Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

August 22, 2016 By Fausta

Cuba: What the hey is Moringa?

I was visiting Babalú Blog and came across this post by Carlos Eire: Evo Morales enthusiastic about Moringa pills given to him by Fidel Castro

“It’s such an important nutrient. Fidel now sends me Moringa pills,” said Evo Morales, president of Bolivia.

Evo just visited Fidel, to help him extend his 90th birthday celebrations.

El coma-andante Fidel has been promoting the cultivation of the Moringa plant for years, promoting it as a “miraculous tree” and urging its cultivation.

Carlos had added an illustration with the benefits, and a caption,

Moringa: the cure for everything, including original sin

Google is my friend, so I found moringa on  WebMD. There are some side effects (emphasis added)

Moringa is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth and used appropriately. The leaves, fruit, and seeds might be safe when eaten as food. However, it’s important to avoid eating the root and its extracts. These parts of the plant may contain a toxic substance that can cause paralysis and death. Moringa has been used safely in doses up to 6 grams daily for up to 3 weeks.

There isn’t enough information to know if moringa is safe when used in medicinal amounts.

Regarding the “Nutrition for infants . . . and pregnant and nursing mothers,”

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It’s LIKELY UNSAFE to use the root, bark or flowers of moringa if you are pregnant. Chemicals in the root, bark, and flowers can make the uterus contract, and this might cause a miscarriage. There is not enough information available about the safety of using other parts of moringa during pregnancy. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Moringa is sometimes used to increase breast milk production. Some research suggests it might do this, however, there isn’t enough information to know if it is safe for the nursing infant. Therefore, it is best to avoid moringa if you are breast-feeding.

Back in the olden days, there were similar remedies with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory properties,

So better check WebMD before you take advice from Evo and Fidel.

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Filed Under: Bolivia, Cuba, Evo Morales, Fausta's blog, Fidel Castro Tagged With: Fausta's blog

August 22, 2016 By Fausta

The #Rio2016 week 3 Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

The big all-over-the-world stupid story of the week: Ryan Lochte and three other swimmers got drunk and gave Brazilians an excuse to feign outrage over their country being embarrassed; I’m still waiting for the Brazilians to be embarrassed over the body parts washing on shore during the Olympics or over the six Brazilians a day who die at the hands of state security forces.

Meanwhile, a new word enters the lexicon, Iranophobia (emphasis added),

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will tour six Latin American countries next week to “foil the Iranophobia plots promoted by Israel,” the Islamic Republic’s semi-official state news agency Fars reported on Wednesday.
. . .
Zarif will be accompanied on his visit to Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela by a 60-member economic delegation.

Unlike Ali Baba, whose entourage was only forty-strong.

ARGENTINA
This may explain a number of things: Freudian psychoanalysis is so popular in Argentina, even prisoners go once a week

BOLIVIA
Bolivia opens ‘anti-imperialist’ military school to counter US foreign policies

The Santa Cruz academy was initially inaugurated in 2011 as the “ALBA School” after the now-weakened regional alliance that includes Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Cuba.

Morales’s invitation to that event of then-Iranian defense minister Ahmad Vahidi provoked an uproar in neighboring Argentina, where judicial authorities have accused Vahidi of a role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people.

BRAZIL

Rio Residents See Success of Police in Ryan Lochte Case as an Exception. Few real victims experience an efficient response from law enforcement as crime rises in the city

less than 3% of robberies in Rio, and less than 8% of murders, led to criminal sentences from 2003 to 2006.

Mercosur malaise 1: Brazil Summons Uruguay Ambassador as Mercosur Tensions Rise

Brazil summoned Uruguay’s ambassador on Tuesday after the neighboring country’s foreign minister accused Brazil of trying to “buy” its vote to block Venezuela from taking the rotating presidency of the Mercosur trade bloc.

