Daily Headlines: September 14, 2016

* Brazil: Eduardo Cunha, the former Brazilian lower house speaker who helped lead the impeachment process against recently ousted President Dilma Rousseff, was himself expelled from the Chamber of Deputies over corruption allegations.

* Latin America: According to the State Department, seventeen Latin American and Caribbean states are still deemed as “major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries.”

* United States: A new poll taken in four key battleground states in the upcoming presidential election showed Latino voters overwhelmingly support former senator Hillary Clinton.

* Mexico: Investigators looking into the disappearance and possible massacre of forty-three trainee teachers nearly two years ago have widened their probe to focus on more police officers.

YouTube Source – Transparency International

Online Sources – The Atlantic, InSight Crime, Politico, Reuters

Daily Headlines: August 29, 2016 (Updated)

* Mexico: Juan Gabriel, the iconic Mexican singer and songwriter known for such hits as “Siempre en mi Mente” and “Querida”, died on Sunday at the age of sixty-six.

* Colombia: FARC commanders issued a definitive ceasefire to begin on Monday and days after the rebels and the Colombian government reached a historic peace deal that awaits approval via a plebiscite this October.

* Argentina: An Argentine court convicted thirty-eight ex-military officers last week for their role in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of several hundred victims during the oppressive “Dirty War” era.

* Venezuela: A U.S. Department of State spokesman condemned moving opposition figure Daniel Ceballos from house arrest to prison in an action he deemed as trying to “intimidate and impede the Venezuelan people's right to peacefully express their opinion” ahead of a September 1st rally.

Update: The Venezuelan government replied to the criticism by accusing the U.S. of promoting "instbaility" and plotting a coup during the September 1st anti-government march.

YouTube Source – JuanGabrielVEVO

Online Sources including Update – Fusion, ABC Online, The New York Times, Reuters, 20minutos.es

Daily Headlines: January 21, 2016

* Venezuela: The OPEC oil cartel will likely rebuff Venezuela’s latest appeal for an emergency meeting even though the economy of the Latin American state has been battered by the plummeting price of crude.

* Puerto Rico: “Now is the time to act,” declared U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew as he urged Congress to take steps and help pass a deal to restructure Puerto Rico’s multibillion dollar public debt.

* Mexico: The U.S. State Department issued a new travel warning for visitors going to Mexico though the advisory appears to be unrelated to the recent arrest of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

* Brazil: A diplomatic tiff has developed between Brazil and Israel over the naming of an ex-West Bank settler leader to serve as ambassador to the South American country.

YouTube Source – euronews business

Online Sources – Reuters, Washington Post, ABC News, Forbes

Daily Headlines: June 26, 2015

* U.S.: New Census Bureau data revealed that the U.S. Hispanic population increased to 55.4 million people last year with growth seen in nearly all states.

* Argentina: An Argentine court confirmed the indictment against Vice President Amado Boudou on charges of bribery and conflict of interest while investigators are looking into allegations of embezzlement.

* Venezuela: A Brazilian government delegation traveled to Venezuela in order to promote dialogue and calm political tensions between officials and the opposition.

* Cuba: The U.S. State Department denounced human rights abuses in Cuba including harassment against dissidents, restricting Internet access and the government’s control of the media.

YouTube Source – The Economist (“The city’s Latino population has grown 13-fold since 1990, making it one of the fastest growing Hispanic cities in America and a harbinger of the country’s changing demography.”)

Online Sources – Latin American Herald Tribune, MercoPress, Reuters, BBC News

Daily Headlines: June 2, 2015

* U.S.: Roughly one out of every four victims of killed by police in the U.S. is Latino according to “an analysis of public records, local news reports and (The) Guardian reporting.”

* Venezuela: Several thousand people in Venezuela and in major cities participated in anti-government rallies on Saturday though the main opposition coalition abstained from participating.

* Cuba: The U.S. and Cuba are one step closer to reopening their respective embassies after the Caribbean island was removed last Friday from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

* Mexico: Roberta Jacobson, the highest-ranking State Department official for Latin America, will reportedly be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

YouTube Source – The Times of India (“Several Pasco residents who watched the video of an undocumented orchard worker from Mexico get shot and killed by police on Feb. 10 are still shocked and bewildered by what it shows, even if they first saw it more than a week ago.”)
 
