Ecuador to Recieve 52% from New Contract from Canadian Miner Kinross

Published on January 24, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The mining contract will be set up so that Ecuador recieves an income of 52% for the exploitaion of the Amazonian field.  The amazonian field is projected to have reserves of 6.4 million ounces of gold.  The 52% will be split up into income tax, Value added tax, profit sharing to workers, and royalties.  22% will go to income tax, 12% will go to Value added tax, 15% will go to profit sharing for workers and 5-8% will go to royalties.   The royalties part of the 52% will depend on the price of gold at that time.  For example royalties will be 5% if the price of gold is less than $1,200.  The contract runs through 2030 and mining will be held at northern slope of Cordilla del Condor in the Amazonian province of Zamora Chinchipe which is the south east border of Peru.  The indigenous people aren not as happy with the contract as Ecuador’s government is.  They believe they have a say on whether or not a contract signed when the project would take place on their reserves.  The President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Humberto Cholango, is planning a march to Quito to demand a law requiring the consulting of the indigenous population before planning projects on their reserves.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.univision.com%2Ffeeds%2Farticle%2F2011-12-07%2Fecuador-recibira-renta-de-52-1

The Cordillera del Cóndor Region

 http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/ecuador/cordillera/images/Condor_crest_

Rio_Wawaime.jpg

 

Mexican Child Trafficking

Published on January 24, 2012 in Mexico and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Mexican authorities unravel child trafficking as an illegal for of adoption.  Authorities are charging two women, Guadalupe Bosquez and Silvia Soto,  for going to poor areas and paying mothers for the “renting” of their children.  The couple would tell the mothers that the children were being used in an Pro-Life campaign and even had some posters to prove that they were.  The two were setting up adoptions with Irish couples that even had the chance to live with the children for weeks at a time.  The mexican mothers had no idea of this until one mother was stopped and accused of selling her child.  The children were kept in good conditions so that when they returned to the mothers, they would decide to send them back.  The Irish couples spent around $25,000 during the adoption process.  When all questioned, they found that a local attorney was also being tricked by this two women but when asked for further information he denied saying anything.

                     Two of the mothers involved in the illegal adoption scheme.

 

Photo Credit

-Tania Lopez

IMF Cuts Growth Rate Forecast for Latin America

Published on January 24, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The IMF recently announced revised numbers for world economic growth. The economies of the Latin American region as a whole were initially expected to grow at a rate of about 4%.  In the revised numbers, the IMF adjusted that rate to 3.6% citing that Latin American is susceptible to the economic woes facing the rest of the world and may face downturn as a result of the economic situation in the euro zone. Overall, growth rates for most countries, including booming countries and developing countries, have slowed.

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/90827/latin-american-growth-forecast-cut-by-imf-

 

U.S. Government Withdrawls Peace Corps Volunteers from Honduras.

Published on January 24, 2012 in Honduras. 0 Comments

               CNN reported ast week the U.S. Government decided to pull over 150 Peace Corps volunteers out of the crime riddled country of Honduras while it reviews the safety of its volunteers working in the country. The Peace Corps have operated in Honduras for the past 49 years to help the struggling country. Due to the steady increase in crime within the country the important work the Peace Corps does is being hampered.

 

Picture taken by USA Today

 

                The withdrawal occurred after a report from the UN listed Honduras as the murder capital of the world. The report cited “81.2 homicides for every 100,000 residents in the Central American nation” which triggered already rising concerns over the safety of volunteers in Honduras.

                As of right now, it is unclear what impact the Peace Corps volunteer departure will impart upon Honduras. As of today, no other international aid organization has announced plans to withdraw support from Honduras over concerns of security.

 

 

Elvin Sandoval, “U.S. Peace Corps pulls out of Honduras,” CNN 16 January 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/17/world/americas/honduras-peace-corps/index.html

 

Mexico strikes Sinaloa cartel as Cabrera Sarabria shot

Published on January 24, 2012 in Mexico. 0 Comments

Over the past few years, Mexico has had an increase in the number of drug cartels and violence.  Last Friday, in a helicopter raid on a ranch in north-western Durango, 11 members of the country’s most powerful drug cartel, the Sinaloa cartel, were arrested.  During the raid, the regional leader of the gang, Luis Alberto Cabrera Sarabia, was killed.

“At the ranch, soldiers found more than a dozen long-range weapons and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as armoured cars and communication equipment.”

Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, the most wanted man in Mexico and the leader of the gang, had personally appointed Cabrera Sarabria last month after the arrest of Cabrera Sarabria’s brother, Felipe.

“The Sinaloa cartel controls much of the flow of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States via air, land and sea, and is believed to have links in as many as 50 countries.”

U.S. Peace Corps Pulls Out of Honduras

Published on January 23, 2012 in Honduras. 0 Comments

The country with the world’s highest murder rate (81.2 for every 100,000 residents) is missing 158 Peace Corps workers after they were recently removed from the country due to security concerns. There are over 5000 volunteers working in Honduras from all over the world, and they can only work in certain parts of the country, according to the CNN Article here. Also according to the article, Honduras seriously affected by the cocaine business and drug trafficking causes the high crime rates in the country.

