Daily Headlines: September 28, 2011

* Latin America: A study of major river basins worldwide including some in Latin America concluded that “inefficient use and unfair distribution” of water are affecting global food production.

* Bolivia: The country’s interior minister and his deputy resigned yesterday as a result of alleged police brutality during protests over the weekend against a controversial highway project.

* Costa Rica: A report found that Costa Rica is the top Central American country for money laundering with over $4 billion laundered between 2000 and 2009.

* U.S.: Baltimore Orioles slugger Vladimir Guerrero became the all-time hits leader for a player born in the Dominican Republic.

Image – Via Flickr user Bird Brian (“Indigenous nomad family on the Tambopata River.”) (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- MLB.com, InSight, Huffington Post, The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg

Today’s Video: Road to nowhere

Bolivian president Evo Morales ordered the suspension of a controversial highway project that would have run through the Amazon rainforest.

Morales claimed that the road, which would have linked Brazil to Pacific ports in Chile and Peru, would be vital for Bolivia's economic development. Yet he backed away from the project after a weekend of intense protests that included the use of tear gas (and allegations of excessive force) against hundreds of protesters.

The project may still get the green light though Morales said that will have to come from local governments rather than federal authorities.

(Video link):

Daily Headlines: September 27, 2011

* Cuba: Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called for normalizing relations with the U.S. but he did not rule out the possibility of some concessions.

* Argentina: The Group of 77 bloc of developing countries backed Argentine President Cristina Kirchner’s call for renewed talks with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

* Puerto Rico: Could Puerto Rico’s economic woes lead to a “brain drain” of talented young people from the island?

* Paraguay: Brazilian health officials claimed that cattle are crossing the border from neighboring Paraguay despite a ban due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Image –Via Flickr user twicepix. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Bloomberg, NPR, The Latin Americanist, CBS News, Sydney Morning Herald

Today’s Video: Ricas pupusas!

Perhaps the best-known street food vendors in New York City are the hot dog carts that dot hundreds of locations in Manhattan. Yet New York street food purveyors can be found throughout the five boroughs selling all types of wonderful delicacies including dishes from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Brooklyn-based Solber Pupusas won top honors at the latest edition of the Vendy Awards held last weekend. "Representing anyone who has tried hard and started from, I guess, the very bottom, literally with an old van, with a table with second, third-hand wares," said Cesar Fuentes of Solber Pupusas to NY1.

So what are pupusas? They are the national dish of El Salvador and they appear similar to the stuffed arepas one might find in Colombian/Venezuelan cuisine. In the right hands and with the right cooking, however, pupusas are an absolute delight as one can see in this video of Solber Pupusas:

Video Source – Vendy Awards via YouTube

Online Sources- NY1, The Latin Americanist

World Watch: Good night Wangari

* Kenya: Rest in peace Wangari Maathai; the environmental activist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient died at the age of 71 on Monday.

* Middle East: The U.N. Security Council will start holding meetings on Wednesday to decide on the recognition of Palestinian statehood to the global body.

* Italy: A senior member of the Catholic Church blasted the Italian political class for numerous scandals that have implicated top officials.

* China: A pair of Tibetan monks set themselves on fire in protest against the Chinese government's policies.

Image – The Guardian

Online Sources- CNN, BBC News, New York Times, CBC News

Mexico: Top court debates anti-abortion laws

The debate over abortion in Mexico has heated up in recent years, especially since the legalization of first trimester abortions in Mexico City in 2007. Women’s rights groups and health advocates cite cases like that of a raped 10-year-old girl last year to press for expanding reproductive rights such as abortions. Conservative groups and the Catholic Church, meanwhile, have led a push to pass anti-abortion laws in individual states.

The diverging opinions on abortion are being heard today by the Mexican Supreme Court which will decided the constitutionality of “right-to-life” laws found in San Luis Potosí and Baja California. The court itself is also divided on the abortion issue; for example, judge Fernando Franco argued that such laws are not only against the constitution but also contrary to international conventions ratified by Mexico. In contrast, judge Sergio Aguirre Anguiano claimed that the laws are valid and that Mexico has not signed to any global conventions that legalize abortion.

