Daily Headlines: April 25, 2016

* Puerto Rico: A bipartisan bill to help restructure Puerto Rico’s $70 billion debt continues to be stuck in the U.S. Congress even though a lack of legislative action prior to a May 1st payment deadline would compound the commonwealth’s already dire economic crisis.

* Argentina: On a related note, the Argentine government last Friday paid $9.3 billion to bondholders who were owed over the country’s $100 billion debt default in 2002.

* U.S.: Puerto Rican pugilist McWilliams Arroyo was able to last the distance with Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez but the Nicaraguan boxer easily retained his flyweight title and a perfect 44-0 record.

* Honduras: The daughter of murdered environmentalist Berta Cáceres called on European financial interests to halt funding several Honduran hydroelectric projects.

YouTube Source – Last Week Tonight

Online Sources – Bloomberg, Financial Express, ESPN, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: June 29, 2015

* Latin America: A recent study found a shift in migration flow between 2007 and 2012 with more Europeans leaving their countries for Latin America rather than vice versa.

* Guatemala: Several hundred protesters gathered once again in Guatemala City and called for the resignation of scandal-plagued President Otto Perez Molina.

* Chile: Copa America host nation Chile will face Peru tonight in the semifinals amid controversy over the suspended Gonzalo Jara, while Paraguay will hope to shock Argentina in the other match on Tuesday .

* Cuba: Cuban scientists claimed to have successfully developed a new oral vaccine against cholera, a bacterial disease that is the cause of death for 100,000 to 120,000 people globally according to the World Health Organization.

YouTube Source – euronews (Video uploaded in June 2014).

Online Sources – Global Voices Online, The Latin Americanist, Fox News Latino, Yahoo Sports, Xinhua

Daily Headlines: July 2, 2014

* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff’s approval rating may be 27% less last month than in June 2013 but she may have the last laugh since she’s favored to win reelection this October.

* Latin America: Health officials warned that the mosquito-born chikungunya virus continues to sweep through the Caribbean, is spreading further into the Americas and could soon extend into Europe.

* Argentina: Latin American representatives at the Organization of American States gave their support to Argentina in its dispute with creditors who are owed billions of dollars.

* Panama: “Corruption will not be tolerated in our government,” declared new Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in his inauguration speech on Tuesday.

Video Source – YouTube via user Newsloop Top News

Online Sources – Bloomberg; The Latin Americanist; BBC News; Bernama; GlobalPost

Daily Headlines: February 25, 2014

* U.S.: According to a recently released U.S. government study, health habits within the Latino population reflect the diversity of cultural backgrounds among Latinos.

* Brazil: European and Brazilian officials announced the creation of a new interoceanic telecommunications cable that could prevent U.S. intelligence surveillance.

* Central America: Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said that her country will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice in order to resolve a border dispute with Nicaragua.

* Honduras: At least thirty-nine people died over the weekend in Honduras including eight fatalities in San Pedro Sula, which is one of the most violent cities in the world.

Video Source – YouTube user VoiceofOCvideo

Online Sources- National Insitutes of Health; LAHT; Reuters; Deutsche Welle; The Latin Americanist

Latin American Anger Over Bolivian Plane Diversion (Updated)

A diplomatic crisis is apparently developing between several Latin American and European states after a plane carrying Bolivian president Evo Morales made an unexpected layover in Austria.

Morales was returning to his homeland yesterday after attending a conference in Russia but according to Bolivian officials Spain, Italy, Portugal and France prohibited the presidential plane from flying through their respective airspaces. 

"We are told that there were some unfounded suspicions that (U.S. intelligence whistleblower Edward) Snowden was on the plane," Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said.

The aircraft was then forced to make an emergency landing in Vienna where it was refueled but also inspected by Austrian authorities.  After approximately thirteen hours the plane was permitted to depart and it’s currently en route back to Bolivia. 

“I feel that this was an excuse to frighten and intimidate me,” said Morales to the press before leaving Austria.

Bolivian Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra Soto claimed that the U.S. State Department spread the rumor that the former contractor was smuggled onto the Bolivian aircraft.  “It’s a rumor completely based on a lie,” said Saavedra before he and the rest of the Bolivian contingent left Austria. 

Sacha Llorenti, Bolivia’s Ambassador to the U.N., said that his country while a file a complaint with the organization’s human rights body regarding what he deemed as a “diplomatic kidnapping”.

