Jueves 27 de Setiembre 2007. Año III, No. OCHENTA Y OCHO

La Secretaría General de la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) ha iniciado la coordinación del proyecto “América Latina ante la Segunda Administración Bush”.  

Como parte de este  proyecto, la Secretaría General de FLACSO ofrece otro canal de información con un resumen noticioso semanal sobre lo que se publica acerca de América Latina en algunos de los principales diarios de los Estados Unidos.  Esto permitirá identificar   cuales son los temas que despiertan mayor  interés en Estados Unidos sobre la región latinoamericana y su tratamiento en la prensa estadounidense.  Las noticias correspondientes a la semana del 27 de Setiembre al 3 de Octubre 2007 han sido clasificadas bajo las categorías de:

COMERCIO
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PROGRESS ON TRADE?
The Washington Post
September 24, 2007

IT APPEARS that the Democratic Congress and the government of Peru have finally gotten to "yes" on the pending free-trade agreement that the Bush administration and Lima negotiated earlier this year. Last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.) and trade subcommittee Chairman Sander M. Levin (Mich.) circulated a "Dear Democratic Colleague" letter signaling members of their party that it was now safe to vote for the pact. Mr. Rangel and Mr. Levin assured Democrats that Peru has adjusted its labor laws to meet international standards. A vote on the bill is due in Mr. Rangel's committee tomorrow; the Senate Finance Committee approved it on Friday, 18 to 3. An October floor vote on final passage is within reach.

Much of the credit for the progress belongs to Mr. Rangel and Peruvian President Alan Garc¿a, each of whom showed considerable flexibility and political skill in recasting the agreement in a form that House Democrats could accept -- without sacrificing its tariff-slashing essence. They spent a good part of the summer dancing this minuet. But let us also be clear that it should never have been necessary in the first place. On May 10, after the Bush administration agreed to incorporate labor and environmental conditions in free-trade agreements, Democratic leaders pledged swift approval for the Peru deal and a similar one with Panama, only to renege a month later under pressure from organized labor. That sent the Peru deal into the purgatory from which it has now, seemingly, been rescued.

HOUSE PANEL APPROVES A TRADE PACT WITH PERU
The New York Times
September 26, 2007

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 — A trade pact between the United States and Peru won bipartisan support in a crucial Congressional committee Tuesday, signaling that some Democrats will be receptive to new trade deals as long as they call on other nations to adhere to international labor and environmental standards.

The action, a voice vote in the House Ways and Means Committee, clears the way for approval of the Peru deal by Congress this fall, with most Republicans and perhaps a minority of the Democrats supporting it, Congressional aides said. The Senate Finance Committee approved the pact on Friday.

The vote Tuesday was a victory for the Bush administration and Representative Charles B. Rangel, the New York Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means panel. Mr. Rangel argued, against the opposition of many Democrats, that well-devised trade deals can benefit American workers and the economy.

MIGRACIÓN
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MAKING MIGRANT DOLLARS GO FAR
The Washington Post
September 21, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Once every month, the average immigrant in the United States steps into a money-transfer facility and wires approximately $250 overseas. Minutes later somewhere around the world, a relative or friend can step into a similar facility and receive the cash -- minus fees and other transfer expenses. This transnational economic activity, repeating itself millions of times every month, added up to about $274 billion worldwide last year -- a lifeline for millions in some of the poorest corners of the planet and an amount at least double all official foreign aid combined.

For years, immigrant organizations, governments and international financial institutions have focused energy and resources on figuring how they might leverage those billions to help improve the conditions that make people become immigrants in the first place. Largely absent from this effort -- and in fact a frequent target of criticism -- has been the middleman: the money transmitter.

Last week, some might say, things changed. Western Union, the largest money transmitter with more than 17 percent of the global market, announced a $50 million, five-year philanthropic initiative to help migrant families. The Colorado-based company said it would underwrite educational grants, offer free wire transfers during humanitarian relief efforts and enlist some of its 312,000 agents and representatives as financial mentors to businesses and individuals.

Editorial
NEW YORK’S IMMIGRANT DRIVERS
The New York Times
September 22, 2007

Gov. Eliot Spitzer made a very important if politically hazardous decision yesterday. He decreed that New York State’s Department of Motor Vehicles will award driver’s licenses to those who can prove who they are and pass the tests, not only those in good standing with the federal immigration authorities. That decision is correct for all who use New York’s roads.

Like other governors and mayors, Mr. Spitzer is trying to deal with Washington’s failure to produce a coherent immigration policy that would deal humanely with the 12 million illegal immigrants who have come to America to work, often in the lowliest of jobs. That lack of resolve forced states and sometimes local communities to figure out how to cope with reality — housing, working conditions, all sorts of local problems. Mr. Spitzer’s licensing rules are an attempt to deal with higher accident rates among unlicensed drivers — many of whom flee the scene because they fear immigration authorities.

The new rules would expand the kinds of documents that would be accepted by the state to get a license. A Social Security card would no longer be required if there are enough other documents, like an up-to-date passport, a birth certificate or other items. The governor promised new security measures — such as making sure state officials are trained in verifying foreign documents and using photo comparison technology to make certain one person does not get more than one license.

