Daily Headlines: June 28, 2013

* Puerto Rico: “Puerto Ricans don't want to be a U.S. state,” declared Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla even though a majority of the island’s voters backed statehood in a non-binding plebiscite held last November.
 
* Brazil: At least six people died in ongoing street protests against government corruption, misspending of public funds and public transit fare hikes.

* Venezuela: Several Venezuelan press groups are none too pleased that the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez was posthumously given a top journalism award.

* Peru: Archeologists uncovered artifacts from roughly 1200 years ago in a royal tomb that belonged to the pre-Incan Wari empire.

Video Source – YouTube via Democracy Now

Online Sources- ABC News (U.S. and Australia); BBC News; GlobalPost; The Latin Americanist

Senate OKs Sweeping Immigration Reform Plan

By a 68-32 vote the U.S. Senate approved a comprehensive immigration reform bill that aims to strengthen border security while also potentially benefiting scores of undocumented migrants.

 “Yes we can!” chanted several of the dozens of pro-immigration activists in the gallery of the Senate after Vice President Joe Biden read the results of the vote.  

"It's landmark legislation that will secure our borders and help 11 million people get right with the law," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said shortly prior to the vote taking place.

Among the provisions in S.744, which was crafted via the “Gang of Eight” bipartisan group of Senators, is a thirteen-year “pathway to citizenship” of strict conditions for certain undocumented migrants to legalize their status. Other parts of the proposal would require businesses to check on the legal status of prospective employees, establish a temporary program for farm workers and diminish family relations as a factor within the legal immigration system.

The bill included provisions to strengthen border security, but yesterday the Senate backed adding $46 billion in funding to the plan for the hiring of 20,000 Border Patrol agents and completing a 700-mile barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
 
Despite passing a major hurdle in the Senate, the proposal will likely face greater scrutiny in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. 

Daily Headlines: June 27, 2013

* Latin America: More than 100,000 people participated in a march calling for educational reform in Chile, while ongoing street protests continued yesterday in several Brazilian cities.

* Peru: Prosecutors have reportedly revealed a scheme alleging that $240,000 in illicit payments were made to then-President Alan Garcia's administration in exchange for the pardoning of imprisoned drug traffickers.

* U.S.: A new State Department report concluded that Iranian influence in Latin America is declining due to several factors including “a strong sanctions policy, and Iran’s poor management of its foreign relations.”

* Dominican Republic: With a fatality rate of 41.7 per hundred thousand people, the World Health Organization found that the Dominican Republic is the world’s worst country for drivers.

Video Source – YouTube via user NTDTV

Online Sources- The Guardian; GlobalPost; Peru this Week; Bloomberg; Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: June 26, 2013

* Cuba: A letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urged him to “conduct a careful review of conditions for detainees” at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

* Latin America: Ecuador’s Foreign Minister admitted that it could take weeks to decide on the asylum request from U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro admitted his country would “consider” giving Snowden asylum.

* Haiti: A Government Accountability Office blasted U.S. efforts to help rebuild earthquake-ravaged Haiti as being beset by problems including project delays and poor planning.

* Puerto Rico: According to a new study a whopping 84% of Puerto Rican children reside in "high-poverty areas", which is seven times the comparable figure for the continental U.S.

Video Source – YouTube via user JewishNewsOne
 
Online Sources- Independent Catholic News; LAHT; Straits Times; The Independent; BBC News

Brazil: Congressional Panel Backs “Gay Cure” Therapy Bill

Tensions remain high in Brazil where President Dilma Rousseff was expected to meet with organizers of protests regarding issues like public spending and transportation improvements.  While the demonstrations took place in major cities throughout the country, a congressional panel quietly gave the go ahead to a controversial proposal.

Last week the Chamber of Deputies commission on human rights approved a bill that would remove a fourteen-year-old ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for gays and lesbians.  Therefore, the “gay cure” bill would permit psychologists to “treat” homosexuality as an illness.

