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PERU'S PRESIDENT PUT TO TEST IN QUAKE
The Miami Herald
Aug. 23, 2007
LIMA, Peru --
An earthquake that leveled towns in southern Peru was the first big test of the presidency of Alan Garcia, one of Washington's top allies in Latin America.
The president spent four straight nights sleeping by candlelight in Pisco, the hardest-hit city, and saw his approval ratings skyrocket. But he could be in trouble as disorganization in the relief effort becomes increasingly obvious.
"The chaos is among the worst I've seen, and I've been in nine earthquakes," said Pedro Frutos, head of a team of Spanish firefighters that helped search for survivors.
Garcia traveled quickly to Pisco after the Aug. 15 quake and was on the streets until after midnight, assigning tasks to Cabinet ministers, overseeing food and water distribution and coordinating lodging for the thousands of homeless.
HURRICANE ROBS MAYA OF VITAL FRUIT TREES
The Miami Herald
Aug. 23, 2007
UH-MAY, Mexico --
Thousands of Mayan Indians lost homes as Hurricane Dean blew through the Yucatan peninsula, but their real wealth was the trees, now scattered and broken in the storm's wake. Village after village is carpeted with fallen mangoes, oranges, guanabanas and mameys that will never be harvested.
Mexico's Mayan communities have survived centuries of oppression, expulsion from valuable land along the Caribbean coast, and many damaging storms. But they say no other hurricane - not Gilbert in 1988, not Roxanne in 1995, not Wilma in 2005 - has hit the Maya so hard.
Dean ripped most of the roof off Israel Cruz Chan's home in the village of Nohbec, not far from where storm's center tore through the jungle on Tuesday. But Cruz Chan, 40, demonstrated the resilience of the Mayan villages of the Yucatan Peninsula.
ON MEXICAN COAST, ANXIETY AFTER DEAN
The Washington Post
August 23, 2007
CASITAS, Mexico, Aug. 22 -- Now, they wait. Wait and worry.
Each hour -- each minute, it seems -- Adalberto Simón feels the urge to peek at the choppy brown stream that flows behind the wrecked thatched-roof shack where he once slept soundly. The deep branch of the Bobos River that made his back yard beautiful now unnerves him.
"It looks ugly to me," said Simón, 19.
Soggy ground and small floods are part of life here amid the cattle ranches and tiny villages dotting the 300 winding miles between the important Mexican port cities of Tampico and Veracruz. But Hurricane Dean, the sprawling storm that took its second swipe at Mexico on Wednesday when it made landfall close to here, threatens something more -- to fill this region's myriad rivers and tributaries to overflowing.
This is the second, less flashy phase of a hurricane's assault, the slow-motion torture that contrasts with the adrenaline rush of a storm that Wednesday afternoon brought 100 mph winds to Simón's little slice of heaven, 100 miles north of Veracruz. Everyone, from Veracruz state's governor, Fidel Herrera, to the farmers in their hip boots, is watching the rivers.
ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS TOUGHENED IN CUBA
The Miami Herald
Aug. 24, 2007
Ratcheting up his fight against corruption and mismanagement in Cuba, interim leader Raúl Castro has signed a decree requiring tough, swift and long-lasting punishment for public officials who violate labor rules.
Decree 25½007, published Wednesday in the Official Gazette, covers the enforcement of earlier decrees designed to counter official corruption and illegal but widespread workplace activities, including petty thievery of public supplies, 4-hour work days and hiring friends for good jobs.
COLOMBIA TO OFFER UP PARAMILITARY BOSS
The Miami Herald
Aug. 24, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia --
A powerful paramilitary boss faces a long prison sentence - and possible extradition to the United States - because he broke a partial amnesty deal by continuing to run a drug smuggling ring from jail, authorities said Friday.
Carlos Jimenez is the first jailed warlord to lose benefits conceded under a 2003 peace accord that led paramilitary leaders to surrender and demobilize 31,000 of their men in exchange for reduced prison terms and protection from extradition.
Interior Minister Carlos Holguin said that Jimenez had continued to oversee a drug-smuggling operation from jail.