CRUISE STOPS CUBAN MIGRANTS DESPITE PLEAS
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

The scene played out as it has so many times before: Cubans on a flimsy inflatable raft begged Carnival Cruise Line officials not to interrupt their journey to ''freedom'' while passengers tossed them water bottles and shot video.

Adlin Sukhwani, of Kendall, was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise, about 45 miles from Key West, when she spotted the small raft on Saturday and her husband started videotaping the 10 men -- an effort to get their faces splashed in the news media and help their families identify them.

Dozens of tourists leaned on the verandas aboard Carnival's Valor to spot the men traveling on what appeared to be an inflatable raft of blue rubber, ropes and wood, she said. ''Americans, Cubans, Colombians, we were all trying to help them, and throw them bottles of water,'' Sukhwani said.

POLÍTICA INTERNA
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ARGENTINA MOTHERS BUILD HOMES FOR POOR
The Miami Herald
Sep. 20, 2007

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- White head scarves became the symbol of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo as they battled a dictatorship that killed their children. Now they've donned hard hats, filling a new role as homebuilders for the poor.

The women are still fighting for the prosecution of agents of Argentina's 1976-83 military regime. But as their hair goes white and their numbers thin, they are trying to build a human rights movement that will outlive them. Their latest project: to build more than 1,200 apartments for low-income residents.

Backed by center-left President Nestor Kirchner, with private donations and more than $10 million from the city of Buenos Aires, four projects are under way, employing the jobless and offering them a future.

PICTURES OF FOX RANCH RAISE QUESTIONS
The Miami Herald
Sep. 20, 2007

MEXICO CITY -- Photos in a Mexican celebrity magazine have opened a window on Vicente Fox's post-presidential life and prompted a cynical public debate about political enrichment under Mexico's often-praised, relatively new democracy.

The magazine, Quien, published a cover story this month on Fox and former first lady Martha Sahagun at their newly renovated ranch, complete with a pool, artificial lake and expansive gardens.

Mexican newspaper columnists and radio hosts immediately questioned whether the former leader had earned enough as president to afford such luxuries, raising the specter of corruption that had clouded many earlier Mexican administrations.

"Anyone who gets to the presidency ends up with way more than he had before, while the poor and working class are the always left behind," said 66-year-old newspaper vendor Roberto Pedroza, who earns about $11 a day.

FUJIMORI RETURNS TO PERU TO FACE TRIAL
The Washington Post
September 22, 2007

LIMA, Peru -- Former President Alberto Fujimori returned to Peru on Saturday to face charges of corruption and sanctioning death-squad killings, a grim homecoming for the strongman who fled the country seven years ago as his government collapsed in scandal.

The plane carrying the 69-year-old former ruler landed in a heavy mist at Lima's Las Palmas air force base, a day after Chile's Supreme Court authorized his extradition. He was then flown by helicopter to a police base, where he is to be held until a permanent facility is prepared for his detention.

Some 700 supporters who gathered outside the police air terminal across town to greet him were frustated when his plane was diverted to the air base.

CASTRO LOOKING ALERT IN NEW VIDEO
The Miami Herald
Sep. 22, 2007

HAVANA -- Looking alert in his first video aired in three months, Cuban leader Fidel Castro responded to rumors of his death with a simple answer: "Well, here I am."

During an hour-long interview taped and aired on Cuban television Friday, the ailing 81-year-old revolutionary also said he thought the U.S. would go to war with Iran and he lamented the high costs of military operations in Iraq.

In the video, Castro appeared pale and stayed seated the entire time. He spoke slowly and softly and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye. But he appeared to be thinking clearly.

Mocking rumors of his death that have circulated in Miami and elsewhere in the U.S., he said "they say 'I was dying' and 'if I die' and 'I will die the day after tomorrow' or something."

BOOTMAKER TO BUSH AND FOX JAILED IN U.S.
The Miami Herald
Sep. 22, 2007

GUANAJUATO, Mexico -- A bootmaker to world leaders, including President Bush and Vicente Fox, is in a Colorado jail, charged with money laundering and conspiring to illegally smuggle the skins of protected animals into the U.S. to provide exotic footwear for high-end clients.

The arrest of Martin Villegas - and Mexico's raid of a warehouse filled with hundreds of cowboy boots and belts made from endangered species - has raised questions about how much Fox knew of the scheme and whether the former Mexican president purchased illegal boots himself.

Before Fox left office in December, Villegas created a special brand of cowboy boot named after him, which was manufactured in Mexico's shoemaking capital, Leon, in Fox's home state of Guanajuato.

A RESILIENT LEADER TRUMPETS BRAZIL’S POTENTIAL IN AGRICULTURE AND BIOFUELS
The New York Times
September 23, 2007

BRASÍLIA, Sept. 21 — In recent months the political climate in Brazil has been a boiling caldron for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the country’s president.

Now serving his second term, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil said, “What I want is to govern my country well.”

