Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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The Memorial Day Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Big news in Colombia: the ELN released Salud Hernández, Diego D’Pablos and Carlos Melo after holding them for a week. Details below.

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s Last Dictator Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Cross-Border Conspiracy

An Argentine court has sentenced Reynaldo Bignone, the country’s last dictator, to 20 years in prison for his part in Operation Condor.

It’s the “first time a court has ruled that Operation Condor was a criminal conspiracy to kidnap and forcibly disappear people across international borders,” The Associated Press reports.

Under this plan, the military dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil agreed to share information with each other to help track down political opponents and leftists starting in 1975. 376 people were killed as a result of Operation Condor, the BBC reports. As The Guardian describes, “after their arrest, the victims were made to ‘disappear’, usually by being cremated, or thrown drugged but still alive from military planes into the Atlantic Ocean.”

Argentina Plans Amnesty Over Funds Stashed Abroad. President Mauricio Macri tries to encourage Argentines to repatriate billions of dollars hidden in overseas vaults and accounts. If he succeeds, it’ll be very good news.

BAHAMAS
STRIKING NEW SNAKE SPECIES FOUND IN THE BAHAMAS

BOLIVIA
The Worst Boyfriend in Bolivia

BRAZIL
Dilma Rousseff claims her downfall in Brazil is ‘clearly’ a ‘coup’ after leaked tape ensnares her critics

Petrobras scandal highlights need for deep reform in Brazil. Political changes required to try remove the carrots that incentivise corruption

Brazil police launch manhunt after sickening gang rape

CHILE
Chile President Bachelet testifies in tax probe into daughter-in-law

COLOMBIA
Colombian rebels free Spanish journalist, 2 others

CUBA
Reports That Castro is Legalizing ‘Private Business’ Are False

JAMAICA
Jamaica, Venezuela, OAS and Caricom

MEXICO
Attorneys for Mexico’s Chapo Seek to Block Extradition to U.S.

Sinaloa Cartel’s Takeover of US Heroin Market Questionable

Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel has taken control of the US heroin market by elbowing out traffickers of the Asian product, according to a DEA official, but the dynamics of the drug trade on both sides of the border are somewhat more complex.

Mexico Has a New US Ambassador after 10-Month Blockade – Roberta Jacobson.

NICARAGUA
ICYMI: There is Nothing New Under the Nicaraguan Sun

PANAMA
Panama Papers May Inspire More Big Leaks, if Not Reform

PARAGUAY
Refuge in Paraguay gives street kids their lives back

PERU
Poll gives Peru’s Fujimori 5.8 point lead a week before election

PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico’s born-again farmers dig for victory in island’s debt battle. They have a long way to go: agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the island’s GDP.

VENEZUELA
Oposición se reúne en secreto con régimen de Maduro para bloquear a la OEA

Chávez’s little blue book. Outsiders should push Nicolás Maduro to hold a recall referendum this year

In graphics: A political and economic guide to Venezuela

Venezuela Goes from Bad to Catastrophe. Until the country has a government that can build a sustainable economic system, its misery will only deepen



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The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
Newton’s Third Law at work:
For every action Argentina reiterates claim to Falklands, there is an equal and opposite reaction Falklands MPs reject Argentina’s claim to islands

Argentina Said to Revise Nuclear Pact With China to Favor U.S.

BAHAMAS
An Island in the Bahamas Where Pigs Swim Free. On Big Major Cay, tourists and pigs play together on the sand and in the water.

BOLIVIA
China’s Sinosteel Signs Contract for Mill at Bolivia Iron-Ore Mine

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Vice President Michel Temer Aims Higher. Having led his party out of President Dilma Rousseff’s embattled government, former ally turns foe and angles for presidency

Brazil Investigator Alleges Connection Between Murder and Corruption Scandal. Judge Sergio Moro alleges money siphoned from Petrobras may have been used to cover up death of Celso Daniel

In January 2002, Mr. Daniel, the former mayor of Santo André, a suburb of São Paulo, was found shot to death a few days after being kidnapped. Six men were convicted and sentenced to prison, but the case has been reopened and closed several times since.

Mr. Moro on Friday alleged funds siphoned from the state-owned oil company at the center of the complex web of bribery and coverups, Petróleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, could have been used to pay hush money related to Mr. Daniel’s murder.