“We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House... For no reason whatsoever should a diplomatic plane with a president [inside] be diverted from its route and forced to land in another country,” he said earlier today.

World Watch: Austerity or Not?

* Europe: Voters in countries like Greece and France are apparently disillusioned over the push for austerity while dozens of protesters were arrested during the presidential inauguration of Vladimir Putin.

* Malawi: Stores are reportedly running out of “staple foods such as sugar, cooking oil and bread” due to a consumer “panic” over the devaluation of the country’s currency.

* U.S.: Intelligence officials supposedly thwarted a plot by Al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate to destroy a U.S.-bound plane around the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden.

* Israel: The country's Supreme Court turned down an appeal for the release of two Palestinian prisoners who have been on a hunger strike for more than two months.

Video Source– YouTube via EUX TV

Online Sources – USA TODAY, CNN, BBC News, Huffington Post, Reuters

World Watch: The Not-So-Beautiful Game

* Egypt: Clashes have taken place between Cairo police and mourners angry at military authorities in the aftermath of a deadly soccer riot on Wednesday in Port Said.

* Space: International astronomers concluded that a new planet located about twenty-two light years from Earth might be able to support life.

* Europe: At least one hundred people are dead as a result of cold spell that has hit several European countries.

* Afghanistan: U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta indicated that troops could withdraw early from Afghanistan in 2013 though it remains to be seen if NATO forces will do the same.

Video Source– YouTube via Al Jazeera English (” Egypt has declared three days of mourning for the more than 70 people who died at a football stadium amid violent clashes between rival supporters in the northern city of Port Said.”)

Online Sources – The Guardian, National geographic, TVNZ, USA TODAY

World Watch: Syrian Nightmare

* Syria: The U.N.’s human rights body overwhelming passed a resolution blasting Syria’s government for a myriad of human rights abuses including “crimes against humanity.”

* World: A boost from the private sector helped the U.S. unemployment rate drop to its lowest point in over two years, while unemployment in Spain hit its highest mark since 1996.

* Egypt: Electoral officials claimed that 62% of eligible voters participated in parliamentary elections that are expected to be won by Islamist political groups.

* Europe: According to the World Health Organization there has been a spike in new measles cases across Europe this year and this could spread across the Atlantic.

Image Source – Flickr via watchsmart (“Typical propaganda poster featuring Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. His image is all over the country.”) (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- CBS News, BBC News, AFP, The Telegraph, CNN

Daily Headlines: November 10, 2011

* Nicaragua: Electoral officials declared Daniel Ortega the winner of Sunday’s presidential elections though international observers noted numerous voting irregularities.

* Argentina: Does a recent major oil find in the Patagonia region mean that Argentina will become a “new energy hub” in the Americas?

* Bolivia: President Evo Morales said that U.S. antidrug agents would not be allowed back in Bolivia despite the resumption of diplomatic affairs between both states.

* Brazil: Finance Minister Guido Mantega warned that the European financial crisis is hurting emerging market countries such as Brazil.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources – Americas Quarterly, UPI, Reuters, Huffington Post

World Watch: Money, money, money

* World: Stock markets around the world surged on Thursday reportedly due to investor optimism over a deal aimed at halting Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

* Kenya: Are representatives of “extremist group Al-Shabaab” seeking negotiations with the Kenyan government?

* Middle East: Twenty-six people including an alleged spy were involved in a prisoner swap between Israel and Egypt.

* Asia: Japanese insurance companies could pay as much as $2.5 billion to clients in flood-ravaged Thailand.

Image – Via Flickr user Stefan (“Tokyo Stock Exchange.”) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- The Telegraph, CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg

World Watch: File not found

* World: While plenty of attention has been paid to the thousands of documents revealed by WikiLeaks, the Internet site was briefly knocked out for a second straight day from a DDOS attack.

* Africa: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi blasted the WTO, World Bank, and the U.N. at the opening of the third African Union-European Union Summit in Tripoli.

* Kenya: Gay rights activists are none too pleased with allegedly homophobic remarks by Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

* Europe: The wild winter weather hit Spain and Portugal where numerous roads and schools were closed and flights were delayed.

