Blog entries

Following four months of negotiations, the Ecuadorian government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are expected to sign an agreement on August 3 that will create a trust fund to manage international contributions to the Yasuni – Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) initiative.  The Yasuni-ITT Trust Fund will allow Ecuador to receive monetary compensation in … Read more

The Venezuelan government confirmed this week that it will exhume the remains of María Antonia Bolívar, the older sister of the South American political hero Simon Bolívar.  DNA from María Antonia’s remains will be tested against those of her brother as part of an investigation ordered by President Hugo Chávez to determine whether he was … Read more

Researcher Russell Kerr is negotiating a profit-sharing deal with the Inuit living in Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory. Kerr, a chemistry professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, hopes to discover bacteria hidden in the mud of Frobisher Bay that can be used in commercial products like cosmetics or life-saving medicine. Nothing is guaranteed, but … Read more

The courtroom of U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton will be at the center of the U.S. immigration debate at 4:30 pm (eastern) today. That’s when Edwin Kneedler, the U.S. deputy solicitor general and the lead lawyer for the Justice Department, will square off against John Bouma, a private lawyer representing Governor Brewer and the state … Read more

From the 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. National Guard Troop Deployment Announced U.S. President Barack Obama set an August … Read more

The Venezuelan President claimed on Tuesday to own 25.8 percent of outstanding shares of Globovision, the country’s only remaining TV channel with anti-government broadcasts. The stake in Globovision was acquired after the government took over Banco Federal CA, a failed bank that had owned a 20 percent stake in Globovision. With the accumulated shares, President … Read more

The Naso indigenous community of Panama is lucky to be able to call Bocas del Toro home. This is an idyllic tropical paradise that begins in mountainous forests near the border with Costa Rica and ends up in the Caribbean Sea. It’s a fertile land where they grow plantain, corn, coffee, pineapple, and grapefruit, and … Read more

Record low temperatures, hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 degrees Celsius) for the last two weeks, have killed more than 100 people and hundreds more cattle and other livestock, causing an agricultural emergency in rural areas of the Southern Cone. The cold snap is gripping Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Bolivia with states … Read more

Peruvian congresswoman and presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori leads a field of likely candidates for Peru’s 2011 presidential elections, according to an Ipsos poll released on Sunday in Lima. Ms. Fujimori, the daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, was the top choice for 22 percent of likely voters. Lima Mayor Luis Castañeda closely trailed her … Read more

The Vatican confirmed today that during the annual Populorum Progressio foundation meeting, held this year in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, it will evaluate the financing of 230 projects in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The projects range from initiatives to improve agricultural production to the construction of schools, health clinics and community … Read more

Today, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage when 33 senators voted in favor of the bill, with 27 opposed and three abstaining. The new law grants gays and lesbians all the same legal rights, responsibilities and protections of marriage as heterosexual couples. With the strong support of President Cristina … Read more

In the 1992 presidential election, then candidate Bill Clinton had a slogan that his campaign posted on the wall of his electoral headquarters: “it’s the economy, stupid!” Clinton went on to win the election with his “economy first” message beating then President George H. W. Bush who had an over 80 percent approval rating just the … Read more

U.S.-born players of the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team have been cleared to fly to Manchester, England, in time to compete in the World Lacrosse Championship beginning tomorrow night.  The Iroquois Nationals, comprised of members from the six Native American nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, had been barred from traveling to Manchester because the British government … Read more

From the 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. The Wait for Washington’s Response on Cuba Following Havana’s announcement that it … Read more

It’s election season in Lima. In less than three months, Limeños will go to the polls to choose the successor for outgoing Mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio who will be running in the April 2011 presidential contest. Although there are two frontrunners, 12 candidates have formally registered to run in the October 3 mayoral contest. Here … Read more