Week in Review: August 14 to August 20

Monday August 14:

*Cuban newspaper Granma published photos taken over the weekend of Fidel Castro recuperating in bed accompanied by brother Raul and Hugo Chavez.

*Speaking of Chavez, he flew to Jamaica in order to sign a new contract boosting Venezuelan oil exports to that Caribbean country.

*A tough new anti-smoking law begins enforcement in Chile which bans smoking in large restaurants and most public places.

*Brazil’s president is accused of “arrogance” for skipping that evening’s president debate.

*Protestors and police clashed in front of Mexico’s congress building.

*The New York Times’ Charlie LeDuff looked at one man’s life as a Minuteman along the U.S.-Mexico border.

*A Sao Paulo gang released a kidnapped television reporter shortly after airing video demanding better conditions in Brazilian prisons.

*Prosecutors in Peru brought up charges against former presidential candidate Ollanta Humala.

Tuesday August 15:

*Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina set up an intelligence center near the border shared by those nations in order to combat crime.

*Australian television aired a BBC documentary investigating the murders of nearly 700 women in Nicaragua and how police have done woefully little to solve the crimes.

*Mexican police denied accusations of brutality during Monday’s demonstrations in Mexico City.

Wednesday August 16:

*Ex-Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner died at the age of 93 after spending several weeks in hospital.

*U.S. law enforcement officials announced the arrest of Mexican drug lord Javier Arellano Felix.

*Several Colombian right-wing paramilitary members were arrested for not obeying the rules set during peace negotiations with the government.

*Brazilian soccer team Internacional dethroned defending champion Sao Paulo and won the Copa Libertadores tournament.

*El Salvador became the only country in the world to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as Costa Rica decided to move their embassy to Tel Aviv.

*Mexico's highest electoral court confirmed the results of legislative elections allowing the ruling PAN to have majorities in both chambers.

Thursday August 17:

*A volcano exploded in Ecuador and wiped out several villages with dozens feared dead.

*Three Mexican fishermen tell their story after being rescued from nearly a year adrift at sea.

*U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff claimed that illegal crossings of the border with Mexico have decreased due to the presence of the National Guard.

Friday August 18:

*Appointment of a special U.S. “manager” of intelligence operations in Cuba and Venezuela begs the question of whether or not those countries are under the “axis of evil”.

*Speaking of Cuba, acting ruler Raul Castro claimed to be willing to normalize relations with the U.S., but said that the Bush administration’s “war hawks” should halt with their threats.

*Denver police picked up a suspect in the murders of hundreds of women in Juarez, Mexico though some relatives of victims doubt he was the culprit.

*The 16^th International AIDS Conference in Canada ended with a grim outlook for Latin America.

*British authorities recovered a valuable antique Peruvian headdress stolen nearly two decades before.

*Striking miners in Chile forced the worlds biggest mine to suspend operations while auto workers in Mexico planned to strike over insufficient pay.

*Trinidad and Tobago’s legislature started deliberating on a new constitution for the country.

Saturday August 19:

*Manuel Rosales, the main opposition candidate for Venezuelan president, registered his candidacy.

*A Chilean judge stripped the immunity of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet in a tax fraud case.

*Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell equaled his world record time for the 100-meter dash during a track meet in Switzerland.

Sunday August 20:

*Gubernatorial elections take place in Chiapas, Mexico as police broke up a vote-buying scheme on Saturday.

*Leon Trotsky was fatally shot while in exile in Mexico City on this day in 1940.

*Ecuadorian soccer player Edison Mendez makes his debut with defending Dutch league champions PSV Eindhoven.

Latin America, week in review