Blog entries

  In an effort to jumpstart preparations for hosting the 2014 World Cup, the government of Brazil yesterday announced a series of tough new rules for companies involved in civil aviation infrastructure projects. According to the executive secretary of the Department of Civil Aviation, Cleverson Aroeira, firms that do not meet their contractual deadlines for … Read more

The killing of a priest who spoke out against an open-pit gold mine project by a Canadian company is spraying unrest in the community. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is pouring into Colombia. In the last six months FDI was $7 billion—equivalent to 91.4 percent more than in the same period last year, according to new … Read more

The White House on September 27 announced the nomination of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson. This is good news for the U.S. and the region; she is precisely the right person for the job. Her confirmation hearing is not yet scheduled, though she is not expected to face major difficulties (unlike several other … Read more

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos yesterday hailed the U.S. Congress’ passage of a long-stalled free-trade agreement (FTA), saying the decision was “historic for relations between Colombia and the United States, a historic day for Colombia’s insertion to the world and a historic day for Colombian businessmen and workers.” Negotiations over the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement … Read more

From Americas Society/Council of the Americas. AS/COA Online’s news brief examines the major—as well as some of the overlooked—events and stories occurring across the Americas. Check back every Wednesday for the weekly roundup. Sign up to receive the Weekly Roundup via email. Second Guessing Zetas’ Ties with Iranian Terrorism Concerns about the potential connection between … Read more

Mexico’s immigration commissioner announced yesterday that overall migration (based on figures around the unauthorized) from Central America bound for Mexico and the United States decreased by nearly 70 percent over the past five years. Commissioner Salvador Beltrán del Río of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (Instituto Nacional de Migración, or INM) came to this conclusion by … Read more

In an unlikely stop in his pre-campaign trail, Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a quick visit to the industrial, private sector-intensive city of Monterrey last week. This is hostile territory for López, since the state of Nuevo León has not traditionally sympathized with the leftists parties with which he has associated (PRD, PT, Convergencia). His … Read more

After negotiations with a legislative dialogue commission failed over the weekend, Indigenous protesters from the Isiboro-Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS) restarted their march toward La Paz today. A month ago the Amazonian natives started a 603-kilometer (375-mile) march from Trinidad to protest the construction of a 305-kilometer (190-mile) highway that would cut the … Read more

El fantasma de la parapolítica sigue rondando la campaña a las elecciones locales en Colombia. No solo por el hecho de que muchos de los investigados por haber establecido alianzas criminales con los paramilitares, sean hoy candidatos, sino porque quienes están condenados por estos pactos, tienen tanto o más poder desde la cárcel que los … Read more

  For the first time ever, a Latin American institution placed among the world’s top universities in the London-based Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings. The annual list of colleges and universities, compiled using data collected by Thomson Reuters, is considered among the most reliable and accurate cross-country comparisons of higher education providers. This year’s … Read more

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera sent a bill to congress on Tuesday to reform Chile’s penal code and allow harsher sentences for certain forms of popular protest. According to the proposed legislation, protestors could receive prison sentences of up to three years for offenses such as occupying educational, religious or office buildings, impeding foot or vehicular … Read more

From Americas Society/Council of the Americas. AS/COA Online’s news brief examines the major—as well as some of the overlooked—events and stories occurring across the Americas. Check back every Wednesday for the weekly roundup. Sign up to receive the Weekly Roundup via email. Rousseff Urges against Austerity at EU-Brazil Summit Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff addressed the … Read more

  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos drew laughter and applause when he placed the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement (FTA) in the “hands of God” at an AS/COA program last month. But now that the White House has submitted the long-pending pact to Congress, its earthly fate lies just where it belongs. House Speaker John Boehner has … Read more

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño announced yesterday that he is submitting a bill to the island’s Legislative Assembly that—if approved—would call for a referendum next year to decide the island’s political status. Fortuño’s decision to move forward with a two-part referendum comes in response to President Barack Obama saying in mid-June that Puerto Rico would … Read more

On September 16, 2011, the foreign press in Argentina had the unprecedented opportunity to interview a Chinese government official. Mr. Yang Shidi, the Counsellor for Commercial and Business Affairs from the Chinese Embassy in Buenos Aires spoke to members of Argentina´s Foreign Correspondent Association (ACERA) and graciously accepted a round of questions from journalists representing … Read more