May 2012
188 posts
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WatchColin Powell touts immigration reform
By UNIVISION NEWS In a new interview with Univision’s Jorge Ramos on Al Punto, Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called on lawmakers to get serious about passing immigration reform after years of gridlock in Congress has blocked proposals. Powell was promoting his new book, It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership, out May 22.
The son of Jamaican...
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Clock is ticking: 'East Willy B' co-creator Julia...
East Willy B’s Julia Grob is going to get season two done no matter what it takes.
By AMARIS CASTILLO
Kickstarter is to the indie filmmaker what dogs are to man: A best friend. Or so The Wrap maintains, citing an increase in filmmakers turning to the crowdfunding site (and others like Indiegogo) to fund their projects – and in turn, their dreams.[[MORE]] One such filmmaker is Julia...
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Carlos Reygadas and nine other Latino directors to...
Mexican director Carlos Reygadas won Best Director at Cannes.
By UNIVISION NEWS
The 65th edition of the Cannes Film Festival wrapped on Sunday with one of the strongest line-ups of Latin American films in recent memory. Mexico brought the party to Cannes – literally – with cases of the ancient spirit Mezcal getting seized by authorities at a glitzy party thrown by director Carlos Reygadas. (See...
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Mexico: Huichol indians say government 'lies'...
For the Huichol people, the Wirikuta region is sacred because it is where the world began. It is also said to have rich silver deposits.
By UNIVISION NEWS
Mexico’s Huichol Indians blasted a proposal by the Mexican government to protect their sacred lands on Friday, saying it was incomplete, and accusing the government of “lying.”[[MORE]]
On Thursday, Mexican officials announced that the...
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This week in Culturegeist: William Levy, Calle 13,...
Ana Tijoux gave us her two cents on the state of female MCs.
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By ANGIE ROMERO
Are William Levy’s 15 minutes of mainstream fame over already now that Dancing With The Stars has wrapped? We hope not, but we can’t say for sure. All we know is that now we have to find something else to obsess over on Monday and Tuesday...
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Finding Oscar: Massacre, memory, and justice in...
By SEBASTIAN ROTELLA, ProPublica, and ANA ARANA, Fundación MEPI
In this special investigation, ProPublica tells the gripping tale of Oscar Ramírez, a Guatemalan immigrant in Boston. Ramirez recently learned that as a toddler, he was adopted by a soldier who had overseen the killings of most of his biological family. The man who Ramírez had considered his father had helped to perpetrate a...
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Democrat compares Romney's "Latino problem" to...
Rep. Xavier Becerra delivered a blistering indictment of Mitt Romney’s efforts to appeal to Latinos.
By JORDAN FABIAN A leading surrogate for President Obama’s reelection campaign on Friday compared Mitt Romney’s problems attracting Latino voters to those of an alcoholic, one of the most withering criticisms to date of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. [[MORE]]...
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What do student protesters want in Mexico? Is this...
For the third time in less than a week, students rallied around Mexico City’s Independence Monument.
By MANUEL RUEDA
Thousands of university students took to the streets of Mexico City Wednesday demanding greater freedom of speech in the country and protesting the PRI’s possible return to power.
It was the third large student protest in less than a week, and it has prompted some...
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Marketplace Americas: The top business & finance...
The Dominican Republic’s presidential palace will have a new resident, what will this mean for business?
By STEPHEN KEPPEL
It’s Friday! That means it’s time to catch up on what’s happened this week in business and financial news.
**Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the weekly newsletter**
1 Mexico vs Brazil 2 Dominican Republic has a new Prez 3 VW & Toyota battle for LatAm market 4...
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Latin Jazz generations: From the Bronx to San Juan
Saxophonist Miguel Zenón is one of the countless musicians influenced by the Fort Apache Band.
By ED MORALES
Back in 1967, Jerry Gonzalez was a student at New York’s High School of Music and Art, splitting his time between studying the trumpet and playing the conga drum in parks and street corners all around the Bronx.[[MORE]]
Like most visionary artists, he already had an idea of where this...
