Daily Headlines: August 3, 2016

* Haiti: Observers from the Organization of American States will monitor Haiti’s upcoming elections but warned that more than a dozen reforms are needed for the much maligned and delayed electoral process.

* Latin America: At least six people are dead and four others are missing in the Dominican Republic following Tropical Storm Earl, which is advancing towards the Gulf coast of Mexico and Honduras.

* Guatemala: The daughter of the fifth Guatemalan journalist murdered this year was herself shot and killed though it’s unknown if the motives behind both deaths are linked.

* Venezuela: Jamaica will pay back some of its oil debt under the Petrocaribe alliance with food and medicine to a Venezuelan state mired in an economic crisis.

YouTube Source – AFP (Haiti’s presidential election was initially held nearly ten months ago but the election will be rerun this October amid deep political tension and accusations of voter fraud).

Online Sources – The Miami Herald, The Weather Channel, Bloomberg, Yahoo7 News, The Independent

Daily Headlines: March 15, 2016

* Venezuela: Authorities in southeastern Venezuela have recovered the bodies of seventeen men missing for over a week and possibly massacred in a case of illegal mining.

* Cuba: Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s trip next week to Cuba, the Treasury Department announced new relaxing of travel and trade restrictions.

* Canada: A new report concluded that deporting convicts from Canada to Jamaica and Honduras could have a “boomerang effect” on crime in the North American country.

* U.S.: As a new slate of presidential primaries take place today, it’s worth noting that Latinos don't represent a monolithic voting bloc.

YouTube Source – Al Jazeera English (June 2014 report on the Venezuelan mining industry.)
 
Online Sources – CBC, Fox News Latino, Quartz, MarketWatch

Daily Headlines: June 13, 2014

Note: As we mentioned yesterday, we will be posting several articles throughout the next month on the World Cup hosted by Brazil.  Thus, our “Daily Headlines” entries over the next few weeks will focus primarily on non-World Cup news.


* Cuba: Forty-four Cuban dissidents including Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White protest movement, were briefly detained by the police as part of a suspected crackdown.

* Mexico: A new report published yesterday found that the background of Mexicans is “so rich, so genetically differentiated, you can’t just lump them all in.”

* Venezuela: New data showed that inflation in Venezuela has reached an eighteen-year high while anti-government street protests entered a fourth month.

* Caribbean: Jamaica could become the latest country in Latin America and the Caribbean to decriminalize marijuana for personal use.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube (Video posted in 2011).
 
Online Sources – The Guardian; Los Angeles Times; El Universal; UPI

Weekend Headlines: August 18, 2013 (Updated)

* Caribbean: On Saturday, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the first three-time male winner of the 200-meter dash at the world track and field championships.

Update: Bolt won his third gold medal of the world track and field championships after anchoring Jamaica's victorious men's 4x100 meter relay team.

* U.S.: Miguel Tejada received a 105 game suspension from Major League Baseball (MLB) over testing positive for an amphetamine weeks after Alex Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games for violating the MLB’s drug policy.
 
* Chile: Employees at the world's largest private copper in Chile seeking better pay and improved working conditions staged a 24-hour strike last week.

* Mexico: Mexican airline Aeromexico and advertising firm Catatonia issued an apology regarding issuing a commercial casting call barring “dark-skinned” people from auditioning.

Video Source – YouTube via Universal Sports

Online Sources including Update- USA TODAY; BBC News; ITV; ESPN New York; The Guardian; CNN

Daily Headlines: June 5, 2013

* El Salvador: A Salvadoran woman barred from obtaining a legal abortion survived a Caesarean section though her anencephalic baby died five hours after birth.

* Argentina: An Argentine court sided with Chevron and freed up to $19 billion in assets that were frozen as part of an environmental damages lawsuit in Ecuador.

* Mexico: An Aldo de Negris goal was enough for Mexico to earn their first victory in the CONCACAF final group for World Cup qualifying and virtually eliminate Jamaica.

* Honduras: Arrest warrant were issued against five Honduran policemen accused of killing seven gang members in a 2011 incident.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- Huffington Post; ABC News; The Latin Americanist; Fox Sports; Washington Post

Today’s Video: Windy

Hurricane Sandy has thus far left plenty of death and destruction in its path through the Caribbean.  At least eleven people died in Cuba according to state media reports despite over the evacuation of over 15,000 individuals.  Nine deaths were reported in Haiti while the storm knocked out approximately 70% of electricity in Jamaica.

Wild weather has also hit parts of the Southern Cone such as Uruguay where a red alert was raised after hurricane-force winds whipped through the country on Tuesday:

At least one fatality was caused by the ciclón that also led to disruptions in the Port of Montevideo and material damages in other parts of Uruguay.

