Fausta's Blog

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s Betrayal
The Kirchner government has decided to whitewash Iranian terrorism

The IMF and Argentina
Motion of censure
The fund blows the whistle

BRAZIL
U.S. Corn-Ethanol Producers: Curb Imports From Brazil
The U.S. corn-ethanol industry is urging the Obama administration to cut down on imports of a different type of ethanol from Brazil, in a bid to reduce competition and improve its bottom line.

CHILE
Chile orders Neruda exhumation
A Chilean judge orders the exhumation of the remains of the poet Pablo Neruda, as part of an investigation into claims he was poisoned in 1973.

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s peace talks
Trying to stay the course

ECUADOR
Ecuador’s election
The man with the mighty microphone
Having mixed the good, the bad and the ugly during six years in power, Rafael Correa is heading for another term

Ecuador’s Permanent Mob-Rule Campaign
By demonizing opponents and changing voting law, President Rafael Correa assures his re-election.

LATIN AMERICA
Annals of government intervention: Pemex, Argentina, and Brazil

More Bayly, in Spanish,

MEXICO
Some good and bad news from Mexico

A Poor Decision…

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua Aims to Become New Luxury Hotspot

PARAGUAY
The last caudillo
Lino Oviedo’s death may help the Colorados return to power

PERU
Peru, Chile and Bolivia hit by floods after heavy rain

PUERTO RICO
36 Hours in San Juan, Puerto Rico

VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s economy
Out of stock
The cost of postponing an inevitable devaluation

The week’s posts & podcast:
Venezuela: Pining for the fjords?

Ecuadorian minister lies about Cory Booker

The real scandal in the Menendez story…

Podcast:
The latest from Spain & Latin America

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, is a rising star in national politics. As such, there are opportunists that may want to share the limelight.

Last Saturday news agency EFE reported that Ricardo Patiño, the Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration, received the keys to the city of Newark from mayor Cory Booker.

EFE quoted “diplomatic sources” (meaning, Patiño’s press release) saying that mayor Booker awarded the keys for Patiño’s “work and efforts” on behalf of the thousands od Ecuadorians living in the area.

There’s only one problem: It isn’t true.

Cory Booker was in Los Angeles.

15 hrs in LA – on plane now headed home. Can’t wait. RT @randoman00: Newark is looking splendid today from the turnpike.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 2, 2013

There’s even a photo of him at LAX,

@corybooker great meeting you at LAX!Count me and @askecoed to support you for #senate twitter.com/MrsEcoEd/statu…

— Julie Tung (@MrsEcoEd) February 2, 2013

I called mayor Booker’s office, and his very courteous staff confirmed that Mr. Booker indeed was in Los Angeles last Saturday, and he has not awarded the keys to the city to Patiño.

Obviously I wasn’t the only one asking. Ecuadorian website Ecuador en vivo reports that Patiño’s original press release announcing the event has now been deleted.

ARGENTINA
Prepping The Next Conflict

Argentine-Iranian relations
A pact with the devil?

BAHAMAS
Gaming in the Bahamas
A bettor option
Churches and internet cafés face off in a referendum on gambling

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Tax-Cutting, High-Growth Socialists. Four years ago, Lula schooled Obama on free trade, doing away with tariffs particularly on biofuels, and job creation.

COLOMBIA
Kidnappings Imperil Talks With Rebels in Colombia

Deadly clashes before Farc talks
Fighting between Farc rebels and Colombia’s government leaves at least nine people dead, as the latest round of peace talks start in Cuba.

ECUADOR
Another Blowout in Eco Suit Against Chevron

A Fortune Mag/CNN Money article out this week reports the latest, overwhelming evidence of horrendous skullduggery in a long-running environmental case, supported by the highly corruptible Ecuadoran government, against the U.S.-based Chevron oil company. In a Manhattan federal district court, reports Fortune’s Roger Parloff, “Chevron filed the declaration of a former Ecuadorian judge, Alberto Guerra, who describes how he and a second former judge, Nicolás Zambrano, allegedly allowed the plaintiffs lawyers to ghostwrite their entire 188-page, $18.2 billion judgment against Chevron in exchange for a promise of $500,000 from the anticipated recovery.”

LATIN AMERICA
Latin American integration
Past and future
The region’s anachronistic new face
And yes, Angela Merkel did shake Raul Castro’s hand:

PERU
Relocation in the Andes: Perched in the Peruvian Andes is a new town built by a Chinese mining company to which 5,000 people will be relocated,

Peru’s roaring economy
Hold on tight
The biggest threats to Latin America’s economic star are overconfidence and complacency

PUERTO RICO
Jackson Lewis opens in Puerto Rico as gateway to Latin America
US employment firm Jackson Lewis is to open an office in Puerto Rico, marking its first base outside of mainland US.