Brazil Court Crimps Judge’s Probe. Sergio Moro’s aggressive probe of a bid-rigging-and-bribery scheme at state oil company Petrobras has put him in open conflict with President Dilma Rousseff—and made him a star to her many detractors.

CHILE
Bolivia Suing Chile at The Hague over Water Dispute

COLOMBIA
Thousands protest government handling of peace process in Colombia

Colombia unsure about hostage numbers before talks with ELN rebels

CUBA
Cuba After Obama Left

Obama’s Cuban Disgrace

This Is Not the Path to Cuban Freedom

In Cuba, image is king – whatever horrors lurk beneath it

Hypocrisy update of the day: Castro regime seeks reparations for slave trade

ECUADOR
Kiwi drug accused Scott Elliott speaks of ‘dreadful situation’ in Ecuadorian jail

JAMAICA
Jamaica, Beyond the Beach. The nation is recasting itself as a glamour and eco-tourism destination, but its African-inflected culture is what lulls you.

MEXICO
Argentine Experts Question Report on Missing Mexico Students

NICARAGUA
Miami Fugitive on Run for 20 Years Found in Nicaragua

PARAGUAY
Can Paraguay Escape Decades of Despotism, Ineptitude, and Corruption? Despite promising one of the biggest turnaround stories in the southern hemisphere, President Horacio Cartes has more work to do.

PERU
The drug mule’s makeover: Incredible transformation of ‘Peru Two’ Brit as she shows off new blonde hair and smarter, slimmer look in first interview since leaving jail for smuggling £1.5million of cocaine

PUERTO RICO
Why Puerto Rico’s super restructuring is bad policy

VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s Economy, As Told by A Hot Dog. Like the Famous Venezuelan Hot Dog Pepito, the Chavista-made Economic Crisis Comes in Layers



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The Vatican wall Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Pope Francis concluded his visit with an in-flight press conference that got him and Donald Trump more mileage than the flight itself.

ARGENTINA
Macri se muestra sensible ante la situación de los derechos humanos en Venezuela

BAHAMAS
Medical Team From Cuba Arrives In The Bahamas

BOLIVIA
Scandal Emerges as Bolivia President Seeks Fourth Term

BRAZIL
Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Orders Release of Jailed Senator. A Brazilian senator who was arrested in November on charges of obstructing a federal investigation was ordered released from jail on Friday after a judge on the country’s Supreme Court accepted a petition from the senator’s lawyers.

Delcídio do Amaral had been arrested in November on charges of obstructing a federal investigation

COLOMBIA
Colombia Farc: President Santos says talks will not be extended

CHILE
Exploring the heavens at San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s National Police chief Steps Down over Male Prostitution Scandal

CUBA

Obama: ‘Nos vemos en La Habana’

Bacardi Cries Foul over Havana Club License Granted to Cuba. US Patents and Trademarks Office Allows Cuban Regime to Sell Expropriated Trademark

ECUADOR
Ecuadorian President Ousts Military Chiefs

ICYMI: Should the UK Sever Diplomatic Relations With Ecuador?

JAMAICA
Jamaican Police Reinforce Security Ahead of Elections

Jamaica’s election: Let them eat goat. A populist opposition challenges government austerity

MEXICO
You must read this: A Mexican Impasse for the Pope

Pope’s Trump Attack Distracts from Real Problem of Mexican Church’s Narco Donations

PANAMA
Panama Withdrawn from Money Laundering ‘Gray List’

PARAGUAY
Head of Russian Orthodox Church arrives in Paraguay

PERU
Rigging Peru’s election. A court puts Julio Guzmán’s presidential campaign on ice. Bad idea

PUERTO RICO
Amid Crisis, Puerto Rico Cracks Down on Theft, Tax Cheats

URUGUAY
Human Rights in Uruguay: Democracy, Decency and Impunity

VENEZUELA
The shape of things to come: As Socialist Economy Implodes, Venezuela Creates Army-Run Oil Firm. President Maduro Hands Over New State Company to the Military amid Criticism from Own Supporters

Meanwhile, back in Caracastan: Hyperinflation makes Bolivar worthless

Venezuela’s Bogus Inflation Statistics

Fever. When you fall violently ill, or when a country’s in crisis, there’s no such thing as “waiting for the right time” to act.

