Blog entries

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive today for the first time to Caracas, where he has scheduled meetings with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Bolivian President Evo Morales. The agenda will focus on furthering their cooperation on energy, finance and defense, among other areas. According to Venezuelan Vice President Elías Jaua the … Read more

Juan Aguiñaga, Ecuador’s under secretary for foreign affairs until last week, and two notaries were arrested yesterday afternoon on charges of operating a network to provide Cuban citizens with fraudulent Ecuadorian citizenship documents. According to an investigation carried out by Ecuador’s Transparency Council, at least 120 Cubans were close to obtaining the illegal documents. Mr. … Read more

Brian Nichols, Ministro Consejero de la embajada de Estados Unidos en Colombia, habla en esta entrevista sobre lo que se espera de la relación entre la administración de Barack Obama y el mandatario de Colombia en la era post-Uribe. Continuación en las políticas de extradición y antidrogas. TLC, aún en vilo. (Esta entrevista fue originalmente … 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. UN Hosts Donors Conference for Haiti The United Nations plays host to … Read more

President Evo Morales signed a controversial law on Wednesday that seeks to hold former presidents and officials accountable for past acts of corruption. On Monday evening the Senate, now controlled by the Movimiento Al Socialismo, approved the measure, which allows for the retroactive prosecution of former government officials.  An opposition-controlled congress blocked a similar measure … Read more

Americas Quarterly hosted its first online chat earlier today.  Focusing on Brazil, the conversation addressed the underlying conditions of and possible solutions to the digital divide—the exclusion of disadvantaged and minority populations from the opportunities brought by technology.  Paolo Rogério, author of The Digital Integrator in the Winter issue of AQ and founder of Brazil’s … Read more

British company Desire Petroleum announced yesterday that the oil found in the British-controlled Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, may be unviable. Shares in the company fell by nearly half when it released a statement saying that oil found in the Liz 14/19-1 well “…may be present in thin intervals … Read more

Responding to a growing sense that the military-led fight against drug trafficking organizations has failed to curb violence across our southern border, the United States and Mexico formally announced a shift in their counter-narcotics strategy last week. The “new stage” in bilateral cooperation will aim to strengthen civilian law enforcement institutions and rebuild communities crippled … Read more

The Nicaraguan town of León has declared the U.S. Ambassador Robert Callahan persona non-grata, The Nica Times has reported. The snub comes amid a tit-for-tat dispute between the U.S. Embassy and León, a colonial city in the northwestern part of the country. Nica Times editor Tim Rogers writes that earlier this week, the embassy failed … Read more

Brazilian President Lula da Silva today announced a $550 billion long-term infrastructure investment plan called the PAC II, which is the second installment of the government’s accelerated growth program. When combined with the $504 billion in budget allocations outlined by PAC I in 2007, Brazil’s targeted infrastructural investments should eventually total more than $1 trillion … Read more

  A group of Chilean opposition senators headed by former secretary of state Andrés Zaldivar announced yesterday that they intend to launch an investigation into possible tax misconduct by newly elected President Piñera during his recent sale of LAN airlines. Critics allege that President Piñera avoided paying around $50 million in taxes by finding a … Read more

Varios hechos vergonzosos marcaron la jornada electoral del pasado 14 de marzo: Compra de votos en al menos ocho departamentos según denuncias de la Misión de Observación Electoral de la OEA; 28 senadores y 21 representantes a la Cámara elegidos pese a sus vínculos filiales o políticos con condenados por parapolítica e incluso muchos de … Read more

The 2010 World Cup may be just months away (June 11 kick-off), but futbol fanatics in Latin America can hardly wait.  Impatience is understandable. In Latin America, soccer is more than a sport; it is the sport.  The World Cup generates a nationalist soccer fervor that brews for four years and culminates in a month-long … Read more

Nine people were killed and 50 others wounded yesterday in a massive explosion in the port city of Buenaventura, 200 miles south of Bogota. The incident took place in front of the city’s municipal offices and that of the local district attorney. No group has yet officially taken credit for the attack, but government officials … 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. Shift on Drug War Strategy Stems from Clinton’s Mexico Trip U.S. Secretary … Read more