While the top court held discussions today, dozens of protesters against abortion peacefully picketed outside of the high court’s building in Mexico City. Meanwhile, according to a reproductive rights group over 1100 women in eleven states over the past thirteen months have placed legal complaints against the anti-abortion laws.

Over half of Mexico’s states (eighteen of thirty-two) have laws that explicitly ban abortion though all of them could be overturned by a verdict from at least eight of the eleven high court judges. That verdict could come as soon as this week.

Image- Notimex via Terra Mexico (Mexican Supreme Court chambers).

Online Sources- Reuters, CNN, Vanguardia, Noticiero Televisa, CNN Mexico, Milenio

Chile: Tensions continue between government and student protesters

Did the hardline actions of a local mayor in Santiago, Chile worsen tensions between the government and student protesters?

Last week Cristian Labbe, mayor of Providencia, ordered the suspension of the school year and permitted police to remove student protesters who have been residing on local campuses. Labbe also ordered that protesters from the area’s secondary schools sign up to a “government program” that would make up for missed days of school.

At least sixteen people were arrested this morning after clashes between police and individuals upset at Labbe’s edict. In the meantime, Education Minister Felipe Bulnes will meet later today with Labbe though he told the press that he was “definitely displeased and in disagreement” with the mayor’s actions.

Labbe’s orders may have been illegal and overstepping of his authority but they wouldn’t be the first time has tried to put the hammer down on protesters. In 2006 he forced schools to expel students who were involved in demonstrations.

Over the past four months demonstrations have taken place around Chile urging the reform of the country’s educational system. Increased funding for universities and full government control of education are two of the key demands made by the protesters. “The people understand that the crisis in education is in fact a crisis of the model installed under the dictatorship,” student leader Camila Vallejo reportedly said over an educational system virtually unchanged since being established decades ago under the rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

At an event last week at the Council on Foreign Relations, President Sebastian Pinera reiterated his rejection of the protesters’ chief demands. Despite the country’s strong economic growth, he said that the state couldn’t afford to provide free education to all. Pinera also tried to downplay the movement as one that is heavily influenced by elements of the Chilean political left and also criticized coverage of the protests by the media.

Image – Student protesters marching in Santiago, Chile on July 14, 2011. (Via Flickr user b1mbo). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- BBC News, La Tercera, La Nacion, Council on Foreign Relations, BBC News, CNN

Daily Headlines: September 26, 2011

* Cuba: Hundreds of “government supporters” harassed members of the Ladies in White dissident group before a planned march on Saturday.

* Latin America: Nicaraguan newspaper reporter Silvia Gonzalez allegedly fled to the U.S. while Nuevo Laredo, Mexico newspaper editor Maria Elizabeth Macias may’ve been killed due to her social networking messages.

* Bolivia: The country’s Foreign Minister was reportedly briefly detained by indigenous demonstrators protesting government plans to construct a highway through a nature preserve.

* Venezuela: Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez officially launched his campaign to challenge President Hugo Chavez in elections next year.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube

Online Sources- euronews, AP, Forbes.com, The Telegraph, BBC News

Daily Headlines: September 23, 2011

* U.S.: A study by a humanitarian group concluded that thousands of undocumented immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. have faced widespread abuses by the Border Patrol.

* Honduras: The country’s National Commission for Human Rights found that 23 journalists have been murdered since 2007 including 16 since the 2007 ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.

* Venezuela: Did President Hugo Chavez play a “discreet” role and intervene in the freeing of two U.S hikers detained in Iran?

* Peru: According to the government, investment in the mining sector grew by 71% during the first seven months this year in comparison to the same period in 2010.

Image – Reuters (“A U.S. Border vehicle drives along the U.S. and Mexico border fence in Naco, Arizona September 7, 2011.”)