Online Sources – The Guardian, The Huffington Post, NPR, The Hill

Daily Headlines: April 21, 2015

* Mexico: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the Mexican government to investigate supposed coercion against the families of the 43 missing Ayotzinapa students.

* Argentina: The prosecutor who took over for the late Alberto Nisman dismissed allegations claiming that Argentine officials helped protect suspected Iranian involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing.

* Haiti: The U.S. State Department is none too pleased over a Haitian court dropping charges against a man accused in a kidnapping ring with close ties to the family of President Michel Martelly.

* Venezuela: The President of Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA claimed that they are exporting around 2.5 million barrels of crude each day.

YouTube Source – user AJ+
 
Online Sources –The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Latin American Herald Tribune, CNN

Daily Headlines: July 31, 2014

* Guatemala: The remains of thirty-one indigenous people killed during Guatemala’s brutal civil war thirty-two years ago received a proper burial yesterday.

* Latin America: The Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed its “deep disappointment” at El Salvador, Peru and Chile for withdrawing their respective ambassadors due to the conflict in Gaza.

* Colombia: President Juan Manuel Santos warned the FARC that he could end peace talks as a result of several recent attacks on infrastructure allegedly by the rebels.

* Venezuela: The U.S. State Department announced that it would revoke visas held by Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses relating to political violence this year.

Video Source – YouTube user WITNESS (Video made in 2000 and 2001).

Online Sources – Yahoo News; Reuters; LAHT; seattlepi.com

Daily Headlines: May 30, 2014

* Honduras: More than one hundred U.S. legislators have called on the State Department to “evaluate Washington’s support and training for the Honduran police and military” due to widespread human rights abuses.

* Cuba: At a speech in Havana today, U.S. Chamber of Commerce chief Thomas J. Donohue urged the Cuban officials to do more to curb government controls over the economy.

* Colombia: Colombian cyclists Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran are both close to an unprecedented 1-2 finish in the Giro d’Italia final standings.

* Ecuador: Ex-President Jamil Mahuad was sentenced in absentia to twelve years in prison for the embezzlement of public funds during a major financial crisis in 1999.

Video Source – YouTube user Las Noticias De Colon (Mourners paid their respects to Aníbal Duarte, the mayor of the Honduran municipality of Iriona who was murdered in front of his family last week).

Online Sources – ABC News; NBC News; The New York Times; Cycling Weekly

Daily Headlines: May 8, 2014

* Venezuela: 243 anti-government protesters were arrested on Thursday morning as part of a crackdown on tent camps in Caracas while the U.S. Congress is considering several proposals to raise sanctions against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

* Brazil: Federal police have threatened with going on a 24-hour strike in the middle of the World Cup unless the government raises their pay and improves their working conditions.

* Latin America: A new World Health Organization report found that areas of Brazil, Paraguay and Costa Rica have some of the world’s cleanest air.

* Mexico: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will reportedly go ahead with a planned visit to Mexico later this month despite being subpoenaed by Congress over the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Video Source – CNN en Español via YouTube

Online Sources – Latin Times; ABC News; Al Jazeera; Xinhua; NBC News

Daily Headlines: March 28, 2014

* Vatican: Argentine-born Pope Francis and U.S President Barack Obama met for the first time on Thursday and reportedly discussed topics like “the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection, as well as the issue of immigration reform.”

* Venezuela: Colombia’s president claimed that the Venezuelan government accepted holding a dialogue with opposition activists, while the U.S. State Department warned that sanctions could be imposed against Venezuelan officials “if there's no democratic space for the opposition.”

* Mexico: Latin America's largest solar power plant was inaugurated in Mexico on Wednesday and is expected to provide electricity to some 164,000 people.

* Brazil: A new poll found that Brazilian President Dilma Roussef’s approval rating slipped but 51% of respondents still support her.

Video Source – Univision Noticias via YouTube (On Wednesday, Pope Francis greeted several U.S. immigrant’s rights activists as well as a ten-year-old girl whose father is in the process of being deported).

