Fausta's Blog

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
Documentary (in Spanish):

BRAZIL
Brazil Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 245

Brazil Streetwalkers to Take English Lessons for 2014 World Cup; RELATED: The Proud Winner of the Miss Brazilian Prostitute Title Was Beaming

COLOMBIA
Security in Colombia
Fear of missing out
The second-biggest guerrilla group tries to muscle in on peace talks

Colombian Police Seize Over 4 Tons of Cocaine Bound for Mexico

CUBA
Alan Gross and his descent into hell

All talk
The government fails to promote new leaders—even though hard times loom

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Emails show FBI investigating Sen. Bob Menendez for sleeping with underage Dominican prostitutes – 16-year-olds.

GUATEMALA
Edging back from the brink
A potential “failed state” is clawing its way back to something like normality

HONDURAS
Honduras can’t pay its bills, neglects services

MEXICO
As Deadly Mexican Cartel Loses Control, Heroin and Meth Trafficking Rise

Florence Cassez released in Mexico

PERU
EU-Colombia-Peru Aim for Trade Accord in Effect by First Quarter

Peru on the Right Path to Eradicating Child Malnutrition, UN Official Says

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Top 10 Most Wanted Captured by NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force

VENEZUELA
More than 50 people have been killed in a prison riot in western Venezuela, hospital staff say. [GRAPHIC PHOTOS] En Uribana ya van más de 50 muertos y 120 heridos (FOTOS)

Chavez Cancer Freezes Venezuela’s Overseas Oil Funding (h/t DP)

Venezuela’s $100 billion oil industry is seeing the first drop in funding in five years from some of its closest partners, as concern mounts President Hugo Chavez’s battle with cancer is creating a political vacuum, people familiar with the matter said.
The government, which for a decade has disclosed credit lines from China when they’re signed, has announced none since April, according to a report released Jan. 13 by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, known as UNAM. Russian and Indian companies are withholding planned investments in Venezuelan oilfields, according to eight oil company executives and consultants who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to talk about the matter publicly.

Hugo Chavez Starting More Treatment in Cuba, Hugo Chavez Respiratory Infection: Venezuelan President Overcomes Health Issue

Why President Hugo Chávez’s Twitter Account Went Silent

The Missing President

Chavez is not going quietly

Impunity in Venezuela
The price of justice
A family with a case against the government faces “extermination”

Gustavo Rios, Hugo Chavez Impersonator, Thinks Dictator’s Cancer Is No Laughing Matter

The week’s posts:
South American cocaine’s African routes

Brazil: Barcodes on Rio’s sidewalks

Venezuela: Hugo’s fake picture

Halitophobia! in Spanish, no less

Venezuela: Noelia’s plane seized by the government

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 Media Group Suffers Reversal in Court

Ghana Ordered to Release Argentine Ship

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Graft Probe Now Targets Ex-Leader
Da Silva Denies Wrongdoing in Vote-Rigging Scheme Under His Tenure, but Supreme Court Justices Call for Another Look

CAYMAN ISLANDS
Cayman Islands leader arrested in corruption probe

CHILE
Mysterious mass whale graveyard unearthed in the Chilean desert
Scientists are baffled after finding fossil remains of 75 whales that died within yards of one another, more than a kilometer away from the sea.

COLOMBIA
El riesgo populista

COSTA RICA
30 Years Of Recipes Down The Drain: Ex-Pats in Costa Rica Try Cooking Up A New Life

CUBA
Al-Jazeera Shames the U.S. Media By Telling the Truth About Cuban Repression

Jailed Spanish activist Angel Carromero may leave Cuba

Obama’s Vision for Cuba Turns a Blind Eye Towards History

Cuban political prisoner Calixto Ramon Martinez ends hunger strike

Projects Fair

EL SALVADOR
MS-13 Leader Sentenced in Juvenile Prostitution Case

HONDURAS
Press freedom group in Honduras denounces “censorship” of radio ad supporting the democratization of the broadcast spectrum

‘Technical’ coup against Supreme Court (Part 2)

MEXICO
Obama Ignores Ex-Marine Wrongly Held In Mexican Jail

Mexico’s crime wave has left about 25,000 missing, government documents show

NICARAGUA
Back in Sandinista Days . . .
John Kerry now talks a moderate game; but what does the record say?

