Thursday, January 9, 2014

Lightning kills three in Argentina

A lightning strike kills three people and injures more than 20 others on a beach in Argentina.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25677117#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Robert A. Pastor, Latin America specialist in diplomacy and academia, dies at 66 - Washington Post (blog)








Washington Post (blog)



Robert A. Pastor, Latin America specialist in diplomacy and academia, dies at 66

Washington Post (blog)

Robert A. Pastor, a Latin America specialist who was a top U.S. negotiator of the 1977 Panama Canal treaties, and who through scholarship and diplomacy sought to strengthen U.S. relations with countries to the south, died Jan. 8 at his home in Washington.

Robert Pastor, former ex-official, Latin American specialist dies at age 66

Robert Pastor: ex-US official, Americas expert









via Latin america - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGAtr4ofLMiG15LUi3_Wsql4lzXxw&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/robert-a-pastor-latin-america-specialist-in-diplomacy-and-academia-dies-at-66/2014/01/09/32c500b4-7945-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html

Latin American cultural catering at Cafe La Pena - Daily Californian









Latin American cultural catering at Cafe La Pena

Daily Californian

In Berkeley, La Pena Cultural Center and Cafe La Pena are cultural hubs for showcasing art and cuisine with a strong emphasis on Latin American countries. The cultural center has strong historical ties and was started in 1975 as a response to the ...









via Latin america - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNE1V5jE80AFTqSv-iUSsOKaLVZnkw&url=http://www.dailycal.org/2014/01/09/cafe-la-pena/

Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Cuba, Felt in Key West - NBC 6 South Florida








NBC 6 South Florida



Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Cuba, Felt in Key West

NBC 6 South Florida

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 struck just off the coast of Cuba, 14 miles north of Corralillo, at 3:57 p.m. Thursday. The tremor could be felt as far as the lower Keys. NBC 6 Meteorologist John Morales has the latest. Earthquake ...









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFlhQXe1f1pSBxFujKbSa5MmiTTyg&url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Earthquake-Strikes-Off-Coast-of-Cuba-Felt-in-Key-West-239489301.html

Cuba, US hold 'respectful' talks in Havana on migration and fighting people ... - Calgary Herald









Cuba, US hold 'respectful' talks in Havana on migration and fighting people ...

Calgary Herald

Havana reiterated its stance that to ensure legal and orderly migration, the U.S. must do away with the Cuban Adjustment Act, which makes Cubans eligible for permanent residency after being in the States for one year, and the "wet-foot, dry-foot ...









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNH_4UIcqDfambgv7i9IO1zApjbxAA&url=http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/world/Cuba%2Bhold%2Brespectful%2Btalks%2BHavana%2Bmigration%2Bfighting%2Bpeople/9368717/story.html

The fading tune of the Mexican organ grinder

Fading melody of the Mexican organ grinder



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25420470#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 10/1 - VietNamNet Bridge









BUSINESS IN BRIEF 10/1

VietNamNet Bridge

Vietnam and Algeria will soon implement cooperation projects in oil&gas, investment, trade, health care, education, agriculture, information technology, tourism, and housing. These areas of cooperation were discussed at the 10th meeting of the Vietnam ...









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEPEp196Ri9IUn85aelJT2BlFVLPQ&url=http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/93429/business-in-brief-10-1.html

rinceton native involved in licensing travel to Cuba - Princeton Union Eagle









rinceton native involved in licensing travel to Cuba

Princeton Union Eagle

Princeton High School graduate Jeff Braunger says he has no interest in traveling to Cuba, one of the last Communist strongholds, but also a country where many would like to visit for its warm climate, sandy beaches, music, dancing and foods. Braunger ...









via Travel Cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGi-3v51AcjdSATBR6DgQTovC-ucQ&url=http://unioneagle.com/2014/01/rinceton-native-involved-in-licensing-travel-to-cuba/

University of Tampa baseball team will travel to Cuba - Tbo.com









University of Tampa baseball team will travel to Cuba

Tbo.com

The team is scheduled to arrive in Cuba on Sunday and remain there until Jan. 19. It will tour local attractions and sample Cuban cuisine, as well as participate in community service projects, officials said. The Spartans are scheduled to play at least ...

