Brazil, Latin America: Week in Review, Southern Cone
Brazil Sends 9,000 Troops To Patrol Borders
August 8, 2012 By Staff
Top Story — The Brazilian government deployed 9,000 troops to patrol its borders with neighboring countries Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, according to the Brazilian Defense Ministry on Tuesday. The operation is meant to patrol Brazilian frontiers to prevent the entry of drugs, contraband and weapons at major points of entry. The troops, which include members of the army, air force and navy as well as police forces, will patrol the skies as well as land and sea, using helicopters, planes, and drones for surveillance. The Brazilian government has previously ordered four similar border operations as part of “Operation Agatha”, and the troop surge is expected to continue through the end of the month.
Read more from CNN and The Washington Post.
Headlines from the Western Hemisphere
North America
- Six people arrested from Ecuador were found smuggling drugs into the United States using empanadas, candy, and scuba school diplomas.
- Approximately 200 people have protested a sign in the Texas town of Albert Lea urging the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
- Mexican archaeologists digging in Mexico City’s Templo Mayor have discovered the remains of a female skeleton surrounded by 1,789 human bones.
Caribbean
- The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s new penal code, which establishes new sentences for certain types of protests.
- Cuba’s large aging population will challenge the country’s economic resources.
Central America
- The U.S. government is accusing three men from Belize suspected of trafficking drugs from Colombia for the Sinaloa cartel.
- The Esquipulas peace accords, signed 25 years ago on the Guatemalan border with Honduras, negotiated an end to armed conflict in Central America but failed to secure stability in the region.
- Guatemalan lawmakers voted unanimously to decorate Guatemalan silver medalist Erick Barrondo for earning the country’s first medal.
Andes
- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez bestowed a replica of Simón Bolívar’s sword on Venezuelan fencer Rubén Limardo, who earned a gold medal in the London Olympics.
- Scientists in Peru have identified a new bird species characterized by bright red markings on its chest and head.
- Colombian police extradited a woman suspected of having ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel to the U.S. on Tuesday.
Southern Cone
- Brazilian weightlifters Esquiva Falcao Florentino and Adriana Araujo were guaranteed medals after their performances Monday, ending the country’s 42-year medal drought in boxing.
- National public universities in Chile and Brazil scored well on an international ranking of the top 100 Latin American universities, but Uruguay’s University of the Republic scored 79th.
Image: willposh @ Flickr.
Subscribe to Today in Latin America by Email
You Might Also Like