35 KIDS REMOVED FROM GUATEMALA ORPHANAGE
The Miami Herald
Aug. 24, 2007
GUATEMALA CITY --
Authorities removed 35 babies from an adoption home catering to Americans that was raided two weeks ago and took them to several private orphanages, the government said.
A judge ordered they be taken from the Casa Quivira home on Thursday, said Suly de Ucles, an official with the President's Office of Social Welfare who is responsible for their care.
Ucles said the judge did not tell her where the babies would be taken or why they were moved after being allowed to remain at the home for nearly two weeks.
Authorities raided Casa Quivira on Aug. 11 as part of a national crackdown to bring adoption agencies in line with international standards.
AFTER A LONG TREK ACROSS COLOMBIA, HOSTAGE ADVOCATE NOT READY TO REST
The Washington Post
August 24, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Gustavo Moncayo's small-town life of quiet anonymity was marked by daily church services and a two-block walk to the public school where he taught social studies. On special days, he said, he'd play his flute.
That was before he became a household name -- a man who made a 600-mile, Forrest Gump-like walk across much of Colombia, finishing early this month, to draw attention to the plight of the estimated 3,000 people being held hostage in this country. Among those victims is his son, a soldier captured by rebels a decade ago.
The 46-day odyssey by Moncayo generated so much attention that it prompted Colombian President Álvaro Uribe to meet him in Bogota's central square for an impromptu debate. There, with the political theater televised nationwide, the two men argued about an intractable problem that afflicts thousands of Colombian families: how to free civilians and soldiers held hostage by the Marxist guerrillas who have been waging war here since 1964.
DEAN LEAVES MEXICO RELATIVELY UNSCATHED
The Miami Herald
Aug. 24, 2007
POZA RICA, Mexico --
It drove terror deep into Mexico, smashing ashore as the third most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever to hit land.
But the furious beast proved relatively toothless, thanks to large-scale preparations - and a lot of luck.
Hurricane Dean did kill at least eight people in Mexico. It also destroyed sugar cane, corn crops and mango orchards and demolished a major cruise ship port. Insured losses were estimated to be less than $300 million.
Still, things could have been far worse.
PERU QUAKE VICTIMS BATTLE HUNGER, COLD
The Miami Herald
Aug. 25, 2007
PISCO, Peru --
An unforgiving wind lashes Juan Escate as he huddles around a bonfire with his three children, chilling him as he ponders how to fulfill his wife's dying plea.
Last week's magnitude-8 earthquake sent Escate's home on the outskirts of Pisco tumbling down, burying his wife Doris in rubble as she rushed their 16-year-old daughter to safety.
"Promise me you'll take care of my children," he says were his wife's last words.
The quake forced Escate and thousands of others in this impoverished port city on Peru's central coast into crudely constructed shelters. Icy ocean winds carry sand from the beaches and people keep watch all night against thieves.
CASTRO DEATH RUMORS CROP UP AGAIN
The Miami Herald
Aug. 25, 2007
The rumors heated up again Friday for the third week in a row: Fidel Castro's death would be announced, first at 2 p.m., then at 4, then at 5.
In the year since the Cuban government announced Castro had ceded power to brother Raúl following intestinal surgery, rumors he's on his deathbed keep boiling over and dying down, creating a roller coaster of emotion for exiles and islanders.
Tearful callers told Ninoska Pérez of Radio Mambí they were sure this was it, and Pérez, as usual, said, ``The moment will come, but this is not the moment.''
QUAKE ORPHAN REFLECTS PERU’S LOSS, AND ANGER
The New York Times
August 25, 2007
PISCO, Peru, Aug. 23 — Through the choking smoke and with little light to guide him, Luis Palomino dug furiously through the rubble of the San Clemente church here two hours after last week’s earthquake buried parishioners under a pile of adobe stones.
Then, somewhere in the distance, he heard a baby crying.
Disoriented, Mr. Palomino, 30, said he could not locate the noise, until about five hours later, around 1 a.m., when he and his cousin Abel finally pulled 7-month-old Gerson Williams Alviar from beneath the body of his father, William.
