All Latin America Monitor
Will Ch谩vez victory fulfill Nicaragua's megaproject dream?Venezuela's long-stalled plan to build an oil refinery in Nicaragua is revitalized with Ch谩vez's reelection. The refinery would give Venezuelan oil a Pacific gateway to China.
Heriberto Lazcano, a Zetas leader, was killed in Mexico - but is the cartel done?Heriberto Lazcano, a Zetas drug cartel leader, was killed in a northern Mexico gunfight on Sunday, according to the Mexican Navy. If true, it could be a major drug war victory for Mexico.
Venezuelan election: key takeaways from a Ch谩vez victoryCh谩vez accepted his victory with grace on Sunday, and both candidates鈥� acceptance of the results suggest it鈥檚 time for Washington to rethink its approach on Venezuela.
Rio's mayoral race: A new 'Al Gore' for Brazil?Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes swept yesterday's municipal election. But some say his opponent could play a watchdog role as Rio prepares for the World Cup and Olympics.
In landmark election, Venezuelan voters see two futuresVenezuelan voters, who are electing a president today, will either keep Hugo Chavez in power or give a chance to his challenger Henrique Capriles.
A Venezuelan art group tries to win youth votes for Ch谩vezThere are close to 2 million newly registered voters, mostly under 20 years old, so a grassroots art collective is giving聽Ch谩vez a fresh look for election day with murals depicting him boxing and popping wheelies.- Aid that works: A new road, farmer co-op revitalizes rural El SalvadorA new farmers cooperative in El Salvador allows small farmers to get their food to market and boost their earnings.
Just days ahead of Venezuelan election, how are the Capriles and Ch谩vez campaigns looking?Capriles鈥檚 campaign comes off as very well run and professional, but without the sort of grassroots element seen in Ch谩vez's, writes a guest blogger.- Mexican cartels move into Ecuador 鈥� Colombian trafficking turfMexican and Colombian criminal groups could start battling for control of drug trafficking routes in Ecuador, something that could further threaten the country's precarious security situation.
View from Mexico: The presidential debate on immigrationOn the eve of the first US presidential debate, Mexicans weigh in on where President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney stand on immigration 鈥� and offer policy proposals of their own.
Cuba reforms: Important changes, but pace is slowCuba released many political prisoners and expanded personal economic rights this year. But everything won't change at once: The socialist country has a bloated state bureaucracy that moves slowly.- Where to go for the straight skinny on Venezuela's electionAs politically-charged Venezuela heads into elections, objective analysis is hard to come by. A new report from two think tanks is an exception, writes WOLA.
New force pushing refugees: Flight from organized crime in Latin AmericaViolence perpetrated by criminal groups led to 5.6 million Latin Americans living in displacement in 2011, mainly in Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru, according to a displacement monitoring center.
Chavez dirty tricks? Venezuela prints a confusing ballot.Ballots are already printed for Sunday's election in Venezuela, but the opposition candidate's photo is shown in at least four places where, if marked, the vote will not be counted for his party.
An Argentine abroad challenges President Kirchner over currency controlsAt a Harvard University event, Argentina's President聽Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner responded with gusto to a question about her government's strict currency controls.- Brazil: As prison populations grow is it time to rethink policy on drugs?A new S茫o Paulo think tank is urging Brazilians to rethink the country's drug policy. Brazil's drug law changed in 2006, but many say it has backfired as the drug-related prison population has boomed.
Mexico stops the Taliban - 'El Taliban,' that isMexico arrested 'El Taliban,' one of its most wanted drug traffickers, on the same day that the country's president urged the UN to reassess narcotics prohibition.
Brazil arrests top Google executive for YouTube video violation of election lawUnlike other countries where an arrest like this might be considered an intimidation tactic by the president, this arrest was ordered by a judge who is relatively independent of the Brazilian government.
Wikileaks' Assange marks Day 100 inside Ecuadorean embassyEcuador says it will host Assange in its London embassy indefinitely, but the decision to continue supporting the Wikileaks founder could have negative repercussions for the Andean nation.
Nicaragua: Central Bank says economy up 30 percent under SandinistasThough growth for Central America's smallest economy is good news, some economists say it is still insufficient to reduce poverty in Nicaragua.