The second deadly airplane crash in 10 months set off a crisis in Brazil’s aviation industry in July, with many critics saying government inaction was at the root of the problem.

Last month, the country’s Supreme Court ordered 40 members of the president’s political party to stand trial on corruption charges in a scandal that has netted some of his closest advisers, including his former chief of staff.

FUJIMORI FLOWN BACK TO PERU TO FACE CHARGES
The Washington Post
September 23, 2007

LIMA, Peru, Sept. 22 -- Former president Alberto Fujimori was extradited to Peru on Saturday after seven years of self-imposed exile to face charges of corruption and human rights violations.

Fujimori, 69, arrived in Lima, the capital, in the late afternoon, a day after Chile's Supreme Court ordered that he be extradited on seven charges dating from the decade he ran Peru, from 1990 to 2000.

He landed at an air force base in the district of Surco in Lima and was whisked by helicopter to a police installation where he will be held temporarily.

Fujimori is remembered for defeating hyperinflation and a guerrilla insurgency, but also for what critics call his heavy-handed repression and massive corruption. Hundreds of people were killed by a government-sanctioned death squad, and the anti-corruption group Transparency International labeled his administration a "cleptocracy" for the amount of money stolen.

CHAVEZ VIEWS PRESIDENCY AS EPIC STRUGGLE
The Miami Herald
Sep. 24, 2007

MANTECAL, Venezuela -- Hugo Chavez is driving across the plains of Venezuela, raving about a Hollywood film in which the enslaved hero rises up to challenge the emperor of Rome.

"'Gladiator' - What a movie! I saw it three times," the president tells an Associated Press reporter traveling with him in a Toyota 4Runner, along with his daughter and a state governor. "It's confronting the empire, and confronting evil. ... And you end up relating to that gladiator."

The parallel is unstated but clear. To Chavez, the United States is the empire, and he is the protagonist waging an epic struggle to bring justice to the oppressed of Venezuela and the world.

In the eight years since he took office, Chavez has emerged as Latin America's most visible and controversial leader, electrifying leftist movements internationally while controlling a vast source of oil. Labeled a threat by the U.S. government, he captured the world's attention a year ago at the U.N. General Assembly by comparing President Bush to Satan - and he is likely to be just as defiant if he returns as scheduled to the U.N. this week.

HEAVIER CASTRO SHOWN WITH ANGOLA PRESIDENT
The Miami Herald
Sep. 24, 2007

HAVANA -- Cuba published a photo Sunday of a standing, smiling Fidel Castro looking heavier but still gaunt as he met with Angola's president, the first head of state to see the ailing 81-year-old since June.

The picture, which appeared on the front page of Communist Party youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde, shows Castro in a track suit, athletic pants and tennis shoes. The Cuban leader appears to have gained weight and wears a warm half-smile as he shakes hands with Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, who was in Cuba since Thursday on an official visit.

The image was released two days after Castro gave a surprise hourlong interview on state television, during which he answered rumors about his death that have swirled recently in the United States by saying simply, ``well, here I am.''

FUJIMORI RETURNS TO FACE TRIAL IN PERU
The Christian Science Monitor
September 24, 2007

LIMA, PERU - Human rights groups in Peru and abroad are heralding the weekend extradition of former President Alberto Fujimori as a groundbreaking move for Latin America and beyond.

The Supreme Court in Chile, Peru's southern neighbor, agreed on Friday to accept the Peruvian government's request to send Mr. Fujimori home to stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights violations. The court approved seven of the 12 counts originally filed by Peru in January 2006.

Fujimori arrived in Peru late Saturday afternoon and was taken to a police complex where he will be held temporarily until his arraignment. A special prison may be built for him, a justice official said.

AMAZON BOOKS, BUT NOT WHAT YOU THINK
The New York Times
September 24, 2007

MANAUS, Brazil — The Amazon is a realm of fantastic landscapes and a legion of fables and legends, starting with the one-breasted female warriors after whom the region is named. But it is also the home of writers who, despite the vast canvas before them and their own considerable talent, have had problems making their voices heard beyond the jungle.

Just ask Márcio Souza or Milton Hatoum, two leading Brazilian novelists of Amazon themes. Both were born and grew up in this bustling, ethnically diverse port city in the heart of the planet’s largest rain forest, but both had to leave here and struggle to get recognition.

“We don’t fit any of the established models or niches,” Mr. Souza, 61, said in an interview at his studio here. “We’re not magical realists” like Gabriel García Márquez and other celebrated Latin American writers, he said, “and we haven’t lived through the interesting times that the East Europeans have.”

BLOODY ERA HAUNTS JAILED PERUVIAN EX-PRESIDENT
The Miami Herald
Sep. 24, 2007

LIMA -- Late one Sunday night nearly 16 years ago, a half-dozen men carrying machine guns equipped with silencers burst into the interior patio of a squalid tenement building here and opened fire on 20 people at a chicken barbecue.

When the masked men drove off, 15 people lay dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and four more were badly wounded.

''I was shot right in that corner,'' Tomás Livias said Sunday, pointing to the spot where he was shot 27 times and left to die. ``I will remember that night until I die.''

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was extradited from Chile on Saturday, and perhaps the most serious accusation he faces is that he sanctioned the paramilitary death squad that carried out two massacres of ordinary Peruvians.

AS EX-PRESIDENT FACES TRIAL, A RECKONING FOR PERU
The New York Times
September 25, 2007

LIMA, Peru, Sept. 24 — Both critics and admirers of the former Peruvian strongman Alberto K. Fujimori long argued that he deserved his day in court to explain the political killings, abductions and corruption during his rule. Mr. Fujimori even said so after the Chilean Supreme Court ruled in favor of extraditing him last week, claiming that the court case was part of a “strategy” to return to Peru.

A monument to war victims was vandalized in orange, the color of Mr. Fujimori’s party.

But as Mr. Fujimori settles into a jail cell here before his trial, the prospect of that day coming to pass is creating little but unease. A country that may have preferred to forget about the methods used by Mr. Fujimori to vanquish leftist insurgents and economic instability is now being forced to reckon with them.

CUBAN PRIEST SAYS RELIGION IS GROWING
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

A top Catholic prelate in Cuba says religious practice is slowly spreading in the communist nation despite rigid restrictions.

Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo García Ibañez, named earlier this year to lead Catholics in Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city, said the church has been able to expand its reach, though it will be years before it achieves goals of even more openness.

''The faith of our community has manifested, it has been reborn,'' he said in a recent interview during a visit to Miami. ``The Catholic faith in our community has resurrected.''

García would not pin the loosened restrictions on Cuban leader Fidel Castro's decision to temporarily hand over the government last year to his brother Raúl. He said he has witnessed piecemeal improvements since his ordination in 1985.

DUVALIER SORRY FOR `WRONGS'
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Exiled dictator Jean-Claude ''Baby Doc'' Duvalier apologized for ''wrongs'' committed under his rule and urged supporters to rally around his fringe political party during a rare address delivered on Haitian radio over the weekend.

The comments marked Duvalier's first public address in years and come amid a quiet campaign by his supporters to see their leader returned from exile in France.

In a speech recorded in Paris, Duvalier said history will be the judge of his 15-year dictatorship, which is widely blamed for killing and torturing opponents and pilfering the national treasury.

''If, during my presidential mandate, the government caused any physical, moral or economic wrongs to others, I solemnly take the historical responsibility . . . to request forgiveness from the people and ask for the impartial judgment of history,'' Duvalier said.

ACTOR KEVIN SPACEY MEETS WITH CHAVEZ
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Actor Kevin Spacey met privately Monday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's most outspoken critics in Latin America.

Neither Spacey - who has won Academy Awards for roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty" - nor Chavez spoke to the press after the nearly three-hour encounter in the presidential palace in Caracas. They shook hands warmly on the red carpet as Spacey left after a dinner with Chavez.

Hours earlier, the actor visited a $13 million film studio founded last year by the government to support Venezuelan filmmaking. Details were not released about the rest of Spacey's itinerary.

ECUADOR LEADER HAS NO INTEREST IN POWER
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

NEW YORK -- Ecuador's leftist president said he would not follow the lead of his close Venezuelan ally Hugo Chavez and seek to abolish limits on his re-election, vowing he had no interest in perpetuating himself in power as part of his sweeping constitutional reforms.

Ecuadoreans are voting Sunday for a 130-member special assembly that will rewrite the constitution to reduce the power of political parties President Rafael Correa blames for the Andean country's problem. He has said the assembly should have the power to dissolve congress and other elected officials.

The process mirrors the constitutional overhaul pushed through eight years ago by Chavez. Critics say both presidents are part of a wave of Latin American leaders who have tapped into frustration among the poor to dismantle democratic systems and amass dictatorial powers.

IN ARGENTINA, THE CAMPAIGN OF ‘QUEEN CRISTINA’ FOCUSES ON GLOBAL RELATIONS
The New York Times
September 25, 2007

BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 24 — With just over a month to go before voters will choose a new president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, or “Queen Cristina,” as she is widely known here, is living up to her nickname.

Over the past two months, Mrs. Kirchner, a senator in Buenos Aires and wife of President Néstor Kirchner, has been treating her attempt to become Argentina’s first elected female president more like a coronation than a campaign.

With a healthy lead of at least 25 percentage points over her closest rival, Mrs. Kirchner has all but eschewed photo-ops with actual Argentines here in favor of coverage abroad with foreign bankers, dignitaries and international investors in Europe and the United States.

In the past two months she has piled up frequent-flier miles in trips to Mexico, Spain, Austria and Germany. This week she is in New York, where her husband is scheduled to speak at the United Nations.

VIOLENT CRIME WAVE SURGES IN MEXICO
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

MEXICO CITY -- Gangland-style murders and kidnappings reached record levels in Mexico during the first half of the year, a new report from Mexico's Congress has found, making Mexico one of the world's most dangerous countries.

One analyst who worked on the report said Mexico's murder rate now tops all others in the Western Hemisphere.

''In a global context, we suffer from more homicides, that is to say, violent deaths, than any other region in the world except for certain regions on the African continent,'' said Eduardo Rojas, who helped put together the crime report at the Center for Social and Public Opinion Studies, a research arm of Mexico's Chamber of Deputies.

The report, made public last week, was a setback for Mexican President Felipe Calderón, whose tough new war on drug trafficking has sent thousands of Mexican army troops into the countryside and a record number of drug suspects to the United States for trial.

VENEZUELA'S CHAVEZ SKIPS U.N. GATHERING
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will not attend the U.N. General Assembly this week, one year after he captured the world's attention when he called President Bush "the devil" during the gathering of world leaders.

Chavez told state television late Monday that he is unable to attend this year due to a packed agenda at home in Venezuela, and has sent Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro in his place, the state-run Bolivarian News Agency reported Tuesday.

The Venezuelan leader, who is expecting a visit from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later this week, said he spoke by phone with the Iranian leader on Monday after his tense showdown at Columbia University in New York.

"I congratulate him, in the name of the Venezuelan people, before a new aggression of the U.S. empire," Chavez said, adding that it seemed Ahmadinejad was the subject of "an ambush."

ECUADOR'S CORREA SAYS HE WON'T END REELECTION LIMITS
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

NEW YORK -- Ecuador's leftist president said he would not follow the lead of his close ally, Hugo Chávez, and seek to abolish limits on his reelection, vowing he had no interest in perpetuating himself in power as part of sweeping constitutional reforms.

Ecuadoreans will vote Sunday for a 130-member special assembly that will rewrite the constitution to reduce the power of political parties President Rafael Correa blames for the Andean country's problems. He has said the assembly should have the power to dissolve congress and other elected officials.

The process mirrors the constitutional overhaul pushed through eight years ago by Venezuela's Chávez. Critics say both presidents are part of a wave of Latin American leaders who have tapped into frustration among the poor to dismantle democratic systems and amass dictatorial powers.

SYRIANS DETAINED ON PANAMA-BOUND PLANE
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Six Syrians were detained in Panama on Tuesday after the crew on their flight from Cuba alerted authorities to suspicious behavior. An aviation official denied police reports that the Syrians tried to open the cockpit door.

"This is not a hijacking," said Victor de la Hoz, spokesman for the Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority.

Panama's National Police director, Rolando Mirones, said earlier that the passengers approached the cockpit "apparently with the intention of opening a door."

PRISON DOCTORS: FUJIMORI ISN'T IN BAD HEALTH
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

LIMA -- (AP) -- Prison doctors on Tuesday denied claims that former President Alberto Fujimori, detained here awaiting trial on corruption and murder charges, is in poor health and should be transferred to a hospital.

Fujimori, who fled Peru for Japan seven years ago as his 1990-2000 government collapsed in scandal, was extradited from Chile on Saturday to face the charges.

On Monday, Fujimori's daughter and defense attorney complained that the former president suffers from high blood pressure and is being held in a small room ``with nowhere to move around.''

Prison doctors told journalists that Fujimori has ''minor'' blood pressure problems and needs to reduce his salt intake, but ruled out the need to move the former president to a hospital.

SHOCK POLICE FILM A HIT IN BRAZIL
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

RIO DE JANEIRO -- It wasn't supposed to be released until Thursday, but for weeks already, pirated copies of the feature film Elite Squad -- about the shady workings of Rio's Special Operations Police Battalion -- have been a best seller at street stalls across Brazil.

The movie has proved so controversial that police tried to keep the film out of theaters, and the illegal early release left director Jose Padilha in the awkward position of criticizing everyone who watched or wrote about his film, partially obscuring the film's message that society bears some of the blame for the squad's brutality.

Padilha won international critical acclaim for his 2002 documentary Bus 174, which drew extensively on live footage of an hourslong hostage situation on a city bus that held a nation of TV viewers on the edge of their seats.

PAMPERING A MYSTERIOUS DEITY WITH PRESENTS AND RUM
The Washington Post
September 26, 2007

SANTIAGO ATITLAN, Guatemala The shaman looked annoyed.

Slivers of light cut through cracks in the thin wooden walls of the house at the end of a slippery mud street, illuminating his glare of disapproval. The kids in the back of the tiny room were giggling, but for the shaman this was a solemn moment. The look he shot them shut them up.

It was 1:15 p.m., time to worship the statue of Maximón, a squat, roughly carved wooden deity beloved here by those who believe in his power to grant favors and feared for punishing those who do not pay him proper respect. Maximón, pronounced maw-she-MAWN, occupies a space between the polar tugs of Guatemalan spiritual life, Catholicism and evangelism, neither of which approves of him. His origins are a mystery. Some say he is a modern version of a long-forgotten Mayan god. Others say he represents a martyred holy man. Still others merely shrug their shoulders.

WITH BOMBINGS, MEXICAN REBELS ESCALATE THEIR FIGHT
The New York Times
September 26, 2007

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 25 — The shadowy Marxist rebel group that has rattled Mexico three times in recent months by bombing natural gas pipelines has a long history of financing its operations with the kidnappings of businessmen, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors say the Ejército Popular Revolucionario, or Popular Revolutionary Army, a Marxist guerrilla group, has committed at least 88 kidnappings since 1999, collecting millions of dollars in ransom.

Just this year, the rebels have taken at least four people hostage, including two prominent businessmen and the relative of a reputed drug dealer, law enforcement officials and anticrime advocates say.

FOX'S RICHES TRIGGER A PROBE IN MEXICO
The Miami Herald
Sep. 26, 2007

MEXICO CITY -- (AP) -- Lawmakers have approved an investigation of former Mexican President Vicente Fox amid allegations that he illegally enriched himself during his presidency.

The Council of Political Coordination, Congress' governing body, voted Monday to create a special commission to carry out the probe, but its goals and makeup will be determined next week, it said in a news release.

The allegations surfaced this month after Mexican celebrity magazine Quien showed Fox, whose six-year-term ended in December, and former first lady Martha Sahagun at their newly renovated ranch, complete with a pool, artificial lake and expansive gardens.

Columnists and radio hosts questioned whether he could have earned enough as president to afford such luxuries, raising the specter of corruption that clouded many earlier Mexican administrations.

REGIONAL
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THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
LATIN AMERICA'S RICH SHOULD DONATE MORE

Mexico's Carlos Slim, by some measures the world's richest man, made news this week by donating $500 million to a Latin American Health Fund. But a new study makes me wonder whether the region's business tycoons are as generous as they should be.

World Wealth Report 2007, a study of the world's richest investors by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch, found that Latin America's wealthy devote only 3 percent of their financial assets to charitable donations. Comparatively, Asian tycoons donate 12 percent of their money, the Middle Eastern rich 8 percent, Americans 8 percent and Europeans 5 percent.

Philanthropy and corporate social responsibility in Latin America -- or the lack thereof -- will be among the key topics addressed at The Miami Herald's two-day Americas Conference, starting today at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and featuring some of the region's most prominent political and business leaders.

ANOTHER TAKE ON CONFERENCE'S OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK
The Miami Herald
Sep. 23, 2007

I was really surprised about the level of optimism about Latin America among the top government officials, international economists and business tycoons who attended The Miami Herald Americas Conference last week. It was truly amazing.

Before I tell you whether I share such upbeat forecasts, let's recap some of the things that were said during the two-day meeting that ended Friday in Miami and attracted about 600 people.

Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno and General Motors chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem were among the several economic experts who predicted a continuation of the region's healthy economic growth of the past four years.

''There is something happening that is not your traditional growth,'' Moreno said, adding that economic stability and massive family remittances from the United States and Europe are helping create a new middle class in much of the region. ``I really believe that there is basis for a little optimism.''

CHÁVEZ TO SKIP UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

CARACAS -- (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is a no-show at the U.N. General Assembly, one year after he captured the world's attention by calling President George W. Bush ``the devil.''

Chávez blamed a packed agenda in Venezuela and sent Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro in his place, the state-run Bolivarian News Agency reported Tuesday.

Still, Chávez is watching closely -- he said he spoke with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after the Iranian president faced tough questions in a showdown at Columbia University in New York. It seemed like ''an ambush,'' Chávez said.

''I congratulate him, in the name of the Venezuelan people, before a new aggression of the U.S. empire,'' Chávez told state television late Monday.

Chávez said he regrets not being able to attend because the assembly serves as a forum ''in the very cave of the empire'' where leaders can unmask U.S. government hostility toward other nations.

CUBA PROTESTS BUSH'S U.N. SPEECH
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

NEW YORK -- (AP) -- Cuba's foreign minister walked out of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday in protest of President Bush's speech in which he said the ''long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end'' on the communist island.

The Cuban delegation issued a statement saying the decision by Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque to leave was a ``sign of profound rejection of the arrogant and mediocre statement by President Bush.''

In his speech, Bush looked ahead to a Cuba no longer ruled by Fidel Castro, the ailing 81-year-old leader who has not appeared in public in more than a year, since ceding power to a provisional government headed by his brother Raúl.

BRAZIL'S PRESIDENT PROMOTES BIOFUEL INITIATIVE
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

UNITED NATIONS -- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged the international community Tuesday to follow Brazil's example and promote biofuel initiatives as a way of reducing greenhouse gases and achieving energy independence.

In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial session, which has made climate change one of its priorities, Brazil's first elected leftist president also said greater social equality represented ``our best weapon against the planet's degradation.''

Silva warned the world leaders that ''the risks of unprecedented environmental and human catastrophe will grow'' unless there is a more balanced distribution of wealth both internationally and within every country.

And in an apparent swipe at President Bush, with whom he held talks on Monday, Lula da Silva said ``we must overcome the anachronistic, predatory and senseless [notion] that profits and wealth can grow forever, at any cost.''

RELATIVES OF KIDNAPPED AMERICANS VISIT VENEZUELA
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

CARACAS -- Relatives of three Americans held hostage by rebels in Colombia visited Venezuela on Tuesday to express support for President Hugo Chávez's efforts to mediate a swap of hostages for guerrilla prisoners.

The three U.S. defense contractors -- Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Tom Howes -- have been held by Colombia's largest rebel group since their small plane crashed in the country's southern jungles during a surveillance mission in February 2003.

Chávez planned to meet with six of their relatives on Tuesday night -- including Stansell's parents, Gene and Lynne Stansell, and 15-year-old son Kyle, Howes' wife Mariana Howes and 10-year-old son Tommy, and Gonsalves' father, George Gonsalves.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS IN GULF
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

A tropical depression formed Tuesday evening in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and was expected to edge toward the Mexican coast, forecasters said.

Earlier Tuesday, Tropical Storm Karen developed in the open Atlantic Ocean, where it was expected to remain.

Neither system was of any concern to South Floridians, but unrelated showers and thunderstorms swept the soggy region again Tuesday and were expected to continue through at least Wednesday.

Local forecasters warned drivers to be alert for flooded roads.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County said the crew of a hurricane hunter aircraft determined that a mass of thunderstorms in the Gulf coalesced into a tropical depression.

CHÁVEZ HOPES BUSH WILL HELP IN COLOMBIAN REBEL NEGOTIATIONS
The Miami Herald
Sep. 26, 2007

CARACAS -- (AP) -- President Hugo Chávez said Tuesday that he hopes his archenemy, President Bush, plays a helpful role as the Venezuelan leader seeks to broker a deal for Colombian rebels to free hostages, including three Americans.

Chavez mentioned the possibility of Bush's involvement as he met with relatives of three U.S. defense contractors. He pledged to do everything in his power to secure the hostages' release through a swap of hostages for guerrilla prisoners in Colombian jails.

''There are no political colors or ideologies here. President Bush, I hope he can help us,'' Chávez said, noting that Bush is to meet soon with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has also been playing a role.

''I hope he is willing to help us,'' Chavez said, adding to reporters later: ``Why not? . . . On this we could agree with President Bush.''

RELACIONES BILATERALES
ver noticia(s)  

FORMER PRESIDENT OF MEXICO RECALLS UNDERESTIMATING BUSH
The New York Times
September 21, 2007

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 20 — They were Vicente and Jorge, two cowboys turned presidents, and they held their first summit meeting together at a ranch.

But Vicente Fox, who finished his term as Mexico’s president last year, pokes fun at the cowboy credentials of President Bush in a new autobiography, recalling the time Mr. Bush turned down an offer to ride Mr. Fox’s beloved horse, Dos de Julio.

“He demurred, backing away from the big palomino,” Mr. Fox wrote in “Revolution of Hope,” which is due out by Viking on Oct. 4. “A horse lover can always tell when others don’t share our passion for climbing aboard an animal that weighs 500 pounds and doesn’t necessarily stop when you put on the brakes.”

Mr. Fox, whose victory in 2000 ended 71 years of single-party rule in Mexico, expresses clear differences with Mr. Bush’s unilateralist ways, particularly when it comes to the war in Iraq, which he suggests drew Washington’s attention away from Mr. Fox’s goal of overhauling American immigration policy.

Opinión
GOING BACK TO PERU
The Miami Herald
Sep. 21, 2007

After almost a century, a collection of Peruvian treasures finally will go home. Hundreds of museum-quality antiquities and artifacts from Machu Picchu will be returned by Yale University thanks to an innovative agreement reached with the Peruvian government last week.

The agreement outlines a plan to preserve Peru's cultural heritage while allowing research on the Incan objects. It also stipulates what should have been clear long ago: All of the artifacts belong to Peru. This admission is a breakthrough after Peru and Yale argued for years over ownership.

The artifacts were excavated by Hiram Bingham, a Yale professor who happened upon Machu Picchu, the majestic Incan site, in 1911. The objects include thousands of ancient ceramics, jewelry, pottery shards and human bones. Key documents, including one from 1912, make it clear that Peru only loaned the artifacts to the university for scientific study.

RULING EXPECTED SOON IN CHILE ON WHETHER TO EXTRADITE PERU’S EX-PRESIDENT
The New York Times
September 21, 2007

SANTIAGO, Chile, Sept. 20 — This country’s Supreme Court is expected to announce on Friday its response to Peru’s request to extradite its former president, Alberto Fujimori, who faces charges of corruption and human rights abuses related to when he governed Peru during the 1990s.

Mr. Fujimori, 69, unexpectedly ended a self-imposed exile in Japan and traveled here in 2005, apparently intending to return to Peru and try for a political comeback. But he was arrested soon after he arrived, and Peru quickly sought extradition. The attempt to extradite him has been closely followed both in Peru, where he remains a highly polarizing political figure, and by international human rights advocates.

Maria McFarland, a senior Americas researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the ruling could set an international precedent for extradition cases tried in domestic courts if Mr. Fujimori is sent back to Peru. “It would be significant to have Chile now building up this very positive record and extraditing this former head of state and having its court stand up for accountability," said Ms. McFarland, pointing to Chile’s history of human rights abuses under former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

CHILEANS ORDER PERU’S EX-CHIEF HOME FOR TRIAL
The New York Times
September 22, 2007

SANTIAGO, Chile, Sept. 21 — Chile’s Supreme Court on Friday approved the extradition of Peru’s former president, Alberto K. Fujimori, on charges of human rights abuses and corruption during his time in power in the 1990s.

Peruvians with photos of relatives who were killed at La Cantuta University today celebrating a ruling by Chile’s Supreme Court to extradite Peru’s former president.

The ruling, which cannot be appealed, may have broader influence, legal experts said. In Latin America and elsewhere, former heads of state have normally been able to avoid extradition, even between countries with treaties, or they have been sent for trial before special tribunals, usually after political negotiations between governments.

FUJIMORI ORDERED BACK TO PERU TO FACE CHARGES
The Washington Post
September 22, 2007

SANTIAGO, Chile, Sept. 21 -- The Chilean Supreme Court on Friday ruled that former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori must be extradited back to his homeland to face human rights and corruption charges.

The decision ended a seven-year saga over the fate of one of Latin America's most controversial figures -- a man who was hailed for defeating brutal guerrilla movements but who also was accused of embezzling millions of dollars from government coffers and of authorizing the operations of a secret death squad.

Fujimori, 69, who has been in Chile for nearly two years, was expected to be flown to Peru as soon as possible, likely within a few days. The court decision cannot be appealed.

In a telephone interview Friday with Radio Programas del Peru, Fujimori, rather than criticizing the ruling, called it "an opportunity to return . . . to reconnect with the people." He has repeatedly denied the accusations against him.

GOP CONGRESSMAN FROM ILLINOIS WON'T RUN IN 2008
The Washington Post
September 22, 2007

JOLIET, Ill., Sept. 21 -- Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), facing questions about his ethics, announced Friday that he will not seek an eighth term.

"I need to give my family the time needed to be a full-time dad and full-time husband," Weller said during a Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce luncheon. "I'm 50 years old; I've given half of my life to public service."

He refused to take reporters' questions.

Weller is fighting a subpoena in a former colleague's bribery trial, and he faces criticism that he did not reveal to Congress the extent of his Nicaraguan land purchases. Weller spokesman Andy Fuller said the decision not to run was made in late spring or early summer and had nothing to do with the criticism.

CHILE RETURNS FUJIMORI TO PERU TO FACE CHARGES
The New York Times
September 23, 2007

LIMA, Peru, Sept. 22 — Peruvian police detained a former president, Alberto K. Fujimori, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday and flew him here, opening the way for him to be tried on human rights and corruption charges.

The detention followed a ruling on Friday by the Supreme Court of Chile that he could be extradited.

Mr. Fujimori’s arrival at a military air base here already has much of this country pondering what lies ahead for the man who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000 with a blend of authoritarianism and showmanship. Initially he is to be jailed in a modest police station cell — a striking contrast with the rented mansion in which he lived in Chile.

Perú 21, a Lima newspaper, summed up the former president’s odyssey over the last several years as he tried to return to power with the headline “Harakiri,” referring to Japanese ritual suicide.

Opinión
FUJIMORI'S TURN TO FACE CHARGES
OUR OPINION: LANDMARK EXTRADITION EXPANDS REACH OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The Miami Herald
Sep. 24, 2007

The Chilean Supreme Court has expanded the global reach of human-rights law by approving the extradition of former Peruvian strongman Alberto Fujimori. Now Mr. Fujimori is poised to become the first former president sent back to his home country to be tried for crimes against humanity. This is a milestone not only for Latin America but also for the entire world.

Mr. Fujimori deserves to be held to account. He has been an international fugitive from justice since he fled to Japan in 2000 to avoid charges for his abuses of power. At the time, he left Peru in political and economic turmoil. He had the gall to fax his resignation from Japan, which refused to extradite him. Two years ago, he abruptly turned up in Chile.

He may have been trying to rally supporters and provoke a political opening for his return in Peru. Instead, Peruvian authorities petitioned Chile for his extradition based on 13 corruption and human-rights charges. Notably, the Chilean Supreme Court weighed the validity of the charges. It decided to extradite him on seven of those charges, including two related to massacres.

NICARAGUAN LEADER RAILS AT U.S. HEGEMONY
The Miami Herald
Sep. 25, 2007

UNITED NATIONS -- Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accused the U.S. of imposing a worldwide dictatorship and defended the right of Iran and North Korea to pursue nuclear technology in a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

Ortega also angrily denounced President Bush for criticizing Cuban leader Fidel Castro during his speech earlier in the day.

Ortega, who took office in January, said little had changed since he last addressed the world body as the Marxist leader of Nicaragua's Sandinista-run government two decades ago.

"The presidents of the U.S. change. And they may come to office with the greatest of intentions and they may feel that they are doing good for humanity, but they fail to understand that they are no more than instruments of one more empire in a long list of empires that have been imposed on our planet," Ortega said, waving his arms.