Online Sources- News.va; ABC News; AFP; Fox News Latino; Reuters

U.S. to Expel Venezuelan Diplomats

The U.S. State Department announced that it will expel a trio of Venezuelan diplomats in a retaliatory measure after three U.S. consular officers were given the heave ho from Caracas.

The Vienna Convention “permits the United States to declare any member of a diplomatic mission persona non grata at any time and without the necessity to state a reason,” according to a statement reportedly from the State Department.

The agency named Venezuelan First Secretary Ignacio Luis Cajal Avalos, First Secretary Victor Manuel Pisani Azpurua, and Second Secretary Marcos Jose Garcia Figueredo as the diplomats who must leave the U.S. within the next forty-eight hours.

On February 17th, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expelled three U.S. consular officials who he alleged met student protesters intent on ousting him.  State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki replied by calling the accusations “baseless and false,” and urged the government and opposition to engage in peaceful dialogue. 

So far the Venezuelan government has not publicly responded to the State Department’s actions.  But this afternoon, Maximilian Arveláez was appointed as Venezuela’s next Ambassador in a move Vice President Elias Jaua said was proof of the need to establish “honest and frank” diplomatic ties between both countries.

Venezuela and the U.S. have not had ambassadors in each other's countries since 2010 and relations between the two countries have been weak under Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez.

Venezuelan Expats Protest Against Government

Scores of Venezuelans residing abroad have participated in protests amidst the heightened poetical tension in their homeland.

In Miami, approximately 700 people participated in a rally that was held days after three people were killed following an anti-government protest in Caracas. 

The marchers, who were mostly made up of the growing Venezuelan diaspora in south Florida, reportedly held signs denouncing the Venezuelan government led by President Nicolás Maduro.

“I went to the protest because I'm a student and I identify with what young people in my country are going through,” said one of the demonstrators at Sunday’s event.  “Venezuelans have already gone through so much and it's a shame that this is happening”.

Hundreds of other expats in other parts of the U.S. as well as in Latin America held protests in solidarity with Venezuelan university student marchers opposed to the Maduro regime. 

“In this age of technology neither Venezuelans or the world could understand what was going on (in Venezuela) because there are no more independent and free media outlets,” denounced María Fernanda Flores, the former vice president of het Globovisión TV network who took part in a protest over the weekend in New York city.  (Globovisión, whose editorial content showed opposition to the Venezuelan government, was sold last year to a group allegedly with close ties to the government.)

“You’re on Your Way Out, Maduro”, “SOS Venezuela” and “No More Lies” were the slogans of the signs held by 300 protesters who gathered at Mexico City’s iconic Angel of the Independence statue on Sunday.

Similar events where held in major cities in Europe and Asia such as in Paris where 200 demonstrators rallied in front of the Eiffel Tower over the weekend.

Social media has played a key part in helping to spread the word about the protests, which was the case in Philadelphia where demonstration organizers relied on Facebook and Twitter to promote their event.  Social networking has also been vital in disseminating information into and out from Venezuela but it has also led to a “virtual battle” between backers and detractors of the Maduro regime.  Despite denials from Venezuelan officials, a spokesman for Twitter accused the government of being behind a disruption in service last week. A global campaign of hackers was then formed and they infiltrated numerous government websites:

On Friday, government domains were plastered with the branding of Anonymous, LulzSec and several other lesser-known groups and individual hackers. By Saturday, it seemed as if the Maduro government could do little to contain the online onslaught…
 

Over the weekend, hackers coordinated their attacks by communicating on a number of IRC (internet relay chat) forums in a blur of English, Spanish and Portuguese. With each passing moment, new links to defacements and downed sites made their way from IRC to social media…
 

The PSUV account was (hacked and) then used to circulate images of the police repressing anti-government protesters. Party officials regained control of the account on Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday, supporters of opposition activist Leopoldo López accompanied him as he surrendered to authorities and was placed under arrest for his supposed role in last Wednesday’s post-protest violence. 

“I am handing myself over to an unfair justice system,” said López in front of a reported crowd of 10,000 individuals mostly clad in white.  “May my imprisonment serve to wake the people up,” he added.   