Venezuela’s parliament approves amnesty law in first salvo against the government.
An amnesty law designed to free Venezuelan opposition leader including Leopoldo Lopez has been approved, but faces a long battle to be enacted



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Broke in the Bahamas: Baha Mar, the Swiss guy and the Chinese

Baha Mar: The hotel that threatens to bankrupt the Bahamas. The Baha Mar resort was supposed to add 12 per cent to the Caribbean island’s GDP. But it has turned into the world’s biggest white elephant and the investors have gone to war. The case will soon hit the London courts. Michael Bow reports
Read the sad tale of too big a project, not enough funds, but this jumps out (emphasis added)

Mr Izmirlian, the son of commodity tycoon Dikran Izmirlian, who made his money cornering the global peanut market, was asked to try and revitalise the rundown area of Cable Beach, a dilapidated area of the island long overlooked in favour of other boltholes.

He bought land around Cable Beach and signed a deal with a US construction group in 2007 to develop the site. He securedfinancing for the project but the onset of the global financial crisis scuppered the plans.

But in March 2009 Mr Izmirlian got a break, thanks to the Chinese.

CSCEC, through its US arm CCA, agreed to come on board and construct the resort with the proviso that debt financing came from Cexim, which stumped up $2.45bn of secured credit.

CCA, led by president and chief executive Ning Yuan, is the largest division of CSCEC and has been operating in the US for 30 years. CSCEC added another $150m and Mr Izmirlian $850m.

The Chinese company was given the green light to start building in February 2011, with a completion scheduled in November 2014.

Despite the company’s size, the Baha Mar president Tom Dunlap said it had concerns about whether the Chinese could deliver such an ambitious construction project. CSCEC drafted around 5,000 migrant Chinese labourers on to the holiday island to build the resort, winning work permits for them from the Bahamian government.

“Although [CSCEC] is one of the world’s largest contractors, it had little experience in constructing single-phase resorts projects of [the] size and complexity of the [Baha Mar] project,” Mr Dunlap said in a statement filed as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Keep that in mind every time you read about the proposed Nicaragua Canal.

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The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
AMIA prosecutors file request letter to US on Stiuso’s whereabouts

The persistence of Peronism: Argentina’s dominant political brand is defined by power, not ideology.

To the extent that it has an ideology it is a vague blend of nationalism and labourism, expressed in the PJ’s founding “three banners” of political sovereignty, economic independence and social justice.

Power as an end in itself,

Rather than ideas, Peronism embodies a consistent set of political emotions and practices. Perón declared in 1951: “The masses don’t think, the masses feel and they have more or less intuitive and organised reactions. Who produces those reactions? Their leader.” His second wife, Eva Duarte, touched the hearts of the masses. Ms Fernández has proved to be an accomplished disciple: she has ruthlessly pursued popularity by postponing inevitable economic belt-tightening, by exploiting her widowhood and by associating herself with Pope Francis, an Argentine who has Peronist roots.

Argentinian artists risk religious wrath with ‘Barbie, The Plastic Religion’

BAHAMAS
Bahamas Reports More Than $60 Million in Damage from Hurricane Joaquin

BOLIVIA
Commodity Price Decline to Cost Bolivia $3 Billion, Government Says

BRAZIL
Brazil Police Launch Preliminary Probe into Rousseff’s Re-Election Campaign

COLOMBIA
Ex-president Pastrana resigns from ‘Super Commission’ for peace

However, on Thursday he resigned from the commission citing his disappointment in the transitional justice deal which he claims was “the biggest concession achieved by the FARC after the acceptance of drug-trafficking as a crime connected to their ideals.”

COSTA RICA
Drug Raids Reveal Italian Mafia Presence in Costa Rica

CUBA
Within the Past Year: Assad, Putin and Castro Ties

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Haiti, Dominican Republic to reopen talks on migration, trade disputes. The presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic have agreed to resume talks to resolve disputes on migration and trade. Relations between the neighbors on the island of Hispaniola have been strained.

ECUADOR
Ecuador’s Rafael Correa pushes for foreign investment

But with an unfriendly business environment, Correa may find it hard to entice the private sector to pick up the slack.

EL SALVADOR
A murder every hour: How gang warfare has turned El Salvador into the world’s most violent nation

In August alone there were 911 murders – an average of nearly 30 a day.

In one incident, 14 members of one of the country’s most powerful street gangs were killed in a prison.