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Recapping Marion Barry's bender of racial...
Barry has recently made racially-charged comments about Asian business owners, Filipino nurses, and Polish people.
By JORDAN FABIAN
Since winning his Democratic primary race eight weeks ago, Washington D.C. City Councilman Marion Barry has made a puzzling streak of insults against racial and ethnic minorities.
Barry’s latest misfire came Thursday, after he appeared at a community...
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Mexico: PRI splits from ex-governor accused of...
Former Tamaulipas governor Tomas Yarrington (left) has become a political liability for the PRI and its presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto.
By LARA FERNANDEZ
Mexico’s former ruling party, the PRI, distanced itself from disgraced former governor Tomas Yarrington, saying on Wednesday that he will be suspended from the organization, until he clears up allegations that he received bribes...
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Opinion: Is social conservatism the GOP's secret...
Social issues, such as gay marriage, do not affect the way most Latinos vote.
By RUY TEIXEIRA Multiple polls show Mitt Romney trailing Barack Obama among Latinos by margins that match or exceed John McCain’s deficits among this group in 2008 (36 points). Some GOP strategists assert, however, that Latinos’ social conservatism provides a way to whittle down that lead in the months ahead. [[MORE]]...
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Mexico vs Brazil: Who will be the dominant economy...
A head-to-head look at the economies of Brazil and Mexico
By STEPHEN KEPPEL
On the soccer pitch, Brazil’s flashy superstars perennially outshine Mexico’s top players. Both sides are good, but it is the Brazilians who are globally famous. The same could be said for the two nation’s economies.
Brazil is seen as an exciting, fast-growing “BRIC” country while...
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Watch: Florida Gov. Rick Scott makes...
During a meeting, Scott joked about King Juan Carlos I’s ill-fated African hunting trip.
By JORDAN FABIAN
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) made an elephant-sized gaffe this week while on a trade mission to Spain.
During a meeting with Spain’s King Juan Carlos I, Scott brought up the king’s elephant hunting trip to Africa, on which he fractured his hip. The trip doubled as a huge...
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Colin Powell declines to endorse Obama, discusses...
By UNIVISION NEWS
In an interview that will air this Sunday on Univision’s “Al Punto,” General Colin Powell said he is remaining neutral in the 2012 presidential race, declining to endorse Obama like he did four years ago.
Powell, who served as Secretary of State under George W. Bush, made waves in 2008 when he called Obama a “transformational figure.”
“I...
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Talent Scout: Johana Hernandez, a fashionista with...
Hernandez and Melissa Marty, both rocking GLAUDI at the 2012 Latinos con Corazón designer competition and fashion show.
By ANGIE ROMERO
It’s not often that we equate fashion with a good cause, but Johana Hernandez is sparking a new trend. At only 25, the daughter of Salvadorean immigrants is a highly successful designer for Seven7 Jeans and Isaac Mizrahi, and even has her own collection,...
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Republican Congressman Steve King compares...
Iowa Representative Steve King supports Arizona style immigration policies.
By MANUEL RUEDA
A Conservative Iowa congressman angered civil rights groups this week, after comparing US immigration policy to the process of selecting a hunting dog.
During a campaign event in Pocahontas Iowa, Representative Steve King, who is running for re-election, said that US immigration officials should focus on...
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Ecuador: President Correa defends lawsuits against...
On Tuesday Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa spoke with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who now has a TV show on Russia Today.
By MANUEL RUEDA
In a 25-minute interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa passionately defended his leftist administration, explained why he expelled US Ambassador Heather Hodges and attacked journalists who have said he has...
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Peru: “Natural selection” ends the lives of 877...
The Peruvian government claims that “natural causes” killed 877 dolphins that washed ashore earlier this year.
