Recent Hispanic News

May 08, 2008 4:59 PM

In Mexico the chief of federal police, Edgar Millan Gomez died today outside his home. According to the Public Safety Department, Edgar was shot ten times in the country’s capital. Police arrested a suspect, but they still didn’t determine the motive for this morning’s attack. Last year more than 2,500 people died in Mexico, due to organized crime and drug-related violence. Police are investigating if this incident is possibly linked to drugs.

In Chile, police and soldiers forced remaining residents to leave the region of a volcanic eruption today. Chaiten volcano’s week-old eruption has scattered ash across South America, forced airports to close and caused more than 7,000 people to leave their homes. The country’s government has proposed $10.6 million in disaster funds to help the victims during the first month. 

In Colombia an army lieutenant colonel, Lt. Col. Byron Carvajal is going to face fifty-four years in prison, a decision that was made this Wednesday. He was convicted in February of ordering the massacre of ten anti-drug police officers. Carvajal has ordered this ambush in Jamundi, a town in Western Colombia. Senior police officials believe that Carvajal and his troops were protecting a drug lord.

For more Hispanic news, visit Exclusiva at http://abcnews.go.com/exclusiva

May 8, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Bush meets with Guatemalan President

May 01, 2008 3:11 PM

On Monday, Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom met with U.S. President George Bush at the White House to discuss immigration. Although no agreements were signed, President Colom told us he was optimistic about immigration reform in the USA.  Both Presidents also talked about corruption and violent crimes in Guatemala.

After his meeting, Colom joined us for an interview. Visit www.abcnews.com/exclusiva  to watch David Puente’s interview that includes a personal look at the Latin American leader and his policies.

May 1, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

World Hispanic News

May 01, 2008 2:02 PM

Mexico is currently facing a drug war and a crisis on its border. Mexican authorities say that in the past year, drug gangs have killed two thousand Mexican law officers. In almost every case, they killed them with guns purchased in the U.S., then smuggled across the border. Recently, President Bush promised to crack down on arms smugglers in Mexico. 

Soccer superstar Ronaldo, who’s won two world cups with Brazil, including the 2002 title in which he scored eight goals, was questioned by police this week. He was said to be involved in a run-in with transgender prostitutes in a Rio De Janeiro motel. Ronaldo admitted that he knew they were prostitutes, but said he didn’t realize they were transgender, until they got to the motel. The athlete told police that he offered to pay anyway. Then, one of the prostitutes allegedly asked for thirty thousand dollars to keep the story from the media. One of the three prostitutes also accused Ronaldo of asking for drugs.

Immigration rallies are expected throughout the United States on May 1st. Last year, in Los Angeles, violent altercations between police and protestors stunned the city. However, crowds are not expected to be as large as they were two years ago, when millions of immigrants hit the streets around the country, asking for immigration reform and a workers program.

May 1, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Noticias del Mundo Hispano

April 24, 2008 5:28 PM

In Paraguay, the world's longest-ruling political party lost power this week after six-decades. A political newcomer defeated the right wing ruling party. Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, is the country's president elect.  He resigned from the church to run for president, but his election poses a dilemma for the church. The Vatican suspended him from his duties, such as saying mass, last year, but it argued Lugo remains a bishop because his ordination was a lifelong sacrament. The bishop will be inaugurated president in August. The Vatican says Lugo's case is under review.

In Brazil, a Roman Catholic priest who lifted off under hundreds of helium balloons remains missing. Adelir Antonio Di Carli wanted to break a record and raise money for a centre where truck drivers stop to rest. He was wearing a helmet, a thermal flight suit, and a parachute. But an hour after take off, Adelir told his crew that he couldn’t complete the planned 465 mile voyage. Then, they lost contact with the priest. Rescuers reached a cluster of the balloons floating in the ocean, but there was no trace of him. However, they continued to search the area off Brazil’s Southern coast. 

State Rep. Douglas Bruce was ordered to step down from the podium of the state House of Representatives on Monday for calling Mexican farm workers, “illiterate peasants.” The Colorado legislator made the Mexican slur, while debating a bill that would allow the state to help immigrant workers get temporary federal visas. Republicans removed Bruce from the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, since he refused to co-sponsor a resolution honoring military veterans.

Mexican Security and Railway Damage are slowing down the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America to the United States. In Mexico, Central Americans without documents face increased security. Mexico is also beginning to see fewer illegal immigrants and an increased number of soldiers, as well as federal police on its border. Despite Mexico’s efforts to secure its own southern border, it does not prevent its citizens from illegally entering the United States.

