Juanson World

Government prosecutors are seeking to close the Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo. New York Times

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced her presidential bid. McLatchy

Fernandez announced that she would continue the economic policies of her husband’s government were she to be elected president. Financial Times

Bolivia signed a deal for the largest foreign investment ever in the country, a $2.1 billion deal with Indian company Jindal Steel and Power. Financial Times

Fidel Castro is visible, but Raul Castro is still firmly in control of Cuba. Financial Times

El Nuevo Herald speculates whether Venevisión owner Gustavo Cisneros and Venzeulan president Hugo Chavez cut a deal back in 2004. El Nuevo Herald

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Sergio Fajardo has revitalized Medellin as mayor through various construction projects and increase in funding for education. New York Times

Corruption cases have been prosecuted in Brazil, whereas in the past they may have been swept under the rug. Washington Post

Forty percent of the economy of Opopeo, Mexico is supported by remittances. Miami Herald

Community councils in Venezuela are part of president Hugo Chavez’s 21^st century socialism. Miami Herald

Andres Oppenheimer argues that a higher ranking Spanish official should have met with Cuba’s dissidents during a Spanish delegation visit in April. Miami Herald

Santo Domingo’s poorest residents are fighting to save the city’s trees. LA Times

Bolivian president Evo Morales aims to increase legal industrial production of coca products while eliminating illegal cocaine production. LA Times

Panama’s vice president Samuel Lewis called for the US to ratify the FTA with Panama. Financial Times

Brazil has requested the extradition of Russian Boris Berezovsky for money laundering; Argentina continues to face energy shortages; RCTV is back in Venezuela on satellite; and further tapes have been revealed in Ecuador’s “secret videos” scandal. FT Latin American Agenda

Jose Maria Aznar argues for the ratification of the US-Colombia FTA. Wall Street Journal

Fidel Castro writes in an essay that the US allows terrorist attacks to happen on its own soil. AP

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Mexican factories remain closed following explosions linked to the Popular Revolutionary Army rebel group. New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times

The Chilean supreme court refused to honor extradition requests to send former president Alberto Fujimori to Peru to stand trial. Washington Post, Miami Herald, Financial Times

The Venezuelan stock market has suffered a large blow through the nationalization of the privately owned telecommunications and gas companies by Hugo Chavez. Miami Herald

Copper prices have spiked in Chile after a strike at the Collahuasi mine. Financial Times

Rio hopes that hosting the Pan American Games will revitalize the city as well as help its bid for the 2016 Olympics. Wall Street Journal

Fidel Castro decried the use of foreign currency by Cubans in another essay published by Granma. AP

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Three bodies found in Mexico City in 1981 under a renovated hospital may have been those of student protestors killed during a 1968 massacre. New York Times

The Popular Revolutionary Army took responsibility for a series of explosions on gas pipelines in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. New York Times, LA Times

Jhon Frank Pinchao, a FARC hostage for over eight years, tells of his interactions with three American hostages who were captured in 2003. Miami Herald

Ecuador threatened to expel Petrobras for allegedly violating terms of a contract. Financial Times

The Banco del Sur is conceived as a development bank for Latin America run by Latin Americans. Christian Science Monitor

Brazil will budget $540 million over eight years to complete its nuclear program. AP

The Latin American Bishops Conference met for the first time in Cuba. AP

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The Guatemalan investigation into the murders of three Salvadoran deputies and their driver has stalled, as FBI agents stated that they were “appalled” at the handling of the evidence. LA Times

Tourism to Cuba has dropped by almost 5 percent in the last year, and Raul Castro’s government plans investments to draw more visits. The Economist, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Mercosur continues to face problems, but there is optimism for renewed talks for a free trade agreement with the EU. The Economist

US Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield is departing his post to become ambassador to Colombia, after a turbulent tenure in Caracas. New York Times, AP

Cuba currently holds 37 political prisoners, the highest per capita in the world. Miami Herald

More than one million Colombians marched for peace and for the release of hostages held by guerillas. Houston Chronicle

Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa warned again that a default on sovereign debt is not out of the question. Financial Times

Felisa Miceli, Argentina’s ministry of the economy, faces a judicial probe after more than $60,000 was found in cash in her office. Financial Times

The EU trade commissioner stated that he was opposed to tariffs on imported ethanol, which aids the prospects for Brazil’s production. Financial Times

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Cristina Kirchner will run for president in Argentina in place of her husband. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times

The Zetas drug cartel have been weakened by a crackdown by Mexican authorities. LA Times

Brazil’s sugar and ethanol mills are drawing increasing attention and investment by multinational corporations. Financial Times

Chavez threatens to leave Mercosur; Argentina’s secretary for interior trade attacks the energy crisis; the IDB completes a reorganization; Uruguay wants to join the Banco del Sur; and the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange seeks a better watchdog. FT Latin American Agenda

Zhenli Ye Gon, a Chinese-Mexican businessman who was caught with at least $150 million of drug related money in his Mexico City mansion, accused labor secretary Javier Lozano of forcing him to store the funds. AP

An AP journalist attempts to live off of the Cuban food ration and drops 9 pounds in a month. AP

A new Amnesty International report says that Colombia is still one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. BBC

Mary O’Grady argues that the tax reform package proposed by Mexican treasury minister Agustin Carstens disappoints by following the IMF playbook on raising taxes on corporations. Wall Street Journal

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