Blog entries

Subway and commuter train workers in Brazil’s biggest city went on strike yesterday, paralyzing a system used daily by more than 4 million people and exacerbating already heavy traffic jams. Ciro Moraes, a spokesman for the transportation workers’ union, said about 8,000 of the city’s 9,000 subway workers had walked off the jobs on Wednesday … Read more

The ability of sports to unite and promote shared goals has enabled athletes to reach parts of society that have often felt excluded. Could cricket be used to stem gang membership in Central America? Cricket dates back to the sixteenth century where it was first played in southern England. By the eighteenth century, it was … 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. U.S. Visa for Castro’s Daughter Stirs Controversy Last week, Cuban President Raúl Castro’s … Read more

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was discovered yesterday in a Buenos Aires venue slated to host former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe (2002–2010). The device was found at the Gran Rex Theater, where Mr. Uribe was scheduled to speak at a conference promoting dialogue between public- and private-sector leaders on innovation. According to the judge in … Read more

Mexican army officials announced on Monday the arrest of a Zeta drug cartel member deemed responsible for the dumping 49 bodies along a highway in northern Mexico last week. Daniel de Jesus Elizondo Ramirez, known as “El Loco,” was captured by Mexican troops on Friday and was present at Monday’s press conference. According to a … Read more

In the midst of Mexico’s presidential election and the heated debate on who is the best candidate, we are reminded of the myopic and paternalistic view citizens still have of this emerging democracy. It is not uncommon to hear people saying they will vote for a candidate because he/she “is the one that will put … Read more

Top stories this week are likely to include: Dominican Republic presidential results; Raúl Castro’s daughter travels to the U.S.; Honduran uproar over counternarcotics operation; Colombia responds to last week’s assassination attempt; and Brazil’s economy slows.  Medina Leads in Election Returns: With over three-fourths of the vote counted in yesterday’s presidential election in the Dominican Republic, … Read more

A report by marketing firm Nielsen on the growing purchasing power of U.S. Hispanics was launched at the Cuban American National Council’s (CNC) Sixteenth Biennial Conference in Miami yesterday. According to the report, titled “State of the Hispanic Consumer: The Hispanic Market Imperative,” the 52 million Hispanics currently living in the United States already represent … Read more

It is always interesting and entertaining to listen to Governor Howard Dean and his take on new trends.  He has never hesitated to explore new areas of interest. Irrespective of party affiliation, Governor Dean can be described as a pragmatic progressive. After all, this was the first Internet presidential candidate.  This is the governor who, … Read more

Newly sworn-in Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said the Haitian government is drafting legislation to regulate the country’s nascent mining industry. His statement on Tuesday came shortly after the Associated Press reported findings in the northeastern mountain region of precious metals—including gold, silver and copper—potentially worth $20 billion. According to Lamothe, the new legislation will lay … 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. U.S.-Colombia FTA Takes Effect Approved by U.S. Congress in October 2011, the U.S.-Colombia free … Read more

Please find the original text below, submitted in Spanish. A former minister hospitalized. Two of his bodyguards dead. Fifty wounded. Dozens of businesses destroyed. The vivid scenes in Bogotá on Tuesday reminded Colombians of the worst periods of narco-violence in the country. And whenever events occur in the capital, angry responses came from all sectors. … Read more

Renowned Mexican author and influential political commentator Carlos Fuentes died of unknown causes yesterday in Mexico City. Fuentes was the author of many literary works and had continued writing up to his death. His most notable novels include La región más transparente (Where the Air is Clear), La muerte de Artemio Cruz (The Death of Artemio … Read more

Today marks the date of entry into force of the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement (FTA).  What a long, strange trip it’s been since the agreement was signed in 2006.  The rear-guard action of those opposed to trade generally, those opposed to the United States in Latin America specifically, and those who sought to use the agreement … Read more

El secuestro de un periodista y sus últimos ataques contradicen la idea del término de la guerrilla generada por la liberación de rehenes. Después de 47 años de lucha guerrillera en Colombia y el secuestro de 2,000 civiles y 250 militares, de acuerdo con el gobierno, las FARC anunciaron en marzo el fin del secuestro … Read more