Today’s Video: Telenovelas for Change

PANAMA
Panamanian held in Spain with cocaine breast implants
A Panamanian woman has been arrested in Spain with fake breast implants that turned out to be plastic bags containing 1.4kg of cocaine.

PARAGUAY
Children discover Mozart in Paraguay landfill, playing instruments made from recycled garbage

PERU
IPYS condemns change in law that classifies national security information in Peru

PUERTO RICO
Moody’s downgrades University of Puerto Rico bonds

Puerto Rico family mourns death of girl, 6, in Connecticut school shooting

URUGUAY
Mujica reconoció haber estado internado en un psiquiátrico porque se “figuraba voces”

VENEZUELA
Will the State Department Legitimize a Narco-Authoritarian Regime in Venezuela?

Chávez’s Outlook Darkens, Doctors Say
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s cancer is most likely terminal given the disease’s recurrences, say several leading cancer specialists not involved in the treatment.

With Hugo Chavez cancer-stricken, regional elections in Venezuela suddenly hugely important

Trying (Not) To Look At Venezuela’s Sunday’s Gubernatorial Elections

Post Chávez Surgery, Venezuela Warns of ‘Difficult’ Days

Nicolas Maduro, bus driver turned vice president, could succeed Hugo Chavez

Post Chavez scenarios

The week’s posts:
BBC Four – La Confiteria Ideal

Iran, McAfee, Litvinenko in the news; and don’t overdo the Gangnam

Post-Chavez Venezuela: Corruption and chaos

Chavez: “I do not surrender political power, I delegate it.”

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s president rocked by biggest protest for a decade

Argentines flood the streets to protest against President Cristina Fernandez
Brandishing banners and banging on pots and pans, thousands of Argentines take to streets of Buenos Aires to protest against President Cristina Fernandez.

Argentina Puts Pressure on Media Firm

Argentina: Chevron’s Assets Are Frozen

Tango Therapy: A Fun, New Way to Treat Parkinson’s Disease

BOLIVIA
This is what can happen when you are the most interesting man in the world

BRAZIL
Brazil in Africa
A new Atlantic alliance
Brazilian companies are heading for Africa, laden with capital and expertise

Brazil: 13 new deaths in Sao Paulo’s gang battle
More than 90 police officers have been killed this year in the city
At least 13 people have died in fresh violence between police and a gang in Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo

CAYMAN ISLANDS
Cayman allows boat with Cuban migrants to continue to Honduras

COLOMBIA
Colombia President Interrupts Speech for Phone Call from Obama

CUBA
Cuban dissidents detained; Yoani Sánchez released
A group of political dissidents were detained near a Havana police station. Among them: blogger Yoani Sánchez, who was later released.

Whose Brain Is It?

Yaremis Flores, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 11/11/12

GUATEMALA
Guatemala Suffers a Major Quake

JAMAICA
Jamaica approves laws to allow for casino gambling

MEXICO
The Real Victims of Mexico’s Drug War
Not all who die at the hands of the cartels are criminals—and not all who work for them do so willingly.

Mexico moves away from secret military tribunals

Mexico to reconsider joint policies with U.S. amid new state marijuana laws

Organised crime in Mexico
The stakes of marijuana legalisation
Could Mexico’s bandits find themselves undercut by “El Cártel de Seattle”?

PANAMA
Potrerillos Neighborhood Watch Criminal Actively Report: November 7, 2012

PERU
Obama gets endorsement from self-described Peruvian medicine men

Mayor and mafias
A referendum too far

Peruvian Ambassador Resigns After Meeting with Rebel Supporters

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico’s vote for US statehood signals dissatisfaction with status quo
The pro-statehood plebiscite is unlikely to bear fruit, but it does express Puerto Ricans’ anger at being second-class Americans

VENEZUELA
Lying As A Way Of Life In The Chavez Revolution

Miss Venezuela Playboy Bunny Held in Drug Lord Case

ARGENTINA
The Argentina Scenario
The Obama administration’s familiar economic mistakes

Argentina Makes Colombia Drug Bust

Henry de Jesús López, 41 years old, was captured Tuesday near Buenos Aires in an operation that involved Argentina’s intelligence service working alongside the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Colombia’s national police, officials said.
…
Mr. López’s stays in Venezuela and Argentina fit into a trend in which Colombian drug lords are setting up shop in neighboring countries to escape the pressure of Colombian security forces, which have a strong track record in fighting the country’s top drug cartels. Venezuelan police in September arrested Daniel Barrera, another alleged top Colombian drug trafficker who had been living in Venezuela for years.

