Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

Archives for August 2013

August 31, 2013 By Fausta

Bahamas: Cuban arrivals from Bahamas allege beatings and sexual abuses

The Miami Herald reports that Cuban arrivals from Bahamas allege beatings and sexual abuses

The first Cubans to arrive in Miami from a notorious migrant detention center in Bahamas this month alleged Friday that guards regularly beat some of the male inmates and sexually abused some of the women.

One of the women repatriated from the center to Cuba earlier this month arrived pregnant by a guard, according to the Democracy Movement, a Miami group that has been helping the undocumented migrants detained in Nassau.

The movement led a string of protests against the Bahamas government this summer after detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre smuggled out cell phone images of inmates sewing their lips together in protest and an alleged guard kicking prisoners.

Haitians have also complained about the conditions at the infamous Carmichael Road detention center for many years.


Share

Filed Under: Bahamas, Cuba Tagged With: Fausta's blog, human rights

August 31, 2013 By Fausta

En español: Bayly entrevista al Padre Conrado

Entrevista de Jaime Bayly con el Padre José Conrado, disidente cubano conocido como “el Cardenal del pueblo”. Escuchen ambas partes, ya que el Padre nos inspira a todos:

Primera parte,

Segunda parte, con Silvia,

Share

Filed Under: Cuba Tagged With: Fausta's blog, human rights, Padre José Conrado

August 30, 2013 By Fausta

Cuba: A cargo container full of [counterfit?] euros and dollars

The Chong Chon Gang, which is undergoing a thorough inspection from Panamanian authorities, had a cargo container full of euro and dollar bills of assorted denominations, according to Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda.

The currency will be tested to see if it is counterfit, as expected (h/t Babalu).

Share

Filed Under: Communism, Cuba, North Korea, Panama Tagged With: Chong Chon Gang, Fausta's blog

August 29, 2013 By Fausta

Panama: Cuban weapons “in mint condition”

The North Korean vessel Chong Chon Gang, which Panama stopped at the Canal, was loaded with armaments in good condition intended for North Korea’s use in its conventional military defenses, not, as Cuba claimed, to be repaired and returned to Cuba:
Via Boz,

A report by SIPRI and 38 North reveals new details of the North Korean ship seized in Panama that contained weapons hidden beneath the 200,000 bags of sugar. In total, 25 shipping containers and six military vehicles were recovered by inspectors, far more than what the Cuban government previously claimed.

The report, Full Disclosure: Contents of North Korean Smuggling Ship Revealed, states that the cargo included

anti-aircraft missile components, two jet fighters and related engines, in fact a total of 25 shipping containers have now been recovered, together with six military vehicles.

PLUS

the ship was also transporting a variety of small arms and light weapons (SALW) ammunition and conventional artillery ammunition for anti-tank guns and howitzer artillery as well as generators, batteries and night vision equipment, among other items.
…
The various rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and conventional artillery ammunition, many in mint condition, were unused and much of it was in original packing cases. They clearly were not “to be repaired and returned to Cuba.” Rather, these items were intended simply for delivery to North Korea for its own use.

The article’s authors, Hugh Griffiths and Roope Siirtola, ask,

One question that may confront the United Nations Panel of Experts currently investigating the case is whether this concealment device was created specifically for this voyage or is simply evidence of a long-standing practice employed by North Korean-owned vessels transporting illicit materials in a clandestine fashion.

Boz asks,

On top of the sanctions question, Panama and the rest of the hemisphere would be correct to ask how many other arms shipments Cuba has covertly sent through the Panama Canal and where they have gone. It seems unlikely that this shipment was the only one Cuba has done.

A draft report by UN experts sent to Panama after the seizure of the ship in July confirmed a breach of [UN] sanctions, the ministry of public security said.

Meanwhile, over in Cuba, General Pedro Mendiondo Gomez, who was in charge of the armaments found on the Chong Chon Gang, and who was scheduled to be questioned by the UN investigators, had an auto accident last Sunday that killed him and his wife and injured the other passengers in the back seat: his mother- and father- in-law.


Share

Filed Under: Communism, Cuba, North Korea, Panama, UN Tagged With: Chong Chon Gang, Fausta's blog, General Pedro Mendiondo Gomez

August 29, 2013 By Fausta

En español: Como en Venezuela no hay panes, Maduro va a tener que multiplicar penes ACTUALIZADO

“Así como Cristo multiplicó los penes”:

Inmediatamente Máburro visitó a Oscar Haza:

Y a las 10:00PM EDT, Bayly habló de la multiplicación de los penes según el discípulo Nicolás:

“Necesitamos que Maduro multiplique el papel higiénico.”

Mientras tanto, el país se va a pique.