By EBONY MONTENEGRO
An investigation carried out by Peru’s government has determined that more than 800 dolphins found on the northern coast of Peru between February and April died of natural causes and not from compressed air charges sent into the ocean by companies...
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Analysis: Romney takes baby steps toward Latinos
The presumptive GOP nominee appeared before a D.C. audience where he proclaimed education to be “the civil-rights issue of our era.”
By JORDAN FABIAN
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mitt Romney’s early approach to addressing the Latino community might best be described as a dip of his toe in the water, not a headlong dive into the pool. It’s clear that after a bruising...
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DWTS Recap: William Levy Reacts to Third Place Win...
There’s always that show Single Ladies.
By SUGEY PALOMARES
William Levy is ready to hang up his dancing shoes after winning third place on last night’s season finale of Dancing With The Stars. The telenovela hunk garnered several perfect scores throughout the competition, which will always make him a winner in our eyes, but NFL player Donald Driver had the pleasure of taking home the...
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On the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' bandwagon: our...
Our own Julia Saenz deep in ‘research’ mode.
By ANGIE ROMERO
Casting rumors have been flailing since Deadline broke the news that Universal Pictures and Focus Features scored the film rights to the bestselling novel by 48-year-old TV executive-turned-author E L James (real name Erika Leonard). I encourage you to read this great interview with Brit agent Valerie Hoskins on how she brokered the...
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With speech in Washington, Romney looks to make...
Convincing more Latinos to give him a second look won’t be easy for Romney.
By MATTHEW JAFFE
On Wednesday afternoon in the nation’s capital, Mitt Romney will speak to the Latino Coalition’s annual economic summit, the latest attempt by the presumptive Republican nominee to make inroads with the country’s fastest-growing voting group.
Since securing his position as the GOP’s...
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Colombia: Officials suspect FARC unit hides in...
On Monday, a FARC unit killed 12 Colombian soldiers in the arid La Guajira region, which lies on the border with Venezuela.
By EBONY MONTENEGRO
Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón said Tuesday that the FARC’s 59th Front is hiding out in Venezuela following a deadly attack on a Colombian military base near the border between both countries.
On Monday, 12 Colombian soldiers died...
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Bomb found in Buenos Aires theater ahead of visit...
On Tuesday a bomb was found in The Gran Rex theater in Buenos Aires.
By MANUEL RUEDA
Authorities have discovered a bomb inside a Buenos Aires theater where former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was scheduled to speak Wednesday, Argentine paper La Nación reports.[[MORE]]
The bomb was reportedly lodged inside a lamp at the Gran Rex Theater before security personnel inspecting the site found it...
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Opinion: How to free Cuba now
Incidents like the visa granted to Raúl Castro’s daughter, Mariela, suggest the U.S. should radically adjust its policy toward Cuba.
By FERNANDO ESPUELAS
The recent controversy surrounding a visa for Raúl Castro’s daughter to visit the U.S. is another example of the obvious: the United States’ embargo of communist Cuba is a failure. Fifty-two years after U.S. policy first...
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GOP targets Cuban-American votes with Mariela...
Republicans, such as Rep. Mario-Diaz Balart, are painting President Obama as soft on the Castro regime, but Democrats say the argument is a farce.
By JORDAN FABIAN Republicans on Tuesday looked to whip up Cuban-American sentiment against the Obama administration over its decision to grant a visa to Cuban leader Raúl Castro’s daughter.[[MORE]] But the effort at motivating a key voting...
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Mexico: Man accused of planning mass execution is...
Mexican officials said that Daniel Elizondo, a member of the Zetas drug gang, was responsible for the killings of 49 people near Monterrey last week.
By MANUEL RUEDA
The man who allegedly planned the execution of 49 people in northern Mexico last week was paraded in front of the Mexican press on Monday.
His name is Daniel Elizondo, and according to Mexican officials, he was a leader for the...
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Ana Tijoux on the state of female MCs and whether...