April 24, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Latest Hispanic News

April 14, 2008 1:57 PM

Brazil: Civil defense forces have begin to distribute 115 tons of food in the state of Paraiba after floods washed through the state and left 17-thousand people homeless. The northeast of Brazil is a dry, arid area, which has not seen such heavy rain in 30 years.

Rio de Janeiro: A paramilitary group has taken over land, which was to be used to provide housing for low-income families in the outskirts of Rio. The militias have started to construct shops on the land, forcing families who were supposed to be living in these dwellings to go back to living in shacks in the favela close by. The militia groups are made-up of former police officers and firefighters and enforce a vigilante rule to drive out drug trafficking factions in the city.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a tour focused on ethanol and other bio-fuels, a sector in which Brazil is a global leader, signed a cooperation agreement with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. The agreement will allow Brazil and the Netherlands to work together on the sustainable production of biofuels and to help developing nations establish their own crops to make alternatives to fossil fuels.

Peru-US: The government of Peru says Yale University is holding onto 40,000 artifacts taken from one of the world's most famous archeological sites, and it wants them back. In 1911, Yale alum Hiram Bingham rediscovered the ancient city of Machu Picchu, where he excavated thousands of relics and brought them back to Yale for study. Peru now says the artifacts were only on loan. The two sides sounded like they reached an agreement last year. Yale said it would return 4,000 pieces it had, but now a Peruvian government commission says that's only a tenth of what Yale really has stored away.

Uruguay: More than a thousand people hosted the world’s biggest barbecue to promote the country’s most desirable export--beef. The National Meats Institute, which tracks beef sales overseas, organized the barbecue. The South American country surpassed a Mexican grilling record from 2006 by four tonnes. Beef exports brought in $817 million last year for Uruguay.

April 14, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Noticias de Mexico to Haiti

April 10, 2008 3:23 PM

After much political wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives will effectively kill a free trade deal with Colombia. According to the White House, lawmakers’ votes are expected to indefinitely delay action on the bill. For several reports on this very heated trade deal with so many political implications, go to our Exclusiva website. 

Major security for the Olympic Torch that’s expected in Argentina over the weekend. Olympic organizers are trying to make sure that protesters, like the ones in London and San Francisco, don’t disrupt the Argentine leg of the torch as it works its way to Beijing. The torch is expected to arrive in China in August.

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon sent an Energy Reform Bill to the Senate, which will help private contractors. Since energy is a major issue in Mexico’s economy, there’s a need to boost declining oil production and build new refineries. Calderon said the bill would not privatize the oil industry. This volatile issue has led the leftist opposition to threaten massive protests if the conservative government tries to bring in privatization.

Haiti is in many ways Ground Zero in a global food crisis. The UN is concerned about dramatic food price hikes in every corner of the world. For example, prices in Brazil have been up by eleven percent in the last year. Haiti is also facing high food prices, thereby causing its population to deal with hunger. It’s difficult to get Haiti out of poverty. Haiti’s President asked for lower food prices and there are reports that some order has come to the streets of Port Au Prince.

April 10, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Hispanic News From Mexico to Brazil

April 03, 2008 4:23 PM

In Mexico, a former female wrestler, Juana Barraza was sentenced to 759 years in prison. She became known as “la Mataviejitas” or the "little old lady killer" in Mexico City.  Barraza was found guilty of killing sixteen elderly women, but she only admits to killing four of them. 

Also in Mexico, more than one hundred prisoners in Chiapas State were set free, since authorities determined there was little evidence against them. They had been accused of crimes like homicide, kidnapping and robbery. There are also 227 other cases are pending, so more prisoners might be freed.

In Cuba, in only a few weeks, there had been many changes thanks to President Raúl Castro. Now Cubans, if they have money, can buy cell phones and appliances, such as computers. They are now also able to stay at hotels that were only for tourists. Many think that Castro is giving these liberties to gain popularity in power. The question is whether his brother, Fidel Castro, approves these reforms.

And in Brazil, the health crisis continues in Rio de Janeiro. 67 people have died and it’s believed that another 57 thousand people are infected. The Brazilian military has been forced to intervene to try to stop the spread of the disease.   

