Twice a year we endure the change from standard to daylight saving time; I wish it would stop. Here’s the first Carnival of the month.
ARGENTINA
Argentine Kingmaker Sergio Massa Spurns Kirchner Ally in Presidential Runoff. Dissident Peronist politician who ran third in first round withholds support for Daniel Scioli. Has not yet directly endorsed Macri.
Argentina notebook: Passion and politics in the Paris of the South. Bohemian Buenos Aires is buzzing with election fever, writes Harriet Alexander. And in this most intriguing of cities, things can change in an instant – and nothing is quite what it seems. I’ve to Paris, and I’ve been to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is no Paris.
More Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown: On the Nisman case, InSight Crime links to a report,
imprisoned Colombian drug trafficker Henry de Jesus Lopez, alias “Mi Sangre,” has come forward claiming to have information on the case. With only a month until the run-off, any new information linking the Kirchner administration to Nisman’s death could hurt Scioli by association.
Mi Sangre (My Blood) is trying to avoid deportation to the US by claiming that then-Intelligence chief Stiusso took over the cartel’s surveillance equipment, and gave it to Nisman, who used it for wiretapping members of the government.
So on the one hand the government alleges that Nisman had American and Israeli backers that made him rich; now this Mi Sangre guy tries to avoid deportation by saying that Stiusso stole surveillance equipment because Nisman couldn’t afford it.
Amazon fires: Brazil indigenous reserve blazes contained
CHILE
Chilean Desert, One Of The Driest Places On Earth, Is Awash In Flowers
Oopsie, Chile seizes erotic book from schools. The Chilean government begins seizing copies of an erotic version of the classic fairytale that was mistakenly distributed to 283 primary schools. Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf?
There are still many loose ends. The ELN, a smaller guerrilla group, is not making peace. Many FARC leaders seem far from becoming democrats. The government must act fast to organise international monitoring of the FARC’s disarmament, to provide security in areas where the conflict has been most intense and to promote rural development so that ex-guerrillas can find jobs. Cutting the flow of drug money that funds the FARC is also important—though, as long as cocaine is illegal around the world, the trade will remain so profitable that this will be hard. Colombia must avoid what happened after civil wars in Central America in the 1980s and 1990s, where peace led to an explosion of violent crime. In all this it will need the understanding and support of the outside world.
Poll Finds Colombians Fear Return of FARC Terrorists.
A new poll shows that, despite public support for a peace deal with the FARC terrorist group, a significant portion of the population of Colombia remains uncomfortable with the idea of FARC terrorists abandoning the guerrilla lifestyle and settling into civilian life.
Video: El Nueve, the life and work of a Colombian combat photographer
CUBA
40 days later, Cuban activists arrested at Papal Mass remain in jail
A Look at How Cuba’s Working Class Lives
EL SALVADOR
Why are There No Gangs in Berlin, El Salvador?
PANAMA
Leaky Locks May Further Delay $5.3 Billion Panama Canal Widening
PARAGUAY
Ruins of Jesuit missions draw tourists in Paraguay
PERU
Archaeologists Make New Discoveries at Site in Peru
A complex of ancient Inca platforms, a storeroom and a ceremonial court were unearthed while maintenance and preservation works were underway at Ollantaytambo archaeological park in the southern Peruvian region of Cuzco, officials said.
PUERTO RICO
U.S. to clean one of Puerto Rico’s worst polluted waterways. Let’s hope the locals stop using it as a dump.
Get Ready For A Venezuelan Mariel
Venezuela is running out of cash and selling its gold. It looks like Putin’s not taking charge cards for payment of those 12 Sukhoi-30s.