The American Peace Corps work all over the world and take the safety of volunteers very seriously. According to the Honduras Peace Corps blog, the volunteers were removed from Honduras and training was put on hold for volunteers destined for El Salvador and Guatemala because a volunteer was shot. Interestingly, the writer of the blog also likens the rate of rape, murder, and suicide to that of the average American college or university. At the same time as the Peace Corps are pulling out their aid, the U.S. has offered to send a team of security experts to Honduras to aid in lowering the crime rate. (cbsnews)

Clearly, with it being the focus of news stories every day, drug trafficking is the source of  many problems in Central America. The Peace Corps has pulled volunteers from other countries for a short period in the past, but is this going to be the end of American aid in Honduras?

Panama Canal Strike Called Off

Published on January 23, 2012 in Panama. 0 Comments

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16674578

The Panama Canal has been a critical component in international trade ever since its completion.  Due to the ever-growing number of ships traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific and vice versa, the canal’s original size has proven to be inadequate for future trade.  Since 2007, the canal has been undergoing an extensive expansion project which is expected to be completed by 2014.

However, about a week prior to this posting, thousands of workers on the expansion project began an indefinite strike demanding higher wages and back pay for overtime.  This strike has effectively paralyzed construction on the project.

On January 22, GUPC, the company in command of the construction project, agreed to increase the workers’ minimum wages and provide the requested back pay.  Satisfied, the workers have returned to, well, work this morning.

This story is of interest for two primary reasons.  First of all, the canal is a very important part of Panama’s economy, which in turn has ramifications not only throughout Latin America, but the world as a whole; the BBC reports that the canal oversees some 5% of international trade.  Secondly, it also implies a rather amicable relationship between corporations and labor unions in Panama, since this major strike was dealt with in a surprisingly swift and satisfactory (for the workers) manner.

-Emile Lewis

Forest in Ecuador Threatened by Oil Drilling

Published on January 23, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The ever-increasing demand for oil has driven Ecuador to consider destroying one of the world’s most diverse rain forests. Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, nicknamed the “Lungs of the World” due to its enormous size and untouched purity is also home to a rich oil supply. Until viable alternative energy sources are established, this nearly 4,000 square mile part of the Amazonian rain forest will remain on the list of locations for drilling. At the protest of conservationist groups and the establishment of a specific Yasuni fund, the Yasuni Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) project, the government demanded $100 million be made in donations by the end of 2011 in order to halt plans for destroying the park. The money would be put toward research for sustainable energy technology. Since then, the deadline has been pushed back, and the fund has become an international issue, raising awareness among more than just the people of Ecuador.

The issue is not just of the millions of plant and animal species that occupy Yasuni Park that would be destroyed or endangered, but also of a number of local tribes that live in and around the forest who depend on it for their survival. The ITT campaign is still continuing , appealing to both international industries and Ecuadoreans, who may donate at all government offices.

While oil is and will continue to be a valuable need of the industrial world, it is impressive to see such a drive for sustainability come from such a small nation. The government’s donation alternative to drilling is certainly a challenge, but the passion it has sparked among the citizens of Ecuador for both saving another necessary resource and exploring other energy technologies will hopefully spread to other regions of the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16618300

Journalism in Chile

Published on January 22, 2012 in Argentina and chile. 0 Comments

In Chile this week, officials decided to not move forward with legislation that would have allowed police to seize media, without court orders, from reporting journalists.  The article can be found here.  Because journalists usually gather material, or “evidence,” on the site of violent unauthorized protests and demonstrations,  the policy was formulated to help maintain public order and safety; the new wealth of evidence would make it easier to prosecute offenders.  Opponents of the plan warned Chilean President Sebastian Pinera that acting accordingly would compromise journalists’ neutrality, safety, and freedom, as well as damage Chile’s image and create conflicts with international press.   The accompanying proposed “Hinzpeter Law,” which created harsher punishments for disruptive protesters, was met with additional opposition, especially from Chilean youth.  This article brings up relevant points that can be applied to the ongoing high-profile protests headlining the news, such as the student protests in Chile and the international Occupy Movement; it shows complexities that exist when trying to honor the freedoms and safety of different social groups as they fight for change.
The article also mentions a recently passed law in Ecuador that allows the National Electoral Council to select which news can published during the current presidential campaigns, and that in Argentina, the commerce minister now manages the country’s newsprint, a tactic that can be used to silence criticism.  Government censorship and propaganda to obtain and expand its power is a key topic from this section of the article.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/chile-withdraws-proposed-law-enabling-police-to-seize-images-from-media-without-court-orders/2012/01/19/gIQA2N0vBQ_story.html

Argentine tax agency raids Monsanto contractor, finds slave-like conditions in cornfields

Published on January 21, 2012 in Argentina. 0 Comments

This is a article about a well known North American company called Monsanto and how this company has been caught doing business in Argentina treating its employees like slaves and breaking the Argentine workers rights laws. It is a shame how companies who make their money from hard workers can greedily neglect its employees.
What I find as interesting is that it was the AFIP tax Agency that is conducting this search. I am interested in seeing what the Labor parties will say and how the population will react.

Link to the Article http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/argentine-tax-agency-raids-monsanto-contractor-finds-slave-like-conditions-in-cornfields/2012/01/16/gIQAhZNI4P_story.html