Daily Headlines (bulldog edition): July 19, 2007

Note: Sorry for the lack of posts on Wednesday; today’s heavy thunderstorms around The Latin Americanist HQ wreaked havoc on our internet connection.

In the meantime, here’s an expanded bulldog edition of tomorrow’s “Daily Headlines” while fellow contributor Alison takes over most blogging duties for Thursday and Friday.

* Obviously, the lede story in the Americas has to do with Tuesday night’s deadly crash of TAM Airlines flight 3054 in Sao Paulo, Brazil which may have killed an estimated 200 people. The airliner- which carried 170 people- skidded on the runway upon landing at Congonhas National Airport before crashing into a warehouse and gas station (image).

While investigators look over the wreckage, blame is spreading as to who is at fault for the crash:

• The pilot of the ill-fated flight may have tried to abort the landing before eventually going through with it.
• Folha Online has audio clips of the confused and chaotic scenes surrounding the first responders to the crash.
• On Monday (one day before the crash) another airliner nearly skidded off the same runway at Congonhas and a civil defense official dismissed any blame on the supposedly short runway.

* Argentines solemnly recalled today as the 13^th anniversary of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. 85 people were killed in the explosion which has been blamed on Hezbollah and the Iranian government.

* Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani focused on Latin America during a speech in South Florida. He saved his most harsh remarks for Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez despite former ties by Giuliani’s law firm to Chavez-controlled Citgo Petroleum.

* One of the negative consequences of the lack of immigration reform is the large pool of underemployed immigrants working in the U.S. That is, highly skilled immigrants working in menial jobs.

* Lawyers for a former altar boy are preparing their case against Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera who has been accused of covering up abuse allegations. Also named in the lawsuit is Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney who agreed to a $660 million settlement with abuse victims.

* The Vatican continues its criticism of Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo’s candidacy for president of Paraguay. However the so-called “Bishop of the Poor” easily leads all the other candidates according to recent poll numbers.

* Mexico’s government wants the U.S. to take a more active role in preventing gun smuggling across the border. This includes arms such as a semiautomatic weapons colloquially called “police killers.”

Sources (English)- Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist, Gothamist, International Herald Tribune, ABC News, Reuters, Guardian UK, Yahoo! News, Catholic World News, Monsters & Critics, MSNBC, Latina Viva, CNN, Wikipedia, Christian Science Monitor

Sources (Portuguese)- Folha Online

Image- BBC News