South America // Current

The Birthplace Of Chocolate

Afro Venezuelan chocolate makers harvest and sell their own artistic products in the region that brought the world cocoa.

Blkwdw
added this

Obama's electoral college win - Decision '08- msnbc.com

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has pulled ahead in enough states to win the 270 electoral votes he needs to gain the White House... more

jkw077
added this

Bolivia Suspends U.S. Anti-Drug Efforts, Accuses U.S. Of Spying, Backing Opponents

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Saturday suspended operations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, an agency he has... more

jkw077
added this

Demand Investigation Over Guatemalan Attack on "Our Gay Beauty" HIV Prevention Event

Terrorist attack on Guatemalan event

queerunity
added this

early voting in argentina - american embassy - early october 2008

one of all these links has to work ... more

lfm
added this

Latino drug lords find African allies

An upcoming UN report will shed light on criminal gangs in West Africa that work with South American drug cartels in a murky alliance that threatens stability in the region.

“Besides foreigners there is a growing phenomenon of local criminal groups,” said Antonio Mazzitelli of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “This certainly creates obstacles to democracy, to good governance, to development.”

The UN estimates that US$2 billion (Dh7.3bn) worth of cocaine enters West Africa each year before being smuggled into Europe. Previous research focused on the role of South American cocaine cartels, which began operating heavily in the region about four years ago.

“We often talk about the Latinos, but what about the Africans involved? There are over 1,600 West Africans all over the world convicted for drug trafficking,” Mr Mazzitelli said in a telephone interview from his office in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

The new report will look at local criminal networks, which facilitate the passage of drugs through airports and organised human couriers to smuggle cocaine into Europe via commercial flights. These gangs take in about $450 million each year, according to Mr Mazzitelli. Antonio Costa, who heads the UNODC, will unveil the report at a three-day anti-drug trafficking conference that starts today in the island nation of Cape Verde, which has emerged as one of the main transit points for drug smugglers. The conference is being held by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

The title of the conference, Drug Trafficking as a Security Threat to West Africa, shows that West African countries now recognize drug trafficking as a serious danger to their stability, Mr Mazzitelli said. Previously, Ecowas members considered the cocaine trade a problem primarily for governments in South America, the source of supply, and Europe, where the demand lies.

“This overall attitude has characterized the issue,” he said. But the thinking changed as West African countries watched cartels infiltrate their security forces and other state institutions.

“It can cause destabilisation for the government,” said Francis Munu, the head of crime and intelligence in the Sierra Leone police.An upcoming UN report will shed light on criminal gangs in West Africa that work with South American drug cartels in a murky... more

TravG73
added this

0 responses

24 days ago

Indians plead for world’s help to save uncontacted relatives

Four Indians, including one man whose first contact with the outside world was just four years ago, have journeyed to Paraguay's capital city, Asunción, to appeal for help to save their uncontacted relatives, whose forest home is being rapidly destroyed.

The Indians' forests are being illegally bulldozed by Brazilian companies who want it to graze cattle for beef. Satellite photos show that the amount of their land being destroyed has doubled since May this year.

Esoi Chiquenoi, who was contacted in 2004 and has relatives still uncontacted in the forest, says, 'I'm appealing to the authorities to stop the destruction of our forest. My family is there now. That's where our houses are. More and more notices are appearing on our land prohibiting us from entering. We're losing our forest.'

Gabide Etacori says, 'The savages are the ones who are destroying the forest. We're the ones who really know the area – it's where our historical sites and burial grounds are. (Our relatives) need the forest to eat and for water; if the forest is destroyed they will die.'

The Indians, from the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode tribe, have met with representatives from various government departments and other organisations. They hope to apply enough pressure on the authorities to stop the destruction of their forest, which is being carried out illegally by the firms Yaguarete Porá SA, River Plate SA, and BBC SA.

The Totobiegosode live in an area of Paraguay known as 'the Chaco.' The number of uncontacted Totobiegosode, who are exceedingly vulnerable to any form of contact with outsiders, is not known. They are the only uncontacted people in South America outside the Amazon.

Survival's director, Stephen Corry, said today, 'This is a great opportunity for the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode to make their views and demands clear and draw further attention to the plight of their forest and uncontacted relatives. The Paraguayan government must sit up and take notice – if not, the uncontacted Indians may well be wiped out.'Four Indians, including one man whose first contact with the outside world was just four years ago, have journeyed to... more

goldenways
added this

17 responses

26 days ago

'Biblioburro' has 4,800 books and 10 legs

Sweating under the unforgiving sun, Luis Soriano strappes pouches with the word "Biblioburro" painted in blue letters to... more

Mr_Costello
added this

1 response

28 days ago

Son of Colombian warlord slain following sentence

Colombian police say the son of a warlord extradited to the U.S. on drug charges has been murdered. Authorities say... more

Apocalipstick
added this

0 responses

29 days ago

Stone Age man took drugs, say scientists

It has long been suspected that humans have an ancient history of drug use, but there has been a lack of proof to support the... more

TravG73
added this

28 responses

30 days ago

Gnome-like creature terrorizes South American town

A new sighting of the 'midget monster' which supposedly menaced Argentina earlier this year has again caused panic in... more

mischabarrett
added this

36 responses

1 month ago

Century of Lies

Century of Lies, Oct. 14, 2008

The failure of Drug War is glaringly obvious to judges, cops, wardens, prosecutors and millions more now calling for decriminalization, legalization, the end of prohibition. Let us investigate the Century of Lies.

Dean Becker: Hello my friends welcome to this edition of Century of Lies. I’m so glad you could be with us; I think we have a very special day of programming for you here on the Drug Truth Network. Our hope is that soon we will be able to reach Judge James P. Gray, who was scheduled to be with us today. A little bit later we will hear from Norm Stamper, the former Police Chief of Seattle, and I’m proud that today we have, in studio, with us, a man you hear from here every week, Terry Nelson, 33 years as a Customs Border and Air Interdiction Officer. He’s speaking today at the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Group, University of Houston, and with that I’d lie to welcome Terry Nelson.

Terry Nelson: Hey Dean, it’s good to be here, enjoying Houston down this time, I’ve missed the humidity.

Dean Becker: Well, you’ve missed the humidity, we certainly have it today, indeed we do. Now, Terry you just returned earlier this year from another stint, working in Iraq, helping with their border situation, correct?

Terry Nelson: That’s correct yes.

Dean Becker: And tell us about that experience if you will.
Terry Nelson: It was an experience, or an adventure, I guess you could say. I went over in May a year ago, and went out initially and work on the Syrian border at a place called Husaiba, right where the Euphrates River goes into Syria, working with the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement over there. I was attached to the Marines when worked out there and then around Christmas time I moved to the eastern side of the country to work near Ba`qubah. And I worked on the Iranian border the last 4 months with the 3rd Brigade of the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement.

Dean Becker: Well Terry I understand that in prior stints working for the government you worked mostly in Mexico, Central, and South America, correct?

Terry Nelson: That’s correct. Well, I work all over along that southern border with Mexico and then I my later years, on down into Mexico, and Central and South America.

Dean Becker: Now, one of the 4:20 reports this week featured your reporting for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition if you could kind of summarize, I thought it was a very powerful piece, kind of summarize that for the listeners of Century of Lies. Century of Lies, Oct. 14, 2008 The failure of Drug War is glaringly obvious to judges, cops, wardens, prosecutors and millions... more