55 Killed in Venezuelan Prison Riot (UPDATED)

At least fifty people died in a prison riot on Friday in Barquisimeto, Venezuela when armed inmates reportedly fought with National Guard troops.

According to Ruy Medina, a Lara state hospital official interviewed by the AFP, most of the approximately ninety casualties suffered from gunshot wounds.

He called the death toll "alarming," and also noted that fourteen of the injured had wounds severe enough to require surgery.

Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela blamed the incident on social networks and several local media outlets including the Globovision TV network.

In a statement issued on state TV, Varela claimed that these outlets reported that a weapons search would take place in the prison and this served as a "spark" for the riot to occur.

A BBC News correspondent said that "prisoners who had heard about the search in advance from news reports were waiting for the National Guard when they arrived."

Opposition leader and former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles pointed his finger at an "uncapable and irresponsible" federal government. He also mentioned how families of some inmates had "desperately" contacted him seeking information about their loved ones.

A 2012 report from the Amnesty International human rights group on Venezuela highlighted that "violence remained endemic in the chronically overcrowded prisons."

Update: On Saturday, Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela announced that the Uribana prison will be shut down in the wake of Friday's deadly prison riot.

Among those who will be transferred out are 125 women who were imprisoned in the female-only wing of Uribana.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro called the violence of Friday's riot "tragic" and said authorities have launched an investigation.

"The prisons have to be governed by law," said Maduro who has stood in for an ailing President Hugo Chavez for over six weeks.

A report in USA TODAY claimed that in 2012 "the Uribana prison reportedly held gladiatorial contests, fights organized by gang leaders in which contenders battled to the bloody end for the entertainment of inmates, according to local media reports. It was one of these bouts that left two dead and 128 injured in February at the site."bUnofficially at least 55 people were killed and 90 others wounded in this latest incident of violence in Venezuelan prisons.n prisons.

Today's Video: Deadly Dengue

Numerous countries throughout the Americas including Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela are on high alert due to the latest outbreak of dengue in the region.  As the below video shows, the dengue outbreak in Peru has hit residents of the remote Amazon region particularly hard:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) dengue has the potential to become a global epidemic since last year it was the "fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease" in the world.  The WHO blamed climate change and greater migration between countries as the causes of the increase in the mosquito-borne disease.

Unfortunately, dengue has no cure and the development of a vaccine is very difficult according to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci:

“The problem with a dengue vaccine is that unlike other viruses where if you get infected with one or vaccinated with one you’re protected, period, after you recover.  Whereas with dengue since there are four types, a vaccine needs to protect you against all four, because if you are only protected against one or two, you are still susceptible to one or the other of the three or four viruses,” Fauci said.

Online Soures - Univision.com, Mercopress, Globovision, France24, Voice of America

Video Source - YouTube via Al Jazeera English     

Daily Headlines: January 25, 2013

* Mexico: Florence Cassez returned to her native France hours after being freed by Mexico’s top court and described her seven-year imprisonment as an “injustice”.

* Cuba: Officials in Cuba confirmed that an underwater fiber optic Internet cable connected to Venezuela was activated this month.

* Colombia: Peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels reportedly “advance in a climate of respect and of broad dialogue.”

* U.S.: A new report released this week found that the Latino on-time high school graduation rate increased by 10% between 2006 and 2010.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- NBC Latino, Hispanically Speaking News, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, LAHT

Daily Headlines: January 24, 2013

* Venezuela: Spanish newspaper El Pais issued an apology after publishing a fake photo on the cover page of its Thursday first edition depicting an ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

* Colombia: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised U.S. collaboration with Colombia during Congressional hearings focused on last year’s deadly attack on a consulate in Benghazi.

* Bolivia: Women’s rights groups called for authorities to investigate an alleged sexual assault in a legislative chamber that was recorded by security camera footage.

* Chile: President Sebastian Piñera visited a new Antarctic base that will be operated by the Chilean military.

Video Source – YouTube via user cablenoticiastv (The image published in El Pais on Thursday that also briefly appeared on the daily’s website was taken from a 2008 YouTube video).

Online Sources- UPI, CNN, Reuters, Fox News

Mexican High Court Orders Release of Florence Cassez

Mexico’s top court ordered the immediate release of Florence Cassez, a Frenchwoman convicted five years ago for participating in a kidnapping ring.

Three of the five Mexican Supreme Court justices agreed with the motion by Justice Olga Sanchez that alleged that that the case against Cassez was riddled with irregularities.  Her motion, which was first presented last year, alleged that the victims’ testimony against Cassez was contradictory. Furthermore, some of the testimony against her was based on a staged TV raid of the kidnapping gang that gave the false impression that Cassez was part of that arrest.  (Portions of that faked raid including Cassez’ shocked reaction in from of the cameras can be seen in the above embedded video).

Cassez was originally sentenced in 2008 to ninety-eight years in prison in a closed-door, non-jury trial.  Last March the top court rejected an appeal in Cassez’ name but accepted reviewing her case.  Nevertheless, the court’s decision this afternoon was reportedly a surprise since it was expected that they would order a retrial instead of overturning her sixty-year prison sentence and calling for Cassez to be freed.  

Her case has led to diplomatic tensions between France and Mexico; for instance, then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy suggested dedicating the 2011 “Year of Mexico in France” cultural festival in honor of Cassez.

The court’s decision will likely be a black eye against a Mexican justice system allegedly plagued by problems.  Yet as noted by Spanish daily El Mundo, today’s ruling also represents a black eye to a key figure of the administration of ex-President Felipe Calderon:

Daily Headlines: January 23, 2013 (We’re Back!)

* Guatemala: Pre-trial hearings began in a case against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt who has been accused of genocide related to his brief rule in the midst of Guatemala’s bloody civil war.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan officials and Bolivian President Evo Morales have provided optimistic assessments of President Hugo Chavez who has not been seen publicly since undergoing cancer surgery about six weeks ago.

Update: Is the photo in this article a recent picture of a recuperating Hugo Chavez walking with his brother in Cuba or is it an image originally taken in 2011?   

* Mexico: The dean of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government defended the appointment of former Mexican President Felipe Calderon to a teaching fellowship despite opposition from several anti-violence activists.

* Colombia: Pop music star Shakira gave birth to her first child, Milan Piqué Mebarak, at a hospital in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
 
Video Source – YouTube via user povborders (Excerpt from “Granito”, a 2011 documentary that focused on the efforts to gather evidence against former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt.)

Online Sources including Update- Semana.com, Huffington Post, NPR, Fox News Latino, USA TODAY

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)