The dead were said to have belonged to ‘Barrio 18’ gang ‘Faccion Revolucionarios’, or Revolutionaries’ Faction.

Normally at war with rival gang ‘Mara Salvatrucha’, an internal power struggle between Revolucionarios and Surenos (Southerners) has seen the violence – and death toll – soar.

HAITI
Life miserable for Haitians expelled from Dominican Republic

MEXICO
ebook: The Wounded Eagle: Three years in the Mexican drug war, 2010-2012.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

EXCLUSIVE: ARREST OF GULF CARTEL BOSS TRIGGERS CHAOS NEAR TEXAS BORDER

PANAMA
Over 10 tonnes of drugs go up in smoke in Panama

VENEZUELA
Oil nations feel the strain of  Opec’s continuing price war. Crisis-hit Venezuela to press for change in policy, reports Andrew Critchlow



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The storm clouds Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Storm clouds are coming to a hemisphere near you.

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s Scioli Urged by Ally to Pursue Accord With Creditors

Argentina warns US to cooperate in heightened search for fugitive spy chief. President Cristina Fernández says US must be ‘protecting’ Antonio Stiuso, who reportedly fled to Miami soon after star prosecutor’s mysterious killing

The narrative changes: Nisman documentary tied to US conservatives. Expect a lot more of that.

BAHAMAS
Hunt for ship missing after hurricane. The US Coast Guard searches for a cargo ship with 33 crew – 28 Americans and five Poles – that vanished in Bahamian waters during Hurricane Joaquin.

BRAZIL
Ex-Brazil President Lula to be questioned in Petrobras case. Brazilian officials investigating a corruption scandal at the state-run oil company Petrobras will be allowed to question ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the supreme court has ruled.

Funny how so many bring up the Swedish model but few understand it: 7 fatos que contradizem tudo que você acreditava sobre a Suécia

CHILE
Chilean Industrial Production Falls 5.2%

COLOMBIA
Colombia Drug Kingpin “Megateo” Slain in Military Operation

Worth watching:
Narcos on Netflix, loosely based on Killing Pablo, a miniseries made more interesting when keeping in mind the upcoming FARC deal.

CUBA
Apparently this is how Cubans get Netflix (h/t Spotniks) without Internet. I wouldn’t be surprised if Danny Paquete is a front:

[In Puerto Rico, un paquete can mean either package or a bundle of lies]

The one-sided relationship with Cuba

ECUADOR
The Montaigne Dogma: Alive and Well in Ecuador. Correa Resurrects Debunked Zero-Sum Theories on Poverty

“The Profit of One Man Is the Damage of Another” is the 21st essay in this edition.

GUATEMALA
Guatemala mudslide leaves hundreds missing

JAMAICA
We Jamaicans can’t blame our entire malaise on the evil white bogeyman. Whatever David Cameron’s motives for the repatriation scheme, our prisons are a disgrace – and the whining of the reparations lobby masks the screw-ups of our own governments

MEXICO
13 narcos extradited from Mexico include a former Texas high school football star, “La Barbie”.

Mexico Awards Three Areas in Oil Auction. Italy’s ENI International, Argentina’s Pan American Energy and Fieldwood Energy of the U.S. among the winners

PANAMA
Chinese giant Huawei opens its sixth distribution center in Panama. Good luck collecting,

According to official figures, Venezuelan buyers owe the free zone vendors a total of 1.2 billion dollars.

PARAGUAY
Behind Drugs’ Glare, Paraguay’s Illegal Cigarette Trade Flourishes

PERU
Peru Declares State of Emergency Where Protest Left 3 Dead

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Development Bank Goes to Court for $400 Million in Taxes

URUGUAY
High times: Uruguay Awards Two Marijuana Permits to Investors

VENEZUELA
The World Is Watching Caracas. Why Venezuela’s approaching parliamentary elections matter — and not only for Venezuelans. Dude, the election is scheduled for December 6.

Salarios en Venezuela: cómo el régimen chavista empobreció a la población. Un profesor universitario cobra 16 dólares, un maestro 12, un médico no llega a los 10 y un policía araña los 14 (si suma bonos y horas extras)… Advertencia: cuando usted termine de leer esta nota, puede que los valores ya estén desactualizados.

U.S. Charges Venezuelan Ex-Officials with Drug Trafficking. U.S. judges have unsealed indictments charging two former top Venezuelan police officials with drug trafficking, an action likely to fuel further tensions between Washington and embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Judges in the southern district of Florida unsealed indictments against Pedro Luís Martín, a former head of financial intelligence for Venezuela’s secret police, and Jesús Alfredo Itriago, a former antinarcotics official with Venezuela’s investigative police.

Crime Wave Downs 100 Venezuelan Police Officers. Failure to Contain Lawlessness Comes at a Price

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The Communist crucifix Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

During his visit in Bolivia, pope Francis stepped out of the popemobile to pray at the site where the late Jesuit Luis Espinal’s body had been dumped, after which Evo Morales (who wore a jacket embroidered with Che Guevara’s face to the Pope’s speech) presented Francis with the Communist crucifix designed by Espinal, and a matching medal, which Francis accepted:

Following the ensuing outrage, Francis left the medals and crucifix in Bolivia while the Vatican launched into spin mode.

Evo certainly milked the photo ops. It’ll be interesting to see what Raul Castro does when Francis goes to Cuba.

ARGENTINA
From her official website: Cristina Kirchner interview with The New Yorker – Up Close and Uncut (march 11, 2015) President Cristina Kirchner interviewed by Dexter Filkins from the US magazine The New Yorker, on March 11, 2015

Argentina’s New Intelligence Agency Targets Captains of IndustryPresident Kirchner Fears “Economic Warfare”

The Peronist pope
Francis’s balancing act in Latin America

From March 2013: Sobre el mensaje del arzobispo de Buenos Aires

Cristina travels to Paraguay to meet Francis

BAHAMAS
Bahamas Independence Day 2015: 10 Key, Quick Facts To Know About The Caribbean Paradise

BOLIVIA

Pope gives his backing to Morales’ social programs in BoliviaPontiff reported to have sipped coca-based tea before reaching high-altitude destinationPresident hopes Francis will offer to mediate in border conflict with Chile

Contrast Francis’s visit with Pope John II’s 1983 visit to Nicaragua and his attitude towards liberation theology.

BRAZIL
Brazil: Man’s Lynching Compared to Slave Flogging

Brazil oil giant faces $98bn shareholder lawsuit in US over corruption schemeNew York court to hear case brought by investors including pension funds of British academics and US state workers over ‘Carwash’ scam at Petrobras

The lawsuit claims that Petrobras executives accepted bribes for inflating the value of construction contracts and “used the money to bribe politicians through intermediaries to guarantee they would vote in line with the ruling party while enriching themselves”.

CHILE
Duff idea? Fox hopes Chile’s beer lovers give Simpsons brew a warm receptionCompany to sell beer – which an executive calls fruity with a caramel aromatic – after decades of pirated versions ruling the market

COLOMBIA
Colombian president replaces military chiefs days after scathing report into extra-judicial killingsPresident Juan Manuel Santos overhauls his high command despite rejecting Human Rights Watch claims about role of military commanders in murders of civilians who were then framed as left-wing rebels

Colombian President Welcomes FARC Cease-Fire

The Mixed-Up Brothers of BogotáAfter a hospital error, two pairs of Colombian identical twins were raised as two pairs of fraternal twins. This is the story of how they found one another — and of what happened next.

CUBA
Marco Rubio: Obama’s Faustian Bargain With Cuba

Here’s “What Change Looks Like” Through a Business-First Policy

Twice as Many Cuban Rafters Flee While They Can
2015 Arrivals Exhibit Fear of End to Wet-Foot, Dry-Foot Policy

ECUADOR
Ana’s Story: The Face of Colombia’s Refugee Crisis in Ecuador

EL SALVADOR
This is how bad El Salvador’s murder rate is

El Salvador is on pace to pass its neighbor, Honduras, as the deadliest country on the planet.

MEXICO
Mexican Police Deliver Wrong Corpses to Get Murder Case Closed
Victim Families Allege Cover-Up, Demand Prosecutor’s Resignation

Mexican Ex-Governor Arrested on Tax-Fraud Charges

Some Ford lines may be heading to Mexico

Mexican helicopter trades fire with gunmen on ground near border, kills 6

GUATEMALA
Guatemala: Ex-ruler Rios Montt found unfit for trial
A former Guatemalan general, Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled the country briefly in the 1980s, has been found mentally incapable of standing trial.

MEXICO
A matter of when, not if? Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Escapes From PrisonMexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has escaped from a maximum-security prison in central Mexico, almost a year and a half after being captured, prompting a major search operation.

NICARAGUA
Panama and Nicaragua – Two Canals, One Shared Dream, but with the Chinese financial market in flux, what will happen to the Nicaraguan project?

PANAMA
Venezuelans heading to Panama

PARAGUAY
Pope Praises Paraguayan Women
Pope Francis celebrated Paraguayan women as the “most glorious women of America” in a sermon at the shrine of the country’s patron Madonna Saturday, the second-to-last day of his weeklong visit to South America.

Argentina Sees Exodus as Pope Visits Paraguay
Roughly one million people will cross the border into Paraguay from Argentina to see Pope Francis in the capital, Asunción, immigration officials estimate.

PERU
Better keep Greenpeace away: New Nazca geoglyphs in Peru could be older than famous Unesco siteJapanese team believes new images are older than the famous monkey, spider and hummingbird at the Unesco World Heritage site

Ubinas Erupts in Peru Dispersing Ash Up to Radius of 9.3 Miles

PUERTO RICO
America’s Greece: Fixing Puerto Rico Could Provide Answers for Europe

VENEZUELA
Now it’s serious! Venezuela is almost out of beer

The week’s posts and podcast:
The new perfect Latin American idiot

“Economy class cabin hexagon”? No. Just no.

What current Mexican immigration law is like

Cuba: Policy paper shows correlation between US engagement and rising repression in Cuba

Two books that don’t exist for the NYT

Argentina: Cristina drops the mask on anti-semitism

Bolivia: Evo gives Francis hammer and sickle crucifix UPDATED

Business at the BBC: Firing Clarkson will cost them BIG

NYSE down

Ecuador: Pope calls for “new economic and ecological world order”

Meanwhile, over in Cuba,

Argentina: Cristina cheers for Greece

Today’s immigration headlines

Monday night “It takes 1 to tango”

Ecuador: Pope’s visiting, crowd clamors “Out, Correa, out”



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The off-the-sponsors-of-terror-list Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

LatinAmerThe week’s big news: Pres. Obama removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terror, as part of a deal brokered by the Vatican, in exchange for which Cuba had to do nothing.

The top headlines in the hemisphere: FIFA corruption; as expected, its re-elected president blames the U.S. and England.

ARGENTINA
Cristina’s not running: ‘CFK will not be candidate in the upcoming elections’ . . . maybe.

Re: Nisman, Calls on prosecutor Fein to hurry probe into Nisman’s deathJudge: investigate Lagomarsino

‘Meteorite thieves’ held by policePolice in Argentina arrest four men who appear to have been trying to steal more than a tonne of meteorites in the northern province of Chaco.

BAHAMAS
China mulls air route to Bahamas

BOLIVIA
“Refugio de corruptos”

BRAZIL
Former Petrobras Executive Sentenced to Five Years
Nestor Cerveró, Petrobras’ former director of international operations, was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison.

Brazil Dangles Leniency to Spur Energy Industry
Brazil’s government is preparing to offer U.S.-like leniency deals to several private companies linked to the Petrobras corruption scandal to lessen its drag on the nation’s economy

CAYMAN ISLANDS
How the Cayman Islands Became a FIFA Power

CHILE
When a government spies on its citizens: lessons from Chile

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s peace process
Bullet proof
Despite an escalation of violence, the talks continue

One reason for the talks’ resilience is that both sides are used to negotiating during bouts of violence, which did not end even during the quietest periods. Military action by the FARC fell by 85% during its ceasefire and civilian deaths fell by 73%, according to the Conflict Analysis Resource Centre (CERAC), a think-tank in Bogotá. Even so, CERAC recorded 21 attacks by the FARC (and suspects it was responsible for another 75). Mr Santos has staked his reputation on concluding a peace agreement (by the end of this year, he hopes). For the FARC, the alternative to peace is further pounding by the armed forces; it no longer hopes for victory.

Farc peace negotiator killed in Colombia bombingPedro Nel Daza Martínez, the Farc leader better known as “Jairo Martínez”, had returned from peace talks in Havana when he was killed by a government bombing raid

Public opinion and pessimism in Colombia’s peace talks

CUBA
Raul Castro Meets with Leaders of Mexican Left

Voluntary Corporate Code of Conduct for Cuba Needed

Interamerican Human Rights Commission asked to intervene on behalf of besieged Cuban pastor

On Cuba’s Removal From the State-Sponsors of Terrorism List

Carlos Eire writes on how “they hate it so much when we refuse to be the caricatures they want us to be:” Okay, that’s it. Se acabó la pachanga. The party’s over. Time to say “Hell is my homeland.”

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Legal Limbo over for Haitian Descendants in Dominican RepublicCritics Fear Many Still Fall through the Cracks

ECUADOR
Bye-bye, dollarization: Ecuador Moves Toward Electronic Currency

Ecuador’s Monetary Council has published a resolution making it mandatory for private and public banks to deal with transactions in electronic currency.

Depending on their size, banks will have between 120 and 360 days to register as Macro Agents of the electronic currency system in the central bank.

The resolution reiterated that the central bank is the only entity authorized to issue electronic currency, and that the electronic currency must be backed up by liquid assets of the central bank.

Tax Me, I’m Ecuadorian
Taking More from Inheritances Will Depress Salaries, Impoverish Middle Class

EL SALVADOR
How gang violence is spreading fear in El Salvador

HAITI
Accused Clinton Donation Solicitation Used For Haiti Projects

The money will be used for “undetermined” projects in Haiti.

Yeah, right.

LATIN AMERICA
U.S. Soccer Probe Brings Adulation From AbroadUnexpectedly, the FBI’s case is garnering plaudits even in regions like Latin America that are traditionally suspicious of Washington’s motives

MEXICO
Mexico Shelves Key Part of Education OverhaulThe Mexican government suspended its planned teacher evaluations that were a cornerstone of the country’s education overhaul, in a decision ahead of midterm elections that dissident teacher groups threatened to boycott.

Major US Banks Closing Border Branches to Fight Money Laundering

LIFE AND DEATH ON THE AVOCADO TRAIL
A fearless Mexican-American cook routinely travels 2,000 miles, driving through a drug war and slipping out of kidnappers’ fingers, all in the name of a decent mole poblano for her New York customers. Inexplicably, they let her go.

NICARAGUA
DRUG TRAFFICKING
Beachcombing along the Caribbean drug trail in Nicaragua

PANAMA
Global Migrants Brave Panama’s Vipers, Bats, Bandits to Reach U.S.
Africans, Asians, Cubans cross the treacherous jungle of the Darien Gap

PERU
Peru planning to dam Amazon’s main source and displace 1000s
Over 20 hydroelectric projects proposed for the main trunk of the River Maranon would have devastating impacts

PUERTO RICO
Fat lot of good that’s going to do: Puerto Rico Governor Signs Law Raising Sales Tax to 11.5 Pct. To cover its $1.2 billion in debt service due this year from sales tax alone, it would have to raise over $10 trillion in sales – absurd.

URUGUAY
June brides: Ex-Guantanamo Prisoners to Marry Uruguayan Women

Abd al Hadi Omar Mahmoud Faraj [a.k.a. Abd al Hadi Faraj], 40, from Syria and Tunisian Abdul Bin Mohammed Ourgy [a.k.a. Abdul Bin Mohammed Bin Abess Ourgy], 50, will marry Muslim women at a mosque in Montevideo.

VENEZUELA
Venezuelans March in Caracas to Demand Release of Jailed Opposition Leaders


Diosdado is now reading members of NGOs Provea and Public Forum emails on TV.

#SOSVenezuela: Venezuelans, Cubans, others protest for freedom, democracy in Venezuela #30M

Leopoldo Lopez shows us what a selfie should be all about

The week’s posts and podcast:
Cuba: Willfull blindness

Masplaining and the shrinking violets

This just in: Cuba off sponsors of terror list

Latin America: Breitbart news report on Iranian expansion in our hemisphere

Brazil: The WaPo’s evangelical Frank Underwood

Is Venezuela dollarizing

Argentina: #FIFAarrests in 22 tweets

Cuba: Is China rebuilding Cuba’s ports?

The era of moral imbecility

Brazil: Beam him up, Scotti

Mexico: The independent El Bronco

Venezuela: Leopoldo Lopez’s jail video

Note to all Latin Americans: Being a populist socialist won’t save you from ISIS

Podcast:
US-Latin America stories of the week



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