Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

July 15, 2018 By Fausta

Sunday palate cleanser: Don Giovanni

Watch The Royal Opera’s production of Mozart’s masterpiece for free as part of our BP Big Screens series. Find out more at http://www.roh.org.uk/bpbigscreens

 

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Filed Under: entertainment, music, opera Tagged With: Don Giovanni, Fausta's blog, Mozart

February 22, 2017 By Fausta

Guatemala: Gloria Alvarez live at Prager U

From Facebook Live,

Guatemalan political activist Gloria Alvarez! Talking about socialism, capitalism, immigration, and more!

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Filed Under: economics, Guatemala Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Gloria Alvarez, Prager U

February 15, 2017 By Fausta

Mexico: Stranded Cubans held at detention centers

Carlos Eire notices that there’s No outcry or protests over Cuban migrants excluded from U.S. by Obama.

Obama’s abrupt cancellation of the refugee status granted to Cubans under the “Wet foot – Dry foot” policy established in the 90’s has left a large number of Cubans stranded in Mexico and other countries.

Those stranded in Mexico find themselves trapped in a dangerous limbo, in which they are prey to criminals and in constant danger of extortion, kidnapping, and all other sorts of abuse.

U.S.-bound Cubans stranded in Mexico say they are victims of extortion and more (emphasis added)

The telephones at the Siglo XXI used for international calls are public so it is unclear how numbers dialed can be extracted. But at least three relatives of different migrants interviewed said they had received similar calls in which alleged officials asked them for money in exchange for their relatives’ freedom. None of the three agreed to pay and the exchange did not go long enough to discuss specific dollar figures.
. . .
An official of the INM confirmed to el Nuevo Herald on Monday that there are 90 Cubans detained at the Siglo XXI. Of these, 59 requested protection before a judge and 23 sought refuge from the Mexican authorities. The remaining eight are awaiting a decision of the Cuban Embassy in that country. If Havana deems the Cubans as citizens, they must be deported according to the migratory agreements between both nations.

Asked about the alleged disappearance of three migrants from the detention center — identified as Armando Daniel Tejeda, Daniel Benet Báez and Yosvany Leyva Velázquez — the Mexican immigration official said the trio escaped and therefore were not considered “missing.”

“Two of them had sought refuge and one had a hearing scheduled before a judge,” the official said. “They all fled and the corresponding authorities were informed.”

Other migrants at Siglo XXI, who realized the three were missing and got no answers on their whereabouts, launched a short-lived protest inside the facility that was violently silenced by authorities, migrants said.

Meanwhile, Jorge Castañeda tried to filibuster Tucker Carlson last night on immigration,

.@JorgeGCastaneda: We should jam system. Backlog it so much until @realDonaldTrump stops ridiculous, hostile policy of deporting people-TCT

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 15, 2017

Castañeda did not do well,

#Tucker: When did Mexico develop concern for due process?@JorgeGCastaneda: It's 1 of most admirable things U.S. has.Mexico should use it.

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 15, 2017

Related:
The truth about deportations

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Filed Under: Cuba, illegal immigration, immigration, Mexico Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Jorge Castañeda

February 15, 2017 By Fausta

Dominican Republic: Journalists murdered on Facebook Live

while reading the news,

Journalists slain during Facebook Live broadcast in Dominican Republic. Lone gunman bursts into station and opens fire in eastern city of San Pedro de Macorís.

An unidentified gunman burst into the studios of a radio station in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday morning and opened fire, killing a producer and a broadcaster live on air and seriously wounding a secretary.

The Guardian has more,

Three men have been arrested, but none has been charged. Police say they do not yet have a motive.

Medina was also the official announcer of the Estrellas Orientales baseball team.

Milenio Caliente is a popular local radio programme recognised for its lively political analysis and social campaigns.

In recent weeks, Medina had repeatedly condemned pollution in Laguna Mallen, a protected lake in San Pedro.

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Filed Under: crime, Dominican Republic Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Luis Manuel Medina

February 13, 2017 By Fausta

Mexico: Demonstrators want respect

Headline from El País:
Mexicans take to the streets to protest against Donald Trump. Non-partisan demonstrations throughout the country bring thousands out to demand “respect” and “dignity”

Marchers demanded “respect” and “dignity” from Trump and his government, with an estimated 20,000 people pouring onto the streets of Mexico City, with students from the capital’s UNAM state university joining in protest for the first time since 1968, when dozens were killed and injured in demonstrations. Among the intellectuals at the march were Enrique Graue, Enrique Krauze, Héctor Aguilar Camín, and Enrique Ochoa, presidents of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Mexico’s ruling class has ignored the plight of the rest of the country for as long as Mexico has been a country, and I include the period where Mexico was under the French. I have said before, for decades Mexico has not even protected its own citizens from the cartels’ deadly human trafficking business; Jason Poblete writes,

Mexico and other Central American nations need to get serious about border security within their region, as well as fixing the primary reason people try to leave: poverty and lack of economic opportunities, as well as rampant corruption and crime, lack of rule of law, among many other indicators that make life tough in these countries. This latter issue is a more long-term issue (one that the U.S. companies can help with), but border security within Central America can start today.