VENEZUELA
As Chavez takes his time, Havana rules Venezuela

ARGENTINA
Energy in Argentina
Sparks in the dark
A half-hearted policy retreat

BOLIVIA
VIDEO SURFACES OF BOLIVIAN LAWMAKER ALLEGEDLY RAPING WOMAN INSIDE PARLIAMENT

Nationalising utilities in Bolivia
From tap to socket
Can the government do a better job than the private sector?

U.N. ruling heartens Bolivian coca growers

BRAZIL
Wrong numbers
More inflation, less growth

COLOMBIA
Colombian Rebels Kidnap Five Mining Workers

As Colombia aims for peace, some see the guerrillas diversifying
As Colombia and the FARC guerrillas negotiate peace in Havana some fear the rebel group is diversifying beyond the drug trade.

COLOMBIA
Central America’s tiny states caught in deadly crossfire of battle with cartels
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and even tourist-friendly Costa Rica are now caught up in the drugs trade

CUBA
On revolutionary icons and news not fit to print

ECUADOR
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DARWIN

FALKLAND ISLANDS
Falkland Islanders to hold referendum on their future March 10-11

LATIN AMERICA
COUNTERING IRAN: A BILL SIGNED, SEALED, BUT WILL IT DELIVER?, via Joel Frewa.

MEXICO
China Plan Raises Ire in Mexico

Plans to build a large, permanent exposition center for Chinese-made goods near Cancún have triggered an outcry from Mexican industrialists who struggle to compete with Chinese manufacturing.

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua sentences 18 Mexicans to 30 years

PUERTO RICO
Despite Advocates’ Claims, No Clear Consensus on Puerto Rican Statehood

Puerto Rican Stars Gear Up for World Baseball Classic, via Dick.

VENEZUELA
Pablo Medina denuncia presencia de 4.500 militares cubanos en Fuerte Tiuna

Is Hugo Chavez Schrödinger’s Cat?

Chávez’s useful idiots
The demagogue of Caracas has helped sustain a long tradition of left-wing fellow travelling

Another day, another scandal. Or is it all planned provocation?

ezuela’s presidency
Brotherly love in the Bolivarian Republic
With the president ill, who is really running the country?

Tweet of the week:

Dios bendiga a Venezuela que tiene ahorados presidentes… uno maduro y el otro podrido..

— Willie Colón (@williecolon) January 16, 2013

The week’s posts:
Venezuela, Cuba: Chavez deathwatch.

Holder withholding Fast & Furious docs

Ampuero now in translation

In Silvio Canto’s podcast

Hagel on Cuba: Feel the love

ARGENTINA
Defence chiefs prepare new plans to defend Falkland Islands
Defence chiefs have drawn up new contingency plans designed to prevent hostile action by Argentina towards the Falkland Islands.

Falklands Redux: Is President Kirchner South America’s Biggest Troll?

P&O cruise firm stops Argentine port stops
Passengers due to embark on the Southampton-based ships were told last month
A cruise firm has put a temporary halt to stops at three Argentine ports after continuing tensions with the country over the Falklands.

BOLIVIA
Presidente en ejercicio afirma: indígenas “libre pensantes” pueden irse

BRAZIL
From last year, Brazil: Landowners Declare War against Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá in Mato Grosso do Sul

Tax in Brazil
Nothing is certain
Brazilian firms fight huge and unpredictable tax bills

Chinese Tech Titans Eye Brazil
Chinese consumer-technology firms are dominant at home but have struggled overseas. Now, in a bid to change that, they’re charging into Brazil and other emerging markets.

Drug addicts light up the night in Brazil’s ‘cracolandias’
Crack epidemic and related violence are reminiscent of Washington or New York in the 1980s.

CHILE
Background on the Mapuche, from 2004: Mapuche Indians in Chile Struggle to Take Back Forests, and from last year: Attacks on Chile’s Indigenous Peoples Thwart Efforts at Land Reparations

Indigenous rights in Chile
Unhappy new year

COLOMBIA
Latin American local government
A load of rubbish
Another unpopular mayor for Colombia’s capital

COSTA RICA
Mothers in Breastfeed Protest at Costa Rica Mall

CUBA
A Silent Mariel

Seventh circle of Hell gets a wee bit more crowded

Oppenheimer: Cuba’s role in Venezuela may grow — for now

As Hugo Chavez fights for his life, Cuba fears for its future
Venezuela is not the only Latin American nation that is monitoring every moment of president Hugo Chavez’s illness. His ally Cuba has relied on him for economic help, and that could soon come to an end.