University of Tampa baseball team to play exhibition games in Cuba









via Travel Cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEi44yvKmaovMypzadTwRfgqZOAMw&url=http://tbo.com/news/breaking-news/all/university-of-tampa-baseball-team-will-travel-to-cuba-20140109/

Tembló la tierra en La Habana

En varios municipios de La Habana se percibió hoy un sismo de 4.9 en la escala de Ritcher, ocurrido a las 3:57 de la tarde y localizado en las coordenadas 23.39 de latitud norte y 80.99 de longitud oeste, a 73.7 kilómetros al noreste de Varadero. Hasta este minuto no se han reportado perjuicios materiales, tampoco daños a vidas humanas en ninguno de las localidades de la capital cubana, ni en otros municipios donde se registraron reportes de perceptibilidad.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/temblo-la-tierra-en-la-habana/

En ambiente respetuoso se desarrollaron las conversaciones migratorias Cuba-EEUU

El 9 de enero de 2014, se realizó una nueva ronda de conversaciones migratorias entre delegaciones de los Estados Unidos y Cuba, presididas, respectivamente, por el subsecretario asistente para los Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental del Departamento de Estado, Edward Alex Lee y la directora general de Estados Unidos del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro. La reunión se desarrolló en un ambiente respetuoso.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/en-ambiente-respetuoso-se-desarrollaron-las-conversaciones-migratorias-cuba-eeuu/

US launches initiative to increase exports to Latin America - Los Angeles Times









US launches initiative to increase exports to Latin America

Los Angeles Times

Days after the 20th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement's implementation, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker unveiled a new initiative aimed at increasing business with trade partners in Latin America. The “Look South ...

U.S. Department of Commerce : Secretary Pritzker Announces 'Look South ...









via Latin america - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGDCm9CTYBIDeaiubgKD-smCCHxIw&url=http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-latino-commerce-20140109,0,4108149.story

Latin American steel demand to grow up to 5% in 2014 - Alacero - Business News Americas









Latin American steel demand to grow up to 5% in 2014 - Alacero

Business News Americas

Unfair trade practices, particularly by China, were highlighted as a key threat to Latin America's steel sector, with steelmakers forced to compete "not with similar companies in other countries by with the Chinese state," Moreno added. Reforms by ...









via Latin america - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFJPgl7xZcsLl1JyGdBVkWnDXz9jg&url=http://www.bnamericas.com/news/metals/latin-american-steel-demand-to-grow-up-to-5-in-2014-alacero

Fidel told them: go and [F word] yourself!





via Cuba Journal http://cubajournal.blogspot.com/2014/01/fidel-told-them-go-and-f-word-yourself.html

Earthquake off the coast of Cuba rattles Florida Keys - MiamiHerald.com








NBC 6 South Florida



Earthquake off the coast of Cuba rattles Florida Keys

MiamiHerald.com

Residents of Key West and as far north as Marathon felt the brief impact of a 5.0 magnitude earthquake that hit about 112 miles east of Havana, Cuba just before 3:58 p.m. Thursday. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey indicates an epicenter 24 miles ...

Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Cuba, Felt in Key West

Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Hits Just North Of Cuba

Earthquake rattles Cuba, South Florida









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGyQ2J4WRft1pEJ86qkI0lNMo2KlQ&url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/09/3861370/earthquake-off-the-coast-of-cuba.html

Wayin Acquires Comenta TV

(PulsoSocial) Just last month, Juan Melano sat down with PulsoSocial to discuss just how well…



via Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association » Latest Industry News http://lavca.org/2014/01/09/wayin-acquires-comenta-tv/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wayin-acquires-comenta-tv

University of Tampa baseball team to play exhibition games in Cuba - Tampabay.com









University of Tampa baseball team to play exhibition games in Cuba

Tampabay.com

TAMPA — The University of Tampa's defending national champion baseball team heads to Cuba Sunday to play up to four exhibition games in that baseball-crazy country. UT athletic officials announced Thursday that the Spartans will be in Cuba until Jan.