López, whose tactics of street protests and direct confrontation with the government has put him at odds with others in the opposition, is expected to be taken from prison to a court hearing on Wednesday.

Maduro lashed out at his Colombian and Chilean counterparts after the former, President Juan Manuel Santos, called on the government and opposition to engage in peaceful dialogue.  President Sebastián Piñera of Chile, meanwhile, called on all actors in Venezuela to respect freedom of expression and human rights.

“Do you really believe you can come to me and give me lessons on democracy President Santos when what I’m doing is defending Venezuela?” asked Maduro in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of sympathizers and employees of state-owned oil firm PDVSA.

“That’s enough, dammit!” declared Maduro at the pro-government demonstration where he also labeled López as the “political head of Venezuela’s fascist right.”

Maduro did not mention the U.S. State Department, which blasted the Venezuelan government’s recent decision to expel three consular officials accused of conspiring.

“We have seen many times that the Venezuelan Government tries to distract from its own actions by blaming the United States or other members of the international community for events inside Venezuela,” according to a State Department statement issued on Tuesday. “These efforts reflect a lack of seriousness on the part of the Venezuelan Government to deal with the grave situation it faces”.

Video Source– YouTube user CadenaTres
 
Online Sources – Reuters; BBC Mundo; U.S. State Department; El Universal; philly.com; La Nacion; The Latin Americanist; VOXXI; Bloomberg; Ultima Hora; Variety; Miami Herald

Daily Headlines: December 3, 2013

* Venezuela: For the second time in the last three months a major blackout affected most of Venezuela including major cities like Caracas where people had to be evacuated from stores and offices.

* Cuba: The U.S. State Department called on the Cuban authorities to free Alan Gross, a former U.S. government contractor Alan Gross detained on this date for years ago and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. 

* Haiti: Bahamian officials are expected today to return the 111 Haitian migrants who survived a deadly ship accident last week that killed thirty of their compatriots.

* Mexico: Miguel Herrera was permanently hired as coach of the Mexican men’s national soccer team after he helped guide El Tri to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

Video Source – YouTube via Univision Noticias

Online Sources- The Latin Americanist; BBC News; Voice of America; Goal.com; Miami Herald

Venezuela: President To Decree Economic Reforms

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced a pair of economic changes that will be set forth via controversial decree powers granted to him this week.

One of the new laws will place a limit on the profits gained by businesses to 15-30% while another law will create a new government body to help reorganize the distribution of foreign currency.

Maduro said that he will sign the decrees into law later today and claimed that public inspectors will visit businesses this weekend that he accused of grossly inflating prices.

“Enough is enough, loan sharks and thieves!” exclaimed Maduro at a march of pro-government student groups in Caracas this afternoon. 

Earlier this month, Maduro launched what he deemed as an “economic offensive” against “bourgeois parasites” that included sending soldiers to occupy the Daka electronics chain.  Thousands of people flocked to the stores hoping to take advantage of reduced prices on goods though looters were seen in at least one location.

Opposition politicos have expressed their displeasure with Maduro’s recent actions and have called on Venezuelans to take part in nationwide protests this Saturday.

“Maduro, we're going to show you the power the Venzuelan people have,” declared former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.  “Milk, paper, chicken and meat won’t suddenly appear,” added Capriles in reference to shortages of basic food items in groceries and markets.

Additionally, the U.S. State Department also criticized Maduro for pushing through the Enabling Law that will permit him to pass laws without legislative approval during the next twelve months.

Daily Headlines: August 12, 2013

* Mexico: The White House is reportedly working with Mexican officials to bring new charges against Rafael Caro Quintero, a former top drug gang leader who was released from prison last Friday.
 
* Argentina: The odds of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner running for reelection became slimmer after the opposition made several key gains in Sunday’s midterm primary elections.

* Chile: Tensions between Chilean authorities and the local Mapuche community have intensified over accusations of police involvement in the recent killing of a Mapuche land rights activist.

* El Salvador: The U.S. State Department issued a new travel advisory to citizens visiting El Salvador where “crime and violence levels remain critically high”.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- Bloomberg; CBS News; Department of State; MercoPress

Daily Headlines: June 27, 2013

* Latin America: More than 100,000 people participated in a march calling for educational reform in Chile, while ongoing street protests continued yesterday in several Brazilian cities.