EQUADOR
Ecuadorian President Warns of Possible ‘CIA Attack’ Before Elections

GUATEMALA
As Biofuel Demand Grows, So Do Guatemala’s Hunger Pangs

HAITI
Still waiting for recovery
Three years after a devastating earthquake, the “Republic of NGOs” has become the country of the unemployed

HONDURAS
La Ceiba, Honduras, airport sign translation

MEXICO
Recent violence in north-central Mexico reportedly kills dozens

PANAMA
As Panama Canal gets bigger,U.S. ports race to keep up

PERU
Two killed in Dakar rally crash involving British team
Two people have been in killed in Peru in a head-on collision involving a support vehicle for the Dakar rally.

Peru boom spurs middle-class growth
Asian demand for copper and gold has put disposable income in the nation’s pockets.

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Beauty Queen Faints, Uses Crutches

TURKS & CAICOS
British to seek extradition of ex-Turks and Caicos premier from Brazil
Turks and Caicos says that British authorities will soon formally ask Brazil to extradite the island’s former premier as part of the ongoing criminal investigation in the island chain.

VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’ Inaugural A Sign Of Chavez’s Tottering Regime

The Chávez Legacy in Venezuela
Autocratic rule, economic ruin, and South America’s highest murder rate.

To Understand Today’s TSJ Decision, Let’s Look At Motive

Venezuela’s presidency
Brotherly love in the Bolivarian Republic
With the president ill, who is really running the country?

Now what? Looking at the 2013 Venezuelan calendar

Venezuela Inflation Jumps Sharply as Shortages Rise
Venezuela’s consumer prices surged in December at the fastest pace in nearly three years as the oil-rich South American country grappled with severe shortages of consumer goods, the central bank reported.

Controversy aside, there is no denying Hugo Chavez redefined Latin American politics
The leader of Venezuela’s social revolution has undergone a fourth operation for cancer and was unable to attend his inauguration after being elected for a fourth term as president.

The week’s posts:
Dead or alive?

Oh, peachy, now the Obama admin’s cozying up to Maduro

Venezuela: Chavez swearing-in can be delayed

Weekend at Chavez!

Venezuela: Twitter raid UPDATED

ARGENTINA
Argentina Court Declines Intervention in Media Case

Argentina Congress hosts “Islam for peace” seminar

Muslims sense of belonging in Argentina, ratifying their right and proud to be Argentine citizens, challenges the sense of injustice that the Muslim community faces, unjustly, in the 21st century-world.

via Gates of Vienna

BOLIVIA
Spain’s Iberdrola Has 4 Units Taken Over by Bolivian State

Coca Licensing Is a Weapon in Bolivia’s Drug War

BRAZIL
High Stakes in Brazil After Outage
A day after power outages left travelers at Rio de Janeiro’s international airport in the dark, President Dilma Rousseff tried to calm fears that Brazil was facing the kind of energy shortages that upended national politics a decade ago.

Corruption in Brazil
A healthier menu
As the historic trial of those guilty of a legislative votes-for-cash scheme draws to a close, Brazilians digest the verdict

Obituary: Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribiero de Almeida de Niemeyer Soares Filho, architect, died on December 5th, aged 104

COLOMBIA
Sister of Colombian Drug Cartel’s Founder Killed

CUBA
We came, we saw, we were appalled

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Hillary shall remain concussed while in Punta Cana

ECUADOR
Banana Republic v. Chevron

LATIN AMERICA
Latin America, the Mideast, and the Pope

MEXICO
Cartels Clash in Mexican Town
Armed men stormed a town in the mountains of the western state of Sinaloa on Christmas Eve and shot nine men, then dumped their bodies as part of a war between Mexico’s two most powerful cartels.

Old PRI, new PRI? In Mexico, a New Approach to Stanching Drug Violence

Mr. Peña Nieto’s six-point program includes better government planning; increased intergovernmental coordination; protection of human rights; more social investments and crime-prevention programs; additional evaluation of government programs; and institution building.

It also proposes a 10,000-member force to secure municipalities and states where law enforcement is powerless against organized crime. The administration has said it will focus on street gangs and criminals employed by the cartels, a shift from former President Felipe Calderón’s emphasis on eliminating top drug trafficking bosses.