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHhIsFuLOu8LMUEplSE9wdy2hrH9Q&url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/university-of-tampa-baseball-team-to-play-exhibition-games-in-cuba/2160361

Cuban Tourism Increased in 2013 - Radio Cadena Agramonet








eTurboNews



Cuban Tourism Increased in 2013

Radio Cadena Agramonet

Important operations were carried out to increase direct flights from various parts of the world, among them Canada, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Venezuela and Haiti. Tourist offers diversified with the modality ...

Record year for Cuba's tourism









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHa0h3Lgbv7AwnkBdHqta3zsVlMvw&url=http://www.cadenagramonte.cu/english/index.php/show/articles/16725:cuban-tourism-increased-in-2013

Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of thawing ties - Reuters








CTV News



Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of thawing ties

Reuters

Cuba relaxed its own restrictions on travel in January, increasing the number of Cubans able to travel legally to the United States and allowing prominent dissidents to travel abroad freely since then. The United States recently began issuing five-year ...

Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of a thaw

Cuba, US hold migration talks in Havana









via Travel Cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGoaiv4PuywA2DT7n7nGcoPSXBF4g&url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-cuba-usa-idUSBREA0810J20140109?feedType%3DRSS%26feedName%3DtopNews

Cuban Tourism Increased in 2013 - Radio Cadena Agramonet









Cuban Tourism Increased in 2013

Radio Cadena Agramonet

Havana, Cuba, Jan 9.- Cuba ended 2013 with a record of arrivals of tourists, thanks to actions carried out by the Tourism Ministry (Mintur) to increase quality of competitiveness. Over two million 850,000 travelers arrived on the island, the highest ...









via tourism in cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHa0h3Lgbv7AwnkBdHqta3zsVlMvw&url=http://www.cadenagramonte.cu/english/index.php/show/articles/16725:cuban-tourism-increased-in-2013

Targeting Immigrant Taxpayers as a Matter of Course

Unfortunately, there is a new fallback position for some members of Congress when it comes to finding ways to save money. That position is eliminating the Additional Child Tax Credit for immigrant taxpayers. This has been proposed in the past by other members of Congress; however, the latest iteration is in the form of an [...]



via Immigration Impact http://immigrationimpact.com/2014/01/09/targeting-immigrant-taxpayers-as-a-matter-of-course/

Domadores están listos para match contra Azerbaiján

La preparación en la ciudad de Guba selló la puesta en forma de los Domadores de Cuba para su duelo sabatino con el local Azerbaijan Baku Fires, en el cierre de la primera vuelta de la Serie Mundial de Boxeo. Rolando Acebal reiteró elogios para la consagración de sus alumnos, que a tono con la aparición de los rayos solares en medio de bajas temperaturas volvieron a esforzarse en los gimnasios del Centro Olímpico de Guba y el hotel Retro.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/domadores-estan-listos-para-match-contra-azerbaijan/

La Habana: Más de 700 títulos en Feria Internacional del Libro

Más de 700 títulos traerá a los estantes la XXIII Feria Internacional del Libro, Cuba 2014, por celebrarse en La Habana del 13 al 23 de febrero próximos, y hasta el nueve de marzo en todo el territorio nacional. Juan Rodríguez, vicepresidente del Instituto Cubano del Libro, precisó hoy en conferencia de prensa que se prevé publicar poco más de 2,5 millones de ejemplares, de los que ya se ha completado un 75 por ciento.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/la-habana-mas-de-700-titulos-en-feria-internacional-del-libro/

Nuevo estudio cuestiona teoría sobre ‘áreas habitables’

Un estudio revela que la vida puede existir en planetas similares a la Tierra incluso si están a una distancia de su estrella 14 veces superior a la que se consideraba factible para el surgimiento de la misma. De este modo, se cuestiona la teoría sobre las 'áreas habitables'. La zona de habitabilidad estelar es aquella región alrededor de una estrella en la que, de encontrarse ubicado un planeta o un satélite, la luminosidad y el flujo de radiación incidente permitiría la presencia de agua en estado líquido sobre su superficie.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/nuevo-estudio-cuestiona-teoria-sobre-areas-habitables/

What Can We Learn From Burkina Faso?

