Category: Dispatches

United Nations: Brazil’s Rousseff Becomes First Woman To Open UNGA Debate

UNITED NATIONS — Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff opened the 66th United Nations general debate in New York on Wednesday, becoming the first woman in the organization’s history to do so. […] Read More >

Chávez Reiterates Support For Full Palestine U.N. Membership And Statehood

UNITED NATIONS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez reaffirmed his support Tuesday for the creation of a Palestinian state, in an open letter addressed to Secretary General of the United Nations […] Read More >

Mexico Drug War Fueled By U.S. Assault Weapons And Drug Demand, Calderón Says

NEW YORK — Mexican President Felipe Calderón called on the U.S. government to reduce weapon sales to Mexico and domestic demand for illegal drugs, in a talk before business leaders […] Read More >

Jose Antonio Vargas & Immigration Activists Launch DREAM Act Initiative

NEW YORK — Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and a number of faith-based immigration activists launched an initiative to pass the DREAM Act Thursday in New York. Speaking at […] Read More >

September 11: Remembering Kenneth Lira In New Jersey

PATERSON, N.J. — Two days before the 10th anniversary of her son’s death, Marina Arevalo stood poised in the small Paterson, New Jersey park dedicated to the victims of Sept. […] Read More >

Cuba’s Armed Forces: On The Threshold Of A Generational Change

The death of Cuban Defense Minister Julio Casas should remind President Raúl Castro of two things: 1) that he has limited time to replace the old guard, and 2) age […] Read More >

Puerto Rico Police Use Excessive Force, Justice Dept. Report Says

An investigation conducted by the U.S. Justice Department found evidence that the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) violated the Constitution and federal law by using excess and unreasonable force, making unconstitutional […] Read More >

Mexico’s Drug War Refugees Rarely Secure Asylum In United States

EL PASO, Texas – A young police woman in her early 30s volunteered to uphold the law in a society fed by narco-violence, but faced insurmountable opposition. She was forced to […] Read More >

Mexico’s LGBT Community Faces Violence Despite Major Gains In Civil Rights

MEXICO CITY — The men who killed Quetzalcoatl Leija Herrera, 33, beat him with rocks just steps from the main square of Chilpancingo, about two hours from Mexico City in […] Read More >

Cuba: Havana 58 Years After The July 26 Moncada Attack

Today, Cuba commemorates the attack on the Moncada barracks of July 26, 1953, that propelled Fidel Castro to national fame and became the first battle of the Cuban Revolution. To […] Read More >