ACTUALIZANDO:
Continuando la avalancha de “millones y millonas” de metidas de pata,
Maduro dice que a opositores les dio ‘friíto’ cuando confundió ‘penes’ por ‘peces’

“Ayer salió una cosa por ahí y les dio dentera a los jefes del fascismo (como llama Maduro a la oposición), les dio un friíto por el espinazo cuando escucharon eso, se me salió lamentablemente, pedí disculpas por la expresión”, manifestó el mandatario en un acto difundido por la televisión oficial.

O, como decía Álvarez Guedes, ¡Ñó! Dentera no, burla.

Share

Filed Under: humor, news, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Gustavo Rios, Jaime Bayly, Nicolas Maduro

August 28, 2013 By Fausta

In Silvio Canto’s podcast

talking about the US-Latin America stories of the week.

Live now, and archived for your listening convenience.

Share

Filed Under: Blog Talk Radio, Latin America, podcasts Tagged With: Fausta's blog

August 28, 2013 By Fausta

Puerto Rico: Throw the lawyer in the clink

Grand jury indicts Puerto Rico drug lord’s lawyer
Prosecutors allege that drug dealer Ramon Negron Colon received more than $590,000 in a money laundering scheme.
(h/t Prairie Pundit):

Ramon Negron Colon, an attorney for Jose Figueroa Agosto, was charged with conspiracy to commit money-laundering. U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said Negron had received at least $590,000 in cash for the scheme, though there is no evidence that any bribe was actually offered to any official.
…
Rodriguez said that more than a year before Figueroa’s return to Puerto Rico, Negron tried to obtain up to $3 million to help nullify Figueroa’s conviction through bribes, and had received an initial payment of at least $440,000 stuffed into a suitcase.

After Figueroa’s 2009 arrest in Puerto Rico, Negron told his client he would request a new trial, and said it would be granted if the presiding judge were offered a $300,000 bribe, according to the indictment. Authorities said Negron received an additional $150,000 in cash, only to return $125,000 of it in 2011 after failing to secure the new trial.

Huge operation, with more than 3 million tons of drugs seized – and the lawyer’s now in jail.

What does it remind me of?

Share

Filed Under: crime, drugs, news, Puerto Rico Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Jose Figueroa Agosto, Ramon Negron Colon

August 28, 2013 By Fausta

Colombia: Farmers and students protest

Eight days on, No deal on Colombia farmers’ strike after night of talks

Representatives of Colombian farmers’ groups and government ministers say they have not yet been able to reach a deal to end a 10-day strike.

The two sides will reconvene on Wednesday after they failed to reach agreement after nine hours of talks.

The protests by livestock, dairy and crop farmers have been paralysing parts of the country.

The demonstrators accuse the government of running the agricultural sector into the ground.
…
On the agenda are the high cost of fertilisers and other key farming materials, and how farmers are being undercut by cheaper imports and agricultural products being smuggled across the border from neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador.
…
The farmers have been backed by some student and trade union groups which have held demonstrations in the capital Bogota and the city of Cali to show their support.

President Santos’s reaction has been puzzling,
As Farmers’ Strike Paralyzes Colombia, President Questions Its Existence

The government has responded with calls for composure and accusations of outside manipulation. Since the strike began on Aug 19, President Juan Manuel Santos has tried to minimize the strikers’ actions, giving statements that have only served to taunt protesters and bring together union leaders.

“The so-called agrarian strike does not exist,” Santos said on Sunday. Acts of violence, the president said, were caused by guerrilla infiltrators – an often-used government claim — who wanted to destabilize the country and hamper dialogues with troubled agrarian sectors. “It’s just 10 or 15 people. The situation is under control and problems are being resolved,” Santos added.

“10 or 15 people”?

Five people have been killed and hundreds more have been injured in the numerous skirmishes that plague the countryside, according to police reports. Students in public universities have attacked authorities with rocks and homemade bombs. Protesters have burned cars and trucks, and an unknown group in Boyacá, a historically peaceful agrarian state located a few hours north of the nation’s capital, reportedly placed a cable line across a road late in the afternoon to kill an unsuspecting motorist that drove by. Red Cross medical missions have been detained at roadblocks, and there have been disturbances in more than half of the nation’s states.

Former president Álvaro Uribe harshly criticized Santos (video in Spanish),

Uribe accused Santos of ignoring farmers while favoring the FARC (with which Santos is negotiating). “The government has forgotten to stimulate local industry. . . coordination between [agricultural] producers and manufacturers has been neglected.” Uribe didn’t stop at that; he asserted that the Santos administration is leading the country to “anarchy towards a path to Castro-Chavismo.”


Share

Filed Under: Alvaro Uribe, Colombia, FARC Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Juan Manuel Santos

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • Next Page »
Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com