PARAGUAY
Paraguay’s awful history
The never-ending war
How a terrible but little-known conflict continues to shape and blight a nation

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Introduces New Guidelines for Hate Crimes

USA
Latino Muslims are shaping a new US identity, via Gates of Vienna

VENEZUELA
Seven more Years!

The week’s posts:
Mexico: 120-yard tunnel near the Nogales entry into Arizona

Where will Assad go?

Argentina: Squeeze and “creativity”

ARGENTINA
Looting Tests Leader in Argentina
President Kirchner’s Social Policies Are Criticized After Raids Spread to Several Cities; Government Blames Union Leaders; thing is, once you run out of other people’s money, you don’t have money to pay the unions.

Argentina looting spreads to Buenos Aires province
Two people have been killed in Argentina’s third city, Rosario, as a wave of looting spreads.

BOLIVIA
A tale of two churches

Senadora que demanda Justicia es amedrentada por el Fiscal y exige garantías

BRAZIL
Kerry Has Investments in Companies Accused of Violating Iran Sanctions

CHILE
Copahue volcano eruption puts Argentina and Chile on alert

COSTA RICA
Costa Rica: Security Chief Suggests Firearms Ban

CUBA
Teacher’s Day

ECUADOR
Ecuador top banker’s fake degree
The governor of the Ecuadorean Central Bank, Pedro Delgado, resigns after admitting that he lied about finishing a degree in economics.

GUATEMALA
Mayan temple damaged in tourist ‘apocalypse’ frenzy

LATIN AMERICA
John Kerry’s Record in Latin America
It isn’t that he opposes U.S. intervention. It’s that somehow he often ends up backing the bad guys: Sandinistas, Cubans, FARC, Zelaya.

MEXICO
Jon Hammar back on U.S. soil

Mexico Takes On Teachers Over School Control

PUERTO RICO
US and Puerto Rico Sign Police Reform Agreement

VENEZUELA
Chavez death watch intensifies

Chávez Is Conscious and Recovering, His Vice President Says

Dr. Marquina says no,

Doctor Marquina: Presidente Chávez no muestra ninguna mejoría del cuadro clínico – tinyurl.com/d6vmmy4

— Noticias Venezuela (@NoticiasVenezue) December 22, 2012

Chávez Faces Infection
President Hugo Chávez is in stable condition after facing a respiratory infection following cancer surgery in Cuba, Venezuela’s information minister said.

Pobre hijita de Papi…

Is There Any Silver Lining For The Venezuelan Opposition From Sunday’s Elections?

Say what?

BONUS: MISS UNIVERSE
Photos: Miss Universe 2012’s Most Bizarre National Costumes
On Dec. 19, women from around the world competed at the 61st annual Miss Universe pageant. Here’s a look at the contestants’ wacky—and occasionally tacky—national ensembles

The week’s posts:
John Kerry for Secretary of State

Mayans, schmayans

Venezuela: Chavistas take all the states except 3

ARGENTINA
Argentine bonds
Argy-bargy
EVER since Argentina defaulted on $81 billion of debt in 2001, it has been thumbing its nose at its creditors.

Argentine Court Grants Reprieve To Media Group

BRAZIL
Brazil’s economy
Stalled
A long-awaited recovery still fails to materialise

CHILE
Chile clashes over Freirina smelly pig processing plant
Police in northern Chile have clashed with protesters angry at the government’s decision to reopen a huge pig processing plant

COLOMBIA
Colombia Kills 20 FARC Fighters in Bomb Raid

CUBA
Pay no attention to the dictators behind the curtain

Cuban Government Pulls Plug on “Cubatón”

ECUADOR
Corrupt Judgment Against ChevronTexaco Takes Hemispheric Dimensions

Este es el documental que revela las conexiones Rafael Correa – Hugo Chávez – FARC

GUATEMALA
McAfee Hospitalized in Guatemala After Asylum Denied

My Own Darwin Award Nomination: Captured

MEXICO
Jenni Rivera, norteno and banda singer and Mun2 TV star, dies in plane crash in northern Mexico
43-year-old musician, born and raised in California, was a star of Spanish-language television

Obituary: María Santos Gorrostieta
María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar, former mayor of Tiquicheo, was found dead on November 15th, aged 36

Mexico’s new government
With a little help from my friends
The new president believes that he has broad political agreement to change his country

13 BODIES FOUND IN VEHICLES IN NORTHERN MEXICO

PANAMA
Panama and Israel: A special relationship

PARAGUAY
Footballer Diego Mendieta’s death prompts Indonesia row
The death of a Paraguayan footballer owed months of back pay from his club in Indonesia has sparked outrage among fans and the global players’ union.