April 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Race in the U.S. Presidential Primaries

March 20, 2008 3:49 PM

We start with the United States presidential primaries, where race was the dominant issue. This week, Senator Barack Obama was forced to discuss race in the most critical speech of his campaign. Some critics say he concentrated only on tensions between blacks and whites and ignored Latinos as well as people of other races who live in this country. It remains to be seen what impact his speech will have on the Pennsylvania primary next month.

This week Mexico marked 70 years since its oil industry was nationalized. Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, is the state oil monopoly; an industry locked in debate between those who oppose private investment and those who say it's needed to boost production. President Felipe Calderon is pushing reforms to allow private companies to partner with Pemex. His critics say these reforms could lead to too much foreign control of Mexican oil. Pemex's production has been steadily falling by close to half a million barrels a day in just the last few years.

Also in Mexico, a meeting of first ladies. U.S. First Lady Laura Bush joined her Mexican counterpart Margarita Zavala to inaugurate an alliance to promote breast cancer awareness and research. At the launch of the U.S.-Mexico partnership, the women spoke of improving education and ending stigmas linked to breast cancer. About 4,200 women die of breast cancer each year in Mexico and according to the foundation, the numbers are on the rise.

In Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is experiencing what some call a dengue epidemic. Dengue is one of the most critical reemerging infectious diseases in the world. According to the journal of the American Medical Association, it already has reemerged in some parts of the U.S. According to reports, it has killed 47 people, half of them children under 13. Put into perspective, there was a dengue fever outbreak in Río from 2001 to 2002. Over 82,000 cases were diagnosed and 60 reported deaths.

March 20, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tension In South America

March 06, 2008 2:15 PM

Venezuela /Colombia/ Ecuador: Colombia's decision to attack leftist rebels across the border in Ecuador has become South America's most volatile crises in years. Ecuador and Venezuela sent thousands of troops in response to the Colombian attack, which killed two dozen rebels including Raúl Reyes, a top FARC revolutionary. Ecuador rejected a Colombian apology. At an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States, a resolution was approved that declared the incursion a violation of Ecuador’s sovereignty.  Meanwhile, President Hugo Chavez warned that Venezuela would consider any violation of its border as an act of war. Colombia complains that Venezuela and Ecuador have long provided refuge to leftist Colombian guerrillas who are fighting the government.

United States: A new behavior lab at ABC News, What would you do?  ABC’s John Quiñones takes a look at what people do when faced with ethical dilemmas and moral conflicts. These dilemmas put real people on the spot and test their moral judgment while the camera is rolling. For more check the Exclusiva homepage.

Hollywood/ U.S. Immigration: Actress America Ferrera is on the big screen. She's in the new film Under The Same Moon, the movie that broke records this year at the Sundance Film Festival. No studio has ever paid as much, five million dollars, for a Spanish Language film. The movie examines the cruel choice that millions of mothers in America were forced to make: To live in poverty with their children or leave them to come to the United States so they’ll have a better life. It’s the reality of working illegally in America. Go to the Exclusiva Homepage for more and listen to our interview with Patricia Riggen, the director of Under the Same Moon on the Exclusiva Spanish Podcast. 

March 6, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Noticias del Mundo Hispano

February 28, 2008 3:25 PM

We start this week in Mexico where the parents of slain independent journalist, Bradley Will, announced that they would bring their own experts to examine the evidence of their son's death. Will died during protests in the Mexican city of Oaxaca in 2006. The 36-year-old journalist was killed while filming unrest there. The family alleges that ballistic evidence does not support the government's theory of how Will died.

Also in Mexico, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said that NAFTA has been a boon for the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the three signatory countries should help small Mexican farmers who have suffered from the pact.  Earlier this month, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Mexico City, asking officials to renegotiate the removal of tariff protections for key crops like corn and beans.

In U.S. politics, a look ahead at Tuesday's Democratic primary, where the Hispanic vote could be decisive in some states. The Obama campaign is gathering new endorsements. As for Hillary Clinton, her struggling campaign it’s drawing much of the attention. But have Latinos demanded too little for their political support? Tell us what you think.

In Brazil, it’s environmental workers versus farmers and loggers. As the Amazon suffers so do its people. Brazil police seized more than 500 truckloads of illegally cut hardwood that were confiscated, but abandoned last week. The livelihood of many of the people in the area depends on logging and the sawmills. Environmentalists say increased demand for soy and beef has prompted farmers to raze rainforest land for fields and pastures. Brazil is the world's top beef exporter, and second to the United States in soy exports.

February 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)