezuela during a meeting between both of them in Washington earlier today. 

Clinton and Holguin coincided that “a political transition of any kind needs to happen in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution, needs to be transparent, needs to be democratic,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Nuland added that the U.S. “admires” the efforts of the Colombian government to have peace talks with the FARC rebels.

Nuland’s remarks were similar to those made yesterday by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson regarding Venezuela’s political tensions.

"All of us want the situation…to clarify," she said according to Venezuela’s El Universal daily.  She added that if the Venezuelan constitution provides for a "new election" then she expects it to be "open to everyone."

The U.S. hasn’t been the only country in the Americas to call for a peaceful transition in power in Venezuela in case Chavez’ health impedes him from continuing in the presidency.  According to Reuters, Brazilian officials are looking at the possibility of a post-Chavez Venezuela:

Daily Headlines: January 15, 2013 (UPDATED)

* Puerto Rico: Protests by social media groups may’ve led to the resignation last week of the voice behind controversially outspoken Puerto Rican TV puppet La Comay.

Update: Has the uproar against recent homophobic remarks by La Comay caused legislators to reconsider an anti-discrimination bill that had been dormant for years?   

* Chile: Chile became the world’s first country to prohibit bottom trawling, a fishing practice that causes damage to ocean life.

* Guatemala: The mayor of the town of Jutiapa was killed on the same day that President Otto Perez Molina said there had been "a historic decline" in Guatemalan violence during his first year in office.

* Latin America: Vale (Brazil), Cemex (Mexico) and Tenaris (Argentina) are some of the firms were named in a report of the top 100 companies from developing nations that are pushing global growth.

Video Source – YouTube via user 40viajero (Puerto Rican celebrities joined in the uproar against La Comay who made homophobic comments about the brutal murder of a gay publicist last month).

Online Sources- New American Media, National Geographic, New York Times, BBC News

World Watch: Liar, Liar

* U.S.: Disgraced cycling champion Lance Armstrong reportedly admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.

* Mali: Defense chiefs of several western African countries will back the deployment of thousands of troops aimed at defeating Islamist rebels in Mali.

* Syria: An International Rescue Committee report found that Syria’s humanitarian crises is worsening as a result of female refugees escaping from rape and other forms of sexual abuse.

* Pakistan: Ten of thousands of people in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad participated in anti-government protests.

Video Source– YouTube via user jchau (Lance Armstrong featured in this 2001 Nike ad where he tried to downplay rumors of doping).
 
Online Sources – USA TODAY, Reuters, NPR, Christian Science Monitor

Daily Headlines: January 14, 2013

* Cuba: Long lines are allegedly forming outside migration offices and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana as today marks the first day that new travel measures take effect.

* Colombia: Peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels will be renewed today after a 23-day holiday break.
 
* Bolivia: President Evo Morales praised the U.N.’s decision to readmit Bolivia into the organization’s anti-drugs convention.

* Costa Rica: Approximately fifty mothers and their children took part in a breastfeeding protest against the supposedly discriminatory policies of a Costa Rican shopping mall.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- Huffington Post, Bernama, Mercopress, ABC News

Daily Headlines: January 11, 2013

* Mexico: Eduardo Medina Mora, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., expressed his hope that new gun control laws in the U.S. could help reduce violence in Mexico.

* Honduras: Reporters Without Borders called on officials in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists to protect a reporter facing several threats.

* Colombia: FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez said that the guerillas would not extend a unilateral ceasefire beyond a January 20th deadline.

* U.S.: Does the surprise resignation of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis signify a “diversity gap” in President Barack Obama’s cabinet?

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- Washington Post, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, infosurhoy.com

Venezuela: Pro-Chavez LatAm Leaders Sign Solidarity Declaration

Representatives of over twenty Latin American and Caribbean countries signed a declaration supporting ailing President Hugo Chavez and the Venezuelan government.

Signatories to the “Caracas Declaration” promise to reject any attempts to  “destabilize and promote intervention into matters on which the Venezuelan people have clearly expressed their will.”

The text also called on the international community to “respect” Wednesday’s Venezuelan Supreme Court ruling to postpone the inauguration of Chavez that was supposed to take place on Thursday.

Among the countries that signed the declaration are member states of the Petrocaribe oil alliance and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, both groups that have received strong support from the Chavez regime.

In lieu of Chavez, who is reportedly in Cuba and in “delicate” condition since undergoing cancer surgery one month ago, several Latin American leaders gathered at a rally in his name on Thursday.  The presidents of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Uruguay joined Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials on stage at the event in Caracas.

