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MEXICAN GAS EXPLOSIONS FORCE SHUTDOWNS
The Miami Herald
Jul. 12, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
Honda, Hershey's and other multinational companies temporarily shut down their factories in western Mexico on Wednesday after rebels attacked a key natural gas pipeline.
The small, left-wing guerrilla group that claimed responsibility for the explosions issued a statement late Tuesday vowing to continue the attacks, while the Mexican government scrambled to increase security at "strategic installations" across Mexico.
At least a dozen companies including Honda Motor Co., Kellogg Co.'s, The Hershey Co., Nissan Motor Co., and Grupo Modelo SA were forced to suspend or scale back operations because of the lack of natural gas, the daily newspaper Excelsior reported. They said they faced millions of dollars in losses.
Vitro SAB, a Mexican company that makes glass containers, said the shutdown of two plants would cost it about $800,000 a day. Vitro said in a statement that it was increasing production at other plants in Mexico to minimize effects on customers.
Total business losses were being estimated at more than 70 million pesos ($6.4 million) a day, Excelsior reported, citing unidentified sources. The association representing Mexican industry said Wednesday it was looking into the extent of the explosions' financial impact.
CUBANS RISK RAIDS TO GET SATELLITE TV
The Christian Science Monitor
July 12, 2007
HAVANA - Before the police raid, the Perez family paid $7.56 per month for a DirecTV window on the world.
Daniel, a literature major at the University of Havana, watched the Chicago White Sox on ESPN. His mom, Marisel, never missed an episode of "La Fea Más Bella" (The Prettiest Ugly Girl), a popular Mexican soap opera on Univision. And Daniel's younger brother was an avid fan of the VH1 music videos.
Now, they are stuck with four Cuban TV channels – and two of those are devoted to educational programming.
"Cuban TV is boring.... There isn't much variation," says Daniel Perez (who fears arrest, so asked that his family's real name be changed). "I like being in the loop, knowing about the newest trends and feeling like I'm in touch with the world."
Having a satellite TV, cellphone, or Internet connection at home is illegal for most Cuban citizens. But that hasn't stopped the spread of such services on the black market.
Pedro, a young underground entrepreneur, gets his nightly news from Channel 23 (Univision), "because Cuban TV doesn't give me unbiased coverage of world news.... But neither does American news. So I watch both and compare them."
BISHOP IN PARAGUAY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT
The Miami Herald
Jul. 13, 2007
ASUNCION, Paraguay --
A charismatic leader dubbed the "Bishop of the Poor" is an early favorite to make history as the first man to serve as a Roman Catholic bishop, then be elected president of his country.
The Vatican is not pleased, and it's not alone: Fernando Lugo's candidacy not only tests the church's strict prohibition on clergy seeking political office, it also challenges the established elites in Paraguay. The nation's poor majority feels disenfranchised after 60 years of unbroken rule by President Nicanor Duarte's Colorado Party.
Although there's a long way to go before next April's presidential election, polls show Lugo has support from nearly 40 percent of voters, 10 percentage points ahead of his closest rival. Thousands turn out at his rallies, sometimes on horse-drawn wagons, chanting "Lugo, si!" at his vows to end one-party rule.
Like many Paraguayans, Lugo blames the Colorados for the struggling economy, rampant corruption and politics that favor rich elites in the landlocked, agrarian nation.
"I believe the official party is responsible for the poverty, the corruption and the dishonesty in this country," Lugo said during an interview at his brother's home. "We need a country that's more just and more equitable."
Lugo, who resigned as bishop in December to sidestep Paraguay's constitutional ban on clergy seeking office, sees politics as a solution to the problems of his former flock in the San Pedro region. He spent nearly 11 years there, ministering to hungry peasants who toil in cotton and soybean fields of rich landowners.
MICRO COVERAGE A BIG HELP FOR MEXICO'S POOR
The Christian Science Monitor
July 13, 2007
MEXICO CITY - Adela Amaya Chavez never considered life insurance. In fact she had no idea what it was.
But on a recent day when inquiring about a loan at Banco Azteca to repair the leaky drains in her home in Mexico City, she was told that if she paid an additional $2 a week her family would receive $6,000 if she were to die. Her first thought: the death of her nephew in a car accident in 2003 and the devastation it caused his family. "It was so sudden," says Ms. Amaya Chavez, who cleans office buildings for a living.
She signed up.
Once just a safeguard for the middle and upper classes, insurance is finding its way to all sectors of Mexico. For the poorest, microinsurance policies – often simple plans worth tiny sums of money – are giving protection to those Mexicans who work in the informal economy, often don't have bank accounts, and never dreamed of the luxury of having a Plan B.
Asia and Africa have pioneered microinsurance coverage for everything from death to droughts. But a new government-sponsored plan to promote such micropolicies in Mexico – with its sophisticated banking sector and second-largest population in Latin America – could have a ripple effect in the region, experts say. The plan is the first of its kind in Mexico and will focus first on basic life insurance, and later target health and property.