Online Sources- MarketWatch, InSight, Reuters, CNN

At the UN: Arms, the Falklands, and the debate over Palestinian recognition

Several Latin American spoke at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. What did some of them have to say? Here is a brief summary:

• Mexican president Felipe Calderon spoke out against the global arms trade that he believes is “feeding the arsenals” of criminals and narcotraffickers worldwide. Criminal organizations including Mexican drug gangs “are murdering more people...than all the current dictatorial regimes” according to Calderon. (His speech came a day after 35 bodies were found dumped on the side of a Veracruz highway supposedly at the hands of a new group “making a violent challenge to the dominant Zetas Cartel.”)
• “I implore that (Israeli and Palestinian diplomats) return to the negotiating table as soon as possible because…that is the only path to arrive at what we all want: peace and security for both states.” Believe it or not those words did not come from US President Barack Obama during his UN speech but from his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos.
  
• Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner renewed claims over the sovereignty of the British-controlled Falkland Islands. She urged Britain to negotiate over the future of the archipelago and warned that not doing so could lead to the banning of all stops from Chilean flights heading to Malvinas.
• Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo called for financial reforms at the UN and also criticized the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. He also addressed the need for countries to unite and find ways to reduce social inequality.
  

Tomorrow we’ll look at yesterday’s remarks by Brazil’s president as well as speeches on the agenda today. (The leaders of Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic are expected to address the UN on Thursday).

Video Source – CNN Mexico via YouTube

Online Sources- Too many to list!

Today’s Video: Correa non grata

Leaders from around the world have come to New York during the UN General Assembly this month and the presence of some of these figures can be controversial. Such is the case with the anticipated protests today against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech at the UN as well as the head of one Latin American country.

As part of his agenda in New York Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was scheduled to attend and possibly speak at a cultural event in Union City, New Jersey tomorrow evening. That led to an uproar from members of the local Latino community, especially those with ties to Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. “As a Cuban-American I think it is not appropriate for (Correa) to come here,” said Union City Commissioner Lucio Fernandez to NJ.com after local politicos were reportedly “taken…by surprise” by such an angry reaction to a possible Correa visit.

Ultimately the pressure from the community led Union City Mayor Brian Stack to issue a simple message to Correa: don’t show up.

As seen in the above video, Stack deplored Correa’s “association with Fidel and Raul Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chaves of Venezuela” as well as Ahmadinejad. Though Stack claimed that Correa “is not a communist” the mayor also declared that he would “never support…dictators”.

It remains to be seen if the event to be held in Union City High School will go on without Correa. Meanwhile the Ecuadorian president will reportedly attend other gatherings in the New York City area.

Video Source – Hudson County TV via YouTube

Online Sources- NJ.com, La Hora, Hudson Reporter, CBS New York

Daily Headlines: September 22, 2011

* U.S.: A study of several major metropolitan areas concluded that half of Latinos are at risk of serious illness as a result of high air pollution.

* Brazil: In what is sadly not a repeat of a case in 2007, a teenage girl claimed that she was abused and raped by male inmates at a Para state prison.

* Latin America: According to the International Monetary Fund economic growth this year in Latin America and Caribbean is expected to be less than initially estimated.

* Mexico: Prosecutors dropped terrorism and sabotage charges against two people jailed for sending Twitter messages about an alleged attack on a school.

Image – “Cairo Air Pollution with smog.” Ninahale via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- Bloomberg, NBC Los Angeles, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, Reuters

Today's Video: Turn on the news

Have Chilean police used excessive force against media outlets covering student protests? According to Reporters Without Borders, the answer would be "yes":

“Arbitrary arrests and targeted physical attacks against journalists had been rare during the demonstrations until the last three weeks,” Reporters Without Borders said...

“The Chilean spring could get darker as it goes on, especially for the journalists, who are exposed both to the abuses of the carabinero police and the readiness of the most radical demonstrators to do battle."

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas blog recently posted a video from an Argentine TV news station claiming that their reporters were "aggravated" while covering protests on September 11th. See for yourself if this was really a case of heavy-handedness by the authorities or not:

Daily Headlines: September 21, 2011

* Ecuador: By a 3-to-1 vote an appeals court upheld the libel convictions and sentences against three former newspaper executives and ex-El Universo editorialist Emilio Palacio.

* Haiti: A medical records review of Wildrick Guerrier, a Haitian man who died in January after being deported from the U.S., reportedly showed that he was healthy during his time in detention.

* U.S.: A trio of stalled free trade pacts including agreements with Panama and Colombia could finally be moving forward in Congress.