The panel is headed by evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano who reportedly tried to put the "gay cure" initiative before the commission but failed.  Commission members eventually approved the bill amid a low turnout. 
Feliciano has come under fire for referring to AIDS a "gay cancer" in a tweet and for claiming that John Lennon's murder in 1980 was “divine retribution” for saying the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ.

The proposal could be sunk, as other committees must debate it before going to the full Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for votes.  Nevertheless, the bill is symbolic of the growing political clout among evangelical Christians who make up approximately one-quarter of the Brazilian population.  This has not gone unnoticed by Rousseff who appointed an evangelical bishop to her cabinet though her choice could be seen as an example of the government corruption demonstrators have been criticizing about:

Daily Headlines: June 25, 2013

* Bolivia: Inmates at Bolivia’s largest prison, the San Pedro in La Paz, are protesting after rumors emerged that a twelve-year-old girl was raped by prisoners and became pregnant.

* U.S.: Is a new TV drama about five Latina housekeepers who work for wealthy Beverly Hills employers reinforcing negative stereotypes against Latinas or much ado about nothing?

* England: Mónica Puig of Puerto Rico shocked fifth seed Sara Errani of Italy in straight sets at the first round of Wimbledon tennis tournament.

* Chile: Ex-leader and current presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet and HidroAysen manager Daniel Fernandez have butted heads regarding the viability of the major hydroelectric project.

Video Source – YouTube via user ejumeridian (Bolivia’s San Pedro prison, which has been the site of several riots like this one in 2009, is scheduled to be shutdown next month).

Online Sources- Reuters; BBC News; New York Daily News; The Guardian

Ecuador Considering Asylum for Whistleblower Edward Snowden

Will Edward Snowden, the former U.S. intelligence analyst who revealed information over programs to collect telephone and Internet data, make his way to Ecuador and receive asylum?  That could be the case according to senior Ecuadorian officials.

Yesterday Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo Patiño mentioned in his Twitter account that Snowden did solicit a request for asylum in Ecuador. Patiño subsequently read Snowden’s appeal for asylum “due to the risk of persecution by the government of the United States and its agents.”

“There are some governments that act more upon their own interests, but we do not," Patiño
said at a Monday morning press conference. "We act upon our principles… We take care of the human rights of the people,” he added in remarks made to reporters in Vietnam.

Patiño’s remarks were followed up by President Rafael Correa who tweeted, “Be assured that we will responsibly look into the Snowden case and we will take with absolute sovereignty the most adequate decision.”

The sheltering of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for the past twelve months and the possible asylum to Snowden has divided residents of Quito.

“I'm opposed to asylum because the government is always politicizing human rights," said architect Bolivar Lupera, to Reuters while graphic designer Rodolfo Guaman observed, "I'm in agreement because the United States has spied on underdeveloped nations, and this gentleman should not be condemned."

Meanwhile, Wikileaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson defended press freedoms in Ecuador during a “heated exchange” with an Australian journalist:

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2013

* Honduras: The State Department issued a new travel warning advising, “U.S. citizens that the crime and violence levels in Honduras remain critically high,” while a group of twenty-one senators urged a review of aid to the Honduran police and military.

* Uruguay: Voters defeated a proposal to hold a national referendum aimed at overturning a 2012 law legalizing abortion.

* Canada: Quebec officials have called on the Canadian government to permit thousands of Haitian earthquake refugees to stay in the country by not lifting a moratorium on deportations.

* Brazil: Hosts Brazil will take on Copa America winners Uruguay in a Confederations Cup semifinal to be held later this week.

Video Source – YouTube via AFP (Video uploaded on April 2012).

Online Sources- U.S. State Department; ABC News; news24.com; CBC; CNN

One Million Take to the Streets in Brazil Protests

An estimated one million people have reportedly taken to the streets in numerous Brazilian cities on Thursday evening.

Some 300,000 protesters gathered in Rio de Janeiro to air their grievances while a group of demonstrators in Brasilia attempted to break into several government buildings.

