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Articles in SourceMex, NotiCen, and NotiSur for Feb. 6-8
Bolivia Rejoins UN's Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
In an unprecedented recognition of the ancient culture of
native peoples of the Americas, on Jan. 11, the UN
accepted a demand from Bolivia, which had been working
hard since mid-2011 for recognition of Bolivians' right to
chew coca leaf (aculliar), a common practice among Andean
communities. After the UN body refused to modify Article
49 of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs--which
criminalizes coca-leaf chewing and classifies the plant as
a narcotic--Bolivia withdrew from the agreement . After
Bolivia modified its original demand, 169 of the 184
countries that signed the Single Convention agreed that,
in Bolivia, chewing coca leaf is a cultural custom.
- Andrés Gaudín Read More
Colombia's Attorney General's Office Reopens
Investigation into Former President Álvaro Uribe's Links
to Paramilitaries
In the midst of a relatively peaceful spring in which the
Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)
observed a unilateral cease-fire, and, in Cuba, the
government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC
rebels continued some auspicious conversations to cement
the peace, the nefarious parapolitica scandal returned to
the forefront of Colombian institutional life
Parapolitica is a popular term coined to describe the
murky intrigue in which the interests of rightist
politicians and criminal groups (drug traffickers and
paramilitaries) overlapped.
- Andrés Gaudín Read More
El Salvador Seeks International Help to Block Gold Mine
in Guatemala
Desperate to ward off what they claim is a "slow and sure
danger" to residents in El Salvador, frustrated opponents
of Cerro Blanco--a Canadian-owned gold and silver mine
under preparation just across the border in Guatemala--are
now hoping for help from the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights (IACHR).Óscar Luna, El Salvador’s attorney
for the defense of human rights, revealed last month that
his office is seeking a "special audience" to broach the
issue with the Washington, DC-based IACHR. Luna, a vocal
opponent of the Cerro Blanco project, made the
announcement while presenting a 100-page special report
outlining the mine’s potential hazards.
Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Read More
Huge Explosion Rocks Administrative Headquarters of
State-Run Oil Company PEMEX in Mexico City; Gas Leak
Apparent Cause
A fatal explosion at the PEMEX administrative complex in
Mexico City has raised new questions about the ability of
the state-run oil company to provide a secure environment
at its facilities—even those not directly involved in the
production of hydrocarbons. The incident, which occurred
on Jan. 31 in the basement of the B2 Building of the PEMEX
Tower, destroyed three floors and killed at least 36
people. More than 120 people were injured, including some
critically. -
Carlos Navarro Read More
Geologists Discover Huge Aquifer in Southeastern Area of
Mexico City
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Mancera’s administration started
the year with a promising announcement for the beleaguered
residents of the Mexican capital who have endured numerous
water shortages and face the prospect of water scarcities
in the future. On Jan. 21, the Mexico City government
said a team of geologists had discovered a huge aquifer in
the southeastern section of the city, near the city’s
wholesale food and produce distribution center (Central de
Abastos). The aquifer is 2,000 meters underground in the
Iztapalapa borough, the most populated district in Mexico
City.
- Carlos Navarro Read More
With Costa Rica at Its Helm for First Half of 2013, SICA
Moves Toward Reform
The Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) has
come a long way since its origin in the 1950s and, in a
drastically different regional political scene, is now in
need of undergoing thorough change to be efficient,
transparent, and equitable. So said the regional bloc’s
leaders in the Joint Declaration they signed at the end of
the ordinary summit meeting on Dec. 13, 2012, in Managua,
the Nicaraguan capital. They ratified that position in
their resolution closing their special meeting on Jan. 27. -
George Rodríguez Read More
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