Some Colombian cartels are now sending their cocaine shipments first to countries such as Argentina or Brazil before moving them to the U.S. or Europe, police say.

Sovereign debt
Hold-outs upheld
A court ruling against Argentina has implications for other governments

Bad Omens for Greece in Argentina

Weather and the Wheat Police

BRAZIL
A Soap Set in the Favelas

Intellectual property in Brazil
Owning ideas
Getting serious about patents

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s Market Watchdog Seizes Brokerage

COSTA RICA
Body of missing Mexican reporter found in in Costa Rica

CUBA
When Sandy Hit Cuba
The regime in Havana would rather watch the Cuban people annihilated than risk losing its lock on power.

With the Cubans in Switzerland – Part I, Part 2, Part 3.

The Ballot Box, The Stretcher

File this under “Scams,” disaster relief folder, number 43,974,734,291

On the Brink: 50 Year Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis
A recounting of the 13 days when the world stood on the precipice of nuclear war.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican police arrest 3 in killing of former Yankees pitcher Pascual Perez

HAITI
Haiti Death Toll Rises After Hurricane Sandy

LATIN AMERICA
Obama’s Failure in Latin America
The president has not provided real leadership

MEXICO
Mexico’s crime cartels: In Michoacan state it’s pretty quiet. The quiet of defeat.

Reform in Mexico
Labour pains
The travails of a bill to modernise labour markets and unions highlight the difficulties facing Enrique Peña Nieto’s plans for reform

Recycling in Mexico
Junk food
A novel market swaps rubbish for vegetables

Mexico shuts down Korean firm after workplace violence

PERU
Peru faces multibillion-dollar cost to clean up ‘fiscal skeleton’

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Election Eyed by Debt Investors

Puerto Rico launches construction of Caribbean’s largest solar energy project

Humor: Puertorriqueños Ya Están Finalmente Preparados Para Votar De Nuevo Por El PNP O El PPD

VENEZUELA
The oncoming food crisis in Venezuela

Sidetur Takeover: Lawlessness and Disorder In Revolutionary Venezuela

The electricity crisis will end… in 20 years

ARGENTINA
Argentina supermarket roof collapse kills at least two

Ruling Hits Argentina Bonds

BAHAMAS
Hurricane Sandy Makes Landfall in The Bahamas

BOLIVIA
Bolivia vs. Venezuela’s Debt: What Are Investors Smoking (or Chewing)?

BRAZIL
Brazil’s north-east
The Pernambuco model
Eduardo Campos is both modern manager and old-fashioned political boss. His success in developing his state may make him his country’s next president

Brazil Hit By New Blackout

Boycott on Google News leads to 5% loss in web traffic: Brazilian newspapers

COLOMBIA
Cuba-supported Terror Group, FARC, Speaks with a Forked Tongue

Colombia to Develop Its Own Drone Program to Combat Drug-Trafficking

Financing the Colombian War

CUBA
THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS @50: A RECONSIDERATION

How Castro Held the World Hostage

Seven Proposals After Hurricane Sandy

Peter Hitchens: The Guardian interviews me. And some Thoughts in Passing on Cuba and DNA, via Carlos Eire.

Fidel Castro reflections fade to a shadow

ECUADOR
Reporter threatened in Ecuador after airing report on drugs and guns in schools

MEXICO
Pocket Litter: The Evidence That Criminals Carry

Mexico’s Drug Lords Ramp Up Their Arsenals with RPGs

Mexican Drug Gangs on “Verge of Collapse”?

The global Mexican
Mexico is open for business

Case of blonde girl beggar rescued from streets strikes nerve in Mexico; activists see racism, via Gates of Vienna.

PANAMA
Colon Free Zone: Panama debates land sale law repeal

Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Ongoing protests in Panama with possible violence

Day Two of dealing with hospitals in Panama.

PERU
Tense calm follows Peru market clashes

PUERTO RICO
These Bond Portfolios Invest 25% Or More In Puerto Rico

Humor: No Habrá Más Preguntas En Debates; Candidatos Solo Hablarán M**rda Por Dos Horas

VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s Future Up in the Air

The Venezuelan brand of democracy

The week’s posts:
Is the Obama administration planning to release two more convicted terrorists?