"What am I protesting for?" asked Savina Santos, a 29-year-old civil servant in Sao Paulo. "You should ask what I'm not protesting for! We need political reform, tax reform, an end to corruption, better schools, better transportation. We are not in a position to be hosting the World Cup."

The pressure from the protests led several officials to rescind a proposed public transit fare hike in Rio and São Paulo. Nevertheless, the rallies have intensified in recent days as more people in more locations are participating.

Much like they have done in previous protests throughout the past week, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators and others caught in the crossfire.

‘‘I was leaving a peaceful protest and it’s not the thugs that attack me but the police themselves,’’ said protester Michele Menezes who was supposedly bleeding and with her hair singed after the explosion of a tear gas canister shot by Rio police.

The police crackdown has been criticized as heavy-handed yet the only known fatality from the protests occurred when a driver ran over several protesters in São Paulo.

President Dilma Roussef cancelled a planned state trip to Japan next week and called for an emergency meeting of her cabinet on Friday morning. Her approval rating dipped by eight points before the protests, which might explain why she's allegedly "offering careful words of conciliation" instead of taking a more adversarial tone.

The rallies throughout Brazil come against the backdrop of the Confederations Cup, a soccer tournament that serves as preparation for the World Cup. The demonstrations are raising questions over security weeks before a planned visit from Argentine-born Pope Francis, and over a year ahead of the World Cup ad presidential elections. Nevertheless, an International Olympic Committee statement issued on Thursday claimed, "The Olympic Games in 2016 will bring significant benefits to the whole population of Rio, improving the city in terms of transport, infrastructure and social housing, as well as bringing a considerable sporting legacy for Brazil."

According to a Datafolha poll taken this week, 84% of São Paulo demonstrators don't back any political party, 77% have a higher education and 71% are first-time demonstrators. Most of them were opposed to the now-withdrawn toll fare hike while two out of five protesters wanted to call attention to government corruption.< r />

Daily Headlines: June 20, 2013

* Puerto Rico: The San José Church in Old San Juan was included on a National Trust for Historic Preservation of the most endangered historic places in the U.S.

* Ecuador: Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino claimed that the Ecuadorian government would consider granting asylum to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden.

* Argentina: Soccer superstar Lio Messi and his father have been reportedly charged with roughly $5.4 million in tax fraud by a Spanish judge today.

* Cuba: According to the State Department the U.S. and Cuba agreed to restart migration talks that have been stalled since 2011.

Video Source – YouTube via user preservationnation
 
Online Sources- Bernama; Reuters; USA Today

Video Critical of Brazilian World Cup Becomes Viral

Street protests continued in several major Brazilian cities on Wednesday including police firing tear gas at some 30,000 demonstrators before the Mexico-Italy Confederations Cup match in Fortaleza.

Numerous images of the protests have become widely circulated such as a photo taken of a Rio de Janiero policeman firing pepper spray at close range in the face of a shocked and possibly terrified woman.

Hundreds of videos depicting the rallies as well as people's reactions to them have been uploaded on YouTube and other websites.  One video recorded before the protests, however, has gained viral status and received approximately 1.8 million hits in only three days:

The video was made by Brazilian filmmaker Carla Dauden and describes her ire over Brazil hosting the World Cup next year.

"Suddenly there is all this money available to build new stadiums and the population is led to believe the World Cup is the change they need for their lives to get better. But the truth is that most of the money from the games and the stadiums goes straight to Fifa and we don't see it so we don't get it and the money from tourists and investors goes to those who already have money," said Dauden who was born in Florianópolis and lives in the U.S.

Daily Headlines: June 19, 2013

* Cuba: U.S. President Barack Obama claimed today that he would increase efforts to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while over 150 doctors requested in an open letter permission to treat hunger-striking inmates.

* U.S.: A report by the Congressional Budget Office concluded that comprehensive immigration reform would benefit the U.S. economy and reduce the federal deficit by nearly $200 million in ten years.

* Latin America: Costa Rica and the U.S. edged closer to qualifying for the World Cup after victories on Tuesday night against Panama and Honduras respectively.