Results from a health insurance experiment in Burkina Faso (could you find it on a map?) suggest that when incentives are poorly designed, health insurance kills. A study finds that expanding a voluntary community-based health insurance scheme in a low-income setting in Burkina Faso increased average population mortality by more than 20 percent relative to […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://healthblog.ncpa.org/what-can-we-learn-from-burkina-faso/

US, Cuba to hold migration talks in Havana - Fox News








CTV News



US, Cuba to hold migration talks in Havana

Fox News

HAVANA – Cuban and U.S. representatives are set to meet in Havana for a new round of restarted migration talks on Thursday, a signal of the longtime Cold War foes' recent willingness to engage in areas of mutual interest but unlikely to be a harbinger ...

State Department confirms US-Cuba migration talks

Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of thawing ties

Cars for sale: Cuba becomes land of the $250000 family sedan









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNELow6sSPIpt85pSYrz9j8BYMCeMg&url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/09/us-cuba-to-hold-migration-talks-in-havana/

Public and Private Information in Cuba - Havana Times








Havana Times



Public and Private Information in Cuba

Havana Times

A friend, who was writing a piece on the Internet in Cuba, visited the company web-page. The site, which hadn't been updated, only mentioned the number of locales that were initially opened, not the total number, after additional locales were opened.









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHNMkR-Nx8zPu4nWzje2lpOaD-N_g&url=http://www.havanatimes.org/?p%3D101130

Fidel Castro makes rare appearance

Cuba's former President Fidel Castro appears in public for the first time in nine months, at the opening of an art studio in Havana.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25676643#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Economist to the New York Times: You Should be Ashamed of Yourselves

The offense: “In March, every Republican in the House voted against a measure to raise the minimum wage. ‘When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it, said Speaker John Boehner in February, espousing a party-line theory that most economists agree has been discredited.” New York Times editorial, Jan. […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://healthblog.ncpa.org/economist-to-the-new-york-times-you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourselves/

'UNESCO purposely introduces world with Azerbaijani intangible heritage' - News.Az








News.Az



'UNESCO purposely introduces world with Azerbaijani intangible heritage'

News.Az

The guest of honour at the session was former UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura. The session was chaired by Azerbaijani Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev. In general, as pointed ... At that session, the Representative List of ...









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEsLSUkNYeUMklJ9wcGFlF3X_FUiw&url=http://www.news.az/articles/interviews/85594

Venezuela: beauty queen and Briton killed in world's fourth deadliest nation - The Guardian








The Guardian



Venezuela: beauty queen and Briton killed in world's fourth deadliest nation

The Guardian

She was a Venezuelan actor, former beauty queen and campaigner for greater awareness of Asperger's syndrome. He was an idealistic Englishman who loved the outdoors and wanted to contribute to his adopted country by starting an eco-tourism business.

Beauty queen's slaying a 'blow' to Venezuelans, leader declares









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFHsAzbUasEU0sD6hli4bANJaQsMQ&url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/08/venezuela-monica-spear-beauty-queen-killing

BOGO Wars





via Cuba Journal http://cubajournal.blogspot.com/2014/01/bogo-wars.html

Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of thawing ties - KFGO








CTV News



Cuba, United States meet on migration in latest sign of thawing ties

KFGO

Gross' arrest in late 2009 and sentencing in March 2011 stalled a brief period of detente in U.S.-Cuba relations after Obama took office early in 2009 and quickly loosened restrictions on travel and remittances to the island for Cuban Americans with ...

Cuba, US resume migration talks - diplomat

US, Cuba to hold migration talks in Havana









via Travel Cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFuHWkeFaOOUbFB5RIQzmZUagS6cg&url=http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2014/jan/09/cuba-united-states-meet-on-migration-in-latest-sign-of-thawing-ties/

Militares de EEUU están dispersos por la mitad del mundo

Las fuerzas de Operaciones Especiales de EE.UU. estuvieron desplegadas o cooperaron con los militares en 106 naciones alrededor del globo durante los años 2012 y 2013, según calcula el portal TomDispatch.com, basándose en fuentes abiertas. "De hecho, el Mando de Operaciones Especiales de EE.UU. (SOCOM) ha convertido el planeta en un gigantesco campo de batalla", destaca Nick Turse, el editor asociado del referido portal.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/militares-de-eeuu-estan-dispersos-por-la-mitad-del-mundo/