* Peru: Prosecutors have reportedly revealed a scheme alleging that $240,000 in illicit payments were made to then-President Alan Garcia's administration in exchange for the pardoning of imprisoned drug traffickers.

* U.S.: A new State Department report concluded that Iranian influence in Latin America is declining due to several factors including “a strong sanctions policy, and Iran’s poor management of its foreign relations.”

* Dominican Republic: With a fatality rate of 41.7 per hundred thousand people, the World Health Organization found that the Dominican Republic is the world’s worst country for drivers.

Video Source – YouTube via user NTDTV

Online Sources- The Guardian; GlobalPost; Peru this Week; Bloomberg; Fox News Latino

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2013

* Honduras: The State Department issued a new travel warning advising, “U.S. citizens that the crime and violence levels in Honduras remain critically high,” while a group of twenty-one senators urged a review of aid to the Honduran police and military.

* Uruguay: Voters defeated a proposal to hold a national referendum aimed at overturning a 2012 law legalizing abortion.

* Canada: Quebec officials have called on the Canadian government to permit thousands of Haitian earthquake refugees to stay in the country by not lifting a moratorium on deportations.

* Brazil: Hosts Brazil will take on Copa America winners Uruguay in a Confederations Cup semifinal to be held later this week.

Video Source – YouTube via AFP (Video uploaded on April 2012).

Online Sources- U.S. State Department; ABC News; news24.com; CBC; CNN

Daily Headlines: May 27, 2013

* U.S.: “Finally, they're going to put my ugly face on this trophy,” joked Brazilian-born Tony Kanaan after he won the Indianapolis 500 yesterday for the first time in twelve attempts.

* Guatemala: Alfonso Portillo, the ex-Guatemalan president who on Friday became the first former Latin American leader ever to be extradited to the U.S., is due in a federal court tomorrow.

* Haiti: A “group of black-rights associations” filed a lawsuit seeking reparations from payments made to France after Haiti gained its independence.

* Venezuela: A U.S. State Department report on religious freedom accused the Venezuelan government of attempting “to limit the influence of religious groups in certain geographic, societal, and political areas.”

Video Source – YouTube via ESPN

Online Sources- USA TODAY; AFP; Bloomberg; El Universal

Daily Headlines: March 12, 2013

* Mexico: Mexico’s three main political parties have reportedly backed a proposal from President Enrique Peña Nieto to enact major reforms to the telecom industry.

* Venezuela: The State Department ordered two Venezuelan diplomats to leave the U.S. in a retaliatory action done several days after a pair of U.S. officials was expelled from Venezuela.

* U.S.: A poll found that most Latinos support gun control measures including 84% of respondents who endorse requiring criminal background checks before gun purchases.

* Cuba: Timothy Roche, consul general at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, said that the U.S. immigration policy toward Cuba would not change despite recent travel reforms by the Castro administration.

Video Source – YouTube via Bloomberg (The excommunication reform proposed by the Mexican government would likely affect businesses run by the world’s wealthiest man, Carlos Slim).

Online Sources- Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Xinhua, Newser, The Latin Americanist

U.S. Secretary Kerry Refuses to Take Sides Over Falklands Dispute

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed his country’s position of neutrality regarding Britain and Argentina ‘s competing sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands.

“Our position on the Falklands has not changed. The United States recognizes de facto UK administration of the islands but takes no position on the question of parties’ sovereignty claims thereto,” said Kerry on Monday after holding discussions with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Kerry added that he neither he nor U.S. President Barack Obama would “comment” on a referendum that will take place on the disputed islands next month.  It’s expected that islanders will overwhelmingly choose a resolution supporting the Falklands’ political status as a British colony.

Kerry also condemned the Syrian government for the recent bombing of civilian areas in Aleppo and warned that it would be “simply unacceptable” for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.  Yet it has been his declarations over the Falklands that has not sat well with some British press outlets. For instance, a writer for one of The Telegraph’s blogs accused the White House of caring “more about appeasing a third-rate, declining socialist regime in Latin America than standing with America’s closest friend and ally”.