* Mexico: Government officials announced the launching next year of a new satellite that will provide expanded broadband service covering several Latin American countries.

Video Source – YouTube via Deutsche Welle 

Online Sources- CNN; Reuters; The Guardian; Fox News Latino; France24

Daily Headlines: June 18, 2013

* Brazil: Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brazil’s main cities on Monday in the latest round of protests over several gripes including public transit price hikes and the use of state funds in the building of World Cup venues.
 
* Venezuela: President Nicolas Maduro reportedly discussed crime and hunger at a Vatican meeting with Pope Francis, while opposition figure Henrique Capriles sent a letter to the Pope that highlighted human rights abuses in Venezuela.

* U.S.: In a 7-2 vote the U.S. Supreme court struck down an Arizona voting registration law that opponents claimed discouraged Latinos from voting.

* Peru: “What we are trying to do is defend and keep the lake, so that is why we will be camping at the site indefinitely,” said one of the organizers of a march opposed to a planned $4.8 billion gold and copper mine in northern Peru.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- ABC News; The Latin Americanist; Fox News Latino; Gulf Times; Reuters; France24

Brazil: Thousands Protest Near Confederations Cup Venues

The Confederations Cup of soccer began in Brazil over the weekend with a convincing win by the host country and one-goal losses by Mexico and Uruguay.  Yet the real action occurred off the field as thousands of Brazilians protested outside some of the tournament’s venues.

Approximately 600 people gathered outside of the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to air numerous grievances including a proposed fare hike to the public transit system.  Police responded by launched tear gas and rubber bullets at the multitude.

“I’m with my nervous and sick children and a pregnant women. People can protest but they and the police need to remember that this is a park with children”, said Frederico Junior who was near the stadium when the police acted against the crowd.

The incident outside of the Maracana occurred one day after several of the 500 protesters outside the recently built National Stadium in Brasilia clashed with local police.

"We don't need the World Cup" and "We need money for hospitals and education" read some of the banners used by demonstrators upset at the use of billions of dollars in public funds to build venues for the Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.

“Brazilian society was explicitly told in 2007 that all of the money spent on stadiums would be private money. It hasn't worked out that way at all. More than 90% of the money being spent on football stadiums is public money,” said BBC soccer correspondent Tim Vickery.  

The protests also extended beyond Brazil to intentional cities such as New York, Sydney and Madrid. 

“Sorry for the inconvenience.  We’re building a new Brazil,” read one sign held by some of the estimated 2000 demonstrators in the Irish capital of Dublin.

Daily Headlines: June 17, 2013

* Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro signed into law a gun control bill aimed at lowering high crime rates including some 3400 murders in the first three months of this year.

* Honduras: The political party headed by ousted former President Manuel Zelaya nominated his wife, Xiomara Castro, as a presidential candidate in elections scheduled for next November.

* Ecuador: The federal legislature passed a controversial bill supporters believe will break up private media “monopolies” but that opponents feel is a danger against press freedoms.

* Guatemala: Authorities blamed drug traffickers for the massacre of eight police officers in the western province of Quetzaltenango.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English (This video was uploaded on March 2, 2012).

Online Sources- Al Jazeera English; The Guardian; Raw Story; GlobalPost

Daily Headlines: June 14, 2013

* Brazil: Mass protests have taken place in major Brazilian cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the Confederations Cup soccer tournament.

* U.S.: While Congress continues to wrangle over immigration reform several recent polls have shown widespread public support for a bipartisan plan by the Senate’s “Gang of Eight.”

* Argentina: Former President Carlos Menem was convicted yesterday for arms smuggling though he will not serve prison time for now due to his immunity as a senator.

* England: Manuel Pellegrini of Chile signed a three-year contract on Friday to serve as head coach of Manchester City, one of England’s top soccer clubs.

Video Source – YouTube via user brasilfatos fatos (In this amateur video, Sao Paulo police fired tear gas into a group of demonstrators on the evening of June 13, 2013).

Online Sources- Reuters; Politico; ABC News; SI.com