The WaPo finds 900,000 Puerto Ricans in Florida

Argentina: High-end retailers leave the country

No doubt Fidel Castro will die, and keeping track of the rumors has become a pastime not only for all Cubans but also for all Latin America watchers – including the ones, like myself, who bring up the Zombie Fidel. And Cubans are restless.

Mary O’Grady writes, The Castros in Winter
Cuba will soon make it easier for some to legally travel abroad. This is not a sign of liberalization.

This at first sounds like progress. But it doesn’t come close to setting Cubans free to roam the world. Citizens will still be required to secure a passport validation stamp, and for many Cubans the costs will add up to more than the fee for the white card. The stamp can also be withheld at the discretion of the regime.

As spelled out in the law, scientists, doctors and anyone deemed to be of high value to the state will have a hard time getting permission to travel—and even if they get it, they will have to wait five years between filing an application and actually boarding a plane. An editorial in the Cuban state newspaper last week said that the regime intends to protect itself from “the theft of talent applied by the powerful,” i.e., the U.S. The law also stipulates a catchall rejection category marked “defense and national security interests.” Translation: Nobody gets out without the dictator’s blessing.

Video:

Meanwhile, you can’t make this up: Hotel official: Fidel Castro appears in public

HAVANA — Fidel Castro has appeared in public for the first time in months, a top hotel executive told The Associated Press on Sunday, challenging persistent rumors that the aging revolutionary is near death.

The 86-year-old leader dropped off a Venezuelan guest at the Hotel Nacional on Saturday afternoon, then stayed for about half an hour to chat with hotel staff, commercial director Yamila Fuster said.

The “guest” is supposedly former Venezuelan vice-president Elías Jaua, who showed (but didn’t release) to the media a snapshot (h/t Miguel) of the blessed event:

Así fue la reunión de Elías Jaua con Fidel Castro by Globovision

Here’s the photo (Jaua’s finger holding it),

ARGENTINA
Argentine politics
Young guns

Colombia, Argentina Trade Barbs on Economic Might
Colombia is bragging that its economy has surpassed Argentina to become is the third-largest in Latin America, marking a turnaround for a country that until a few years ago had its reputation mauled by violence.

Free Postage! Mail your Ballot!

BOLIVIA
Justicia para Juan Kudelka . Learn more about him in Silvio Canto’s podcast.

BRAZIL
Brazilian newspapers pull out of Google News
Brazilian newspapers decide to pull out of Google News, saying the search engine refuses to pay for content and takes traffic away from their websites.

Con L de Lumbre en los aparejos

este sábado, la influyente revista Veja publicó que uno de los condenados, el publicista Marcos Valerio Fernandes (cuyo grupo publicitario pagaba a los diputados y a la tesorería del partido de Lula con prestamos fraudulentos de bancos estatales), ha dicho que “Lula era el jefe” de toda la trama que juzga el STF. “Todo lo que hacía era del conocimiento de Lula”, lanzó. Aunque el abogado de Valerio negó la declaración (una aparente amenaza cifrada), ésta podría ser la primera acusación directa en contra del ex presidente.

CHILE
Chile will request the United States extradite an ex-military commander over the killings of two U.S. reporters

COLOMBIA
Security in Colombia
This time is different
A promising new round of peace talks with the FARC begins

Colombia Peace Talks Have Bumpy Kickoff
Colombia’s main guerrilla army used the opening salvo of peace talks to attack some of the country’s most prominent oil and mining firms, suggesting the Marxist group will try to use the meetings to assail Colombia’s market-friendly economic policies.

CUBA
All will be revealed…

The very, very slow thaw of the half-century U.S.-Cuba standoff

Travel from Cuba
Let my people go

Travel and Immigration Reform: Happy or Satisfied

Cuban Regime Will Open it Doors, To Its Own People

In the short-term, the Party is trying playing the immigration card a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election. Why? In part, because it can. They think they can influence votes in South Florida’s large Cuban-American community by using the immigration/family reunification talisman to divide voters in Miami. I can think of at least one Congressional race where this could become an minor issue, but it is mostly quixotic.

Feds: Remittance firm at center of Medicare-Cuba laundering scam
Federal prosecutors named Caribbean Transfers as the financial backer that sent millions of dollars to Cuba as part of a Medicare-fraud scheme.

An offshore remittance company called Caribbean Transfers financed a complex money-laundering ring that moved more than $30 million in stolen Medicare money from South Florida into Cuba’s banking system, federal authorities said Thursday.