In neighboring Argentina, meanwhile, heavy seasonal rains in the Pampas region have led to the delayed planning of soy and corn.  These problems in Argentina, the world’s third-largest soybean exporter, could impact global food prices.  According to Reuters food prices worldwide have “surged this year due to the worst U.S. drought in decades combined with dry crop weather in Russia and Australia.”

Video Source – YouTube via teleSUR
 
Online Sources – CBC News, Washington Post, Reuters, El Universal

Daily Headlines: October 24, 2012 (Update)

* Latin America: At least three people are dead in Panama after police clashed with protesters opposed to the selling of state-owned land in a duty-free zone, while thousands of Paraguayans took to the streets to demonstrate against the government.

Update: "If the people of Colon don't want the land in the duty-free zone to be sold, the sale will be cancelled," tweeted Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli after days of violent protests.

* Caribbean: As much as twelve inches of rain could fall on Cuba and Jamaica today as Tropical Storm Sandy strengthens into a hurricane.

* Puerto Rico: The race for Puerto Rican governor could be affected by a U.S. appeals court’s verdict removing about 330,000 potential voters from next month’s electoral rolls.

* Peru: Is a self-portrait by imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori a genuine plea for forgiveness or a shameless media tactic?

Video Source – YouTube via ITN News
 
Online Sources (including Update)- BBC News, Prensa Latina, MSNBC, Fox News Latino, Peruvian Times, Al Jazeera English

London Calling: Usain, the “Living Legend”

Is Usain Bolt of Jamaica the greatest sprinter ever? The case could certainly be made after an amazing run on Thursday in the London Games.
Bolt put his name in the record book by becoming the first man to successfully defend both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash in the Olympics. He accomplished this on Thursday night by winning the 200-meter sprint with a time of 19.32 seconds.

According to the BBC, Bolt “ran a brilliant bend from lane seven to lead by a meter coming into the straight.

Glancing to his left he was aware of (fellow Jamaican Yohan) Blake closing in a fraction at 150m, but held his form to cross the line with a finger to his lips”.

Jamaican runners swept the medal tally in the race with Blake winning silver and Warren Weir earning bronze.

After the race, Bolt boasted that his victory made him a “living legend” while Blake acknowledged that he is “the god of track and field.”

Bolt also praised iconic sprinter Jesse Owens yet he criticized Carl Lewis who in the past has cast doubts on Jamaica’s drug testing program for runners.

“Carl Lewis, I have no respect for him. The things he says about other track athletes is really downgrading other athletes. I think he is looking for attention because no one really talks much about him,” said Bolt at a press conference.

Bolt will be looking to add a sixth Olympics gold this weekend in the 4x100 meter relay, an event Jamaica won in Beijing four years ago.

Several Latin American athletes made it to the medal stand on Thursday including:

Peru: Army chief rejects Wikileaks drug claims

A corny joke: denial is not a river in Egypt.

Peruvian army chief Paul da Silva is none too pleased at the implications made by a U.S. diplomatic cable uncovered by the Wikileaks website. The 2009 document from then-U.S. Ambassador Michael McKinley claimed that an unnamed source ''saw signs that (Peruvian army) officers may have continued to cooperate with drug traffickers''. McKinley’s “source” added that in 2007 da Silva met with a business executive who would later be arrested for trying to smuggle several hundred pounds of cocaine hidden inside frozen fish.
Da Silva replied to the accusations by threatening to take legal action against McKinley.

In addition, as reported in a Reuters article:

"This cable is defamatory and is aimed at damaging the honor of the armed forces," Da Silva said. "I can't close doors to people who want to meet with me. I didn't know at the time that this Mr. Velasco was implicated in drug trafficking."

Da Silva blamed Michael McKinley, the former U.S. ambassador to Peru, for writing the "irresponsible" memo and threatened to file a lawsuit against him.

On a related note, another U.S. diplomatic document uncovered by Wikileaks and reported in The Guardian will likely embarrass Jamaican authorities. The previously secret cable cited Cuban officials very “frustrated” at Jamaican antidrug efforts including “ignoring of Cuban attempts to increase the flow of drug-related information” between both countries.

Image- AP via CBS News (“Soldiers march during a military parade commemorating Independence Day in July. The top Army General Paul da Silva was accused in a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable of drug corruption.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters

Daily Headlines: June 23, 2010

* Haiti: According to Foreign Policy’s Failed States Index Haiti is the weakest country in the Western Hemisphere, 35 spots ahead of the region’s second-weakest state (Colombia).

* Jamaica: Wanted drug gang leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke was reportedly arrested last night and may soon be extradited to the U.S.

