Peru lifts some Machu Picchu claims against Yale (AP via Yahoo! News)
Peru has voluntarily agreed to withdraw fraud and conspiracy allegations it made against Yale University in a lawsuit seeking the return of Inca artifacts removed from Machu Picchu nearly a century ago.
Universitario ban lifted in Peru sponsorship row (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)
The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) has lifted a suspension imposed on champions Universitario for allegedly breaking a sponsorship deal.
ENVIRONMENT-MEXICO: Green Areas to the Highest Bidder
MEXICO CITY, Mar 8 (IPS) – Activists in Mexico complain that the deforestation threatening the environmental health of Mexico has been accentuated by the granting of public areas to private companies.
RIGHTS-CUBA: Hunger Striker Refuses to Go into Exile
HAVANA, Mar 8 (IPS) – The state news media in Cuba reported Monday on the case of dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days and refuses to go into exile in Spain.
Brazil’s Silva quits smoking after 50 years (AP via Yahoo! News)
Brazil’s president said Tuesday that he kicked the smoking habit he had for 50 years after a recent health scare sent his blood pressure soaring.
LATIN AMERICA: Women’s Rights Laws – Where’s the Enforcement?
CARACAS, Mar 5 (IPS/TerraViva) – Advanced new legislation and constitutional reforms on women’s rights are paving the way for equal opportunities for women in Latin America and the Caribbean. But application and enforcement remain a distant goal.
Obama criticized for Mexico, Brazil sanctions (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Republicans and business groups on Tuesday criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for failing to resolve a cross-border trucking dispute nearly one year after Mexico slapped retaliatory duties on about $2.4 billion worth of U.S. exports.
Brazil has ‘a lot of friends’ in row with US: senator (AFP via Yahoo! News)
A US senator on Tuesday warned advocates of escalating a trade dispute with Brazil that the South American giant would have “a lot of friends” around the world if Washington took such action.
CENTRAL AMERICA: Women Make Headway in Politics – and Want More
GUATEMALA CITY, Mar 5 (IPS) – The victory of Laura Chinchilla in Costa Rica’s presidential elections, and the growing participation of women in Central American parliaments, point to their progress in the region’s spheres of political power. But they still have a long way to go, experts say.
ECUADOR: Avatar Downfall a Blow for Indigenous Communities
QUITO, Mar 9 (IPS) – Science fiction blockbuster Avatar was the big loser in the Oscar awards ceremony – not only a blow for director James Cameron but also seen as a symbolic reverse in the struggle to recover Amazon rainforest areas in Ecuador from the effects of oil pollution.
Brazil Fines Fiat, Orders Automaker to Recall Stilo Models (Bloomberg)
March 10 (Bloomberg) — Brazil’s Justice Ministry fined Fiat SpA 3 million reais ($1.7 million) as the automaker failed to recall its Stilo models to fix a problem with the wheels, according to a statement posted on the ministry’s Web site yesterday.
LATIN AMERICA-US: Clinton Attempts Damage Control
RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 4 (IPS) – The dialogue of the deaf on Iran’s nuclear programme that took place in the capital of Brazil highlights the hurdles faced by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in her attempt at forging warmer ties during her tour of six Latin American countries.
BRAZIL: Ambitious Development Plan to Cut Inequality
RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 8 (IPS) – Brazil will be “radically less unequal” and less vulnerable to shocks from the outside when it celebrates 200 years of independence from Portugal, if the Strategic Affairs Secretariat’s (SAE) plans for the next 12 years are put into practice, according to a high-ranking official.
Peruvian Inca Trail Challenge Participants Attend Celebratory Event At Bar George (Manxnet)
Participants that took part in last year’s hugely successful Inca Trail Challenge organised by The Children’s Centre, gathered at Bar George for a celebratory dinner and the unveiling of the grand total fundraised by the group.
