The “where is Snowden” Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

LatinAmer ARGENTINA
Today’s must-read: Iran’s Latin America Strategy

Brazil Protests Prompts a Media Shift
Brazil’s recent protests has allowed independent media to gain some traction in a landscape long dominated by a few mainstream giants.

Support for Brazil’s President Plummets
Backing for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s administration has dropped sharply in the past month.

Brazilian Tycoon Batista’s Empire on Edge
Just months after he unveiled it, Brazilian commodity tycoon Eike Batista’s bid to rebalance his unsteady oil, mining and shipping empire is nearly in tatters, overtaken by a shift in investor sentiment.

Brazil’s protests
The cries are answered
The government offers a package of reforms to appease protesters. Is it enough?

CHILE
Chilean Police Dismantle Student Protests
Police have evicted protesting students from the public schools that will be used as polling stations for Sunday’s primary elections in Chile, making at least 150 arrests. Former president Michele Bachelet won, which comes as no surprise.

COLOMBIA
Colombian Land Deals Are Scrutinized
Large Firms Bought Out Deeds Distributed to Farmers

Colombia, a country without memory?

CUBA
North Korea and Castro Kingdom: Forging Bright Plans for the Future, For Sure

Afraid of Change

More U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Cuba

Blob alert from Castro Kingdom: It’s a monster… it’s Michael Moore… it’s the ghost of Hugo Chavez…no…. it’s something else!

ECUADOR
Snowden Scrap: Ecuador Thumbs Nose at Washington

The Errors of Edward Snowden and His Global Hypocrisy Tour

And what about Ecuador? Why, just two weeks ago, this country that is apparently on Snowden’s list of possible future homes passed new rules that impede free expression. The statute, called the Communications Law, prohibits anyone from disseminating information through the media that might undermine the prestige or credibility of a person or institution (you know, like revealing a government-sponsored surveillance program). The law also places burdens on journalists, making them subject to civil or criminal penalties for publishing information that serves to undermine the security of the state (you know, like revealing a government-sponsored surveillance program).

Biden Contacted Ecuador on Snowden
Ecuador’s president said the U.S. vice president called him and asked that the NSA leaker’s asylum request be rejected.HONDURAS
US renews Honduras Travel Warning

JAMAICA
Chris Blackwell’s Jamaican Retreat
The Island Records founder and hotelier shares his love for Jamaica through his latest homegrown hit—his farm.

MEXICO
How Mexico Became So Corrupt
From Sicily to Tijuana, how monopolies and governments perpetuate one another.

The US-Mexico border
Secure enough
Spending billions more on fences and drones will do more harm than good