In comments to lawmakers last week that were made public on Tuesday, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said his government was “angry” with Brazil’s attempt to prevent Caracas from leading the regional group that also includes Argentina and Paraguay.
. . .
Since Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff was suspended in May, her replacement Michel Temer has moved the country away from leftist allies such as Venezuela and toward traditional allies the United States and Europe.

Argentina and Paraguay, once close allies to Caracas, have also moved to undermine Venezuela as the OPEC nation’s socialist government struggles with economic and political crises.

CHILE
Story image for chile from euronewsFreight train falls into river after bridge collapses in Chile

COLOMBIA
InSight Crime three-part report: Colombia Elites and Organized Crime

Are New Groups Already Moving In On FARC Drug Empire?

The Libertarian Case against the Santos-Farc Agreement in Colombia

CUBA
One Year Later: Assessing President Obama’s Failed Cuba Strategy

HAITI
UN admits role in Haiti’s deadly cholera outbreak

JAMAICA
Bolt ends Olympic career with ninth gold

MEXICO
El Chapo’s Son Kidnapped? Ivan ‘El Chapito’ Guzmán Tweets Amid Reports Of His Abduction By Rivals

Mexico Michoacan: Police accused of executing 22 in ranch assault

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua struggles to control fire at sole refinery

PUERTO RICO
‘Gold Medal My Way of Giving Back to Puerto Rico’: Puig

URUGUAY
Mercosur malaise, 2: [Argentina’s] Malcorra blames Uruguay for leaving Mercosur ‘in limbo’. FM says Montevideo ‘should have waited’ before dropping bloc’s pro-tempore presidency

VENEZUELA
Rio 2016: Venezuela Is Very, Very Proud of Its Three Medals. The socialist government has taken to boasting of its athletic achievement, even when actual results are middling; ‘the Generation of Gold’

Hungry Venezuelans break into Caracas zoo and butcher a horse



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, FARC, Fausta's blog, Haiti, Iran, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, sports, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Ahmad Vahidi, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán 'El Chapito', Mercosur, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Usain Bolt

August 15, 2016 By Fausta

The #Rio2016 Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, week 2

While the pools turn green, the athletes are breaking records and earning medals, even if some (like Ryan Lochte and four teammates) get mugged at gunpoint by men in police uniforms.

ARGENTINA
Theresa May reaches out to Argentina with ‘mutual respect’ as she works to ease restrictions on the Falkland Islanders exploiting their oil reserves

BOLIVIA
Evo Morales Confirms Bolivia’s Economic Downturn

BRAZIL
Brazil Mourns Olympics Guardsman Shot in Ambush.Out-of-town officer was part of large security contingent deployed to Rio for Games

Israeli Wrestler Takes Olympic Gold Without Winning Single Match After All Muslim Opponents Forfeit‘

NBC PANIC: RIO RATINGS HIT LOW…

From green pool to missing pontoon, problems won’t go away…

At The Economist, they’re not into records:

Why few records will be broken in Rio: The human body may have reached its limits
The factors fuelling America’s dominance of gymnastics
Why Pacific-island nations are so good at rugby
Olympians have discovered new fads and superstitions

CHILE
Chile’s privatized social security system, beloved by U.S. conservatives, is falling apart

COLOMBIA
Good luck with that: Colombia wants involvement of pope and UN in post-conflict courts.

CUBA
The fruits of “smart diplomacy”: Fidel Castro Lambasts US And Obama On 90th Birthday. The veteran Communist firebrand mocks attempts by America to kill him during Havana’s long Cold War stand-off with Washington.

Judicial Watch Investigates Starwood’s Hotel Deal With Cuban Military

MEXICO
Jorge Ramos Moves Towards Hitting Campaign Trail for Hillary. He will continue to call himself a “journalist,” which brings to mind this,

Mexico’s President Faces New Scrutiny. President Enrique Peña Nieto, whose past two years in office have been shadowed by a conflict-of-interest scandal linked to a Mexico City mansion, is facing new scrutiny linked to the first family’s use of a luxury apartment in Miami.

