Blog entries

Once all the post-mortems of the just-completed Olympic Winter Games in Canada are written, one major success will stand out above the others: Canada’s national effort to ensure the success of their athletes on the slopes and frozen surfaces of British Columbia.  Say what you will about Canada’s “Own the Podium” initiative, but the bottom … Read more

Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a message to Venezuela on Tuesday, demanding an explanation from the government for its alleged support of an alliance between Basque separatist group ETA and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).   On Monday, Spanish High Court Judge Eloy Velasco accused Venezuela of helping the two groups plot attacks … Read more

La noticia más esperada del último año en Colombia, se conoció por fin el pasado viernes: Una abrumadora mayoría, 7 de los 9 magistrados de la Corte Constitucional, hundió el referendo que hubiera permitido al presidente Álvaro Uribe aspirar a una segunda reelección. Pese a que en los últimos días, algunas fuentes del alto tribunal … Read more

You’d never know it, but there’s a pretty big election coming up later this month at the Organization for American States (OAS). On Wednesday, March 3, representatives from the member states of the OAS (35 in total minus Cuba and Honduras) meet in a special session to formally introduce candidates to become the tenth secretary … Read more

Seventy judges in the Federal District of Mexico underwent sensitivity training today at the Instituto Mexicano de Sexología in preparation for this Thursday, when same-sex marriage becomes legal in the district. According to the Judicial and Legal Services Council the workshops are intended to ensure that ceremonies are performed without “discrimination”. Leticia Bonifaz, the councilor … Read more

Más de un medio latinoamericano pagaría por las grabaciones que tienen en su poder los medios oficialistas mexicanos que presenciaron la pelea verbal entre los presidentes Álvaro Uribe y Hugo Chávez durante la Cumbre del Grupo de Río en Cancún. Los mandatarios de Colombia y Venezuela no solo fueron protagonistas de un incidente calificado como … Read more

On February 25, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court ordered the removal of Education Minister Bienvenido Argueta for failing to provide the court with complete information regarding the beneficiaries of President Álvaro Colóm’s flagship social program, Mi Familia Progresa.  This latest development in a months-old political drama augurs poorly for Guatemala’s fragile education system and President Colóm’s claims … Read more

The first trip to South America by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will take place amidst a series of U.S. policy changes in the region. By confirming that she will attend the new Uruguayan President Jose Mujica’s March 1 inauguration ceremony in Montevideo, Secretary Clinton will have the chance to meet with several of … Read more

The Guatemalan president has had a trying year. His country remains one of the murder capitals of Latin America, with an estimated 16 people killed every day. His national police are overstretched and often corrupt. And in May, he himself was (falsely) accused of murdering a prominent Guatemalan lawyer, in a crisis that came close … Read more

Juan Carlos Valdivia tuvo que reinventarse como cineasta para filmar Zona Sur (2009), la película que narra la decadencia de una familia de la clase alta de Bolivia. “Me harté del cine”, confiesa el director boliviano, que ya tenía una trayectoria destacada en su país gracias a las películas Jonás y la ballena rosada (1995) … Read more

The governing body for the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute yesterday imposed a $9.5 million fine on the popular television network TV Azteca for its refusal to air more than 16,000 political advertisements for candidates and parties in four states where elections will be held 2010. According to Mexican electoral laws, all radio and television stations … 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 New LatAm Group on the Bloc Latin American leaders convened in … Read more

Ongoing conflict and lack of state support threaten Colombia’s 1.4 million indigenous people, who face killings, sexual abuse, recruitment as child soldiers and the persecution of their leaders, according to a new report released Monday by the international human rights organization Amnesty International. The group is urging the Colombian government to adopt firmer measures to … Read more

Eight out of the ten Americans who faced charges of child abduction soon after the earthquake hit Haiti, walked away from jail in Port-au-Prince last week. Orphanage founder Laura Silsby and her nanny have stayed behind to face more questioning and a judicial system that is trying, but is in shambles. As the case moves … Read more

Latin American leaders attending the Rio Group summit in Cancún this week have formed a “tacit agreement” not to formally discuss the possible return of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS), said Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom Monday evening.  The heads of state and representatives in Cancún also approved the formation of an alternative organization … Read more