U.N. rejects Cuba embargo...again (Updated)

Update (4:00pm):

For the eighteenth straight year, the U.N. General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Much like last year's measure, the body voted 185-3 against the embargo with the same trio of states opposing the resolution (Israel, Palau, and the U.S.)

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice criticized the decision and urged the U.N. to "move beyond the rhetorical posturing of the past." Conversely, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the blockade "an uncultured act of arrogance" that is "ethically unacceptable."

Original Post:

The U.N.’s General Assembly (UNGA) is expected to vote later today against the decades-long U.S. trade blockade against Cuba.

Today’s vote would make it the eighteenth straight year that the UNGA condemns the embargo on Cuba; in 2008, the body voted 185-3 against the embargo. The nonbinding resolution to be considered today would call for a stop to "the economic, commercial and financial embargo" that has been placed against Cuba since 1962.

In the last few months there has been a slight thawing in the traditionally frigid relations between both countries. For instance, travel restrictions have been relaxed and bilateral migration talks were renewed. Nevertheless, U.S. president Barack Obama insisted in September that the embargo needed to be continued for “the national interest of the United States."

While the White House wants to continue the embargo the Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas recently wrote that the U.S. faces stiff opposition among its regional and global allies:

They are plain-spoken in their opposition. Australia reminds us it votes "consistently" against the embargo. Brazil says it is the "Cuban people who suffer the most from the blockade." China says the embargo "serves no purpose other than to keep tensions high between two neighboring countries and inflict tremendous hardship and suffering on the people of Cuba, especially women and children." Egypt and India condemn the extra-territorial reach of our sanctions, which Japan says run "counter to the provisions of international law." Mexico calls these measures coercive. Russia "rejects" the embargo. Nations across the planet have enacted laws making it illegal for their companies to comply.

For now, there may be little Obama can do to ease the embargo beyond outright banning it. “Unless Cuba takes steps [toward democracy] the ball is in Congress' court,'' said an unnamed “government official” to the Miami Herald regarding a report published weeks ago by the Government Accountability Office on the embargo.

Image- Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Xinhua, Miami Herald

Hispanics have lower cancer rates

Hispanic-Americans are less susceptible to cancer, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.

The report, which those in the field hope will give doctors a better understanding of how to treat Hispanic patients, was cited in this story from a Florida television station.

For example, incidences of cancer among Hispanic men declined about 1.3 percent each year from 1997 to 2006. This number was 0.8 percent for non-Hispanic men.

With Hispanic women, incidences declined 1.2 percent, compared to 0.9 percent among non-Hispanics.

Cancer still is the second leading cause of death among Hispanics and will be responsible for 18,000 deaths this year. The most common cancers among men are prostate, colorectal and lunch, while Hispanic women are more likely to get breast, colorectal or lung cancer.

All these cancers occur at lower rates in Hispanics.

Source: cancer.org. Central Florida News

South American economies leading rebound

As the recession ebbs (knock on wood), those who are following countries' rebounds are puzzled by a region doing particularly well: Latin America.

Countries there are rebounding quicker than the United States, reports the Christian Science Monitor, positioning the regional GDP for a return to 2.9 percent growth next year after shrinking 2.5 percent this year.

So why the improvement?

The Monitor posits that more trade with China has boosted Brazil and other countries that export commodities -- Brazil exports soy and copper to Asia -- particularly as Mexico and Central America are hurting from less demand in the United States.

Brazil is leading the recovery, whose gross domestic product is expected to grow to 3.5 percent by next year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The country's tax breaks for ordinary items like freezers and fridges also helped consumers. This contributed to an improvement in the middle class, which is estimate to comprise 53 percent of the population and now be doing 2.5 percent better than last year.

In other business and economic news:

Movil is improving in Latin America, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Miami Media LLC, which ownes Latin Trade magazine, bought the Latin Business Chronicle, which focuses on Latin American business.

Latin American bond markets are attractive because of its domestic debt, Bloomberg writes.

Bloomberg adds that an improvement in the U.S. dollar would be a risk for Latin American stocks just as they're beginning to rally.