* Mexico: Police nabbed a former police chief turned suspected “key figure” of the Knights Templar drug gang.

Image – La Republica

Online Sources- Boston Globe, forbes.com, The Latin Americanist, NPR, Bloomberg

Latin America and Palestinian recognition at the U.N.

On Tuesday U.S. President Barack Obama and his Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, helped inaugurate the Open Government Partnership. Despite joining together to chair the UN promoted initiative, both leaders are expected to meet today and discuss an issue that has placed them at odds with each other: Palestinian statehood.

In recent months leaders of nearly every Latin American country have given their backing to the creation of a Palestinian state. Rousseff, who will become the first woman to open a General Assembly session, is expected tomorrow to reiterate Brazilian support that was first mentioned nine months ago. “As we all know Brazil recognized the Palestinian State December 2010, in a letter addressed by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the president of the Palestinian National Authority…and there is no change anticipated in the Brazilian position, said a presidential spokesperson according to the website of Brazzil Magazine.

The U.S. and Israel have attempted to dissuade Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from seeking a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution for the recognition of a Palestinian state. According to Bloomberg a potential UNSC resolution for Palestine has the support of at least eight members including Brazil, which is one short of the nine needed to pass the resolution. But that crucial ninth vote will not come from the other UNSC representative: Colombia. Yesterday Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguín said that he county would abstain and also echoed U.S. diplomatic sentiment by calling for a “bilateral dialogue between Israel and Palestine.”

With the U.S. expecting to use the veto power in the UNSC the decision over Palestinian recognition may be decided by the General Assembly. Since Latin America and Caribbean bloc could have a big impact in a General Assembly vote, it should come as no surprise that Israeli and Palestinian diplomats have tried to seek any advantage possible:

At a meeting in El Salvador in August of representatives of about 30 Caribbean and Central American governments, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Malki, spoke on the issue of Palestinian statehood. Although, as the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported, it ''was never included in its agenda''.

Israel appealed to summit officials, asking that the al-Malki speech be cut from the program. A squabble ensued - with delegates to the conference (among them Belize, population 333,000; Grenada, 110,000; St Kitts and Nevis, 51,000) agreeing that the Palestinians could give a ''courtesy speech'', while Dorit Shavit, an official of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, was dispatched to the summit to make a similar speech on behalf of Israel.

Image- Reuters via BBC News (Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.)

Online Sources- The Globe and Mail, BusinessWeek, CNN, Colombia Reports, Brazzil Magazine, CBS News, Sydney Morning Herald

De Musica Ligera: Genius music

Jazz composer Dafnis Prieto and Young People's Chorus of New York City Francisco Núñez were among the twenty-two people named today as recipients of the 2011 MacArthur Genius Grants.

Both gentlemen were praised by the MacArthur Foundation for their immense talents within their respective fields of music. In the case of the Cuban-born Prieto the organization recognized how he “is infusing Latin jazz with a bold new energy and sound” partly due to his “ability to execute highly complex, polyrhythmic structures with extraordinary speed and precision.” These qualities can be appreciated in the clip you can view here from a 2009 performance with his Si o Si ensemble.

Meanwhile, the foundation exalted Núñez’ vision that “elevated the youth chorus to the ranks of serious contemporary music, commissioning and performing some of the most challenging works for youth choirs.” Since its inception in 1988, Núñez has guided the Young People's Chorus (YPC) to include over one thousand singers including some that tour around the world.
The video below shows Núñez leading the YPC earlier this year in a stirring rendition of Picaflor Esmeralda" by Gabriela Lena Frank:

Each grant recipient will get a $500,000 no-strings-attached gift to be doled out over a five-year period. According to Bloomberg, Prieto said that he will use his grant to “self-publish a book on drumming and record a trio album in January for which he has been writing music.” For his part, Núñez told the AP that he “feels like I have an opportunity here and a challenge to figure out something really great” with the grant funds.

Video Sources – WNYC and Young People's Chorus of New York City via YouTube

Online Sources- MacArthur Foundation, ABC News, Bloomberg

Daily Headlines: September 20, 2011

* Guatemala: At least three people died as a result of several earthquakes that shook Guatemala yesterday.