The revelation surfaced in the widening case of a now-convicted check-cashing store owner who was first believed to be at the center of the federal case. It marked the first time that investigators traced tainted Medicare proceeds to Cuba’s state-controlled bank.

Rafael Matos Montes de Oca, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 10/21/12

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Two more Germans held over Dominican Republic ‘sect’ shootout
The Dominican Republic authorities have arrested two more German suspected doomsday cult members over a deadly shootout earlier this week.

HONDURAS
Heist in Honduras leaves 4 dead

MEXICO

Mexico’s drug lords
Kingpin bowling
The most wanted men in Mexico are tumbling. Will crime follow suit?

Mexico goes to the opera, and likes what it hears

Breaking Mexico out of middle income trap
Telecom systems reform a good first step

PANAMA
Protests in Panama duty-free zone
Demonstrators in Panama clash with police after a new law is approved allowing the sale of state-owned land in the free trade zone of Colon.

1 Dead, 9 wounded in Panama protests

Security Message for U.S. Citizens

PERU
Fujimori wants a pardon: Pardon me
A request for clemency puts the president in a bind

PUERTO RICO
La Comay makes the news: Puerto Rico enthralled by cheeky newscaster puppet

Madre Naturaleza Decide Que Hombre Que Saltó De La Estratósfera Es El Único Macho En El Mundo

URUGUAY
Abortion in Uruguay
Still leading the way

VENEZUELA
What Chávez inherits from Chávez

If only we could be as efficient as the soviets…

Now what? The society we have

How The Venezuelan Presidential Vote Was Won

Capriles: Tuvimos que luchar contra el gasto público más alto de la historia de Venezuela

The week’s posts,
Cuba: FIDEL CASTRO DEAD?

Bring out Zombie Fidel, again!

Cuba: If it’s October, the rumors must be flying

Cuba: Fidel and the Nazis

[Opening paragraph re-redacted for clarity.]

ARGENTINA
Argentine Death Spiral Watch

Argentine leader defies her critics

Cristina Fernandez ruffling feathers with the Falklands to mask domestic failings
Several British newspapers have turned their eyes on Argentina arguing that the challenging situation faced by President Cristina Fernandez both domestically and internationally is making her increasingly take advantage of the Falkland Islands dispute as a smokescreen to mask domestic failings.

Ghana court refuses to free Argentine warship Libertad
A Ghanaian court has refused to free an Argentine warship seized in a debt dispute involving the South American nation’s creditors. At The Economist, Argentina’s debt default
Caught napping
Hold-out creditors seize an Argentine ship in Ghana. WSJ: Chasing Deadbeat Argentina
A U.S. investor tries to get its money back from Buenos Aires.

BRAZIL
Barbosa made first black head of Brazil’s Supreme Court

Massive Corruption Scandal Is Victory for Brazilian Courts, via Instapundit.

Brazilian politics
Local action
Voters ignore the Workers’ Party’s troubles

Shots fired as police swoop 10 minutes before 100 followers of Brazilian doomsday cult were due to commit mass suicide over end of the world
Authorities believed the group were preparing to drink soup laced with poison
They had barricaded themselves inside house after leader convinced them apocalypse would happen at 8pm yesterday
Luis Pereira dos Santos held as ‘toxic’ fruit tub is found… he claimed angel told him when the world would end
Police removed 19 children after ‘credible’ information about suicide pact (h/t GoV)

CAYMAN ISLANDS
Is Cayman committing economic suicide? (H/T Instapundit)

CHILE
Entrepreneurs in Latin America
The lure of Chilecon Valley
As America shuts out immigrant entrepreneurs, Chile welcomes them

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s Military to Play Crucial Role in Peace Talks

CUBA
Cuba Almost Became a Nuclear Power in 1962
The scariest moment in history was even scarier than we thought.

Three Elections, One Country

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominicans march against proposed tax hikes

ECUADOR
High Court Rejects Chevron Challenge in Ecuador Case

ENERGY
Which Biofuels Hold the Most Promise for the Future – Interview with Jim Lane, along with US Imports from Venezuela of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products, from K.

LATIN AMERICA
Gini back in the bottle
An unequal continent is becoming less so

NICARAGUA
Nicaraguan businessman sentenced to 30 years on drug charges

PANAMA
Message for US Citizens – US Ambassador to hold Town Hall in Panama City

PERU
Journalist working for human rights commission in Peru is threatened and extorted

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico drops plan to build natural gas pipeline that was opposed by many islanders

TRINIDAD
Jack Warner bans Trinidad and Tobago murder figures
Police in Trinidad and Tobago have been ordered to stop releasing murder statistics.

