Juanson World

President Bush has made poverty a key theme during his Latin America tour. Wall Street Journal

Bush’s visit to Colombia included 20,000 troops protecting him during his seven-hour visit. New York Times

Child labor is a significant problem in Guatemala, and opponents of CAFTA in the US Congress would like to see free trade agreements mandate stricter labor conditions. New York Times

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President Bush’s visit to Latin America has ignited large protests in Sao Paulo, Brazil. New York Times, Miami Herald, LA Times, Washington Post

The Bush administration claims that aid to Latin America has doubled, yet this talking point has been achieved through use of a misleading base year. Washington Post

Coinciding with the arrival of Bush in Brazil, former Sao Paulo mayor Paulo Maluf was indicted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office in a construction kickback scheme involving a New York bank. New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal

Uruguay has threatened to downgrade its status in Mercosur to a partial member if it is unable to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the United States. Financial Times

Production at Mexico’s state-run oil company, Pemex, has declined due to government interference and lack of investment. New York Times

Afghani soldiers are receiving training in counternarcotics in Colombia sponsored by the US Department of State. Miami Herald

According to Forbes magazine, Carlos Slim increased his net worth by $19 billion since 2006, a staggering increase that analysts contend reflect the monopoly power his holdings represent. LA Times

Washington Post reporter Peter Baker blogs from President’s Bush’s airplane during his seven-day trip through Latin America. Washington Post

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Three Guatemalan security officials – the minister of security, the national police chief, and the head of the prison system – submitted their resignations in connection to the murders of four policemen held in custody. New York Times

Paulo Sotero and Edward Alden describe the merits of a potential US-Brazil biofuels alliance. Washington Post

President Bush arrives in Sao Paulo today for a meeting with Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the first leg of his weeklong tour of the region. Miami Herald

President Bush is not likely to receive a warm reception from a region he has largely ignored throughout his presidency. Financial Times

Cuban doctors are stranded in Colombia, awaiting visas to live in the US, after they deserted the ranks of a mission sent by Havana to Venezuela. LA Times

President Lula’s reputation has evolved from a radical to a pragmatic leftist. LA Times

The LA Times editorial page states that unless the US eliminates the 54 cents per gallon tariff on sugarcane ethanol imported from Brazil, today’s meeting between Lula and Bush will not be a success. LA Times

Ecuador’s highest electoral court voted to dismiss 57 congressmen for interfering with a referendum to create a constituent assembly. AP

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Jorge Castañeda writes that President Bush is the “least appropriate person on Earth” to offer an alternative to Hugo Chavez’s 21^st century socialism, and offers Mexican president Felipe Calderon as a candidate for this job. Washington Post

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida has asked Peruvian president Alan Garcia to reopen the investigation into the 1989 murder of Tampa reporter Todd Smith. Miami Herald

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez plans on embarking upon a tour of Latin American countries to parallel President Bush. Financial Times

The New York Times editorial page writes that even if President Bush’s attention to Latin America is only due to Hugo Chavez, it is still a good thing to expand on a broader aid agenda to the region. New York Times

As President Bush prepares to discuss an ethanol pact with Brazil, investors are already pouring money into the country’s sugar infrastructure. Wall Street Journal

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President Bush prepares to visit five Latin American countries after setting out a few new, relatively small aid programs for the region in a Monday speech. New York Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, LA Times

Guatemala will ask the US for aid in the fight against drug trafficking. AP

Fernando Araujo is now Colombia’s foreign minister after six years in captivity as a FARC hostage. Washington Post

The migration of Bolivian indigenous women from the countryside to El Alto represents a difficult and drastic transition. Washington Post

Miami congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen urges the arrest of five former Iranian officials suspected in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Miami Herald

The LA Times editorial page states that Mexico’s treatment of migrants from Central America is unjustified and hypocritical. LA Times

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The killings of four Guatemalan policemen, who had murdered three Salvadoran deputies, have evoked memories of the dirty war. New York Times, Miami Herald

Wal-Mart in Mexico has driven out the businesses of smaller businesses and has not met the same type of organized resistance than in the United States. Wall Street Journal

Armando Valladares tells of his time as a Cuban political prisoner and offers a harsh assessment of Fidel Castro’s time in power. Wall Street Journal

Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) is a freshman congressman who is part of a coalition of lawmakers opposed to any loosening of US policy towards Cuba. Miami Herald

Hugo Chavez’s oil diplomacy has arrived in London. Christian Science Monitor

Eduardo Montealegre is protesting the gift of two Ruben Dario manuscripts by Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega to Hugo Chavez. AP

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The Canadian firm Sherritt International plans to export a portion of its Cuban oil production, which could potentially conflict with the US embargo. Miami Herald

Expectations are low for President Bush’s upcoming trip to Latin America. The Economist

The development of sugarcane ethanol is an important point of convergence for US and Latin American interests. The Economist

The State Department’s recently released annual international narcotics report states that Venezuela has become a haven for drug trafficking. Miami Herald

Peruvian president Alan Garcia has launched a national campaign against lateness. AP

President Lula of Brazil has again failed to reach a self-imposed deadline to name his cabinet for his second-term. Financial Times

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President Bush and congressional Democrats have been in talks to come to compromises on free trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, and Panama as well as on the Doha round. Wall Street Journal

A recently released World Bank report states that Brazil must reduce its regulatory barriers to private sector investment in infrastructure. Financial Times

Five Cuban dissidents arrested two years ago received two-year prison sentences. Miami Herald

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe declared that the government would not offer amnesty to guerilla rebels for demobilizing. AP

Andres Oppenheimer comments on the positive impact of free trade agreements between Latin America and the US: Miami Herald

Colombia is investigating 69 soldiers accused in the 2005 San Jose de Apartado massacre. AP

The fifth of six policeman accused of the murders of three Salvadoran deputies to the Central American Parliament turned himself into authorities. AP

Mexican president Felipe Calderon will announce his own immigration reform package shortly before President Bush’s visit to the country. AP

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