* Ecuador: Chevron may have no other choice but to pay $18 billion to Ecuadorian plaintiffs in an environmental damages case.

* Paraguay: The Paraguayan economy could be hit with a severe blow after officials suspended beef exports due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

* Haiti: Five Uruguayan sailors have been detained after being accused of sexually abusing a Haitian man during their time as U.N. peacekeepers.

Image – AP via CSMonitor.com (“Residents look on inside their damaged house after an earthquake in Cuilapa, Guatemala, Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. Four earthquakes struck the southeastern part of Guatemala in less than two hours Monday afternoon.”)

Online Sources- Xinhua, Reuters, Voice of America

Daily Headlines: September 19, 2011

* Ecuador: A U.S. appeals court could reject Chevron's request to avoid paying $18 billion to Ecuadorian plaintiffs in an environmental damages case.

* Argentina: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo received a human rights award from the UNSECO several weeks after the group identified the 105th "stolen child" during the Dirty War dictatorship.

* Colombia: The army located nearly 2000 landmines allegedly placed by the guerillas in a province along the border with Ecuador and Peru.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez rejected a recent decision from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights permitting the ex-mayor of a Caracas suburb to run for the presidency.

Image – CNNMoney.com

Online Sources- BusinessWeek, Latin American News Dispatch, Times of India, LAHT, Reuters

Rescued Chilean miner in rehab

It has been nearly a year since thirty-three men were safely rescued after being trapped in a mine for approximately seventy days. One of the most workers who made out alive was Edison Peña and his instant fame in the weeks since being freed included appearing as a guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman”, the chance to visit Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion and run in the New York City marathon.

Since Peña fell out of the spotlight, however, he has faced his share of difficulties including hospitalization after suffering a panic attack. Earlier this month Peña checked into a Santiago rehab clinic and his wife claimed that he was suffering from "fame disorder." Furthermore, as reported in Chilean daily El Mercurio (and written about in the Latin American Herald Tribune):

Edison Peña, who was nicknamed “the athlete” because he jogged up and down the subterranean galleries at the San Jose mine during the time he and his colleagues were trapped, will remain at the medical center for a month or two to receive treatment for his addictions.


Peña “is in very good hands, he is busy (with) workshops and therapy that are making him well,” said his wife, Angelica Alvarez.

The Chilean mining industry has gone through its troubles since the San Jose mine rescue last October. Several mine strikes and inclement weather have affected production in copper mining, for instance.

Image- CNN

Online Sources- LAHT, The Telegraph, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, oneIndia.in

Video Source – CBS via YouTube

"White supremacists" ridicule Miss Universe winner

On Monday Leila Lopes of Angola won the latest edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant that was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Despite the many congratulations she received for winning, a few individuals were unhappy that a dark-skinned woman from an African country won the contest.

According to several reports, Lopes was taunted with racist messages in English and Portuguese on the website of a “white supremacist” group called Stormfront. One commenter allegedly bemoaned that a “monkey wearing a dress” won the contest while another claimed that she ought to play “the daughter of King Kong” in a Hollywood film.

Unfortunately this isn’t the first time that members of the Stormfront.org have cruelly ridiculed beauty pageant winners. “That disgusting black cannot be Italian,” was one of the messages supposedly written on the site weeks ago insulting Brazilian-born Silvia Novais after she won the opportunity to represent Italy in the next Miss World contest.

Brazilian police have been investigating the Stormfront group over suspected ties to neo-Nazi organizations. In the meantime, Lopes spoke out on Wednesday against being the target of racism:

“Racism doesn’t affect me. Racists are the ones who should seek help because it isn’t normal that a person should think like that in the twenty-first century. There is no basis for that type of prejudice.”

Lopes herself has faced other troubles this week including rumors that she falsified documents in order to enter (and subsequently win) the Miss Angola UK contest.

Image- AFP via USA TODAY (“Miss Angola 2011 Leila Lopes is crowned Miss Universe 2011 by Miss Universe 2010 Ximena Navarrete of Mexico at the 60th annual Miss Universe beauty pageant at the Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo on Sept. 12, 2011.”)

Online Sources- ABC News, Guanabee, Portal Susse, Observador Global, El Universal