“I am confident that our comrade Hugo is the person most interested in being here, but who says he is not here? He is in every woman, peasant...” proclaimed former Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo at the “symbolic” inauguration that was also attended by tens of thousands of Venezuelans.
   
Venezuelan opposition leaders, meanwhile, announced that they will hold their own rally on January 23rd over what they consider a violation of Venezuela’s constitution.

Nuestro Cine: The Artist

This morning the nominees for the 2013 Academy Awards were announced.  Among those films that made it to their respective Oscar categories are Chilean film “No” and the feature documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” that focuses on Mexican-American folk singer Rodriguez.  Another documentary that could win an Oscar highlights the work of a young Latino striving to speak out through her art.

“Inocente” is named after its main subject: undocumented immigrant Inocente Izucar.  She has reportedly moved more than thirty times in nine years along with her mother and three brothers.  Her nomadic lifestyle included stints in homeless shelters along with her family and occasionally living on the streets.  Inocente also endured family abuse that led to the deportation of her father and a difficult relationship with her mother.

 “When I was little, I didn’t think it was weird. But as I got older, I began to see that other kids at school had houses to live in. I didn’t tell people at school I was homeless. It was my secret,” she said to Fox News Latino.

It was during her brief period at the Monarch School for homeless kids where Inocente would find her true voice.  Her colorful and vibrant artistic work caught the eyes of teachers and members of A Reason To Survive (ARTS), a non-profit program that organized therapeutic arts-based programs.  Inocente’s creativity also captured the attention of filmmakers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine who decided to rework their planned film on homeless youth to concentrate on Inocente.

Since the film was made three years ago, some aspects of Inocente’s life have changed for the better.   She is able to support herself by selling her artwork for as much as $5000 apiece, which has allowed her to move into a small apartment in San Diego and continue painting.  Despite the strained ties to her mom, Inocente has not stopped dreaming of a better future for herself and her family:

“I want to join the circus,” she says. “I want to do trapeze…The documentary has opened many doors for me, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot more to come.”

She says she has learned through experience to just think about tomorrow, it’s easier that way. That’s her message to the other homeless kids out there. 

“It can only get better,” says Inocente. “I have a lot of impossible dreams, but I still dream them.”

“Inocente” has been featured in several film festivals and aired on MTV last August.  Below is the trailer to the film that will be vying to win the Oscar for top short documentary at the Academy Awards ceremony on February 24th:
Inocente Official Trailer from Shine Global on Vimeo.

Video Source - Vimeo
 
Online Sources – The Latin Americanist, IMDB.com, Fox News Latino, NBC Latino

Daily Headlines: January 10, 2013

* Argentina: An Argentine naval ship detained for two and half months in Ghana because of a financial dispute returned to a “triumphant homecoming” on Wednesday.

* Mexico: U.S. legislators Elijah Cummings and Henry Waxman released documents alleging that Wal-Mart’s chief executive was aware of widespread bribery taking place in Mexico.

* Peru: At least two people are dead and three are injured after a Dakar Rally convoy was involved in a multiple vehicle accident.

* Cuba: Dissident and former political prisoner Oscar Elias Biscet announced a new campaign aimed at collecting thousands of signatures for a pro-democracy manifesto.

Video Source – YouTube via user TVPublicaArgentina

Online Sources- LAHT, The Guardian, The Independent, Reuters

Venezuelan Top Court OKs Chavez Inaguration Delay (UPDATED)

The inauguration of President Hugo Chavez scheduled for tomorrow can legally be delayed according to a unanimous decision issued on Wednesday by the Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ, in Spanish initials).

In the ruling read by TSJ president Luisa Estella Morales, the tribunal concluded that the end of a presidential term does not indicate an end of power. She also said that other members of the Chavez administration can continue in their offices.

Morales noted that Chavez can be inaugurated at a later date in front of the TSJ though she did not provide a specific date.

She said the court's decision came from its interpretation of Article 231 of the Venezuelan constitution that according to BBC News states,"the president-elect shall take office on 10 January... by taking an oath before the National Assembly. If for any reason, (they) cannot be sworn in before the National Assembly, they shall take the oath of office before the Supreme Court".

Chavez, who was supposed to be inaugurated for a third consecutive term on Thursday, has not been seen publicly since traveling to Cuba approximately one month ago for cancer surgery.

