Top news of the week: Even when president Jose Mujica insists it won’t all be party-time, Uruguay is now the first country to legalize the production and mass distribution of marijuana.
ARGENTINA
Argentina Captures One of its Leading Homegrown Narcos
BOLIVIA
Bolivian Police Arrest 15 for Anti-Drug Agents’ Murders
BRAZIL
Brazil’s main city again rocked by riots and vandalism over transport facilities and costs
COLOMBIA
Rights Activist Slain in Colombia
CUBA
Cuba’s currency
Double trouble
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Kennedy’s “Victory”?
Imprisoned couple Sonia Garro and Ramón Muñoz to stand ‘trial’ Nov. 1
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominicans of Haitian Descent Cast Into Legal Limbo by Court
ECUADOR
Ecuador’s Worn-Out War on Chevron
Racketeering aside, the case also looks rather weak on its own merits. For starters, Texaco operated as a minority partner under state-owned Petroecuador when the pollution occurred, so it is difficult to argue the damage is all its doing. Through agreements in 1995 and 1998, the Ecuadorian government also freed the company of further liability following a $40 million cleanup. An arbitration panel in The Hague cited the government’s sign-off when it ruled last month that Ecuador’s lawsuit should have never proceeded in the first place.
Ecuador Judge Says He Inflated Bribery Claims to Chevron
Ecuador vs Chevron:
Donziger: from Hans Solo to Darth Vader
HAITI
Arrest of Haiti government critic triggers protests
HONDURAS
POLL NUMBERS!!! Economic problems in Honduras
JAMAICA
‘Cool Runnings’ 2? Jamaican bobsled team aims for Sochi Olympics
Paco Almaraz is having Obama burnout (in Spanish),
PANAMA
Panama Says It Will Release Most From Ship to North Korea
PARAGUAY
Paraguay leader’s son arrested [in Miami] after Bal Harbour party guest is punched
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Gangs Are the New Law in Urban Trinidad & Tobago
VENEZUELA
Chavista Freddy Bernal calls for investigation of Derwick Associates
The week’s posts and podcast:
Bolivia: What the “Bolivarian revolution” means, in practice
Venezuela: The ministry of Supreme Happiness
Is Brazil ready for the World Cup?
Remembering the invasion of Grenada
Mexico: Clown union disavows killing
Ecuador: Chevron racketeering trial roundup – the corrupt judge
Mexico: Don’t write off the Zetas
Ecuador: Who’s Financing the Pollution-Liability Suit Against Chevron?
Nicaragua: What it was like to be on the receiving end of the sandinistas
Mexico: Is Peña Nieto backtracking?
Podcast:
Venezuela & US-Latin America stories of the week
Special thanks to the Rotary Club of Princeton:
I had the honor of talking to the Rotary Club of Princeton about http://t.co/h1U0bxcp2G pic.twitter.com/Co90Pzmcrh
— Fausta (@Fausta) October 22, 2013