Image – The Hindu (“Screenshot of WikiLeaks' twitter page.”)
Online Sources- CSMonitor.com, Voice of America, CNN, MSNBC

World Watch: Wild weather

* Pakistan: According to U.N. estimates the number of people affected by major flooding in Pakistan could exceed victims of recent natural disasters including January’s earthquake in Haiti.

* China: Over 1100 people are said to be missing after a massive mudslide in northwestern China killed over 300 residents.

* Russia: A reported 30% of Russia’s grain crops have been wiped out as a result of a heat wave affecting several areas including Moscow.

* Europe: Lastly in our weather themed World Watch at least nine people have died in central Europe as a result of flash flooding.

Image – The Telegraph (“A family takes refuge on top of a mosque while awaiting rescue from flood waters in Sanawa, a town located in the Muzaffar Ghar district of Pakistan's Punjab province”).
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Xinhua

Hillary to OAS: 'You Mad'

A few years back, Harlem rapper Cam'ron appeared on Bill O'Reilly's "The Factor." O'Reilly wanted to know if Cam'ron felt his music was a bad influence on kids. When things got tough, Cam shut down the debate by taunting O'Reilly with a bizarrely effective chant of "you maaaad, you maaaaad."

Between China staying mum on North Korea's attack against a South Korean sub, Iran sanctions despite Brazil's push back, Europe going broke and that huge diplomatic mess that is the Israeli blockade of Gaza, I wouldn't blame Hillary if she wanted to pull a Cam'ron this week when talking with Latin American leaders about Honduras at the OAS meeting.

The Obama admin came to DC with aims to change the Bush-era perception that minus drugs and immigrants, Latin America is a forgotten backwater of America's global reach. With so many pressing problems in the world, Hillary might wonder what's going on at an organization whose members bent over backwards to let in a country that doesn't want to join them and now are working hard to keep out a country whose government would love to get back to normal.

But Hillary and the Obama administration haven't given up. In the year and a half that she's been Secretary of State, Hillary has made 7 trips to the region. Because the region was an afterthought to the Bush admin and because the region has never been treated to full partnership status by any American administration, it's going to take a lot of time and a lot of investment to see dividends.

As you can see in the O'Reilly clip, Bill turns his attention away from the disruptive "Killa Cam" and focuses his attention on the slightly more reasonable Damon Dash.

In the sense of US-Latin American relations over Honduras, I find a parallel in what Christopher Sabatini at Americas Quarterly had to say:

The ALBA countries have no interest in seeing this resolved. But moderate countries should, and objective and skillful diplomacy can get them there; it’s up to the U.S., its Brazilian colleagues and the much-criticized leadership of the OAS.

Now there’s also the matter of why two whole meetings of the region’s foreign ministers and secretaries should be taken up by Cuba and Honduras. But that’s another issue.

The Cam'ron approach, though highly rewarding in the short term, doesn't do much to build bridges and get results over the long term. Sorry Hillary, looks like you're going to have to stick with playing O'Reilly.

Image Source: NahRight

Online Sources: NY Times, Americas Quarterly, YouTube, The O'Reilly Factor, International Herald Tribune, Bloggings by Boz, Business Week, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor

World Watch: Thailand’s bubbling cauldron

* Thailand: The crisis between the Thai government and opposition protesters worsened after a soldier was killed and eighteen demonstrators were wounded in clashes.

* Europe: The region’s debt crisis has gotten worse after Standard & Poor’s downgraded Spain’s credit rating one day after doing the same to Greece and Portugal.

* Australia: The country's government will reportedly soon announce plans for plain packaging of cigarette boxes.

* Britain: Gordon Brown’s time as British Prime Minister is likely coming to an end after he insulted a Labour Party supporter by calling her “bigoted”.

Image – Los Angeles Times (“Anti-government protesters using shields advance on police and military forces during clashes in Bangkok, Thailand.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, AP, BBC News, Reuters

World Watch: Fly me away

* Europe: Restrictions on air travel in Europe will be gradually lifted starting on Tuesday though massive ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to be up in the sky.

* Iraq: The Iraqi army has been credited with killing two senior Al-Qaeda leaders over the weekend.

* U.K.: Could Liberal Democrat candidate Nick Clegg provide an upset in upcoming elections for British Prime Minister?

* Zimbabwe: On the thirtieth anniversary of Zimbabwean independence President Robert Mugabe tossed aside irony and called for his countrymen to refrain from violence.

