Friday, November 18, 2011

World Watch: Renewed protesting in Tahrir Square (Updated)


* Egypt: Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for a quicker transfer of power to civilian rule. (Update: Over the weekend at least four people died amid clashes between protesters and police attempting to clear Tahrir Square).

* U.S.: Will the need to move some operations indoors due to the winter have a major impact on Occupy movements across the country?

* Iran: The U.N.'s “nuclear watchdog” approved a resolution that blasted Iran’ s nuclear plans but refrained from referring the country to the U.N. Security Council.

* Italy: Recently named Prime Minister Mario Monti easily won a vote of confidence from parliament, which will likely boost his plans to combat Italy’s debt crisis.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg

Daily Headlines: November 18, 2011


* Venezuela: Thousands of troops under a new command known as the People's Guard will be deployed throughout the country in order to combat a spike in violent crimes.

* Haiti: Vaccinations will soon be administered in order to stop a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly 7000 people since October 2010.

* Puerto Rico: The yearly record for murders is expected to be surpassed in the next few days with the 1000th murder.

* Nicaragua: Recently reelected President Daniel Ortega will surely be seeking to take advantage of a two-thirds majority of his political party in the Nicaraguan legislature.

Video Source – YouTube user teleSUR

Online Sources – BBC News, Voice of America, Fox News Latino, Reuters

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Today’s Video: Another migration wave to Argentina?

In the early 20th century millions of Europeans seeking better economic opportunities migrated to Argentina. This wave of migration died down and in the last few decades Argentina has become the target of visitors from Latin American countries. But could the financial crisis currently hitting Europe lead to a resurgence of immigration to Argentina from that continent?

The following Spanish-language video via Russia Today examined the recent boost in Spanish migrants traveling to Argentina. Over 24,000 Spaniards migrated to Argentina in 2010, with most of them young adults seeking jobs that they have had trouble obtaining in their homeland.

Will these new migrants from Spain have as profound an effect on Argentine culture as some of their ancestors roughly a century ago? See for yourself:

(Hat tip: El Espectador).

Video Source - YouTube user ActualidadRT

Online Sources - Global Voices Online, Migration Information Source, El Espectador

Daily Headlines: November 17, 2011


* Brazil: Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shaved his hair and trademark beard ahead of his next round of treatments to combat throat cancer.

* U.S.: Police in California seized an estimated fourteen tons of marijuana in a cross-border tunnel allegedly used by Mexican drug smugglers.

* Panama: Former strongman Manuel Noriega is one step closer to being extradited to his homeland where he awaits trial.

* Mexico: A statement from the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed “deep concern” over the whereabouts of two Mexican journalists who have gone missing since Monday.

Video Source – YouTube user band

Online Sources- BBC News, MSNBC, Monsters and Critics, Committee to Protect Journalists

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Daily Headlines: November 16, 2011

Presidente Legítimo
* Mexico: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will run again for the Mexican presidency after losing in a very close election in 2006.

* Colombia: A “hardliner” known as Timochenko was selected as the new head of the FARC guerillas nearly two weeks after alias Alfonso Cano was killed in a military operation.

* U.S.: Latino New York City councilman Ydanis Rodriguez will reportedly be released from police custody today after being arrested and possibly assaulted by officers during Monday’s actions against Occupy Wall Street protesters.

* Guatemala: President Alvaro Colom gave permission for the extradition of former leader Alfonso Portillo to the U.S. where he awaits trial on supposed money laundering.

Image Source – Flickr via user Eneas (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- CBS News, Reuters, Huffington Post, CNN, The Latin Americanist,

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Daily Headlines: November 15, 2011


* Brazil: Police officials said that they would target other Rio de Janeiro favelas in actions similar to raids on Sunday in the Rocinha and Vidigal slums.

* Latin America: U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime chief Cesar Guedes claimed that Brazil, Argentina and Chile had become the "most important emerging drug consumer markets in the world" over the past few years.

* Mexico: The Mexican army reportedly found 140 Central American migrants stuffed in a tractor-trailer rig that was undergoing an inspection.

* Cuba: The Cuban government claimed that authorities arrested several individuals accused of setting up illegal Internet connections with alleged “financing” from the U.S.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English (“Elite police units backed by armored military vehicles and helicopters descended upon Rio de Janeiro's largest slum, the Rocinha favela this weekend.”)

Online Sources- The Australian, AFP, MSNBC, Fox News Latino

Monday, November 14, 2011

Daily Headlines: November 14, 2011


* Mexico: Authorities claimed that gunmen murdered narcocorrido singer Diego Rivas in the early morning hours on Sunday.

* Venezuela: Opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado blamed “criminal gangs” for a supposed attack against her during a campaign appearance over the weekend.

* Argentina: Race car driver Guido Falschi died shortly after being involved in a multiple car crash at a competition in Buenos Aires province yesterday.

* Haiti: Attorneys representing thousands of Haitian cholera victims are seeking millions of dollars in compensation from the United Nations.

Video Source – Via YouTube user corridosHD

Online Sources- BBC News, CNN, Buenos Aires Herald, Voice of America