Ricardo Pierdant, a Miami-based businessman, in 2013 paid close to $30,000 in property taxes on behalf of first lady Angélica Rivera for an apartment she owns in Miami, according to tax records seen by The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Pierdant is a close friend of Mexico´s first family, according to Mr. Peña Nieto´s office.

The first lady purchased her apartment in the wealthy island enclave of Key Biscayne in 2005.

Mr. Pierdant subsequently purchased another apartment directly above Ms. Rivera’s, according to Miami property records.

Texas Family Among Those Kidnapped by Los Zetas Cartel in Mexico

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua’s president makes a farce of democracy

Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega shows his true colors. Since taking office in 2007, the president has concentrated power in his family’s hands

PANAMA
IDEAS PANAMA PAPERS Joseph E. Stiglitz and Mark Pieth: Why We Left the Panama Commission

PARAGUAY
Murders Add to Fears of Narco War in Eastern Paraguay

Paraguay recalls ambassador in diplomatic dispute with Venezuela

Earlier this week, socialist Maduro accused Paraguay of being part of “an extreme right wing alliance” aimed at blocking Venezuela from assuming its role as head of Mercosur as scheduled during the second half of the year.

PERU
PPK works out: Peru’s 77-year-old new president isn’t acting his age. And Peruvians love it.

PUERTO RICO
1 in 4 Puerto Ricans will have Zika by end of year…

URUGUAY
Montevideo Is Considering Joining The Pacific Alliance Trade Bloc, since Peru and Colombia issued an invitation.

VENEZUELA
Again, Venezuelans cross into Colombia after border is reopened

Invictus, via Miguel Octavio,



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Filed Under: Argentina, Barack Obama, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Daniel Ortega, Fidel Castro, Latin America, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pacific Alliance, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: #Rio2016, Enrique Peña Nieto, Fausta's blog, Jorge Ramos, Panama Papers, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Ricardo Pierdant, Starwood Hotels, Theresa May, Zika virus

August 1, 2016 By Fausta

The post-conventions Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

The RNC and the DNC had their conventions in two consecutive weeks, and after their monopolizing media attention, we’re glad they are over.

Almost unnoticed, however, was the story of the Syrian terrorist released from Guantanamo to Uruguay, who supposedly needs crutches to get around, was missing for several weeks, to eventually turn up some 4,600 miles away from Montevideo (a little under the distance from New York to Moscow), in Venezuela, of all places, just so he can petition the Uruguayan consulate – which he could do in Montevideo – to “ask for assistance to fly to Turkey or some other country to be reunited with his family.” Which gave him plenty of time to do all sorts of things.

ARGENTINA
New species of dinosaur discovered in Argentina

BOLIVIA
Bolivia’s president isn’t lowering his sights despite a scandal worthy of a telenovela

Record-setting dinosaur footprint discovered in Bolivia

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Lula faces trial over Petrobras

Four terror suspects ‘tried to travel to Brazil for Olympics’

Rio’s ‘wall of shame’ between its ghettos and shiny Olympic image

Rio 2016: Athletes warned to keep mouths closed while in faeces-infested water. All efforts by the government to clean the Rio waters seem to have failed

Stelberto Soares, a municipal engineer who has worked on Rio sanitation issues for decades, said that the government’s efforts to clean the waters were superficial at best.

“They can try to block big items like sofas and dead bodies, but these rivers are pure sludge,” he said, “so the bacteria and viruses are going to just pass through.”

