In a sad indicator that Mexico’s drug violence has reached a new level, 72 bodies were found on a ranch near Monterrey, about 100 miles south of the U.S. border. The 58 men, 14 women were believed to be illegal immigrants, crossing through Mexico from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Honduras. The lone survivor, who […]
A few weeks ago, on an any-day sort of day, my grandmother came home to her Los Angeles bungalow and sorted her mail, tossing junk and sorting bills, when she came upon a statement from her bank. The notice she pulled from the envelope indicated that the balance of her 401k, a fund to which […]
She has promised to rule as the “mother for her people” while President Lula refers to her as the “mother of the poor”. Following the results of recent public opinion polls, connecting with Brazil’s mothers is proving vital to Ms. Rousseff’s campaign for the presidency. Last week’s Ibope and Datafolha polls showed PT presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff […]
Iranian officials have formally rejected Brazil’s second offer of asylum to Iranian Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who is sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery. Iran’s rejection of Brazil’s diplomatic attempts follows President Lula’s initial unsuccessful appeal to the Iranian government made late last month and forms part of an international effort to free Ms. […]
At a conference on Wednesday, President Calderón asked prosecutors and judges turned the tables on those used to asking the questions. Why were so few of those arrested for violent crimes in Mexico being punished? Documents obtained by the Associated Press indicate that only about 15 percent of those arrested between December 2006 and September […]
Brazil’s state-controlled Banco de Brazil and its rival Bradesco have agreed to acquire stakes in BES Africa, a Banco Espirito Santo (BES) holding company that makes investments in the African continent. The joint venture is intended to expand the Brazilian banks’ international operations and benefit Brazilian businesses operating in Africa. The move follows similar steps taken […]
Haitian-born philanthropist, Wyclef Jean is the first Haitian presidential candidate to make an announcement to run from abroad. Jean told the press last week that he would resign from Yele Haiti, his charity organization to focus on his campaign, amidst reports that he owes millions in back taxes to the U.S. government and accusations that […]
Whispers abound, as do headlines: Obama may ease US travel to Cuba even if Congress won’t act. The separate powers of the Executive and Congress prevent President Obama from acting solo on a number of issues, but educational travel to Cuba is not one of them. The Executive does not need congressional approval to ease […]
Rodrigo Camarena, over at the Brazil blog, has published a briefing on the cooperation between Mexico’s PAN and PRD in state elections. The awkward coalition pairs the relatively stoic process for internal disputes and leadership changes in the PAN, and the squabbles that saw the PRD’s rapid fall from grace after the 2006 presidential election. […]
So Fidel did, in the end, appear and speak before the Cuban National Assembly—just in a separate meeting from that of his brother Raúl (though the current President Castro joined this meeting as well to hear Fidel speak). In his 12-minute speech on Saturday, Fidel repeated his recent warnings that tensions between the United States […]
The Washington Post yesterday and a few other sources pointed out that, interestingly, Fidel Castro has not appeared publicly alongside his brother Raúl since he stepped down from the presidency four years ago. And so the seed was planted, and everything begins to look like evidence. Raúl’s recent agreements to release Cuban prisoners and Fidel’s […]
… and we pretend to work. The long-standing Cuban axiom has come to bear more truth than its users may have hoped or imagined. President Castro announced yesterday in his address before the National Assembly that the Cuban government will actually begin to lay off redundant workers, which he estimates are perhaps 1 in every […]
Polling results released this past Friday showed the Workers Party’s (PT) Dilma Rousseff leading José Serra – her main challenger from Brazil’s Social Democrat Party (PSDB) – by a margin of 5-8 points. The results mark the first time that most polls decisively show Lula’s chosen successor ahead of Mr. Serra since the formal election […]
Telefónica’s Cesar Alierta prepares to challenge Carlos Slims’ plans for Brazil Spain’s Telefónica announced today the successful takeover of leading Brazilian mobile operator Vivo after weeks of strained negotiations with its joint-owner Portugal Telecom (PT). The move will allow Telefónica to merge its fixed landline services with Vivo’s national mobile network and begin offering Brazilian […]
Ignacio Coronel Villarreal is described as one of the Sinaloa’s drug syndicates top three. Villarreal, known as “Nacho,” was believed to oversee the Siñaloa group’s operations in the western states of Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco. He was killed after opening fire on law enforcement, closing in on his hideout in an upscale neighborhood of Guadalajara. […]