Daily Headlines: February 1, 2016

* El Salvador: Ex-President Francisco Flores passed away on Saturday prior to standing trial over the alleged embezzlement of $15 million in earthquake relief funds.

* Chile: Manuel Pelligrini will depart from coaching English soccer club Manchester City, while ex-Spanish international Juan Antonio Pizzi will head Copa America titleholders Chile.

* Guatemala: Two former Guatemalan military commanders are expected to go on trial today over the raping and enslavement of eleven women during the brutal civil war thirty years ago.

* Ecuador: Ecuadoran officials finalized the $80 million sale of 500,000-acre oil blocs to a pair of Chinese firms despite resistance from environmentalists and indigenous Amazon communities.

YouTube Source – euronews

Online Sources – USA TODAY, The Guardian, BBC Sport, SBS, The Los Angeles Times

Daily Headlines: May 12, 2014

* Britain: Manuel Pellegrini of Chile became the first non-European coach to head a team to an English Premier League title after he helped guide Manchester City to a crown in his rookie season with the club.

* Peru: Scientists recently discovered rock lines in Peru that are believed to be approximately 2300 years old and pre-date the well-known Nazca Lines.

* Brazil: An estimated 7000 people have occupied land near the site of the opening match of the upcoming World Cup as part of a protest to call for affordable housing in Brazil.

* Mexico: The Mexican government began to demobilize vigilante "self-defense" groups in Michoacan and convert them into a rural police force.

Online Sources - Discovery News; Los Angeles Times; The Huffington Post; Sydney Morning Herald

Video Source - YouTube user ChileNews

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

Daily Headlines: June 2, 2009

* Mexico: The country’s recession-laden economy got more bad news – remittances plummeted by a record 19% in April.

* Cuba: The trial of Omar Khadr- a Canadian detainee at Guantanamo Bay- hit a major snag after he rejected his appointed attorneys for alleged infighting.

* Venezuela: State Department spokeswoman Sara Mangiaracina claimed that the agency was “concerned” over the “potentially destabilizing” effect that could occur via Venezuela’s arms purchases.

* Chile: Chilean Manuel Pellegrini was named as head coach of Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- MSNBC, UPI, BBC Sport, The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg