Thursday, August 1, 2013

Jamaica 'cross-dress' probe urged

Human Rights Watch calls for an "effective" investigation into the killing in Jamaica of a 17-year-old boy reportedly wearing female clothing.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23544130#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Sandals' Marina Welcomes Flotilla of Families - The Eleutheran








The Eleutheran



Sandals' Marina Welcomes Flotilla of Families

The Eleutheran

A Fleet of 22 boats pulled into Sandals' Marina at Emerald Bay last Tuesday to a rousing reception held in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT). The flotilla's stop in Exuma was part of a 12-day tour of the Bahamas arranged by Patrick ...









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGVNcjW2hs6Hs1AyPr0Wv7isLJGzA&url=http://www.eleutheranews.com/permalink/3405.html

Edward Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum In Russia, Leaves Airport - Mintpress News









Edward Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum In Russia, Leaves Airport

Mintpress News

This image provided by Human Rights Watch shows NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, center, at a press conference at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, left, Friday, July 12, 2013. (AP/Human Rights Watch, Tanya Lokshina).









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Workers Score Key Win On Push To Organize At Palermo's Pizza - Mintpress News









Workers Score Key Win On Push To Organize At Palermo's Pizza

Mintpress News

Protesters participate in an 18-mile march called a Slice of Justice for Palermo's Pizza Workers. (Photo/wisaflcio via Flickr). A year after 116 workers were fired from Palermo's Pizza for trying to form a union, eight were officially re-hired this ...









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'When I'm surfing I forget my past'

The Australians changing children's lives - with surfing



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23514525#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Two Cuba state workers arrested for deadly bootleg rum

The death toll from a batch of poisoned, bootleg rum climbed to nine people, Cuban state TV said Thursday.



via CNN.com - Latin America http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/01/world/americas/cuba-alcohol-deaths/index.html

Toxic Cuban 'rum' kills seven in Havana - BBC News









Toxic Cuban 'rum' kills seven in Havana

BBC News

Seven people have died in Cuba after drinking illegal alcohol, the public heath ministry has said. At least 40 others have been admitted to hospital in the capital, Havana, and several remain in a serious condition. The toxic liquid was stolen from a ...









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Rocket Internet's Linio tests waters for mobile commerce in Latin America - VentureBeat









Rocket Internet's Linio tests waters for mobile commerce in Latin America

VentureBeat

Rocket Internet-backed Linio released its first app today to capture Latin America's nascent market for mobile shopping, before the pool gets too crowded. Ericsson published a report last week which said that Latin America consumers are “ripe for ...









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Anger at Chile mine collapse ruling

There are angry reactions in Chile after an inquiry into the accident that left 33 miners trapped underground in 2010 fails to find anyone responsible.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23543583#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Stand-Up Paddleboarder Embarks on Cuba To Florida Keys Voyage - WBFS








WPTV



Stand-Up Paddleboarder Embarks on Cuba To Florida Keys Voyage

WBFS

Friberg's Cuba-to-Key West paddleboarding venture is not his first long-distance trip. In June of 2012, he paddled 238 miles down the Yuckon River in Canada's Yukon Territory. He hopes to complete the trip in less than 24 hours, but unlike the Yukon ...

Paddleboarder Benjamin Friberg heading from Cuba to Key West









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGewU18XsC_3k5uY-oI-PBAmwgkEg&url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/08/01/stand-up-paddleboarder-embarks-on-cuba-to-florida-keys-voyage/

New Report Available: Travel and Tourism in Cuba - SBWire (press release)









New Report Available: Travel and Tourism in Cuba

SBWire (press release)

Euromonitor International's Travel and Tourism in Cuba report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest market size data 2008-2012, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth ...









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Cuba's 1st solar farm a step toward renewables - Houston Chronicle









Cuba's 1st solar farm a step toward renewables

Houston Chronicle

CANTARRANA, Cuba (AP) — It's like a vision of the space age, carved out of the jungle: Thousands of glassy panels surrounded by a lush canopy of green stretch as far as the eye can see, reflecting the few clouds that dot the sky on a scorching ...









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Bay of Pigs redux: Caracas claims CIA-linked Cuban exiles planned to kill ... - RT (blog)








RT (blog)



Bay of Pigs redux: Caracas claims CIA-linked Cuban exiles planned to kill ...

RT (blog)

Venezuelan officials warned of an alleged plot to assassinate the country's President and launch a paramilitary invasion of the country. A former CIA agent, Cuban exiles living in the US and Latin American leaders were fingered in the conspiracy ...









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHZz5oJKuF7Vn_dyycrrGkUqTWDUQ&url=http://rt.com/news/venezuela-maduro-assassination-plot-894/

Uruguay's cannabis bill reflects liberal past

Uruguayans taken aback by drug bill despite reformist past



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23538285#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

All Eyes On Mozilla's Firefox OS As It Launches In Latin America - TechCrunch









All Eyes On Mozilla's Firefox OS As It Launches In Latin America

TechCrunch

There's little information available on the progress of Firefox OS' European debut, but Latin America is arguably the more important market in terms of proving whether or not Mozilla has any hope of gaining a foothold among the ruling giants of mobile.

Firefox OS OneTouch Fire and ZTE Open now available in Latin America









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US eases Cuban travel restrictions - Bradenton Herald









US eases Cuban travel restrictions

Bradenton Herald

The change for non-immigrant B-2 visas issued to Cubans for family visits, medical treatment, tourism or other personal travel takes effect Thursday and will allow Cubans who qualify for the visas to come and go. Now, eligible Cubans will be able to ...









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The USA pitcher who demolished Cuba on July 23, 2013





via Cuba Journal http://cubajournal.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-usa-pitcher-who-demolished-cuba-on.html

VIDEO: Uruguay set to legalise marijuana

Uruguay's House of Representatives has passed a bill to legalise marijuana.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23540921#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Mexico Live It to Believe It campaign to launch - Travel Weekly









Mexico Live It to Believe It campaign to launch

Travel Weekly

CANCUN — The Mexico Tourism Board's chief marketing officer, Gerardo Llanes, unveiled the destination's new tourism slogan, “Mexico: Live It to Believe It,” to 40 tour wholesalers, heads of travel agent groups and association leaders attending the ...









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Cost to the U.S. taxpayers for operating the Guantanamo prison in Cuba: $2.7 million per prisoner





via Cuba Journal http://cubajournal.blogspot.com/2013/08/cost-to-us-taxpayers-for-operating.html

Defence policy in Canada: Strong. Proud. Ready?


BOTH Rob Nicholson and Peter MacKay looked cheery enough as they shared a laugh after swapping the defence and justice portfolios in a cabinet shuffle last month. But only Mr MacKay, the new justice minister, had good reason to smile. He inherits a department where most of the Conservative government’s law-and-order agenda has already been implemented while leaving one where difficult spending cuts lie ahead. It is Mr Nicholson, widely seen as a capable politician, who must now choose what to cut while also wrestling with problems over orders for new fighter jets and ships. His appointment follows those of new commanders for all three armed forces. So a new team is in charge of Canada’s defence—a subject especially close to the heart of Stephen Harper, the prime minister.Canada is hardly alone in trying to trim its defence budget. Most of its allies, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany, are also trying to do the same with less. But since he took office in 2006 Mr Harper has made support for the armed forces a personal trademark. He has used it to differentiate his government from its Liberal predecessors, which ushered in what both the generals and the prime minister...



via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21582526-stephen-harper-has-championed-stronger-defence-impending-cuts-will-take-toll?fsrc=rss|ame

Peru: Humala humbled

A traitor, say Humala’s former supporters

PROTESTS have been something of a way of life in Peru for decades, the lasting product of a collapse in the economy and of trust in the political system in the 1980s. They have continued even as the economy has boomed, with annual average growth of 6.5% since 2003. But the country’s latest demonstrations have an air of modernity about them, a faint whiff of the discontents of an aspirational lower-middle class that have recently shaken Chile and Brazil.The trigger was a decision by Congress to share out among party hacks important jobs at supposedly independent bodies, such as the ombudsman; six justices of the Constitutional Tribunal, the highest court; and three vacant slots on the Central Bank’s board (though in this case the nominees were unobjectionable). Outrage against what many Peruvians see as a corrupt and self-serving political class was swift, dominating both traditional and social media. When several thousand protesters gathered outside Congress on July 22nd, the legislators swiftly backed down, rescinding the appointments.Other groups have more familiar grievances. Doctors and...



via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21582580-lonelier-president-faces-protests-humala-humbled?fsrc=rss|ame

Seven die in Cuba after drinking methanol - NEWS.com.au









Seven die in Cuba after drinking methanol

NEWS.com.au

Many Cubans - who earn an average of less than 20 dollars a month - buy food and drink of unknown origin on the black market because it is cheaper, making poisonings a grim reality of everyday life. Increase Text Size · Decrease Text Size · Print ...









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Uruguay marijuana bill: UN concerned

The International Narcotics Control Board warns Uruguay after the country's lower house passes a draft bill legalising marijuana.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23535990#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Edward Snowden gets asylum in Russia





via Cuba Journal http://cubajournal.blogspot.com/2013/08/edward-snowden-gets-asylum-in-russia.html

Drug legalisation in Uruguay: The experiment

AFTER more than a year’s public deliberation and a 14-hour parliamentary debate, on July 31st Uruguay took a big step to becoming the first country in the world to legalise marijuana (cannabis). The lower house of Congress voted on party lines, by 50 to 46, to approve a bill from the left-wing Broad Front government to legalise and regulate the production and sale of the drug. This is now expected to be approved by the Senate, where the Broad Front has a larger majority. If so, Uruguayans will be able to consume marijuana by growing up to six plants at home, by joining a club or by buying up to 40 grams (1.4 ounces) a month from licensed pharmacies.The bill has faced fierce opposition: a poll last month found 63% against, and opponents claim that consumption will rise. But its supporters argue that drug prohibition has caused more problems—in the form of organised crime and the risks of clandestine consumption—than the drugs themselves.Uruguay’s vote follows the approval of marijuana legalisation in referendums in Colorado and Washington state in the United States last year. In June foreign ministers of the 34 countries of the Organisation of American States agreed “to encourage the consideration of new approaches” to the drug problem. Reformers hail these steps as breaking a taboo: in place of the straitjacket of universal prohibition imposed by the UN drugs conventions,...



via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21582579-another-blow-against-prohibition-experiment?fsrc=rss|ame


Latin American startups are ninja innovators - The Next Web









Latin American startups are ninja innovators

The Next Web

In Latin America, startups are the hope for the future. In Brazil alone, some 65 percent of young people say they plan to start their own businesses. Technology companies, entrepreneurs and investors alike are looking to Brazil as a place for future ...









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Saint Vincent to get its first international airport in 2014 - Baltimore Post-Examiner









Saint Vincent to get its first international airport in 2014

Baltimore Post-Examiner

Editor's Note: This is part of a series of stories on Caribbean tourism. Read the ... Financing for the $240 million airport is coming from an interesting mix of countries including Austria, Cuba, Iran, Mexico, Qatar, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago and ...









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Venezuela Arrests 2 Over Shooting Of US Officials In Caracas Strip Club - Mintpress News









Venezuela Arrests 2 Over Shooting Of US Officials In Caracas Strip Club

Mintpress News

Venezuelan authorities arrested on Tuesday two suspects accused of shooting U.S. embassy officials in a strip club in May. Prosecutors charged Carlos Mejias Blanco and Windy Fabiani Mejias with attempted murder after they allegedly got into a fight ...









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7 die, 41 hospitalized in Cuba after drinking methanol - ABS CBN News









7 die, 41 hospitalized in Cuba after drinking methanol

ABS CBN News

HAVANA - Seven people died and 41 were hospitalized in Havana after drinking illegally sold lab alcohol, the Cuban Health Ministry said Wednesday. Six men and one woman have died, and eight hospitalized patients are in critical condition, the ...









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Wholesome, beautiful and tough

It's the Miss America beauty pageant, but not as you know it. The swimsuit competition is out, volatile farm animals are in, and there are enough leather dresses to furnish a small sofa store.



via CNN.com - Latin America http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/01/sport/miss-rodeo-america/index.html

Forget Politics, Let's Dance: Why K-pop is a Latin American Smash - TIME









Forget Politics, Let's Dance: Why K-pop is a Latin American Smash

TIME

The export success of artists like Don Omar and Shakira in previous years may have given the Latin pop business a few global ambitions, but in Latin America itself the sound that's making waves right now is Pop Coreanos, or K-pop. Driven by South ...









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US Increases Duration of Non-Immigrant Visas for Cubans - TIME









US Increases Duration of Non-Immigrant Visas for Cubans

TIME

(WASHINGTON) — The Obama administration announced Wednesday it is extending the duration of non-immigrant visas for Cuban travelers from six months to five years, two weeks after officials from the two countries resumed long-stalled migration talks.









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Cuba staying tight with Venezuela and its oil - Voice of Russia









Cuba staying tight with Venezuela and its oil

Voice of Russia

... Santiago de Cuba became the name of the Castro movement that eventually toppled the Batista government. Guerra also notes that Havana and Moscow have a more positive relationship today as exemplified by brisk Russian tourism to the island nation.









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