Headlines from Drudge:

Brazil Preps for Olympics With Warships, Troops…

Athletes told ‘keep mouths closed’ in feces-infested water…

Rio Murders Rise…

Muslim female athletes compete while covered…

Fire in Olympic Village…

CHILE
Watch Chilean police bust $12 million worth of cocaine that was headed to Europe

15 Reasons To Put Chile On The Top Of Your Travel List

COLOMBIA
Colombian Courts Greenlight Controversial FARC Peace Referendum. Colombia’s Constitutional Court Issues Regulations for Yes/No Vote on Guerilla Peace Talks

The FARC made them an offer they couldn’t refuse: Colombia Indian Community Made Peace with FARC 20 Years before the Government

Colombia Town Anxious Ahead of Peace Plan's Experiment in Coca Substitution

Colombia Town Anxious Ahead of Peace Plan’s Experiment in Coca Substitution

En #elBrief: Los niños-esclavo de las FARC. Enterrados como perros en la selva: https://t.co/hSbhHem68d #Colombia pic.twitter.com/8Ln4Hz8duD

— Actuall (@actuallcom) July 28, 2016

CUBA
Military and family remittances, a well-kept secret

ECUADOR
Everything You Need to Know About the DNC’s WikiLeaks Scandal. Emails Released by Julian Assange and WikiLeaks Reveals Democratic FoulPlay During Primary Season

Ecuador Ends One Chevron Battle. What Does It Mean for the War?

GUATEMALA
Who Killed Guatemala’s Prison ‘King’ Byron Lima? (Part I)

MEXICO
Rafael Caro Quintero, Fugitive godfather of Mexico’s drug trade speaks out from hiding to deny he is back in business

Criminal Groups Benefit from Mexico’s Crackdown on Migrants

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua Electoral Authority Unseats Opposition Lawmakers

Nicaragua’s top electoral authority decimated the country’s political opposition on Friday by unseating practically all of its remaining lawmakers in congress as President Daniel Ortega prepares to seek a third term.

The Supreme Electoral Council ousted 16 opposition legislators from the Liberal Independent Party and its ally the Sandinista Renovation Movement Friday for not recognizing their officially sanctioned leader. That leader, Pedro Reyes, had recently been given that authority by the Supreme Court, which removed the opposition party’s previous leader following a long-running political dispute. Reyes is seen by some within his own party as a tool of Ortega.

PANAMA
First LNG Carrier Transits the Expanded Panama Canal

PARAGUAY
Brazilian Drug Lord Found Serving Time in Paraguay Prison ‘VIP’ Suite

PERU
Peru’s new president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski sworn in

PUERTO RICO
CDC: Zika could affect 10000 pregnancies in Puerto Rico by year’s end

More Defaults Likely to Come: What Puerto Rico Owes on Aug. 1
– Sales-tax payment of $256 million expected to be made
– Island owes $1.3 million of interest on general obligations

The commonwealth and its agencies owe about $346 million in bond payments on Aug. 1, most of which goes toward repaying sales-tax supported debt. The deadline follows the island’s July 1 default on nearly $1 billion of principal and interest, the largest such payment failure in the history of the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market.

URUGUAY
Uruguay Formally Ends its Presidency of Mercosur Trade Bloc

VENEZUELA
NO ARRIVALS: THE VISIBLE ISOLATION OF CARACAS

Chavistas Demand That Venezuelan Legislature Be Outlawed

From Socialist Utopia To Slave-Nation – Venezuela Unveils Shocking “Forced Labor” Law

Venezuela’s new decree



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Latin America, Lula, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Byron Lima, Fausta's blog, Jarvis Chimenes Pavao, Julian Assange, Rafael Caro Quintero, Zika virus

July 18, 2016 By Fausta

The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
Argentina judge orders cash seized from Fernandez’s daughter, Florencia Kirchner.

BOLIVIA
Fitch cuts Bolivia’s credit rating

Chile rejects Bolivia call for talks on sea access

BRAZIL
Brazil reviews security measures ahead of Rio Olympics

Rio de Janeiro’s Airspace to Be Restricted on July 24, Ahead of Olympics

CHILE
Stormy seas hit Chile copper exports, could buoy prices

COLOMBIA
The Chilean fighting in a foreign conflict in Colombia

CUBA
Good question: In Age Of Terror, Why Is Obama Rushing to Open Daily Flights With Cuba?

ECUADOR
Steve Hanke: “Electronic money leads into bankruptcy”

HONDURAS
Former Honduran President Zelaya to Supporters: “Ready Your AK-47s”. Deposed Seven Years Ago, Leftist Manuel Zelaya Seeks to Return to Power in 2017

MEXICO
Mexico to its Expatriates: “The Door Is Open to You Here”

PANAMA
Panama’s Manuel Noriega to Have Surgery on Brain Tumor

PERU
Spanish Historian Recounts Quest to Locate Last Inca Capital

PUERTO RICO
Zika Virus Jump: Puerto Rico Sees Big Increase in Case Count

VENEZUELA
Venezuela Comptroller General Says Cabinet Members Being Investigated



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Florencia Kirchner, Manuel Noriega, Manuel Zelaya, Zika virus

June 27, 2016 By Fausta

The Russian spy facility in Nicaragua Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

A very big deal we haven’t been paying attention to: Russia is building an electronic intelligence-gathering facility in Nicaragua.

ARGENTINA
Argentina raises Falklands negotiations at UN meeting – is that why Macri is so desperate to have Malcorra named as UN Secretary General?

A Cautionary Tale of ‘Stem Cell Tourism’

Ephedrine Traffic: Kirchner’s Cabinet Chief in the Crosshairs Again

BOLIVIA
Sex, lies and paternity claims: Bolivia’s president reels amid tumultuous scandal

The Jewish year is 5776, and the Chinese is 4712; now Bolivia’s leader wants you to know: It’s the year 5524. Set Your Clocks Forward: Bolivia’s President Says That It’s the Year 5524

BRAZIL
As the Olympics Near, Brazil and Rio Let the Bad Times Roll

WADA Suspends The Only Doping Lab in Brazil

Brazil’s Shuttered Anti-Doping Lab

Come to the Olympics in Brazil — Zika is under control, says Brazil’s health minister.

#Rio2016: World is ready, but is Brazil?

CHILE
Chile to preserve Colonia Dignidad cult archive

Colonia Dignidad’s documents spelling out the torture and other abuses that happened in the cult are important in investigating crimes of the Chilean military dictatorship, the National Monuments Council said while announcing its decision to preserve the archive.

The closed, cult-like community was set up in 1961 by former Nazi and convicted pedophile Paul Schäfer, ushering his decades-long rule over hundreds of mostly German expats. Schäfer and other cult members molested children and prevented adults from leaving the estate in central Chile.

After General Augusto Pinochet took power in Chile in 1973, the cult leadership started cooperating with the regime and offering their premises as a torture camp and a warehouse for weapons and poison gas.

Chile returned to democracy with Pinochet stepping down in 1990, leading to a public shift on the status of the German enclave. Schäfer was forced to flee the country in 1997, but was arrested in 2005 and died in prison in 2010.

COLOMBIA
Peace, at last, in Colombia

Historic Peace Agreement in Colombia

Let’s hope it holds.

CUBA
House lawmakers blocked from visiting Cuba. Chairman McCaul’s Cuban Visa Crisis

Obama dispatches Shaquille ‘Kazaam’ O’Neal to apartheid Cuba as ‘Sports Envoy’

ECUADOR
Venezuela vs. Ecuador (Chavismo vs. Chavismo Dollarized)

Sweden asks to meet Julian Assange inside Ecuador embassy

MEXICO
From Mexicata:
New Criminal Justice System now in effect throughout Mexico, Office of the Mexican Presidency

‘The Vulture of Impunity’ casts a Shadow over ‘Mexico’s Moment,’ by J. Tadeo (openDemocracy)

Three Key Takeaways from Mexico’s Regional Elections, by Ben Raderstorf and David Alzate (Inter-American Dialogue)

As Cartels Ebb, Kidnapping is on the Rise in Mexican States, by Patrick Corcoran (InSight Crime)

NICARAGUA
Is Moscow preparing for new Cold War? Russia agrees to build spy base in Nicaragua and prepares to deploy missiles on Polish border

Russia and Nicaragua have agreed a deal for an electronic spy base
Moscow will also give Nicaragua 50 tanks as part of the deal
In the 1980s Nicaragua’s Sandinista regime was a sworn enemy of US
Russia has also announced plans to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad enclave

PANAMA
Panama Canal Expansion Opens Tomorrow

Redone Panama Canal deepens port rivalries

Panama Canal expansion will affect shipping — but how?

