Daily Headlines: October 2, 2014

* Haiti: Police in Port-au-Prince fired tear gas and water cannons at some of the thousands of demonstrators commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the military coup against then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

* Venezuela: Authorities vowed to thoroughly investigate the murder of Robert Serra, a ruling party legislator who was one of Venezuela’s youngest congressmen, and his partner on Wednesday night.

* Peru: A Spanish researcher was hospitalized after he was rescued from a cave in Peru where he was trapped more than 1200 feet underground for twelve days.
  
* Latin America: Organization of American States Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza urged Latin American countries to take in detainees from the U.S.-run Guantanamo military prison.

Video Source – YouTube user No Comment TV

Online Sources – Al Jazeera; Reuters; Mercopress; euronews

Daily Headlines: July 30, 2012

* Bolivia: The government started a series of consultations with numerous indigenous communities opposed to the construction of a highway in the Amazon region.

* Chile: A souvenir line was launched to pay the expenses of thirty-three miners who were trapped underground for nearly seventy days in 2010.

* Nicaragua: A pair of Dutch companies won a government contract to study the feasibility of building a transoceanic canal in Nicaragua.

* Costa Rica: Flooding caused by heavy rains have led to the disappearances of several people while over 1500 people were evacuated and placed in shelters.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- Reuters, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist, CBS News, CNN

Daily Headlines: April 11, 2012

* Peru: Nine workers trapped underground for six days in an illegal mine in southern Peru were safely rescued this morning.

* Mexico: According to a poll released yesterday support for presidential frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto gained slightly though almost one quarter of all respondents claimed to be “undecided or expressed no preference”.

* Haiti: At least six people died and over 700 Haitians were displaced after two days of heavy rainfall and flooding.

* Costa Rica: The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a tax reform bill pushed by President Laura Chinchilla was unconstitutional.

Video Source – YouTube via PeruDiario

Online Sources- CNN, USA TODAY, Reuters, Tico Times

Daily Headlines: April 9, 2012

* Brazil: The presidents of Brazil and the U.S. are scheduled to meet today and they might examine issues such as bilateral trade, counternarcotics strategies and energy cooperation.

* Peru: Cabinet chief Oscar Valdes claimed that it “could take days” before rescue workers reach a group of nine miners trapped over 650 feet underground.

* Argentina: Argentina’s quest for its first ever Davis Cup tennis title continued after beating Croatia 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez flew back to Cuba for another round of radiation therapy but not before declaring a boost in the minimum wage by 30%.

Image Source – Flickr via dilmarousseff (Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff met with President Barack Obama in Brasilia in March 2011). (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Voice of America, SI.com, BBC News, ABC News

Chile: Mining rescue mission underway (Updated)

Image - Monsters and Critics ("Juan Illanes (C), the third Chilean miner rescued, is applauded by Chile's President Sebastian Pinera (R) after being raised to the surface during the rescue operation at the San Jose mine near Copiapo, Chile, on 13 October 2010. ")

Note: Live video of the rescue mission via Chilean television can be seen here.

Update (1:35 am): While the rescue efforts continue in Copiapo I'm afraid this will be the final update of the evening.

It has been a very emotional past few hours in Chile filled with smiles, tears, and joy. Hopefully the rescue operation can continue smoothly and all of the trapped workers will soon be free.

Viva Chile!

Update (1:20 am): An inspiring reaction by Illanes according to the BBC:

As Juan Illanes emerges, he is asked how his trip was. His reply? "Like a cruise!" Smiles all round.

In the meantime preparations are under way to rescue the fourth trapped worker, Bolivian heavy machinery operator Carlos Mamani.

Update (1:08 am): Three down, thirty to go - Juan Illanes safely returned to the surface moments ago much to the delight of his overjoyed wife.

Update (12:55 am): Juan Illanes is about to board the Fenix capsule en route to the surface. He is married and has one son. He is a former corporal and even fought against Argentine troops during a border dispute over thirty years ago..

Update (12:45 am): Juan Illanes is about to board the Fenix capsule en route to the surface. He is married and has one son. He is a former corporal and even fought against Argentine troops during a border dispute over thirty years ago.

Update (12:30 am): The Fenix is on it's way to get the third miner to be rescued: 51-year-old Juan Illanes.

Update (12:18 am): Sepulveda stepped out of the Fenix capsule and gave emotional hugs to numerous rescue workers, officials, and his family. While Avalos' arrival was subdued, Sepulveda jumped, shouted, and was very energetic. He even gave out small pieces of rock as souveniers to some of those in the crowd!

Update (12:10 am): Mario Sepulveda emerged from the Fenix capsule and thus becomes the second rescued miner.

Update (11:58 pm): Mario Sepulveda is on his way back to the surface. The BBC News liveblog of the rescue describes him as " the undisputed star of the videos sent up by the miners...Quick-witted and charismatic, he is already in demand among Chile's TV chat shows."

Update (11:55 pm): Correction - Mario Sepulveda is not the lone non-Chilean of the miners. That would be Carlos Mamani who is fourth on the rescue list. Sorry for the error.

Update (11:45 pm): The rescue capsule has just reached the miners' shelter in order to rescue Mario Sepulveda. The 32-year-old originally from Bolivia is the only non-Chilean of the miners and he's expected to be greeted by Bolivian president Evo Morales after his trip in the Fenix.

At a news conference from the San Jose mine Chilean president Sebastian Pinera praised the rescue team with successfully rescuing Florencio Avalos. With an enormous grin on his face he vowed that the other 32 trapped miners will be safely rescued.

