On September 27th, President Obama nominated Jeffrey DeLaurentis as the first U.S Ambassador to Cuba since the United States ended diplomatic relations with Cuba in the 1960’s. This, along with the reopening of the Embassy in Cuba and the lessening of restrictions on travel, remittances, and other landmark events that have happened in recent years, have helped to restore U.S. relations… Read more »
Over the past year, as we already know, the S.S. Chavez, steered by his successor Captain Maduro, has sprung a leak deep below the waterline and begun to sink. Then, perhaps, was it controlled; the pumps were still trying their best to displace the seawater surging into the bowels of the ship and the passengers were calmly and orderly boarding… Read more »
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, have been a major player in the instability found in Colombia since their founding in 1964. They were founded on Marxist principles and have promoted anti- imperialism. They have used aggression tactics against the Colombian government including terrorism. A 52 year long civil war in Colombia, between FARC and the… Read more »
Argentina has never had a perfect track record when it comes to economic performance, yet a stark contrast can be drawn between the approach of the current and former administration. Going back, under the rule of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, economic failures had always been swept under the rug in an attempt to make the country look better and… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Colima, Mexico – Alma Hernandez’s dreams of becoming an architect and building a future with her boyfriend, Pedro Navarro, were irrevocably crushed one sunny afternoon when they were shot dead outside a Walmart in their hometown of Colima. The pair, both aged 21, had been together for five years. They had recently opened a hotdog stand to help support… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Buenos Aires – Argentina’s government has released poverty figures for the first time in three years, revealing that nearly a third of the population is living below the breadline. The news came as a shock as the previous administration of Cristina Kirchner had stopped measuring poverty rates more than a decade ago. In Argentina, you are officially poor… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Sao Paulo – Brazilians are gearing up for Sunday’s local election, which has seen more and more people turning to evangelical leaders for political as well as spiritual guidance. In the city of Sao Paulo, Celso Russomanno is vying for the mayor’s post, running on his record as a defender of consumer rights. While he emphasises that he… Read more »
BBC: Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been charged with corruption again, local media say. He allegedly helped a relative of his ex-wife win a contract for construction giant Oderbrecht in Angola. Police have yet to confirm the news. But in a statement on Facebook Lula said he had always “acted within the law”.
BBC: In his latest efforts to salvage a peace deal with Farc rebels, Colombian leader Juan Manuel Santos is due to meet ex-President Alvaro Uribe. The peace agreement, aimed at ending 52 years of armed conflict, was narrowly rejected by Colombians in a popular vote on Sunday. Mr Uribe led the campaign against the peace deal. He says it was… Read more »
Reuters: Clashes broke out in Honduras on Monday as police fired tear gas on demonstrators blocking highway toll stations in protest against efforts by the ruling party to enable presidential re-election and keep the incumbent Juan Hernandez in power. The protesters were also demonstrating against increases in highway toll rates and the cost of electricity. Urged on by the opposition… Read more »