Source: Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters

Photo: Brazil stock market, WSJ

Daily Headlines: October 28, 2009

* Honduras: A trio of senior U.S. diplomats are expected to travel to Honduras today in order to restart deadlocked negotiations between ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto head Roberto Micheletti.

* Uruguay: The country’s presidential election will head to a runoff yet the governing Broad Front coalition secured a new legislative majority.

* Brazil: A Massachusetts man claimed that U.S. officials denied the asylum claim of his gay Brazilian husband partly due to his sexual orientation.

* Mexico: Fourteen adults were arrested and accused of running a child prostitution ring in Mexico City.

Image- New York Times (“President Manuel Zelaya has been holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.”)
Online Sources- AP, The Latin Americanist, LAHT, BBC News

Today’s Video: On a bicycle scored by two

Three words: only in Brazil.

(Hat tip: The Offside).

Online Sources - The Offside, YouTube

Ticos top in regional prosperity

Finland is the world’s most prosperous country according to an annual report released by the Legatum Institute. Would you care to guess which Latin American country is the wealthiest according to the London-based think tank? Could it be the emerging global player in Brazil or the oil-rich state of Venezuela? What about the regional powerhouse that is Mexico?

The answer is Costa Rica.

The Central American state ranked 32nd on the list ahead of countries like India, South Africa, and Russia. Costa Rica has been called the “Switzerland of Central America” and the country lived true to that adage with high marks in the categories of personal freedom and democratic institutions.

Regarding the rest of Latin America, the Southern Cone states faired very well with Uruguay, Chile and Argentina ranking slightly below the Ticos. Most Latin American countries hovered around mid-table including Brazil (41st), the Dominican Republic (54th), and El Salvador (60th). Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Venezuela (72-74) rounded off the regional bottom three though they were placed in front of countries like China and Saudi Arabia.

The definition of “prosperity” is certainly up for interpretation but how does the Legatum Prosperity Index define it? According to Reuters:

The index is based on a definition of prosperity that combines economic growth with the level of personal freedoms and democracy in a country as well as measures of happiness and quality of life.

With the exception of Switzerland, which came in at number 2, Nordic countries dominated the top 5 slots, with Sweden in third place followed by Denmark and Norway.

The top 10 were all also Western nations, with Australia (6th place) and Canada (7th place) both beating the United States, ranked 9th. Britain came in at number 12.

Based on the index, Latin America has some ways to go in order to reach more advanced industrialized nations yet as a region it has done better than other areas.

Image – CIA World Factbook
Online Sources- Legatum Prosperity Index, Reuters, New Internationalist

Dobbs v. Geraldo in immigration debate

To use a saying from boxing, Lou Dobbs seems to be on the ropes.

Last week’s CNN “Latinos in America” special provided a thought-provoking look into Latino culture in the U.S. Nevertheless, the network has drawn intense criticism over the rhetoric of political commentator Lou Dobbs. (Perhaps this is why any mention of him was excluded from the “Latinos in America” program).

Latino groups have been especially critical of Dobbs yet he has also been recently blasted by a pair of commentators from the rival Fox networks. Rumor has it that Dobbs is a “potential hire for the Fox Business Network”, yet one of the channel’s reporters- John Stossel- said that he would not “subscribe to the ‘Lou Dobbs-kind of rants about immigrants wrecking America.’” (Dobbs’ reply was to deny the allegations and call Stossel a “self-important ass”).

The latest missive came from Fox News host Geraldo Rivera who criticed Dobbs and the “inflammatory” rhetoric of anti-immigration pundits:

Dobbs retaliated yesterday against Rivera’s words but he also appears to be cracking under the increased pressure and lashed out against all his detractors:

I’m just still fuming over something that Geraldo Rivera said. I shouldn’t let — This guy is nothing but a fiction of his own imagination and a figment of whatever he sees in the mirror. But, I gotta tell you — the guy is so annoying. I should not let people get to me like this, but you know what? I’m starting to get short of patience with them. – [ed. Emphasis mine]

Dobbs’ supporters may claim that he’s being unfairly targeted but he has often fallen in the trap of exaggeration, misinformation, and distortions that other commentators on both sides of the political spectrum have also done. Regardless of one’s ideological and political perspectives, should those aspects be allowed in a commentator as prominent as Dobbs?