While Gerson survived, both of the baby’s parents and all three of his sisters died in the church that night. So did as many as 60 members of one extended family, the Espinos, to whom the baby is related.
PERUVIANS FACE DAUNTING TASK OF REBUILDING WHAT WAS LOST
The Washington Post
August 26, 2007
PISCO, Peru -- Carmen Angulo tells visitors to step carefully when entering her home. Pots and pans lie to the right, clothes to the left, and her three children, her parents and a few nieces and nephews nap on mattresses tossed on the floor.
This is not the way she would normally invite people in, but this is not her normal house.
Angulo now lives in a big white tent.
Like more than 40,000 other families living along Peru's coast, the Angulos lost their house in the magnitude-8 earthquake on Aug. 15 and now face the daunting task of rebuilding communities reduced to rubble.
"We were on the street with nothing before this shelter was opened," said Angulo, 29, who is staying in a tent city with 300 other families on what used to be the soccer field and playground of a now-destroyed school. "We have been given everything we need for the time being. Now we have to start rebuilding our lives."
CASTRO SIGNS ESSAY AMID HEALTH RUMORS
The Miami Herald
Aug. 26, 2007
HAVANA --
Fidel Castro signed a lengthy essay published Sunday saluting a Cuban political figure but giving no hint of how he is feeling, even amid rampant rumors of his death.
The 81-year-old Castro has not been seen in public in over a year and has not even appeared in official photographs or video footage since taping an interview with Cuban state television June 5.
The lack of images has fueled speculation among the Cuban exile community in Miami and elsewhere that Castro might have died. He announced on July 31, 2006 that he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding power to his younger brother Raul.
MOVING CLOCKS AHEAD, REACHING BACK IN TIME
The New York Times
August 26, 2007
CARACAS,
city’s routine will adjust to new time zone,” read thursday’s headline of últimas notícias, the most widely circulated daily in caracas. the tabloid, sympathetic to president hugo chávez, went on to describe the benefits of his plan to move clocks forward by half an hour in a bid to improve the “metabolism” of his fellow citizens.
in a time of startling policy announcements from mr. chávez, it is no wonder that picking up a newspaper in the bolivarian republic of venezuela can sometimes feel like perusing the onion. recent statements by mr. chávez have some venezuelans pondering the inspiration for his latest moves.
last sunday, mr. chávez rolled out plans to build a set of artificial island-cities, intended to demarcate venezuela’s sovereignty in the caribbean, and to import 5,000 russian sniper rifles to arm guerrillas in the event of an american invasion. it was also the day he announced the change in time zone.
MEXICO’S PLUTOCRACY THRIVES ON ROBBER-BARON CONCESSIONS
Editorial
The New York Times
August 27, 2007
Growing up in Mexico City, I always knew Mexico was an unjust country — a place where small coteries of the privileged control all power and wealth while half the population lives in poverty. But it never occurred to me that Mexico would have billionaires.
It does. According to Forbes magazine, last year there were 10 Mexicans among the world’s 946 billionaires.
That might not seem out of line in a country with 100 million-plus people, which accounts for about 1.6 percent of the global economy. But here’s what takes the cake, especially if you’re Mexican like me. Earlier this month, Fortune reported that Carlos Slim Helú, a Mexican, had just surpassed Bill Gates to become the world’s richest man, with a fortune worth $59 billion.
CASTRO SIGNS POLITICAL ESSAY, SIDESTEPS HEALTH QUESTIONS
The Miami Herald
Aug. 27, 2007
HAVANA --
Fidel Castro signed a lengthy essay published Sunday saluting a Cuban political figure but giving no hint of how he is feeling, even amid rampant rumors of his death.
The 81-year-old Castro has not been seen in public in over a year and has not even appeared in official photographs or video footage since taping an interview with Cuban state television June 5.
The lack of images has fueled speculation among the Cuban exile community in Miami and elsewhere that Castro might have died. He announced on July 31, 2006, that he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding power to his younger brother Raúl.
Officials in Havana have refused to speak about Castro's condition, but Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque told reporters in Brazil last week that ''Fidel is doing very well and is disciplined in his recovery process.'' He insisted the gray-bearded leader maintains ''permanent'' contact with top government officials.
KIRCHNER'S PARTY WINS AGAIN IN ARGENTINE GOVERNOR'S RACE
The Miami Herald
Aug. 28, 2007
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --
(AP) -- Argentina's government got another boost ahead of October national elections as official returns Monday showed a loyalist governor winning reelection in a thunderous landslide -- 78 percent to 5.
Tucuman Gov. José Alperovich's win Sunday was the sixth recent electoral victory by candidates supporting center-left President Néstor Kirchner, whose wife is running to succeed him on Oct. 28. Sen. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is way ahead in most polls against a divided opposition.
Alperovich won 78 percent of the vote on Kirchner's ticket, Front for Victory. His closest rival, Ricardo Bussi of the conservative Republic Force party, received 5.3 percent.
Bussi is the son of a former general who is detained and facing prosecution for suspected human rights abuses during the 1976-83 military dictatorship when he served as military chief and Tucuman's de facto governor.
BIOLOGIST FACES PRISON TERM IN BRAZIL
The Miami Herald
Aug. 28, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO --
Dutch scientist Marc van Roosmalen's success at combing the Amazon for new monkey species has earned him international acclaim and recognition as one of the world's leading biologists. Time magazine named him one of its Heroes for the Planet.
Now his work has earned him a more troubling distinction: a nearly 16-year prison sentence. He was jailed in June for nearly two months before a panel of judges freed him on bail earlier this month while he appeals.
Van Roosmalen was convicted of holding an Internet auction for the naming rights of two monkey species he discovered. He planned to use the proceeds to help preserve their habitats. But the court ruled the auction was illegal because van Roosmalen was working at Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research at the time of the discoveries and said the naming rights belonged to the government.
COURT TARGETS BRAZILIAN EX-POLITICIANS
The Miami Herald
Aug. 28, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil --
Brazil's Supreme Court has agreed to rule on corruption charges against former Cabinet members in a bribes-for-votes scandal that severely damaged the reputation of the president's party.
The most prominent defendant, former chief of staff Jose Dirceu, helped engineer President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's historic 2002 election.
The court late Monday agreed to hold a trial on the charges, which carry a possible 12 year prison sentence, and on Tuesday it added a conspiracy charge for Dirceu punishable by up to three years behind bars.
CLOSE POLITICAL ALLY OF BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT TO FACE CORRUPTION TRIAL
The New York Times
August 29, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 28 — A corruption scandal that has hovered like a black cloud over President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for two years intensified this week after Brazil’s Supreme Court voted to put his former chief of staff on trial on corruption charges.
The justices voted unanimously on Monday to bring charges against José Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva, the closest ally of the president to be tried in the vote-buying scheme. Then on Tuesday the justices voted 9 to 1 to charge him with being the “head of the criminal organization.”
Mr. Dirceu, whom many call the architect behind Mr. da Silva’s rise to power, resigned from the cabinet in June 2005 after being accused of heading a scheme to pay members of Congress to back the ruling Workers’ Party.
VENEZUELANS CHASE DOLLARS AMID ECONOMY WORRIES
The Miami Herald
Aug. 29, 2007
CARACAS --
Like many people they know in Caracas these days, Alfred and Norma Muñoz are bracing for what they believe is inevitable: a currency crash brought about by President Hugo Chávez's policies.
The middle-class couple plan to borrow as much as they can from a local bank and buy an apartment outside the country. If Venezuela's bolívar plunges against the dollar, they figure, the loan will be cheap to pay off in dollar terms, and the overseas apartment will hold its dollar value. ''Plus, it gives you somewhere to flee if things really get bad,'' says Muñoz, who runs a small business.
At the moment, with oil at near record prices, Venezuela's economy is booming. The fourth-largest oil exporter to the United States has averaged 12.6 percent annual growth since 2004 -- the fastest in Latin America. Three-month waits to buy new cars are standard at Caracas dealerships amid a boom in consumer financing. Unemployment has fallen to single-digit rates for the first time in more than a decade.
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