Tributo de Fidel y Raúl a José Ramírez Cruz

Ofrendas florales del líder histórico, Fidel Castro, y del General de Ejército Raúl Castro, Primer Secretario del Partido Comunista de Cuba y Presidente de los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros, escoltan la imagen del líder campesino José (Pepe) Ramírez Cruz, en La Habana. Un arreglo floral a nombre de la Asociación de Combatientes de la Revolución Cubana fue enviado también a los funerales del destacado dirigente, fallecido el miércoles.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/tributo-de-fidel-y-raul-a-pepe-ramirez/

Británicos prefieren devolver Malvinas a Argentina

Más del 73 por ciento de los ciudadanos británicos opina que el Reino Unido debería devolver las Islas Malvinas a Argentina, según una encuesta publicada por el diario The Daily Telegraph. En un sondeo mediante Internet aplicado por el rotativo a 26 mil 434 usuarios, 19 mil 514 se mostraron a favor de devolver las Malvinas a Buenos Aires. El 24,03 por ciento de los encuestados (seis mil 353) se manifestó a favor de mantener las Islas bajo control británico.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/britanicos-prefieren-devolver-malvinas-a-argentina/

Lev Yashin: El maestro del área grande

Al finalizar el año, los seguidores del fútbol dirigen su mirada hacia el premio más codiciado por todos los jugadores. Este polémico galardón, patrocinado por la revista France Football y la FIFA, premia generalmente a jugadores del mediocampo hacia arriba y subestima el desempeño de futbolistas situados en las zonas más retrasadas del campo. Por eso es tan meritoria la actuación del hombre que defendió la portería de la selección rusa y del Dinamo de Moscú entre 1949 y 1971.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/opinion/2014/01/09/lev-yashin-el-maestro-del-area-grande/

Demandan a la CIA revelar información sobre el arresto de Mandela

Un investigador solicitó a la CIA el miércoles que saque a la luz archivos potencialmente comprometedores sobre Nelson Mandela para aclarar si la agencia contribuyó a que el expresidente sudafricano permaneciera en la cárcel 27 años. Pocos días después de la muerte de Nelson Mandela el pasado mes de diciembre, Ryan Shapiro presentó una solicitud de información sobre los archivos de la CIA que hacen referencia al fallecido mandatario sudafricano, según informó el diario 'The Huffington Post'.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/demandan-a-la-cia-revelar-informacion-sobre-el-arresto-de-mandela/

Hooray! The Medicare “Doc Fix” Is Fixed Until March 31

Once again, Congress pretends to have fixed the unfixable: The way Medicare pays doctors. An earlier blog entry describes how Medicare pays physicians by using a method that puts the old Soviet Gosplan to shame. The simplest description is that a government-authorized committee determines how much time it takes a doctor to do a procedure. […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://healthblog.ncpa.org/hooray-the-medicare-doc-fix-is-fixed-until-march-31/

Arrests in hunt for beauty queen's killers

Seven suspects are arrested in the hunt for the killers of a Venezuelan soap opera star and former beauty queen, Venezuela's interior minister says.



via CNN.com - Latin America http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/09/world/americas/monica-spear-venezuela-beauty-queen-killed/index.html

Cuba's Fidel Castro makes first public appearance in nine months - The Guardian








The Guardian



Cuba's Fidel Castro makes first public appearance in nine months

The Guardian

The former Cuban president Fidel Castro made his first public appearance in nine months, attending the opening of an art studio in the capital, Havana. Official newspapers and websites on Thursday carried a photo showing a seated, gray-haired Castro ...

Cuba's Fidel Castro appears in public for first time since April

Fidel Castro has 1st public appearance in 9 months

Castro: 'Oswald Could Not Have Been the One Who Killed Kennedy'









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGLWN1pMYOB8S75-ZKKUnMlELKInA&url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/09/cuba-fidel-castro-first-public-appearance-havana

State Department confirms US-Cuba migration talks - MiamiHerald.com








The Guardian



State Department confirms US-Cuba migration talks

MiamiHerald.com

Obama administration officials have said the talks do not represent a change in U.S. policy toward Cuba and are consistent with Washington's efforts to ensure safe migration between the two nations. Nearly 25,000 Cuban migrants received U.S. visas in ...

US, Cuba to Hold Migration Talks in Havana

US and Cuba to hold fresh round of diplomatic talks in Havana









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFKqFf0CHsF7LmzkpjTAIe6gnEoGA&url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/08/3859299/state-department-confirms-us-cuba.html

Reforms in Cuba: Seat belt, mirrors, brake

WHEN the Cuban government said in December that it intended to let the population buy modern cars without requiring permits, many suspected there would be a catch. They were right.The cars, which can only be bought through state-owned suppliers, cost a fortune. A 2013 Peugeot 508, marketed in Europe as an affordable saloon car costing around $30,000, has a price tag of more than a quarter of a million dollars at a rundown showroom in Havana. A Chinese Geely, with more than 80,000 kilometres (50,000 miles) on the clock, is on sale for around $30,000. The average salary in Cuba is less than $20 a month. “What do they think they are selling? Aeroplanes?” jokes Erik, a handyman, as he looks at the price-list. “They don’t want to sell any cars. It’s all a show,” agrees Ernesto, a mechanic.The prices certainly seem designed to deter purchasers. Some even wondered whether there had been a clerical error and prices had been listed in Cuban pesos, Cuba’s local currency, which is worth 24 times less than the dollar-pegged convertible peso (CUC). Another theory is that the high prices are a preview of a widely predicted devaluation of the CUC as part of the government’s commitment to unify the island’s two currencies.A further explanation may lie in the immediate effect of the reform: the elimination of a thriving black-market trade in the permits to buy new cars. For decades these...






via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21593492-road-capitalism-does-not-run-smooth-seat-belt-mirrors-brake?fsrc=rss|ame

Mexico’s cowboy pilgrims: Saddle up, kneel down

Sombreros off for church

BEFORE dawn on January 4th the mesquite trees around José Reyes Morin’s farm are lit up with Christmas lights. Inside the house, breakfast is eaten by candlelight. Mr Morin, a stickler for the old ways, doesn’t much believe in using electricity at home for anything other than religious occasions.Appetites sated, a score of cowboys, one young woman and your (less young) correspondent mount scraggy horses. “Viva Cristo Rey,” (“Long Live Christ the King”) shouts Mr Morin, silver-buttoned comandante of the group, as the riders set off on a three-day pilgrimage to the 23-metre (75-foot) statue of Cristo Rey, high on a hill in the very centre of Mexico. That cry could once have got him killed as a Catholic reactionary. Today it is a call to rural traditions of faith and endurance in Mexico’s industrial heartland.As the sun rises, the group grows. By lunchtime about 850 horsemen, and a handful of women, are heading towards the monument, visible many miles away. Priests whom they encounter remind them that they are riding in the hoofprints of the Cristero martyrs, who...



via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21593493-rural-values-endure-industrial-heartland-saddle-up-kneel-down?fsrc=rss|ame

Tensions in Argentina: Holding the ring


IT HAS been a summer of discontent in Argentina. In December police forces in 20 of the country’s 24 districts went on strike in protest at low salaries, sparking the worst bout of looting since the crisis of 2001. A heatwave then knocked out the power in Buenos Aires during the holiday season, leaving tens of thousands without electricity for more than a fortnight. A combination of political torpor and economic fragility has once again raised questions about the precariousness of the country’s position.A few months ago things looked rosier. After brain surgery had forced her to rest for six weeks, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner returned to work in November with aplomb. First she purged her cabinet of some of its more ineffectual ministers. Next she nodded through a $5 billion offer to compensate Spain’s Repsol for the nationalisation of YPF, an oil firm, in 2012. Ms Fernández even abandoned the widow’s weeds she had worn since her husband Nestor’s death in 2010.But clothes are easier to shed than Argentina’s grievances, exemplified by striking police. Although police salaries are not meagre, they are devoured by inflation, which private economists...



via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21593420-government-struggling-stay-its-feet-holding-ring?fsrc=rss|ame

Correction: Argentina’s maize harvest

We got our own numbers wrong when we reported estimates for Argentina’s maize harvest in billions of tonnes ("Still lying after all these years!", December 21st 2013). The units should have been in millions. Sorry.






via The Economist: The Americas http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21593460-correction-argentinas-maize-harvest?fsrc=rss|ame

A Medicine that Differs Slightly from Another Can Have a Big Health Benefit

First, there often are critical differences in clinical safety or effectiveness among drugs that act through similar mechanisms. Second, even if two drugs are each effective in 40% of patients with a particular symptom or disease, each of them may not work in the same 40%. Third, “supplemental,” or secondary, approvals of drugs — which […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://healthblog.ncpa.org/a-medicine-that-differs-slightly-from-another-can-have-a-big-health-benefit/

Chile fires spark health alert

Officials in Chile urge residents of four regions to avoid exercising outside as thick smoke from forest fires spreads, fanned by high winds.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25668238#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

La manipulación mediática envolvió el desastre de Fukushima

La crisis generada por el desastre en la planta nuclear de Fukushima, Japón, trascendió los temas sociales, políticos y económicos, con una carencia de transparencia informativa sobre lo que realmente sucedió a casi tres años del hecho. Diversos medios de prensa y especialistas coinciden en que desde los primeros momentos se careció de información pública veraz y orientadora que permitiera cómo evaluar lo ocurrido y trazar, incluso, nuevas políticas de riesgos.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/01/09/la-manipulacion-mediatica-envolvio-el-desastre-de-fukushima/

EEUU: El invierno batió records (+ Fotos)

El frío polar que ha congelado esta semana un tercio de Estados Unidos empezó a retirarse el miércoles, lentamente, dejando atrás al menos una veintena de muertos y pérdidas que se estiman ya en más de 5.000 millones de dólares. La tormenta invernal 'Hércules', que cubrió con fuertes nevadas el noreste del país a finales de la semana pasada, y la ola de frío que batió récords en vastas áreas de Estados Unidos, han afectado a unos 187 millones de personas.



via Cubadebate http://www.cubadebate.cu/fotorreportajes/2014/01/09/eeuu-el-invierno-batio-records/

Cars for sale: Cuba becomes land of the $250000 family sedan - VOXXI









Cars for sale: Cuba becomes land of the $250000 family sedan

VOXXI

A car dealership worker, right, and a boy clean a used Chinese Geely for sale at a government-run dealership in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. This car once was for sale for $5,000 dollars, but the price has risen to as much as $30,000, after a ...









via cuba - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEWFuXmVRC2fiIq36Jo-qOJjxtTdw&url=http://voxxi.com/2014/01/08/cuba-car-cales-overpriced-expensive/

What if Obama wanted to transfer Miami to Cuba so as to lower percentage of ... - Mondoweiss








Montreal Gazette



What if Obama wanted to transfer Miami to Cuba so as to lower percentage of ...

Mondoweiss

As Alex Kane noted yesterday, high Israeli officials are pushing a scheme in which it would “transfer” communities containing 300,000 Palestinian citizens to Palestinian sovereignty under any proposed peace plan so as to bolster the Jewish majority in ...

Lead by example: Restore America's global luster









via Cuba Obama - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHPBKTf7sIEszhtMc7_8_TpKoW58g&url=http://mondoweiss.net/2014/01/transfer-citizens-percentage.html

Colombia halts Drummond coal loading

Colombia suspends the loading of coal by US-based mining company Drummond after it failed to abide by stricter rules aimed at preventing pollution.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25666170#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

EXCLUSIVE: Miss Venezuela and her British ex were about to get back together ... - Daily Mail








Daily Mail



EXCLUSIVE: Miss Venezuela and her British ex were about to get back together ...

Daily Mail

Ms Spear and Berry were shot dead alongside each other after they were ambushed by thieves when their car broke down on the Puerto-Cabello to Valencia highway in Venezuela's Carabobo state. Their five-year-old daughter Maya survived the shooting after ...

Former Miss Venezuela shot dead in attempted robbery









via tourism in Venezuela - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNF1W-Pe75M_GXQ5yT7gnozAH0enZw&url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2536311/EXCLUSIVE-Miss-Venezuela-British-ex-sake-five-year-old-daughter-shot-dead-robbers.html