PUERTO RICO
Caiman Invasion in Puerto Rico

TURKS AND CAICOS
Turks and Caicos ex-PM Michael Misick held in Brazil
Police in Brazil have arrested the former prime minister of the Turks and Caicos islands, Michael Misick.

VENEZUELA
Venezuelan politics
The invisible president

Chávez Back in Venezuela After Cuba Treatment

And he is back….

Important Dates To Keep Up With, Given All The Rumors Flying Around Venezuela

The week’s posts:
Mexico: Mayan apocalypse tourism

Venezuela: Hugo’s baaack

Assuming Assad asks asylum…

Unarmed in Mexico

Cuba: US won’t swap 5 spies for Alan Gross

…will he go to Cuba, Venezuela, or Ecuador?

The embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is considering the possibility to claim political asylum for himself, his family and his close circle in Latin America if he has to cede power, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

“Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister held meetings in Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador over the past week, and brought with him classified personal letters from Assad to local leaders,” the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported.

Hmmm…Let’s think that one through:

Cuba would love to add a dentist to its roster of practitioners of “excellent free health care”. [CORRECTION: Merv advises me that Assad's an eye doctor. But what about those Marathon Man jokes, then?]

Venezuela could resume its direct flights to Damascus, so Assad has a non-stop to Caracas.

And Rafael Correa would certainly try to get a Vogue interview as follow-up to Asma’s Rose of the Desert feature. Now that Anna Wintour may become ambassador, the mag may go for it.

So many possibilities…

Indeed, the olden days when the world’s evil men could count on South American dictatorships offering hiding places may be back again.

Cross-posted at Liberty Unyielding.

ARGENTINA
Debt – Argentina’s long-festering wound

The Argentine Debt Saga Continues: A COHA Side-By-Side Report with The Pan-American Post

Argentine bonds
Argy-bargy

HPOA Defense: Oxford Ph.D. Claims He Was “Duped” Into Carrying Four Pounds of Coke By Promise of Meeting Lovely Woman

BELIZE
John McAfee ‘captured on Belize-Mexico border’
The mystery over the whereabouts of millionaire software tycoon John McAfee deepened on Sunday night after his blog suggested he had been captured by police in Belize only for officials to deny they had him in custody.

BRAZIL
Brazil Tepid Growth Disappoints

Brazil’s Image Takes a Beating
Gang violence, corruption, and blackouts have created a PR nightmare.

Rousseff acts on Brazil oil plan
Part of a law intended to share royalties from Brazil’s oil fields across the country’s 26 states is vetoed by President Dilma Rousseff.

COLOMBIA
Colombia pulls out of International Court over Nicaragua
Colombia has announced it no longer recognises the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, in The Hague.

Farc peace talks in Cuba adjourned for a week
The Colombian government and rebels from the Farc have concluded the first stage of peace talks aimed at ending five decades of conflict.

CUBA
Linguistic Reforms

Will a new German law cover Cuban prostitutes?

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
A rum do
The new president faces a tax revolt

Remembering the Mirabal Sisters

ECUADOR
‘Free speech champion’ Julian Assange silent on the assault on free speech in Ecuador

GUATEMALA
Probe finds horrific sexual, physical abuse in Guatemala psychiatric hospital

LATIN AMERICA
Briefing: Secretary of State Candidates and Their Views on Latin America

MEXICO
Departing Mexican Leader Leaves a Mixed Legacy

Border BFFs: Obama, Peña Nieto Bond as Agendas Remain Suspect
And two Republicans used the occasion to introduce their DREAM Act alternative: the ACHIEVE Act.

Mexico, In Hands of a New and Unknown PRI Commanded by Peña Nieto

PUERTO RICO
Camacho case spurs Puerto Rico to examine brain-death guidelines

The funeral: Matando Dos Pájaros De Un Tiro, Cafres Celebran Reunión Anual En El Velorio Del Macho Camacho

VENEZUELA
China’s Misguided Hugo Chávez Love Affair

Another ordinary night in Caracas…

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Battling Bone Metastasis, Report Says

The signs are piling, the end is near (?)

Chavez’ Authorized To Leave Country To Seek Health Treatment

Cancer at the Heart
With Hugo Chávez in Cuba for yet more medical treatment, will Venezuela fall apart without him?

Infrastructure in Venezuela
Cancelling Christmas
Inefficiency is promoting autarky, perhaps by design

The week’s posts and podcast,
Mexico: Obama not attending inauguration

Argentina: Broken Bad

Venezuela: Judge Afiuni’s detention UPDATED

Podcast:
As Silvio Canto’s guest.