The TSJ's decision supports actions by the Venezuelan government seeking to delay the inauguration. Opposition politicians and exiled activists have decried the government's move as an unconstitutional power grab.

We will have more details later today on the ruling including reactions in Venezuela and abroad.

(Updates after the page break)

Daily Headlines: January 9, 2013

* Guatemala: The demand for biofuels in the U.S. and Europe could be causing major problems to the Guatemalan food supply.

* Cuba: A U.N. report urged the Cuban government to release the "unfairly" imprisoned U.S. contractor Alan Gross.

* U.S.: Harvard University is facing criticism after granting a one-year fellowship to former Mexican President Felipe Calderón.

* Brazil: Authorities rejected calls for energy rationing due to low water levels at Brazilian hydroelectric plants.

Online Sources: Miami Herald, Huffington Post, New York Times, ABC News

Daily Headlines: January 8, 2013

* South America: For the fourth straight year Argentine striker Lionel Messi received the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best soccer player and he also joined fellow South Americans Marcelo, Dani Alves and Radamel Falcao to the World XI All-Star team.

* Bolivia: Bolivian officials claimed to have “irrefutable evidence” proving that the U.S. embassy in La Paz is plotting to “damage the image and prestige” of President Evo Morales.

* Venezuela: Rescuers continue to search for a plane that disappeared off the Venezuelan coast carrying Italian fashion executive Vittorio Missoni and five other people.
 
* Argentina: The Argentine foreign ministry blasted British Prime Minister David Cameron over alleged “military threats” made regarding the disputed Falklands.
 
Video Source – YouTube via user HeilRJ03 (Lionel Messi scored 91 goals in all competitions in 2012, which is reportedly a world record).

Online Sources- ESPN Soccernet, AFP, The Telegraph, Euronews

Sobredosis de TV: Another Eye on Juarez

Last November we looked at “Witness: Juarez”, a documentary following the experiences of photojournalist Eros Hoagland in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.  While Hoagland provided his perspective on violence in one of the Americas’ most dangerous cities, another film set to air tonight will provide another viewpoint of the conflict in northern Mexico.

“Reportero” highlights the work done by journalists working at Zeta, a Tijuana-based independent newsweekly. Much like Hoagland the staff at Zeta risk their lives in order to report on the rampant crime, corruption and difficulties faced on a daily basis in Juarez and Tijuana, respectively.  Unlike Hoagland who has traveled to conflict areas around the world, however, the subjects of “Reportero” are residents of Baja California who cannot as easily escape the dangers they encounter.

As Zeta co-director Adela Navarro and reporter Sergio Haro told PBS, the work by them and their colleagues continues though the odds are seemingly stacked against them:

Daily Headlines: January 7, 2013

* Venezuela: Chavistas and opposition politicos continue to be at loggerheads over the health of ailing President Hugo Chavez who is supposed to be inaugurated on Thursday for a third straight term.
    
* Chile: President Sebastián Piñera announced the application of Chile's tough Pinochet era anti-terrorism law as a result of increased tensions with indigenous Mapuche activists.

* Mexico: Could Canada’s guest worker program for Mexicans serve as an example for the U.S. to emulate?
 
* Colombia: Honduras’ ambassador to Colombia resigned after it was discovered that a bacchanalian holiday party was held at the embassy in Bogota last month.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- Businessweek, Huffington Post, VOXXI, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: January 4, 2013

* Argentina: British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez' latest push for Argentine sovereignty over the disputed Falkland Islands.

* Puerto Rico: In his inauguration speech on Wednesday new governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla vowed to fix Puerto Rico's economic woes and combat the island's high crime rates.

* Chile: The widow of folk singer Victor Jara called on the U.S. government to extradite a former Chilean military official charged with murdering her husband in 1973.

* Haiti: The Haitian government is none too pleased with the recent strengthening of travel warnings by the U.S. and Canada to the Caribbean country.

Daily Headlines: January 2, 2013

* Peru: Over thirty people died in Peru in 2012 as a result of a dengue outbreak that infected approximately 21,000 people last year.

* U.S.: Is the naming of a new California school after bandido Tiburcio Vasquez a fair recognition of a historic Latino or the unnecessary glorification of a criminal?

* Colombia: While peace talks between the Colombian government and FARC rebels are on hold at least thirteen guerillas died in a military assault.

* Haiti: The U.S. State Department upgraded its travel warning to Haiti including advising visitors “medical facilities are particularly weak.”

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English 

Online Sources- Huffington Post, The Global Dispatch, LAHT, CBS Miami