Daily Headlines: May 15, 2012

* Latin America: Members of the UNASUR bloc vowed to “share information on their military spending” but will it be enough to stem the growing arms trade throughout Latin America?

* U.S.: Despite objections from immigrant rights groups and Latino rights activists the federal government continues to implement the “Secure Communities” program across the country.

* Mexico: The recent discovery of forty-nine headless bodies in northern Mexico has brought additional scrutiny on President Felipe Calderon’s offensive against on drug gangs.

* Ecuador: A U.S. judge dismissed some of the claims made by attorneys for Chevron against Ecuadorian plaintiffs in an environmental damages lawsuit.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English (From April 2009 – “Latin America's largest defense trade show in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has attracted governments from all over the region.”)

Online Sources- UPI, MSNBC, Fox News Latino, BusinessWeek

Daily Headlines: October 20, 2011

* South America: Violence involving hundreds of “hooded vandals” marred demonstrations in Chile while protesters in Peru lifted a blockade against one of the country’s biggest gold mines.

* U.S.: According to a study released this week Latinos were disproportionately targeted under the Secure Communities deportation program.

* Venezuela: Opposition candidate Leopoldo Lopez said that he would still run for the presidency despite a Supreme Court ruling upholding his ban from office.

* Brazil: The country’s Senate backed a measure that would modify oil royalties including payments from oil drilled from promising offshore sites.

Video Source – Via YouTube use Al Jazeera English (“After months of demonstrations, Chile's student movement has reached a deadlock with the government, while outbreaks of violence continue to mar most rallies that take place.”

Online Sources- The Santiago Times, NPR, AllGov, Voice of America, Reuters