Update (11:19 pm): After spending over two months trapped below ground, Avalos arrived amongst an outpouring of emotion at the San Jose mine. He hugged his wife and son after emerging from the Fenix capsule.

Avalos appeared groggy and a little weak after exiting the Fenix. He was subsequently taken on a stretcher to receive medical attention.

A second rescue worker is entering the Fenix en route to fetch the next miner to be freed.

Update (11:11 pm): Florencio Avalos becomes the first of 33 miners to finally return to the surface!

Update (10:55 pm): After explaining the details of the rescue mission to the trapped miners, the Fenix capsule began its ascent with miner Florencio Avalos. The trip up to the surface could take between 15 to 20 minutes.

Avalos is expected to be greeted by family members including his father and possibly by Chilean president Sebastian Pinera. Afterwords Avalos will likely head to the triage area for medical examination.

Update (10:38 pm): Video from the shelter where the trapped miners are located shows that the Fenix capsule descended safely. Rescue worker Manuel Gonzalez is received with cries of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" by the miners.

Update (10:30 pm): The Fenix chamber with rescue worker Manuel Gonzalez will be lowered down at the speed of one meter per second. The speed could be increased slightly after he secures the first rescued miner, Florencio Avalos. Each trip up and down the 624-meter long shaft could take between roughly 25 to 40 minutes.

Update (10:20 pm): It's go time - a rescue worker began his descent in the Fenix capsule and his on his way to try to rescue the first miner.

Update (9:35 pm): The last test is being conducted at the San Jose mine and the first miner could be rescued before midnight.

The final preparations are underway in Copiapo, Chile in anticipation of a planned rescue operation of 33 trapped miners.

Mining minister Lawrence Goldborne said that if all goes well the first miner, 31-year-old Florencio Avalos, will be freed by midnight Chilean time (11 p.m. ET). Nonetheless, this could be delayed by the final tests of the Fenix ("Phoenix") capsule that will travel down a narrow rescue tunnel over 600 meters below the surface to an emergency shelter where the miners have resided.

Anticipation runs high among the families and loved ones of the workers who have been stuck underground after a tunnel collapse on August 5th. "Right now I'm calm, though still very anxious. I hope my nerves don't betray me when the rescue starts," said the wife of trapped worker Alex Salgado to the AP.

The risks are many in the unprecedented rescue attempt though numerous precautions have been taken; for example, each miner will be wearing a special "bio-harness" while in the rescue capsule and each worker will be taken to a medical triage station after arriving on the surface.

The trapped miners range in age from 18 to 63 and all but one are of Chilean background. The first group of miners to be freed includes a Bolivian and were selected as they "have been deemed fit and who possess the most technical know-how so that they can advise the rescue teams."

Online Source - The Globe and Mail, BBC News, MSNBC, CNN

Daily Headlines: September 29, 2010

* Mexico: After initially claiming that as many as 1000 people could be buried as a result of a massive landslide officials in Oaxaca subsequently said that only eleven villagers are missing.

* Chile: Over thirty miners trapped underground since early August could be freed weeks ahead of the December deadline.

* South America: November 22nd was announced as the first day of operations for the integrated Peruvian, Chilean and Colombian stock markets.

* Cuba: In an interview with Cuban TV a Salvadoran man claimed that Luis Posada Carriles hired him to plant bombs at several Havana locations during the 1990s.

Image – The Telegraph (“A landslide in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico.”)
Online Sources- NASDAQ, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, AP, BBC News

Today's Video: Hope in Haiti

No comment needed:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Online Source - MSNBC

Haitian migrants missing in Caribbean waters

Rescuers continue to search for at least ten migrants whose boat capsized off the British Virgin Islands.

According to the AP, twenty-six passengers mostly from Haiti had been aboard the overloaded vessel which overturned Monday night. Among those still missing from the U.S.-bound boat are three women and two children.

Poverty in Haiti has worsened over the last few months as the country has been hit hard by the global economic crisis and a series of summer storms. A three-month moratorium on U.S. deportations to Haiti was lifted last month and immigration authorities rejected granting Haitian migrants temporary protected status.

Is it any wonder that some people hope that change in the White House could lead to change in immigration policy?

Chiefly, immigration advocates would like the administration to revive a push to create a path for legalization of illegal immigrants. More immediately, they hope the administration will agree to temporarily block deportations to Haiti, allowing Haitians already in the United States to work and send help to relatives back home. The Bush administration has repeatedly denied such requests…

Asked about Haiti during her Senate confirmation hearing last week, Hillary Clinton, Obama's nominee for secretary of state, said she shares concerns about the Caribbean nation.

Image- BBC News (2001 image of Haitian migrants on an over packed boat)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, WFTS-TV, Caribbean Net News, miamiherald.com

Daily Headlines: November 11, 2008

* Puerto Rico: Congrats to Geovany Soto; the Chicago Cubs catcher won National League Rookie of the Year honors yesterday.

* Haiti: The rescue mission has become one of recovery as search crews doubt that there are any survivors left of Friday’s school collapse in a suburb of Port-au-Prince.

* Brazil: "It was a very audacious act," said the police chief of Sao Paulo in an understated reaction to the bombing of a local precinct.

* Ecuador: The capital of Quito is under alert as activity from the nearby Reventador volcano has spewed ash and dust throughout the city.

Image- National Post
Sources- MLB.com, MSNBC, CBC, The Latin Americanist, IHT