What began as a community-based and nonprofit effort is now moving to a commercial venture expected to grow quickly – and could lead millions of Mexicans one step further away from poverty.
'HOT CORNER' TESTS FREE SPEECH IN CUBA
The Miami Herald
Jul. 14, 2007
HAVANA --
Miguel is in mid-sentence when his face darkens and his eyes dart to the ground. His mouth is still open, but no words come out.
He has been talking about what it must be like to live in a country where the government doesn't control all radio and television. What he says is hardly incendiary, but when a policeman saunters by, he freezes.
"That's Cuba," he says after the officer has moved away. "They are always listening."
Saying the wrong thing too loudly in this country can cost you your job. Insulting Fidel Castro or other leaders in public can mean jail.
Still, freedom of speech in Cuba is more nuanced than may appear. The government tolerates criticism in a few accepted spaces, and many people do express themselves in public, sometimes even loudly and bitterly - and more so, some say, since Castro fell ill last year and his brother Raul took over.
One such relatively free space is the enclave of benches and shade trees of Havana's Central Park where Miguel was sounding off. It's called the Esquina Caliente, or "Hot Corner," from baseball lingo for third base. Here Cuban men both young and old, black and white, some with gold chains and sneakers, others in threadbare tank tops and dusty sandals - argue sports all day, every day.
ARISTIDE SUPPORTERS MARCH IN HAITI
The Miami Herald
Jul. 05, 2007
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti --
Supporters of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through Haiti's capital on Sunday, demanding the ousted leader's return and accusing President Rene Preval of turning his back on his one-time ally.
Chants of "Preval is a traitor!" and "Bring Aristide home!" rose up as more than 1,000 protesters marched from the Port-au-Prince slum of Bel-Air to the heavily guarded National Palace, Preval's official residence.
"We helped Preval get in power and now he has turned his back on us. We still love Aristide and we want him home," Erick LeBon said during the march, which was called to mark Aristide's 54th birthday.
A former slum priest-turned-president, Aristide was toppled during a 2004 rebel uprising. He was flown out of the country aboard a U.S.-supplied jet and later accused the United States of kidnapping him in a coup - a charge Washington denies.
Currently exiled in South Africa, Aristide has said he wants to return to Haiti but that the timing depends on Preval, his former prime minister and political protege.
Preval, a champion of the poor overwhelmingly elected last year with help from Aristide supporters, has said Haiti's constitution allows Aristide to return but has not taken steps to bring him back. The two men are no longer close and reportedly have not spoken in years.
SPAIN'S NEW OPENING TO CUBA A RISKY GAMBIT
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
MADRID -- The Spanish government's recent decision to improve ties with Cuba ''is bearing its fruits,'' and the process will continue without abandoning the island's dissidents, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told me in an interview last week.
Moratinos, who was criticized widely at home following an April visit to Cuba in which he met with top Cuban officials but not with dissidents, is still in the midst of a fierce political fight over Spain's Socialist government's new overtures to Cuba.
At a recent congressional hearing, the right-of-center Popular Party pounded Moratinos with questions over why he had failed to meet with dissidents, and why he stood silent when, at a joint press conference in Havana, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque claimed that there are no political oppositionists in Cuba, but only ''mercenaries'' of the United States.
''This is an ongoing issue for us,'' says Gustavo de Arístegui, a foreign affairs spokesman for the right-of-center opposition Popular Party's legislative bloc. ``This government's mistakes on Cuba and Venezuela are scandalous.''
MEXICO PRESIDENT DISMISSES ACCUSATIONS
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
President Felipe Calderon on Monday dismissed as "pure fiction" the allegations by a Chinese-Mexican businessman that Mexico's ruling party forced him to hide tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash at his home.
In his first public statements about the accusations by Zhenli Ye Gon, Calderon said they "are not only false, they are ridiculous."
Ye Gon claimed this month that he was threatened with death by the ruling party unless he stored at least $150 million in his Mexico City mansion. It was the first major accusation that Calderon's administration has links to Mexico's drug underworld.
But key details in Ye Gon's version of events seem contradictory, unclear or unverifiable, and a senior U.S. anti-drug official said he knew of no evidence that the Calderon administration - which has sent troops into the streets to fight drug cartels - has any links to organized crime.
Ye Gon is charged in Mexico with drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons possession for allegedly importing 19 tons of a pseudoephedrine compound used to make methamphetamine - charges he denies. He is thought to be in the United States; Mexico considers him a fugitive.
CHAVEZ: CATHOLIC CHURCH LOSING BACKING
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
President Hugo Chavez criticized Venezuela's Roman Catholic leaders on Monday for condemning his plans to rewrite the constitution, saying the church is losing support in this politically divided nation because priests are meddling in politics.
The Venezuelan Bishops' Conference complains that proposals for the forthcoming constitutional reform are being drafted without public involvement by a committee appointed by Chavez.
"They act as if they were a political party," Chavez said during a televised speech. "Everyday, there are fewer Catholics in the world, and in Venezuela, and that's worrisome. The attitudes among Venezuela's Catholic hierarchy is one of the causes."
Chavez - a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - lambasted the clergy of "lying" about his plans for the reform, warning Venezuela's Catholic Church leaders they were "sinning" by spreading falsehoods.
Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has repeatedly clashed with church leaders. But tensions between the bishops' conference and Chavez's administration have grown particularly tense in recent months.
Critics accuse Chavez of becoming increasingly authoritarian as he steers Venezuela toward socialism. Many fear the former paratroop commander will use the pending constitutional reform to lay a legal framework allowing him to override democratic institutions such as the National Assembly.
ARGENTINE ECONOMY MINISTER RESIGNS
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
President Nestor Kirchner's economy minister resigned Monday after a prosecutor ordered her to testify about $64,000 in cash that was found in a bag in her office bathroom, the government said.
Kirchner accepted Felisa Miceli's resignation and appointed economist and Industry Secretary Gustavo Peirano as her replacement to be sworn in Tuesday, Chief of Staff Alberto Fernandez said.
Late last month, police conducting a routine security check found a brown paper bag containing the cash in Argentine pesos and U.S. dollars in a bathroom cabinet inside Miceli's offices.
"The publicizing of acts concerning my private life, relating them to my public activity, has caused undeserved damage to my honor which undoubtedly affects our government," Miceli said in her resignation letter.
She added that she will face justice "like any other citizen" to clarify the case.
Miceli had said earlier that her brother had loaned her most of the money so she could buy a house, and she had taken it to the office for safekeeping until she could put it in a bank. She said she broke no law, but committed a "blunder" by leaving it in her office.
But federal prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan was not satisfied with the explanation and ordered her to appear before a judge to make a declaration.
CHÁVEZ'S LOAN PLAN IS A HARD SELL IN VENEZUELA
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
CARACAS --
On a recent evening, under the dim light of an elementary school classroom in a poor Caracas neighborhood, 11 people debated the ideological drawbacks of handing out government funds as personal loans.
''We're not helping anyone by giving personal loans,'' Ernesto Silva, a 28-year-old engineer, told the others as they discussed how to spend money the Venezuelan government had made available to them for community projects. ``We're promoting capitalism and materialism.''
''Personal loans can generate a productive culture in the community,'' countered Alexander Pacheco, 38, a computer specialist.
The discussion was part of a meeting of one of the country's several hundred new community councils, President Hugo Chávez's latest, and one of his more controversial, initiatives on the road to what he calls 21st-century socialism.
The councils are small citizen-run groups that theoretically will eventually take the place of mayors, governors, and other municipal and regional representatives and promote grass-roots democracy. Their money comes from various government institutions that fund their small projects; their power is supposed to come from their local roots.
ARRESTS IN MEXICO THREATEN CALDERÓN'S RATINGS
The Miami Herald
Jul. 16, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
President Felipe Calderón's biggest bust in his biggest battle -- against drug traffickers who have taken over large swaths of territory as they move narcotics to the United States -- yielded no drugs and no cartel kingpins.
When federal police raided a house in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood, they found the largest stash of alleged drug money in the history of the fight, the government said. It came in at $205 million. Guns and equipment to make amphetamine pills were also seized, authorities said. Seven people, most household employees, were arrested.
The huge cash reserve came from the illegal sale of a restricted cold medicine, pseudoephedrine, to narco labs that turn it into illegal methamphetamine, officials said.
Calderón's approval rating, boosted by the drug war in general, hit 65 percent.
But recent video images of the home's owner -- the Mexican-nationalized Chinese native Zhenli Ye Gon -- strolling New York streets and accusing the ruling party of using him to hoard its illegal money now threatens to taint the spectacular DEA-assisted seizure.
CORRUPTION SCANDALS SPREAD IN BRAZIL
The Miami Herald
Jul. 17, 2007
The paper trail ends in an unmarked office in Brazil's federal police headquarters, where duffel bags full of confiscated files are heaped on the floor, waiting to be opened and analyzed.
The bags have been piling up in recent months, byproducts the result of the sensationally brazen corruption scandals that have been multiplying, one after another. The parade of disgraced public figures under investigation seems endless, and includes government ministers, top lawmakers and members of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's family.
FALLEN ALLIES
Meanwhile, Lula's reputation floats above the muck, rising with public opinion polls that indicate about two-thirds of Brazilians are happy with him. Close allies fall around him, but the president is protected by an increasingly popular belief: The contents of those duffel bags -- and all the dirty deals they have revealed -- might have remained unexamined if it weren't for Lula.
''People are not stupid -- they know corruption has always occurred in Brazil, and it's just that more of it is being uncovered now,'' said Jorge Hage, the government's auditor general. ``For the first time in Brazilian history, we have a systematic effort to fight it.''
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