Mexico Looks for Child Geniuses
The Secretaría de Educación Pública or SEP (Ministry of Education) in Mexico has traditionally been known for being slow, over-bureaucratized and square-minded. Low quality levels are reflected year after year through a series of international comparative studies. One need only consult the results of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) to see in disgust … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
A Year after the Quake, Good Manufacturing News for Haiti In Haiti, Sae-A Trading Company, a South Korean clothing-manufacturing giant, opened for business this week. Its factory will employ 20,000 Haitians once fully operational. On the same day, the historic downtown Port-au-Prince Iron Market reopened after Caribbean mobile phone carrier Digicel paid to have it … Read more
Chile, Paraguay to Join Latin American Countries Recognizing Palestinian State
Chile and Paraguay are expected to recognize an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders in the coming weeks, says Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. Today, the Chilean Senate approved a resolution requesting that President Sebastián Piñera recognize a “free and sovereign Palestinian state.” President Piñera is also expected to travel to the West Bank … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Come Again: Recount or Revote in Haiti? With concerns running high about … Read more
Weekly Roundup From Across the Americas
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. Haitian Presidential Election Outcome Sparks Riots Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council announced late … Read more
Argentina, Brazil Recognize Sovereign Palestinian State
The Argentine government officially recognized Palestine as a free and independent state, Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman said on Monday. In a letter to the president of the National Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner recognized Palestine’s borders as they were defined in 1967, before Israel captured the West Bank and … Read more
Paraguay to Support Venezuela’s Mercosur Bid
Paraguay’s Senate is expected next week to vote in favor of Venezuela’s bid to join Mercosur—Mercado Común del Sur or Southern Common Market. The anticipated approval will be Venezuela’s final hurdle before assuming full membership of Latin America’s preeminent trade bloc, completing the process it began in 2006. Mercosur nations are divided into three categories: … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Waiting for the WikiLeaks Shoe to Drop in Latin America WikiLeaks continues … Read more
Aquifers, a Second Chance
Recent news on the management of water has not been very uplifting. Disagreements between countries that share water resources are leading to increasing conflicts over control of and access to this vital resource. For example, the ongoing dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica over the San Juan River has reached such levels of discord that … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. What the U.S. Midterms Mean for Immigration, Hemispheric Policy AQ’s Jason Marczak … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Former President of Argentina Dies Suddenly Néstor Kirchner, who served as the … Read more
Fundación Alejandra Forlán
Uruguayan soccer star Diego Forlán’s riveting performance at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa demonstrated his stature as an athlete. But his work off the field is equally impressive: at 31, he is Uruguay’s biggest traffic safety and disability rights advocate. Diego’s sister, Alejandra, was paralyzed in a 1991 car wreck and, after the … Read more
Security Challenges in Peru
*Homepage photo courtesy of Jorge Andrade While Peru has continued to grow at high rates over the past four years during the second Alan García presidency, public safety conditions have deteriorated. Drug trafficking has spread, the military offensive to defeat remnants of the country’s guerrilla movements has failed, urban safety has deteriorated, and social conflicts … Read more
Failing Grade
For decades, presidents and ministers of education have proudly announced they were spending more money, building more schools, hiring more teachers, and enrolling more students, to the applause of poor parents delighted to have their children spend more time in school. But education has improved too slowly in Latin America. Part of the reason is … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. As World Watches, Chilean Miners Rescued After nearly 70 days trapped underground, … Read more