What do you think?

Online Sources- CBS News, Think Progress, YouTube, New York Times, Fox Business Network, LAHT

Daily Headlines: October 27, 2009

* Puerto Rico: Was last weekend’s massive fire at an oil storage facility an “act of sabotage” or an unfortunate accident?

* Brazil: French investigators will publish in December their next interim report on Air France Flight 447 which crashed off the Brazilian coast nearly five months ago.

* Mexico: Mexicans are divided over a recent video that revealed five accused thieves being harassed and abused by vigilantes.

* Chile: Members of the Mapuche indigenous community protested in Chile for their ancestral lands and “against police repression.”

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, UNPO, UPI

Ecuador asks Europe for billions to help preserve the Amazon

The Amazon Rainforest, the largest on earth, covers 40% of South America and encompasses parts of nine countries. It is rich in biodiversity, and includes hundreds of indigenous groups. One of these indigenous groups, the Tageri, are especially threatened by the oil drilling and development in Ecuador. Ecuador's president Rafael Correa is proposing that Europe pay Ecuador 3 billion to halt drilling in the oil-rich Yasuni National Park in the Amazon region of Ecuador.

"This is the first time the government of a major oil-producing country has voluntarily offered to forego lucrative oil extraction in order to help combat climate change," said Dr. Matt Finer, staff scientist for Save America's Forests and author of a study on Correa's initiative.

Drilling would be blocked in three oil fields in Yasuni National Park, which was declared a biosphere reserve by the United Nations and is home to many indigenous groups. In Ecuador, drilling is allowed in national parks if the president gives approval because of national interests. Ecuador depends on oil for a third of its national budget and the three oil fields in Yasuni represent 20 percent of its crude oil reserves.

Correa is asking the international community to come forward and also take responsibility for preserving the world's natural resources by covering the cost of income that Ecuador would lose for not going forward with drilling. Companies like Repsol and Texaco (Chevron) are keys players in drilling for oil in the Ecuadorian region of the Amazon.

Online Sources: Associated Press, Mongabay.com, The Wall Street Journal, Amnesty International USA
Photo: Mongabay.com

World Watch: The filth and the fury

* South Africa: A judge postponed the trial of four white ex-university students who filmed a shocking video of five black workers eating food that had been urinated upon.

* Iraq: At least 155 people died as a result of a series of bombings on Sunday which have been blamed by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on Al-Qaeda militants.

* Europe: The war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karodic at The Hague is expected to start on Tuesday “with or without” his presence.

* World: According to a U.N. human rights official, women and gays worldwide tend to be unfairly “caught between being victims of extremist groups and victims of counter-terrorism measures.”

Image- AFP (“The video drew massive anger after it was leaked last year.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, csmonitor.com, BBC News, Reuters

Michael Moore, the 'Unfortunate Coward'?

Given his history of scathing critiques of US political and economic policy, Michael Moore probably expected to find a receptive audience among supporters of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

But after recent remarks on Jimmy Kimmel Live in which Moore joked about drinking tequila with Chavez and helping the Venezuelan leader with his speeches, the US filmmaker has found himself on the receiving end of some suprisingly harsh criticism.

Eva Golinger, an American lawyer who lives in Venezuela and who is among Chavez's most vocal supporters, called Moore "a most unfortunate coward" and went on the record to say that Chavez doesn't need any help with his speechwriting.

Since the original exchange, Golinger went out of her way to clarify her stance on Moore's comments.

Whether Hugo will entertain us with his personal take on the matter remains TBD.

Image Source: Michaelmoore.com
Sources: New York Times, Foreign Policy Passport, Michaelmoore.com, Chavezcode.com

Argentina Makes Deal With Andorra To Track Down Hidden Funds

First Argentina with Monaco, now Andorra counts themselves in.

According to Dow Jones, Argentina has signed an agreement with Andorra to exchange banking information to track down Argentines with cash hidden in overseas tax havens.

The agreement between Argentina and Andorra followed a similar deal signed earlier this month with Monaco. These deals are a part of a drive to catch tax cheats after the Aug. 31 end of an amnesty program for Argentine companies and individuals with hidden funds and unpaid taxes.

Argentina also has other countries in mind to follow, with hopes to sign similar agreements with Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Dutch Antilles, Aruba, Barbados and Jersey, the national tax agency AFIP recently stated.

According to varied estimates, Argentines have well over $100 billion in funds invested overseas.

Being so, Argentinian officials have made it a priority in their agenda to investigate.

Photo Source

Ex-Guerrilla Most Likely to Win Uruguayan Vote

Uruguayan José Mujica, a Socialist senator has shown to be the most popular candidate for the Uruguayan Presidential election. Mujica had spent 14 years in prison for waging an urban guerilla war against the former military dictatorship.

Mujica is a candidate of the governing Broad Front coalition, whose tenure has improved economic conditions in Uruguay- (as proven from the former President, Tabaré Vázquez, who was also part of the BFC).

Broad Front was the first leftist movement in Uruguay to break away from its domination of two-parties (the National or the Colorado party) either of which held power for more than 150 years. Under President Vázquez, the Broad Front coalition led Uruguay out of a deep economic crisis earlier in the decade.

Despite polls however, Mujica did not gain enough votes to avoid a November runoff, in what analysts said was a referendum on the current leftist government.

With nearly all of the votes counted, the Broad Front had 47.5 percent of the votes; the National Party trailing with 28.6 percent and the Colorado Party had 16.7 percent, according to Uruguayan officials.

In order to avoid a runoff election, Mujica needed more then 50 percent of the vote in order to gain the presidency. Unfortunately, Mujica fell short, so the run-off election is to be held on Nov. 29.

Photo Source: The New York Times, Ex-Guerrilla Ahead in Uruguay Vote, 2009

Honduran Economy is Hurt by Recent Coup

The political crisis is costing Honduras an estimated $50 million a day, which the third poorest country in the Americas cannot afford.

While negotiators for overthrown President Manuel Zelaya and interim leader Roberto Micheletti decide on what to do next, the outside world, (particularly the US) has made its displeasure quite clear.

Economically, the US buys more than 70% of Honduras' exports and provides more than two-thirds of its foreign direct investment.

Further, the US provides the most tourism to Honduras, however the rate of tourism has decreased by 40% in the past three months.

US aid to Honduras has also been compromised since the coup. In 2005, Honduras signed a five-year deal with a US government agency called the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which invested $215m in improving its infrastructure.

But $15m of funding for this remodeling of infrastructure has been withheld since Mr Zelaya was overthrown. US officials justify that Mr Micheletti's actions are "inconsistent with a commitment to democratic governance".

Seemingly, the political turmoil within the country is negatively affecting its economic ties.

Photo Source: BBC Americas Honduras turmoil bears bitter fruit 2009

Castro's Sister Worked With CIA

Jaunita Castro, younger sister of Fidel and Raúl, has added another twist to the ongoing saga that is the Castro reign in Cuba. In a shocking revelation, Juanita has admitted that she collaborated with the CIA both before leaving the island in 1964 and while living in exile in Miami. During those years the CIA plotted a series of unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro.

In her new book "Fidel and Raúl, My Brothers: The Secret History" and in an interview (in Spanish) with Univision 23 in Miami, Juanita says she lost faith in her brothers' movement after Castro opponents were executed on Raul and Fidel's orders.

For years Juanita kept a low profile and ran a Miami pharmacy. Her book, released today, also details previously untold accounts of the early life of Fidel and Raúl.

Image: Palm Beach Post
Online Sources: Miami Herald, New York Times, Univision 23 Miami

Daily Headlines: October 26, 2009

* Haiti: Tensions have risen in Hispaniola after four Haitians were killed in a Dominican border town.

* Venezuela: Police are investigating why ten Colombian soccer players were kidnapped and slain across the border in Venezuela.

* Guatemala: U.S. and Guatemalan authorities captured a sub carrying ten tons of cocaine off the Central American country’s coast.

* Mexico: Local animal rights protested in Guanajuato against the inclusion of bullfights for the first time in Mexico’s largest cultural event.

Image- New York Times (“Dajabón, a Dominican border town, opens its gated bridge twice a week to allow Haitians to buy goods unavailable in their country.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, Reuters, etaiwannews.com, LAHT