VENEZUELA
Hugo Chávez accused of spying on rival in runup to presidential election

Impacts of the Venezuelan Crude Oil Production Loss

Venezuela’s presidential election
Stuck with him
After a surprisingly comfortable re-election, Hugo Chávez will have to surmount a shaky economy and the risk his cancer will return

Venezuela’s Chavez hails ‘perfect’ democracy, mocks tyrant image
* Socialist leader re-elected with 55 pct of vote
* Opposition’s Henrique Capriles contemplates future
* Bonds fall on investor gloom at Chavez victory

Venezuela’s Farce Election

Chavez’s Win Proves ‘Elected Autocrat’ Isn’t an Oxymoron

El club de admiradores de Chávez
Las elecciones en Venezuela tendrán repercusiones en toda América Latina y aun más allá

Chávez Taps His Possible Successor

The Devil, The Future, The Past and The Present

Otto Reich: What Happened in Venezuela?

NORIEGA: Chavez victory may be short-lived
Democratic base motivated against ailing dictator

Jaime Bayly’s take (in Spanish),

The week’s posts and podcast,
Sin Zeta*

Venezuela: How Chavez won

Venezuela: Election aftermath

Podcast: Silvio Canto‘s

ARGENTINA
The president and the potbangers
Times are getting tougher for Cristina Fernández, but she is not beaten yet

Wall Street Billionaire Battles Argentina, Has Ship Detained Over $1.6B Bond

BRAZIL
Brazil judges split on Lula aide
Supreme Court judges delivering their findings on a big corruption case disagree whether former chief of staff Jose Dirceu led scheme to buy opposition support.

Vigil Held on Carandiru Massacre Anniversary

CHILE
Slow-Burning Challenge to Chile on Easter Island

COLOMBIA
Colombian President in Recovery

Colombian band Bomba Estéreo’s “El Alma Y El Cuerpo” (Soul and Body) Updated 2X

CUBA
The sacrificial lamb has been shorn and taken to the altar. Immolation postponed.

Rumplestiltskin, Cuba detains anti-Castro blogger for 30 hours
Yoani Sanchez, a social media maven, and her husband are detained while en route to a politically sensitive trial.

ECUADOR
Ecuador president says he’ll advise Tunisia on debt renegotiations

EL SALVADOR
Gangs’ Truce Buys El Salvador a Tenuous Peace

GUATEMALA
Guatemalan Protests Leave At Least Six Dead as Police Clash with Demonstrator

MEXICO
Univision: Juarez drug cartel leader ‘El Diego’ was captured with Fast and Furious weapons

Ho hum: Mexican teenagers slaughtered with Fast and Furious guns

Mexico’s Cartels Increase Their Muscle In The U.S.

PANAMA
Makes One Think

PARAGUAY
Paraguay post-impeachment
A Liberal spring
The interim president enacts reforms

PERU
Peru rebels burn down helicopters at jungle airfield
Three helicopters were destroyed in the attack on the airfield in Cusco province
Left-wing Shining Path rebels in Peru have burned three helicopters used by a private gas consortium, officials say.

PUERTO RICO
Humor: Estudiantes Universitarios Molestos Que No Pudieron Abuchear A Fortuño En Persona

Puerto Rican Identity, In and Out of Focus

VENEZUELA
The Other Election: Venezuela

Hugo Chavez Might Actually Lose His Election on Sunday

Venezuela’s presidential election
The autocrat and the ballot box
A united opposition and discontent over government mismanagement mean a genuine electoral challenge for Hugo Chávez

Chávez’s Foreign Fan Club
The Venezuelan election will have ramifications throughout Latin America and beyond

Will Hugo Chavez lose the election tomorrow?

How Hugo Chávez Became Irrelevant

Chávez’s Stamp Most Keenly Felt on Farms

The week’s posts:
Venezuela: “God’s timing is perfect”

#Venezuela: The results – it’s Chavez

#Venezuela election: Live coverage on line

Venezuela: Election results “between 9-10PM tonight”

Venezuela: Tupamaros threaten death to opposition

Watch now: @Univision’s Operation ‘Fast and Furious’: Arming the enemy (English subtitles, complete show)

Colombia: President Santos has prostate cancer