Image – The Telegraph (“The departures board at Heathrow Airport.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, Christian Science Monitor, Guardian UK, CNN

World Watch: Stranded

* Europe: Over 11,000 flights have been cancelled and clouds have blanketed several European countries due to the massive plumes of ash spewed by Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

* Pakistan: Was there some form of government complicity behind the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto?

* China: The death toll from a massive Chinese earthquake has climbed to at least 1144 while over 400 people have been reported missing.

* World: Whaling hunting countries like Japan and Norway and opponents including Australia and Germany may soon come to an agreement over the controversial practice.

Image – New York Times (“A computer enhanced image of the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland taken by the TerraSAR-X satellite on Thursday evening.”)
Online Sources- CNN, Reuters, AP, BBC News

World Watch: What’s in a name?

* World: The tilde, Greek characters, and other non-Latin languages could be coming soon to Internet domain names.

* Iran: Negotiations over the future of Iran’s nuclear program have hit a snag after Tehran rejected a proposal brokered by several Western countries.

* U.S.: President Barack Obama said that a 22-year-old travel ban barring people with HIV and AIDS from entering the U.S. will be removed in January.

* Europe: Stocks in Europe tumbled on Friday after several regional firms like Alcatel-Lucent and Siemens AG posted losses.

Image- Guardian UK (“A Chinese internet user. Soon '.com' will not have to be added in English to a Chinese web domain.”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, BBC News, Wired.com, The Telegraph

Chavez to Spanish king: Why don’t we hug?

Months after the infamous “Why don’t you shut up?” incident Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez offered to hug Spain’s King Juan Carlos if they meet again. “I'd like to give the king a hug, but you know, Juan Carlos, that I am not going to shut up,” said Chavez yesterday in anticipation of his tour of Europe.

Juan Carlos’ outburst against Chavez during a summit last November (image) turned into a worldwide phenomenon as songs and ringtones celebrated the King. Tensions between Venezuela and Spain have eased since then, however, and full diplomatic relations could soon be restored.

Chavez first stop on his trip will be in Moscow later today. His stop in Russia will be vital in that he will reportedly purchase Russian arms:

In an interview with Itar-Tass in Caracas…Chavez…said his country was planning to buy from Russia state-of-the-art tanks. He also expressed interest in supplies of Russian systems of air-to-air defense and means to strengthen the Venezuelan Navy.

Chavez said Russia had offered loans for the purchase of its military hardware and armaments.

Image- Typically Spanish

Sources- Reuters, Pravda, ITAR-TASS, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Guardian UK

Today’s Video: Viva España y Marcos Senna!

On Sunday, the Spanish men’s soccer team captured the European Championship with a 1-0 win over Germany. Fernando “el Niño” Torres’ first-half tally was enough for la madrepatria to win their first title in major competition since 1966 and to become the second team in Euro history to win the title with an undefeated record.

While the European Union has been preoccupied with strengthening immigration laws it’s interesting to note that a few of the players at Euro 2008 were of Latin American background. French star David Trezeguet has some Argentine blood while Colombian-born Johan Vonlathen played on the Swiss team.

At least five footballers at Euro 2008 were born in Brazil yet played for countries like Portugal and Turkey. One of them was midfielder Marcos Senna who was born in Sao Paulo, gained Spanish citizenship in 2006, and nearly scored in today’s Euro title match in Vienna.

In honor of Senna and his adopted country’s championship, here’s a brief look at his defensive toughness and fortitude during the key quarterfinal victory over World Cup holders Italy:

Sources- YouTube, Euro 2008 Blog, AFP, The Latin Americanist, Wikipedia

Lula optimistic over Doha trade talks

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed hope that the Doha round of global trade talks will move forward. As the Associated Press reported:

"Don't be surprised if very shortly we have an agreement on the Doha Round; that would be very good for the world economy," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said following a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.

Silva said the current political climate was favorable to an agreement in the trade talks named after the Qatar capital where they were launched in 2001.

Barroso concurred with Lula and added that a conclusion to the Doha round would "be very good news for the world economy."

The Doha round has been hurt by disagreement between developed and developing countries over import tariffs and farm subsides. Brazil- along with countries like Argentina and India-has rejected large cuts in industrial goods tariffs.

Sources- Bloomberg, International Herald Tribune, Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, Xinhua

Image- BBC News (Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at the 2007 World Economic Forum)