PARAGUAY
Drug Czar Steps Down After Deadly Anti-Cannabis Operation

PERU
PICTURED Peru Two drugs ‘mule’ living the high life with her cocaine-smuggling pal after being released from jail. Northern Irish stunner Michaella McCollum Connolly pictured enjoying her glamorous new-life in capital city Lima

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Governor suspends payments on infrastructure debt

URUGUAY
CHAIRMAN ROYCE: FORMER GITMO DETAINEE’S ESCAPE FROM URUGUAY UNDERSCORES NEED TO HALT FUTURE RELEASES. He was in Brazil, doing what?

VENEZUELA
Venezuela petition signatures ‘validated’. Venezuelan opposition leaders say they have validated enough signatures on a petition to move to the next stage in a process to remove President Maduro.

Mass Famine Is Imminent as Neighbors, Washington Stand By

UPDATE
Linked to by Da Tech Guy. Thank you!



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Fausta's blog, Latin America, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Colonia Dignidad, Fausta's blog, Michaella McCollum Connolly

June 20, 2016 By Fausta

The impending disaster Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

There’s always an impending disaster. In the case of the Rio Olympics, it looks more likely than most.

ARGENTINA
Argentina gripped by mystery: the ex-minister, a convent and bundles of cash. Ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the church face tricky questions after José López was found trying to stash $8.9m in cash at a nunnery at 4am. Cristina says she doesn’t know who gave him the money:

El dinero que Lopez tenia en su poder alguien se lo dio. Y no fui yo. Ni ninguno de los miles de militantes q integran este espacio político

— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) June 17, 2016

BOLIVIA
Why Bolivia turned away Bill Gates’ chicken donation. It’s about more than a few ruffled feathers

BRAZIL
Brazil ‘mass rape’ video: Seven suspects to be charged

Brazil’s Rio state declares financial disaster before Games

New Plan to Fix Brazil’s Royal Mess: Restore the Monarchy. How did that work out the first time?

Brazil Gets Worst Possible Resignation On Eve Of Olympics

Brazil President Michel Temer Says Graft Claims Are ‘Lies’

CHILE
Chile’s government, in major defeat, will cease work on key labor reform

The reform, aimed at strengthening organized labor in the South American country, was initially passed by the Senate in March after a bruising battle that opened divisions within the governing Nueva Mayoria coalition.

But Chile’s Constitutional Tribunal in April rejected a provision of the bill that said companies could only negotiate with legally designated unions during collective wage talks.

It also struck part of a measure that prohibited companies from extending many benefits to non-unionized employees.

COLOMBIA
Colombian President Threatens Bloodshed if FARC Peace Deal Fails. Critics Claims Juan Manuel Santos Has Become Too Close with Guerrilla Leaders

Colombia’s pilot crop substitution program to begin on July 10

On the one hand, Colombia sheds cocaine capital image as economy grows

On the other hand,

Colombia nadando en cocaína x culpa del desgobierno y #SantosNosAnunciaGuerra si no se aprueba su acuerdo impunidad pic.twitter.com/HFQLYYrOm3

— Honorio Henriquez (@honohenriquez) June 17, 2016

World Economic Forum in Medellin, Colombia

CUBA
FedEx Downsizes Cuba Ambitions in Amended Flight Request

Stonegate Bank is Breaking the Law by issuing a credit card for use in Cuba.

“Check it out, Mildred!” Rejoice, Cubans, Rejoice! Hark, Hark! Dolce & Gabbana coming soon to the historic center of Old Havana!