Ricardo Valenzuela agrees [my translation]

Our anguish at Trump ought to be an opportunity, and, rather than continue riding this mass hysteria, let’s change our attitudes, let’s focus on identifying this chance that the event presents, and which we are not seeing. We are enraged that Trump threatens to deport millions of our countrymen. Let’s identify the real problem. Why did those millions were expelled by Mexico? Trump wants to build a wall. How come tons of drugs cross the border each year? Why are millions of young girls kidnapped by the same mafias who, after getting them across illegally sell them to the sex traders? Why has the border become a war zone where weapons and illegal money are exchanged, and even ISIS members are crossing?

Lest we forget,

Mexico had a major role in fostering guerrilla groups in Central America during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, backing off only when it became a hindrance to the NAFTA deal with the United States, and when some of the groups began operating in Mexico. Mexico is feared and resented throughout Central America as a bully and for its mistreatment of Central American migrants. The horror stories these migrants tell of their passage through Mexico are hair-raising and heartbreaking.

Peña Nieto’s popularity plummeted (and has not recovered) following the 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers killed in Guerrero, a crime yet not resolved. The remains of only one student have been identified. In Mexico,

Only 4.5% of reported crimes in Mexico are ever investigated and just 1% ever go before a judge, according to a recent study by Mexico’s National Autonomous University. The criminal conviction rate in Mexico is 1.8%.

Headline from the WSJ:
Thousands March in Mexico City to Protest Trump, Peña-Nieto

Thousands took to Mexico City’s central thoroughfare to protest U.S. President Donald Trump and his plans to build a 2,000-mile border wall, while also blasting Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and the ruling PRI party.

Meanwhile, Andrés Manuel López Obrador gains in polls amid backlash against new U.S. administration, because electing a far-left candidate and blaming the U.S. has worked so well elsewhere.

Again: Respect is earned. When Mexico and the Central American countries stop seeing the U.S. as a pressure-release valve for their own countries’ problems, they won’t need to be asking for respect, they will be earning it.

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Filed Under: immigration, Mexico Tagged With: #Ayotzinapa, Donald Trump, Enrique Krauze, Enrique Peña Nieto, Fausta's blog

February 10, 2017 By Fausta

CNN finally reports on Venezuela’s passports-for-terrorists scheme

I posted in 2015: Venezuela issuing passports, voter registrations, to Hezbollah & Syrians

In 2013: Hezbollah agent issued Venezuelan diplomatic passport.

I can spend all day linking to my prior posts on this topic.

Finally, after all these years, CNN investigates: Venezuela may have given passports to people with ties to terrorism

One confidential intelligence document obtained by CNN links Venezuela’s new Vice President Tareck El Aissami to 173 Venezuelan passports and ID’s that were issued to individuals from the Middle East, including people connected to the terrorist group Hezbollah.

Yes, I posted about El Aissami’s role in 2013.

But back to CNN

The accusation that the country was issuing passports to people who are not Venezuelan first surfaced in the early 2000s when Hugo Chavez was the country’s president, interviews and records show.
A Venezuelan passport permits entry into more than 130 countries without a visa, including 26 countries in the European Union, according to a ranking by Henley and Partners. A visa is required to enter the United States.

Glad to see CNN is finally starting to pay attention.

UPDATE
Linked to by Pirate’s Cove. Thank you!

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Filed Under: CNN, terrorism, terrorism. Latin America, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Tarek El Aissami

February 10, 2017 By Fausta

Cuba: Bringin’ down the [wedding] roof

Nothing spells r-o-m-a-n-c-e like scars and fractures:

WEDDING FROM HELL Couple left distraught after dream £25,000 Cuba wedding turns to disaster when hotel roof COLLAPSED leaving bride permanently scarred and groom with broken ribs. Sarah and John Wenham were both injured the day before the wedding of their dreams

But they were left fearing for their lives when the lobby roof at Sol Rio De Luna y Mares Hotel, in Cuba, suddenly buckled and collapsed – trapping them underneath and injuring many members of the wedding party, including the bride.

So… is it wrong to feel good about this couple’s bad luck?

They chose to spend $31,287 for a wedding in one of the most repressive and impoverished countries on earth.

And the person officiating stuck her sunglasses on top of her t-shirt.

“So bring the roof down on this”

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Filed Under: Communism, Cuba Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Sarah and John Wenham

February 10, 2017 By Fausta

Chile: Escondida copper mine on strike

For the third time in eleven years, Chile’s privately-owned copper mine, which provides a mind-boggling five percent of the world’s total copper output, is on strike:
Workers at BHP Billiton Copper Mine In Chile Go On Strike. Move follows unsuccessful talks for new collective bargaining agreement, union official says

The decision to walk off the job is raising concerns in Chile about the strike’s impact on the economy, which was already posting weak growth. The economy expanded 1.2% in December, as mining activity contracted 3%, the central bank said Monday. Escondida accounts for about 19% of Chile’s production of copper, the country’s top export earner.

. . .

Labor disputes have flared up in Chile’s mining sector over the past year as worker demands conflict with company efforts to cut costs by reducing benefits and laying off employees due to low commodity prices.

Undoubtedly, the strike may raise copper prices in the short term. the real question is, what effect will the strike have on Chile’s weak economy, especially if it drags on, since

Escondida accounts for about 19% of Chile’s production of copper, the country’s top export earner.

Related headlines:
Fire at BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile injures three

BHP Said to Declare Force Majeure on Shipments From Escondida

Meaning “greater force,” force majeure is a contractual clause used when suppliers can’t meet obligations because of circumstances beyond their control.

Strike at BHP’s Escondida copper mine in Chile enters second day

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Filed Under: Chile, news Tagged With: copper, Fausta's blog, Minera Escondida

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