* Chile: Researchers claimed that Chile’s important salmon industry is causing major damage to the flora and fauna on the southern part of the country.

* Ecuador: The population of giant tortoises and albatrosses on the Galapagos Islands has rebounded as a result of a major recovery effort.

Image – Canadian Press (“A woman walks past earthquake damaged buildings in downtown Port-au-Prince, Monday, June 21, 2010. Haiti has made little progress in rebuilding in the five months since its Jan. 12 earthquake, because of an absence of leadership, disagreements among donors and general disorganization, a U.S. Senate report says.”)
Online Sources- Foreign Policy, Physorg.com, LAHT, ABC News

Nighttime News Roundup

• Venezuelan academic says he saw Hugo Chavez cry while he was briefly imprisoned after the 2002 coup. The type of story that makes for good headlines with the Chavez-haters but is impossible to prove (based on one person's testimony) and not a big deal even if it is true.

• Drugs go through Jamaica now, too. Or you could read it as: "Drugs continue to arrive without too much trouble to wherever people want to buy them."

• Shakira dances "Woka Woka" ("This Time for Africa," not Fozzie Bear) with South African kids; somewhat awkward video included.

• Diego Maradona ordered a heated toilet and a three-speed electric bidet for his stay in South Africa. Eccentric or not, this is a rather rational request.

Image Source: Wall Street Journal

Online Sources: Washington Post, La Prensa (Honduras), El Comercio (Peru), MercoPress

News Briefs: The Caribbean

* Jamaica: At least 49 people are dead and 500 are under arrest after police raided several Kingston neighborhoods in search of wanted drug gang leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke. The Jamaican government permitted the extradition of Coke to the U.S. and this led to a violent reaction from some of his armed followers since Sunday.

* Suriname: He may be a convicted drug trafficker and a former dictator yet Desi Bouterse’s Mega Combination party was the big winner in Suriname’s elections. (Many thanks to our tipster!)

* Trinidad and Tobago: Kamla Persad-Bissessar became the latest female head of government in the Americas after she was sworn-in earlier today.

* Dominican Republic: Several current ballplayers including David Ortiz and Jose Reyes are expected to attend Thursday’s funeral of ex-Major Leaguer Jose Lima who died over the weekend.

* Puerto Rico: Remember Vaughn Ward, the Idaho Republican Congressional candidate who mistakenly thought Puerto Rico was a country? Ward lost in yesterday’s GOP primary to Boricua Raul Labrador.

Video Source –YouTube
Online Sources – Xinhua, The Guardian, Gawker, Miami Herald, AP, The Latin Americanist, ESPN

Today’s Video: Mexico’s Paralympics hope

Tonight we end our video theme of Latino and Latin American athletes who will be competing at this month’s Winter Games with a look at the Paralympics.

This tenth version of the Winter Paralympics will be held next month in Vancouver and will include sports such as wheelchair curling and sledge hockey. The lone Latin American representatives come from Mexico: alpine skiers Arly Velásquez and Armando Ruiz. Both will compete in the slalom and giant slalom and, as you can see in the following video, Ruiz demonstrates his prowess on the “monoski”:

This week’s videos:

• Monday – Hubertus von Hohenlohe (Mexico)
• Tuesday – Isabel Clark Rebeiro (Brazil)
• Wednesday – Errol Kerr (Jamaica)
• Thursday – Jennifer Rodriguez (U.S.)
  

Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Universal, Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, YouTube

Daily Headlines: February 11, 2010

* Costa Rica: China and Costa Rica reached a free trade deal that is expected to be signed before President Oscar Arias hands the reins over to Laura Chinchilla.

* Paraguay: The country is facing its own energy emergency as a result of a heat wave that has disrupted hydroelectric output.

* Bolivia: Bolivia may start a national space program with the aim of launching a communications satellite.

* Argentina: Diego Maradona’s coaching woes continued as a pair of late goals were needed to avoid a humiliating loss to Jamaica last night.

Image – AFP (“A man collects coffee beans 20 kilometers from the Costa Rica capital of San José.")
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg, USA TODAY, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Reuters

Today’s Video: Jamaica’s skiing sensation

We continue our look at Latin American and Caribbean athletes participating at this month’s Winter Olympics with Errol Kerr.

You’ve probably heard of the Jamaican bobsled team that debuted in the 1988 winter games in Calgary and which served as inspiration for a corny Disney film. With Jamaica’s bobsledders failing to qualify for the Olympics, the country’s best chance of a medal falls on the shoulders of Errol Kerr.