The critically praised Chilean MC is neither Team Nicki nor Team Queen B.
By ANGIE ROMERO
Don’t expect Ana Tijoux to take sides in the highly publicized and never-ending Lil Kim-Nicki Minaj beef, which was reignited when Kim paid a recent visit to the Power 105.1 “Breakfast Club” radio show in New York to promote her current “Return of The Queen” tour.
The...
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Mexico: Twitterbots sabotage anti-PRI protest
It looks like these accounts are supporting a march against presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto. But they are actually jamming information about the protest.
By MANUEL RUEDA
Fake Twitter accounts, posting thousands of automated messages per day, have managed to dilute and “censure” information on an upcoming protest against Mexican presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, a web expert...
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Mexico: Activists organize global rally in support...
Mexicans met in Brussels, Belgium, and dozens of other cities around the world to show their support for the leftist candidate. By MANUEL RUEDA
On Sunday, supporters of Mexican presidential candidate of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) organized a global rally in support of the leftist contender, meeting throughout Mexico and in places as far-flung as Sydney and Dubai.
The pro-AMLO protest...
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The dilemmas facing Danilo Medina, the new...
In Santo Domingo, a billboard for Danilo Medina promises “secure change.” Will he deliver?
By SUSANA MARTINEZ
Danilo Medina, a seasoned technocrat and close ally of President Leonel Fernandez, won elections in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, with 51 percent of the vote.
Medina beat Hipolito Mejia of the Partido de la Revolucion Dominicana by 5 percentage points, pulling away from...
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As UFW looks back, challenges loom ahead
Dolores Huerta, one of the founders of the United Farm Workers union, remains a force within the movement five decades later.
By ALBERT SABATÉ
There was no doubt in Josefina Flores’ mind about making it to the 50-year anniversary the farm-worker labor movement.
The 83-year-old former organizer has given her all to the movement founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Flores even took...
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Opinion: No business is safe in Kirchner’s...
Is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner eyeing your business?
By EMILIO T. GONZALEZ
During the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia last month, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner abruptly left the gathering before its conclusion and headed back to Buenos Aires. Observers noted that her departure was a show of displeasure over the Summit’s inability to adequately address...
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A new queen is in town: Nuestra Belleza Latina’s...
All hail the new Queen.
By AMARIS CASTILLO
Vanessa de Roide must be one happy girl. After 12 (agonizing) weeks of being judged by the voting public, the Puerto Rican beauty queen was announced the winner of Nuestra Belleza Latina last night.[[MORE]] De Roide beat out Karol Scott (Venezuela), Nataliz Jimenez (Dominican Republic), and Setareh Khatibi (Mexico) for the crown. She can now enjoy her...
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Carlos Slim looks to expand his empire
Slim’s offer to buy Dutch telecom company KPN would mark his first foray into Europe.
By KARINA VIEIRA
You would think rich people don’t need bargains and you would probably be right. But that doesn’t mean they don’t like one. Take Carlos Slim, for example.
In the midst of an European debt crisis, Slim’s mobile phone giant América Móvil recently bid to buy a bigger stake in KPN: a...
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Mexico: Tensions grow between students and PRI
On Saturday, students organized anti-Peña Nieto rallies throughout Mexico
By MANUEL RUEDA
Some 45,000 people marched against presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, in Mexico City on Saturday, the third protest against the presidential candidate over the past ten days.
Dubbed the “Anti-EPN March” today’s protest was organized and attended mostly -though not exclusively-...
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Dominicans vote for hope in New York City
Rosa Baez joined fellow Dominicans in the U.S. today in their native country’s presidential elections.
By AMARIS CASTILLO
Rosa Julia Baez barely touched her breakfast this morning. The 75-year-old retired factory worker picked at her plantains and fish until the nerves got the best of her.
“I’m nervous,” Baez said, as she sat inside her apartment in Brooklyn, New York. “Optimistic, but...
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