GUATEMALA
Guatemala ex-president and deputy face fresh corruption charges

JAMAICA
IMF approves US$80-m disbursement for Jamaica. From the IMF statement,

Jamaica’s economic reform programme supported by the fund’s Extended Fund Facility has made major strides in restoring macroeconomic stability, pursuing fiscal consolidation, reducing public debt and undertaking significant tax policy reforms, building financial sector resilience, and tackling structural issues.

MEXICO
Mexican minister says ties with Canada could strengthen if Trump elected

PANAMA
Panama Papers awarded Investigation of the Year

‘Panama Papers’ firm demands prosecution of suspect in Switzerland

PARAGUAY
Killing of Mysterious Figure Part of Larger Narco War in Paraguay?

PERU
Mrs. Ollanta Humala, Peru: first lady banned from going abroad (emphasis added)

A judge in Peru has banned First Lady Nadine Heredia from leaving the country while she’s investigated for allegedly hiding undeclared campaign contributions. The order handed down Thursday night prevents Heredia from travelling [sic] abroad for four months, as her husband, centrist President Ollanta Humala, leaves office in July.

Heredia has been dogged for years by accusations that she hid large contributions from socialist Venezuela that funded her husband’s 2006 and 2011 campaigns.

PUERTO RICO
Orlando shooting victim’s death takes a toll on Puerto Rico town

Puerto Rico could see hundreds with Zika birth defects, CDC says

URUGUAY
Uruguay: ex-Guantanamo detainee traveled legally to Brazil. He gets around.

VENEZUELA
Beautiful essay: The Last Flight



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Fausta's blog, Guatemala, Jamaica, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Abu Wael Dihab, Jorge Rafaat Toumani, Mossack Fonseca, Nadine Heredia, Ollanta Humala, Otto Perez Molina, Roxana Baldetti

June 16, 2016 By Fausta

Bolivia: Evo Morales didn’t have a son

As you may recall, I posted last month about Evo’s girlfriend, the Chinese deals, and the campaign to be president-for-life,

Back in March I linked to an English language article summarizing Evo Morales’s missing child story and how it relates to corruption, Beyond the Zapata scandal: Outsourcing Bolivia’s National Development to China

“The basic details behind the scandal have been confirmed by President Morales himself. In 2007 or shortly before, the President had a relationship with Gabriela Zapata, resulting in a child who died shortly after birth. Zapata went on obtain a university education and alaw degree, and in 2013 was contracted by the Chinese company CAMC Engineering which won an estimated $580 millionin work from the Bolivian state, of which,$366 million was awarded after Ms. Zapata was hired to represent the company.”

As it turns out, Evo’s child is eight years old (link in Spanish), but Evo not only claims the child is dead, he threw in the clink Zapata’s aunt for asserting that the child is alive, which is one heck of a way to avoid a paternity suit.

In yet one more bizarre twist to the already-weird baby story, now it tuns out that Bolivian President Evo Morales’s “Secret Son” Was a Hoax.Son Who Appeared in Court Was Borrowed From Family Friend

First and foremost, I apologize to all involved (including Evo) for assuming that child was his.

I should have waited for the DNA test results.

No word as to whether any DNA tests were performed.

Now that that’s out of the way, it turns out that Evo’s former girlfriend Gabriela Zapata borrowed the boy from his natural parents, Victor Carlos Vega and Isela Chávez, for five years. Claudio Rivera Guzmán (the son of Pilar Guzmán, Zapata’s “spiritual” aunt – whatever that means) and another family member, Juan Garrido Espinoza, plus Zapata’s lawyers, William Sánchez Peña and Wálter Zuleta, were also found to be involved illegally in the hoax, so now all of them are in the clink.

You can’t make this up if you try.

————————————————

We talked about this and other topics in last night’s podcast,

Wednesday June 15: Latin America news coverage and other stories……click to listen……. https://t.co/rWMipZ9IXA

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) June 15, 2016

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Filed Under: Bolivia, Evo Morales Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Gabriela Zapata

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