The 23-year-old has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Jamaica but will represent the latter in the new Olympic sport of ski cross. As he told the Kansas City Star, Kerr will ski in honor of his late father and to bring joy to his countrymen:

"This is something I set out to do a long time ago," Kerr said recently. "This is the land of my father. This is in my DNA."

Kerr talks about feeding off the good vibes he gets from seeing Jamaicans embrace and help each other.

"I want to help them succeed," he said. "We're all going in debt right now trying to make this happen. God willing, we'll come away with a medal and people will get behind us and we'll be able to continue to do this for a number of years.

The men’s ski cross event will be held on the 21st; good luck Errol!

Online Sources- FIS, IMDB, New York Times, Kansas City Star

Hablando español en Jamaica

Some stories speak for themselves:

Jamaica’s foreign minister says his country should adopt Spanish as a second official language to foster expanded trade and cooperation with its neighbors in the Caribbean and Central America.

Growing ties between the Caribbean Community and Latin America, the Dominican Republic’s desire to join Caricom and the fact that Jamaica is surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries make it imperative for Jamaicans to become proficient in Spanish, Kenneth Baugh said…

“I think all Jamaicans, all schools and teachers, have to become conscious that there is a desperate need for us to become Spanish speaking,” he said.

Image- clipperz
Online Sources- LAHT

Usain Bolt wins again in world record time

On Sunday Usain Bolt broke his own 100-meters record with a 9.58 second sprint to win gold at the world championships in Berlin. The Jamaican was almost equal to the task earlier today as he won the 200-meter dash in record time:

Bolt shattered the previous 100m and 200m record by 0.11 seconds; his speed and relative ease in winning has brought up rumors of possible doping. Yet track and field’s ruling body said that he tested negative in a drugs test taken after his 9.58 second run.

Bolt’s double win raises Jamaica’s gold medal tally to five in a world championships dominated by the island’s sprinters. Bolt will hope for a third gold this Sunday 4x100m men’s relay.

Online Sources- CNN, BBC Sport, Washington Post, AP, Herald Sun, YouTube

Daily Headlines: August 19, 2009

Before we give today’s headlines, I wish to apologize to all of you for the late time of this post. It’s inexcusable and hopefully won’t happen again anytime soon.

* Chile: A police officer was indicted by authorities for the shooting death of an indigenous Mapuche last week.

* Honduras: Police brutality in Honduras has been rampant in the seven weeks since President Manuel Zelaya was ousted according to a report released today by Amnesty International.

* Mexico: Workers at the Puebla Volkswagen plant have gone on strike and are seeking higher wages.

* Caribbean: Days after running a world record 9.58 seconds in the 100-meters at the World Championships, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt is aiming for another top performance in the 200-meter dash.

Image- El Ciudadano (The colors of the Mapcuhe flag fly in Chile)
Online Sources- LAHT, The Latin Americanist, CNN, Reuters, BBC Sport, YouTube

Annual remittances in Mexico down for first time

Times have been increasingly difficult in Mexico, particularly in light of the country’s problem with rampant violence. A weakening economy is one problem the country could use without.

Unfortunately, the country’s economy may be worsening if the latest data on remittances to Mexico is any indication:

For the first time since Mexico's Central Bank began keeping records (13 years ago), total annual remittances from the US have fallen.

The numbers themselves, released by the Central Bank on Tuesday, are not dramatic. Mexicans sent $25 billion to their families in 2008, down from $26 billion the year before, representing a 3.6 percent decline.

But the break in the trend is significant, say economists. Less cash coming to low-income families who then spend it on goods and services, will mean more frugal spending, which will in turn be a further drag on the Mexican economy this year. And it will impact millions of families whose entire incomes depend on the dollars sent from men and women working as construction workers, lettuce pickers, and housekeepers from California to New York.

The decline in remittances is expected to become a global trend; this would be a severe blow to Latin American countries whose economies depend strongly on money transfers. Countries like El Salvador and Jamaica have suffered from diminishing remittances which have hurt their respective economies.

Image- Foreign Policy
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, csmonitor.com, Jamaica Gleaner, BBC News, LAHT,

Daily Headlines: November 26, 2008

* Argentina: Argentina lost the Davis Cup finals against Spain despite playing in front of an excited home crowd and the absence of Spanish ace Rafael Nadal.

* Caribbean: The death penalty will return to Jamaica after a twenty year moratorium.

* Brazil: Troops have been sent to calm tensions in a remote Amazonian town where residents are tired of excessive logging.

* Colombia: Osama bin Laden has been found…as a Colombian policeman’s disguise.

Image- AFP (“Fernando Verdasco celebrates his win” for Spain in the Davis Cup finals.)
Sources- Christian Science Monitor, Guardian UK, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg