Daily Headlines: May 31, 2013

* South America: The Venezuelan government threatened with not meditating in peace talks between Colombian officials and FARC rebels after opposition figure Henrique Capriles met with Colombian leader Juan Manuel Santos in Bogotá.

* Brazil: A judge controversially granted bail to four defendants accused of homicide related to a nightclub fire last January that killed 242 people.

* Mexico: Family members of eleven young adults gone missing and possibly kidnapped from a Mexico City bar blocked traffic along the metropolis’ main boulevard in a sign of protest.

* Chile: President Sebastián Piñera has given the green light to the Pascua Lama mining project, which has been strongly opposed by environmentalists and indigenous groups.

Video Source – YouTube via NTN24 (Last February, then-Vice President Nicolas Maduro blasted Henrique Capriles’ visit to Colombia as part of a “conspiracy” against the Venezuelan government.  Capriles replied by accusing Maduro of being a “mediocre loudmouth.”)
 
Online Sources- GlobalPost; USA TODAY; france24.com; CNN

Salvadoran Top Court Rejects Abortion Request (Updated)

The Supreme Court of El Salvador rejected a seriously ill pregnant woman’s request to abort her deformed fetus.

“This court determines that the rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa, and that there is an absolute bar to authorizing an abortion as contrary to the constitutional protection accorded to human persons 'from the moment of conception,’” according to the court’s 4-1 decision yesterday.

The lone dissenting magistrate claimed that he was not in favor of abortions but did want to ensure that the pregnant woman would receive all medical treatment “without having to recur to legal authorization to protect the life of the mother and the human being she is carrying in her womb.”

The infirm woman, identified as “Beatriz,” has been diagnosed with lupus and kidney disease while her fetus is anencephalic and missing a large part of its brain and skull.  Doctors have warned that “Beatriz” could die trying to give birth to her child, who may not survive beyond a few hours after being born.

(Update: Salvadoran authorities on Thursday permitted doctors to perform an emergency C-section on "Beatriz" next week.  The procedure would be risky, however, and there is no guarantee that she or her fetus would survive).

"We cannot appeal the case because this was the last step, the Supreme Court," said Victor Hugo Mata, Beatriz's lawyer, who also noted that the judges “are saying Beatriz is not in danger and she must pursue the natural way of delivery and we must see what happens.”

As we mentioned earlier this month, President Mauricio Funes said that “Beatriz” has the “right to decide” whether to abort “and not the organizations trying to take advantage of her situation.”

The Salvadoran health ministry, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and women’s rights groups have advocated in favor of providing “Beatriz” with an emergency abortion.  On the other hand, conservative groups like the Salvadoran Catholic Church have argued that the “case should not be used to legislate against human life, especially against the unborn.”

(Update: On Thursday an IACHR spokeswoman urged El Salvador to allow "Beatriz" to undergo an abortion in order to save her life).

Daily Headlines: May 30, 2013

* Brazil: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden continued his official trip to Brazil and urged the country to to further open its economy by encouraging free trade and ties to U.S. businesses.

* U.S.: Two former coaches filed a lawsuit against Major League Soccer team Chivas USA alleging that they were fired for not being Latino.

* Argentina: An Argentine prosecutor investigating the 1994 AMIA bombing claimed that Iran has “infiltrated” numerous Latin American countries with the purpose of carrying out “terrorist activities.”

* Mexico: A Mexican man became the first person in Latin America to successfully undergo a permanent implantation of an artificial heart.

Video Source – YouTube via user telesurenglish
 
Online Sources- Reuters; CNN; LAHT; BBC News

Daily Headlines: May 29, 2013

* Honduras: Leaders of the dangerous Mara Salavatrucha and 18th Street gangs declared a truce similar to a pact in El Salvador that has helped decrease homicide rates.

* Mexico: A hurricane warning was issued this morning for areas along Mexico’s Pacific coast as Tropical Storm Barbara gains strength on its way towards land.

* Cuba: Starting next week, the government will expand internet access to over one hundred extra outlets though no internet provided directly to private homes and most Cubans cannot afford going online.

* Costa Rica: U.S. law enforcement authorities shut down Liberty Reserve, a Costa Rican-based company specializing in online payments, over allegations of money laundering.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- ABC News; CBS News; Voice of America; Reuters

Daily Headlines: May 28, 2013

* Mexico: Amat Escalante won the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival for "Heli," an “ultra-violent” movie that takes place in Mexico.

* Honduras: President Porfirio Lobo said that he’s backing efforts by Catholic Bishop Romulo Emiliani to broker a truce between the Mara Salavatrucha and 18th Street gangs.

* Brazil: A tearful Neymar bid farewell to fans and players of Brazilian side Santos before heading off to soccer giants FC Barcelona.

* U.S.: According to report released earlier this month, electoral officials in the U.S. tend to be biased against Latino voters.

Video Source – YouTube via user filmfonds

Online Sources- ESPN; France 24; Washington Post; Miami Herald

World Watch: Court-ing Kenyatta

* Kenya: African leaders called on the International Criminal Court to transfer charges of human rights abuses against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to that country’s legal system.

* Australia: Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s top Catholic Church official, publicly apologized for the cover up decades of sexual abuse by priests against children.

* Syria: European Union nations are reportedly undecided over whether or not to sell weapons to Syrian rebels.

* Iraq: At least fifty people were killed when a series of bombs exploded in several areas of the capital city of Baghdad.

Video Source– YouTube via Al Jazeera English 

Online Sources – ABC News; BBC News; The Guardian; Al Jazeera English

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

Hunger Strikes End in Several LatAm Countries

In recent days numerous hunger strikes held in some Latin American countries came to their respective ends.  But were the protesters’ demands met?  The answer varies:

• Bolivia

Twelve wives of Bolivian policemen upset at the poor working conditions of their husbands ended their three-day hunger strike on Saturday.

The women claimed that police commanders did not go through with the promises made in June 2012 to the police officers’ union before the organization was dissolved. As a result, the group went on a hunger strike and called for an increase in the salaries of policemen, changes to the reform system and other demands.

In the end, the hunger strike was halted after the government agreed to the creation of two working groups aimed at seeking a fair resolution.  The hunger strike could be renewed, however, if a deal is not reached within the next ninety days.

Political tensions remain high in Bolivia where the government and the country’s largest labor union have knocked heads over a two-week-long nationwide strike.  The protest was suspended for 48 hours in order to allow for negotiations.

• Colombia

A group of seven women who chained themselves to the from gates of the main cathedral in Villavicencio put a stop to their hunger strike after approximately one week.

The protesters alleged that they were “arbitrarily” targeted as part of official actions aimed at relocate street vendors.  One of the demonstrators claimed that they were not breaking the law and complained that the police unfairly confiscated their wares and carts.  Hence, they demanded the creation of a working group with the local government as well as meting with officials to voice their complaints.

Unfortunately, there is little in the Colombian press mentioning if the women’s demands were met even though the hunger strike ended.  The group was reportedly grateful to the local Red Cross chapter for their medical supervision during the manifestation.

Daily Headlines: May 22, 2013

* U.S.: The bipartisan "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill will move to the U.S. Senate for debate after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the proposal in a 13-5 vote.

* Venezuela: Pro-government TV host Mario Silva said that he would go on sick leave after opposition politicos revealed an alleged recording of him talking to a Cuban intelligence official and criticizing the Maduro regime.

* Brazil: Truth Commission investigator Heloisa Starling believes that former officials protected by a 1979 amnesty law could be tried at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

* Bolivia: The government enacted a law that would permit President Evo Morales to seek a third term in the December 2014 elections.

Video Source – YouTube via user NewsyPolitics (Video uploaded on April 16, 2013.)
 
Online Sources- CNN; ABC News; SFGate.com; LAHT

Argentina: Controversy Over Potential Videla Burial Site

Officials of the Argentine city of Mercedes are none too pleased that their neighborhood will reportedly be chosen as the burial site for former “Dirty War”-era dictator Jorge Videla.

“He must have been the most nefarious person this country has ever had and it’s a weight that the people of Mercedes must carry,” said Marcelo Melo, the city’s human rights government representative.

Despite his “repudiation” of burying the infamous ex-strongman in Mercedes, Melo noted “we cannot prevent his family from bringing his remains to privately-owned burial plots.”

Some residents of the city where Videla was born and raised are upset over the burial plans announced by the late ruler’s lawyer.

“We had to put up with many hardship during the dictatorship.  I don’t want him in my city,” said Aida Ibaldi according to infobae.com.

“Videla’s family has his body, which was not tortured or abused, and they can bury him when and where they want,” said Juan Ignacio Ustarroz, the nephew of one of the tens of thousands of Argentines who “disappeared” during Videla’s five years in power.

In anticipation of the burial, nineteen social and political organizations will hold a protest against Videla on Wednesday night.  The demonstrators are expected to gather outside of the cemetery in Mercedes where posters of some of the local political activists killed under the Videla military regime have been placed.

The 87-year-old passed away in a civilian prison on Friday where he was serving a fifty-year sentence for the illegal kidnapping of dozens of babies from political prisoners.   Videla had also been serving a life sentence since 2010 for the deaths of thirty-one dissidents during his de facto presidency.

Videla’s death comes as proceedings began in a trial over Plan Condor, a secret intelligence operation by South American dictators to kidnap and murder their opponents. Videla was one of the most senior former officials indicted by prosecutors and he neglected to provide testimony to the case.  Nevertheless, prosecutors hope there is some evidence they can use that Videla has not taken to his grave:

Daily Headlines: May 21, 2013

* Guatemala: In a 3-2 decision the Guatemalan Constitutional Court annulled the recent historic conviction of former strongman Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide.

* U.S.: At least 23 student groups at Harvard University called for an investigation of the doctoral thesis of Jason Richwine, an ex-Heritage Foundation policy analyst who claimed in 2009 that Latino immigrants have lower IQs than white natives.

* Latin America: Alicia Barcena, the head of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, expressed her concerns over weaker exports possibly hurting the region's economic growth.

* Mexico: Venture capitalists are reportedly being attracted to purchasing and refurbishing thousands of homes that were foreclosed and abandoned.

Video Source – YouTube via PBS NewsHour (“Efrain Rios Montt, former dictator of Guatemala, was found guilty (on May 10th) in the massacre of more than 1,700 Mayan Indians in the early 1980s”.)

Online Sources- Fox News Latino; Bloomberg; Reuters; The Latin Americanist; USA TODAY

Daily Headlines: May 20, 2013

* Latin America: A new report from the Organization of American States called for major changes to the “war on drugs” including the possibility of decriminalizing the use of marijuana.

* Mexico: Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam met with a group of mothers on hunger strike for over ten days and announced the creation of a government unit aimed at investigating the cases of thousands of missing people.

* Venezuela: Dozens of protesters participated in a march on Saturday in Caracas and urged the end of discrimination against gays and lesbians in Venezuela.

* U.S.: Will U.S. President Barack Obama mention later this week any major changes to the policy regarding detainees at the Guantanamo Bay military prison?

Video Source – YouTube via ContactoFESCOL (Former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria is one of several ex-Latin American leaders allied to the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which is a campaign seeking for changes in drug laws).

Online Sources- The Guardian; GlobalPost; AFP; The Latin Americanist; NBC News

Nuestro Cine: The Music of Mercedes

We'll be back on Monday to look at several news and notes from around the Americas.

The following video is the English-language international trailer for "Mercedes Sosa: la voz de Latinoamerica" ("Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America").  The documentary on the renown Argentine folk singer was produced by her only child, Fabian Matus, and will be released in her native country next month.

Sosa died in 2009 after battling several ailments.

Nicknamed "the voice of Latin America," Sosa's career spanned over four decades and included some forty albums.  Her songs often contained political messages, which did not sit well with the "Dirty War" military regime in Argentina that forced her into a brief exile.

"She lived her 74 years to the fullest," Matus said to the press shortly after Sosa died. "She had done practically everything she wanted, she didn't have any type of barrier or any type of fear that limited her."

Online Sources - imdb.com; CNN; Montreal Gazette

Video Source - YouTube via user Rodrigo Vila

Daily Headlines: May 17, 2013

* Mexico: The author of the Blog del Narco website, which offered an unflinching look of Mexico's drug war, reportedly fled to Spain while the fate of her partner is unknown.

* El Salvador: The country’s Supreme Court began hearing arguments regarding the case of “Beatriz”, an ill and pregnant woman with a deformed fetus who is seeking permission for an abortion.

* Brazil: Will a planned 10,000 mile “virtual border fence” help control drug smuggling and undocumented immigrants of will it be a $13 billion boondoggle?

* Costa Rica: Communications Minister Francisco Chacon resigned over the growing scandal regarding President Laura Chinchilla using a plane owned by a shady Colombian businessman.

Video Source – YouTube via user McClatchyDC
 
Online Sources- The Guardian; The Latin Americanistl ABC News; NPR Parallels; GlobalPost

Daily Headlines: May 16, 2013

* El Salvador: Officials launched a violence prevention program in areas where the country’s two largest street gangs – the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 – have honored a fourteen-month truce.

* Venezuela: The government’s plans to import fifty million rolls of toilet paper as Venezuelans complain of shortages in basic commodities and foods.

* Brazil: Defending Copa Libertadores titleholder Corinthians of Brazil were ousted from this year’s version of the tournament by six-time champions Boca Juniors of Argentina.

* U.S.: A new Census Bureau report found that an influx of immigrants is expected to outpace U.S. population growth from births within thirty years.

Video Source – Video via Al Jazeera English (Video uploaded in May 2012).

Online Sources- The Guardian; infosurhoy.com; SBS; Reuters

Court Orders Retrial in Dorothy Stang Murder Case

Brazil’s top court ordered a retrial of a rancher convicted of masterminding the murder of U.S. nun and environmentalist Dorothy Stang.

"The right to a defense is a value that must prevail, because it is fundamental for the development of a fair trial," Supreme Court justice Ricardo Lewandowsky said regarding the annulment of a 30-year prison sentence against Vitalmiro Vastos de Moura.

The 73-year-old Stang was gunned down in February 2005 as she was returning home from a community meeting in the state of Pará.

In 2007 de Moura was convicted of planning the murder of Stang, a tireless campaigner for the preservation of the Amazon and for the rights of poor landowners. One year later, a jury overturned de Moura’s conviction much to the disappointment of then-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and human rights groups.  In April 2010, however, de Moura was again convicted and sentenced to thirty years behind bars after several of his co-conspirators testified against him.

De Moura will remain in prison awaiting a third murder trial, which could commence as soon as the end of May.  In the meantime, land rights activists in Brazil decried the Supreme Court’s ruling: