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LATEST NEWS
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Latin America’s entrepreneurs take center stage at this year’s Seedstars World Summit
Argentina’s Blended was crowned the winning startup at this year’s Seedstars World Summit, the tech conference that took place this week in the Swiss city of Lausanne. The ed-tech startup, which encourages communication between schools and parents through a cloud-based platform, was awarded the grand prize of US$500,000. Of the five Latin American startups that attended the summit; representing Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala, four of them made it through to the final rounds of pitching. With industries ranging from finance, to health tech, insurance, edtech and gastronomy, areas of innovation at the 2019 Seedstars Summit were varied. Despite […]Read more...
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Venezuela starts to regulate Bitcoin as trading volume hits all-time high
As Bitcoin breaks new records in terms of trading volume in Venezuela, the government has issued new fees as part of its efforts to regulate cryptocurrency remittances. The National Superintendency of Crypto Assets and Related Activities (SUNACRIP) is now the regulator for cryptocurrencies in Venezuela. As part of that new mandate, it has established a monthly transaction limit for remittances whilst collecting taxes of up to 15% of the transaction amount. The new regulations were first published last Thursday in Gaceta Oficial No. 41581, with SUNACRIP taking to Twitter shortly afterwards to confirm the development. A cryptocurrency enthusiast went on to comment […]Read more...
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Five ways Guaidó has used Twitter to try and solve Venezuela’s crisis
Since declaring himself Interim President of Venezuela on January 23, Juan Guaidó has selected a platform that has enabled him to conduct leadership: Twitter. Not only does he use social media as a place to inform his 1.8 million followers about when and where protests against President Nicolás Maduro are going to take place, but also to encourage them to take part. Despite over ten Latin American countries recognizing him as interim president, Venezuela only partially recognizes his position. However, one of social media’s main advantages for Guaidó has been its ability to boost common perceptions of his authority. We […]Read more...
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A look into the promise of Blockchain startups in Latin America
In Latin America, a lack of trust in financial institutions has long hampered financial inclusion, political participation, and new pursuits. Having been based in Latin America for several years, I have witnessed the region’s ongoing digital transformation, the rapid changes keeping these nations competitive in the global market and improving the lives of their citizens. But there’s still quite a bit of work to be done. For example, in Latin America there are an estimated 400 million unbanked or underbanked people. For this region of the world, which boasts a population of over 650 million people, blockchain’s distributed and immutable ledger could […]Read more...
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Murdered Mexican journalist’s widow was victim of government-purchased spyware
Griselda Triana’s husband, fellow Mexican reporter Javier Valdez Cárdenas, was assassinated in May 2017, presumably because of his work covering organised crime and drug-trafficking. This week, Canadian watchdog The Citizen Lab released reports suggesting that Triana was targeted with government-purchased cyber intelligence spyware 11 days after her husband’s death. According to The Citizen Lab, the Pegasus spyware was manufactured by NSO Group Technologies, a cyber intelligence-focused Israeli tech firm. It enables hackers to monitor content on devices, without the user being aware, through the use of microphones and cameras. The first batch of malware was sent to Triana’s mobile phone in […]Read more...
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When “mano dura” policing is not the only option
Policing strategies and security initiatives have developed massively in the last few decades. New technology and data analysis have cut down much of the time-consuming drudgery of police work and allowed officers to take already-crunched information and use it to refine and focus their efforts efficiently. These technological advances, however, are not reflected in Latin America, where policy makers tend to lean on upping police presence and brutality as a deterrent. Referred to as mano dura (iron fist), these extreme security policies have been proved in many countries in Latin America to actually increase levels of violence. Why then do […]Read more...
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Venezuelan armed forces desert the army and cross border into Colombia
“There is lot of fear in the armed forces,” Venezuela’s interim president, Juan Guaidó, told Spanish newspaper El País. “A lot of fear; a lot of persecution.” After Guaidó’s repeated calls for the military to desert Nicolás Maduro’s leadership, over one thousand members of Venezuela’s armed forces have defected and crossed the border into Colombia since February 23, reports Colombia’s Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry’s press release explains that the migratory authorities interview the defectors— members of either the police or military forces—before providing them with “health attention, legal support, provisional accommodation and food.” This support is given provided that the […]Read more...
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Medellin-based Publicize hosts Miami event for startups to pitch the media
On Wednesday, March 20th, startups and entrepreneurs will have a unique opportunity to network with distinguished members of the media during a Publicize Connect Event in Miami. The event, which is free admission, will follow the format of a pitch competition, allowing for each of the participating entrepreneurs to pitch their startup to a panel of media judges and then receive feedback. At the time of publishing, registration for the event is still open. Publicize Connect Miami will be the fourth in a series of Publicize Connect events held this year—the first three were held in Bogota, Medellin, and Mexico […]Read more...
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The fragile legacy of Brazil’s slain human rights activist Marielle Franco
Yesterday, March 14, marks a year since Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman and human rights activist Marielle Franco was murdered in a planned assassination that also took the life of her driver, Anderson Gomes. Although the investigation into who ordered her death remains unsolved, recent developments revealed days before its one-year anniversary have seen two individuals arrested on suspicion of her murder. Élcio Queiroz and Ronnie Lessa, now detained, were former police and military police officers respectively. Queiroz had previously been expelled from the police for corruption. Another line of suspicion links Franco’s killers to organized crime militia group Escritório do […]Read more...
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Colombia’s president rejects parts of JEP bill in a bid for more “genuine” transitional justice
“Together… we will be able to reform and design a Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) that ensures genuine truth, genuine justice, genuine reparations and genuine non-repetition for all Colombians,” Colombian President Iván Duque tweeted on the evening of Sunday, March 10. Juntos, la Rama Ejecutiva, el Legislativo y la Corte Constitucional, podremos reformar y diseñar una Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz que asegure a todos los colombianos genuina verdad, genuina justicia, genuina reparación y genuina no repetición. #JEP pic.twitter.com/2leB46CXLc — Iván Duque (@IvanDuque) 11 March 2019 The JEP, a 51-member peace tribunal, was created on the demands of the 2016 Colombian […]Read more...
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Sexual harassment continues in transport system despite women-only carriages
It was at Boulevard Puerto Aéreo metro station that Eunice Alonso was approached by a man in his twenties before he pulled a knife – or gun – on her. As she recounts the incident on her Facebook, paralyzed by fear, she still cannot be certain what he held to her ribs. The unidentified man threatened the girl and demanded she go with him into a white van—the most recent of a long line of attempted kidnappings in Mexico City’s metro system. Luckily for Alonso, who was crying by this point, a woman had noticed something going on and raised the […]Read more...
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Guatemala and El Salvador attempt to reinstate amnesty laws
The Salvadoran military dictator Julio Rivera Carballo who, between the years 1962 and 1967, ordered widespread counter-insurgency surveillance and death squads, not only managed to avoid incarceration, but was named ambassador to the United States until his death. In 2013, Efraín Ríos Montt was tried for the torture and murder of 1,771 Mayan-Ixil indigenous people and the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians during his rule as dictator between 1982 and 1983. Despite being sentenced 80 years, the decision was overturned by the Guatemalan Constitutional Court ten days later and he never set foot in prison. During the thorny […]Read more...
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Bolsonaro’s weaponized social media
On Sunday, March 10, Bolsonaro published a defamatory tweet about Brazilian journalist Constança Rezende, falsely accusing her of wanting to ruin the life of his son Flavio Bolsonaro and seeking his own impeachment. According to sources obtained by The Guardian, Rezende was forced to suspend her social media accounts after “receiv[ing] veiled threats,” Estado de São Paulo’s director of journalism João Caminoto told the UK newspaper. The Estado journalist and subject of the attack had been looking into corruption allegations surrounding Fabrício Queiroz, advisor and driver for Bolsonaro’s son. Bolsonaro’s latest tweet falls in line with an onslaught of hostile tweets […]Read more...
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Latin America leads the way for women working in STEM
Thirteen-year-old Wendy Estefanía Giraldo Estrada, from the Antioquian municipality of Rionegro, likes building and programming robots. “It has always been thought of as only for men,” she told Latin America Reports at ForoMET Medellín, an event designed to celebrate women’s achievements in the fields of science and information technology, and promote gender diversity in the industry. “I would like to change this thought process.” Giraldo Estrada was given the opportunity to learn about robotics thanks to a programme that arrived at her school, Institución Educativa Santa Bárbara, through Medellin’s local government in 2017. ‘Girl Powered’ is a programme offered to girls between the […]Read more...
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Where marching for women’s rights is a matter of life and death
There were on average nine women murdered every day in 2018, according to statistics from Mexico’s National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH). This alarming statistic increased by two too many from what was a daily average of seven in 2017. This upward trend has continued unabated for decades throughout Mexico and other parts of Latin America which, according to the organisation Justice In Mexico, contains 14 of the top 25 countries with the highest percentages of femicide, which specifically refers to the killings of women as a direct result of their gender. As the globe celebrates International Women’s Day, a […]Read more...
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The role of Escobar’s residence in Medellín’s historical memory
Given the recent nature of Colombia’s armed conflict, the country’s approach to historical memory is distinct from that of the rest of Latin America. Particularly in the city of Medellín, there is still pain, taboo and embarrassment around discussions of the subject. Just last month, Medellín’s Monaco Building was demolished in a controlled explosion, reducing the eight-story building to rubble. The luxury block of apartments was built by drug-lord Pablo Escobar at the beginning of the 1980s as a home for him and his family. The area in front of the building was also the site of Colombia’s first car […]Read more...
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What Venezuela’s borders look like for migrants seeking refuge
What remains of last week’s Venezuela-focused media storm are two leaders who both claim legitimacy, halted aid for those who need it most, and increasingly dire humanitarian and migration crises. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published this January, there are now approximately 3.4 million refugees and migrants that have left Venezuela for other parts of the world. Following the failed “avalanche” delivery of humanitarian aid into Venezuela, two rival fundraising concerts, and multiple deaths and injuries caused by border protests; a step-back from the situation encourages us to question what has […]Read more...
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Mexico City’s air is bad for you
MEXICO CITY – Roma. Well known among the capital’s citizens as being a bohemian mecca for artists and expats, and recently even more renowned after director Alfonso Cuarón chose it as the backdrop for his latest Oscar-winning film of the same name. It is here in the lush, tree-lined avenues that the roads are relatively quiet. Dog walkers descend onto the promenades and brush shoulders with joggers and families, all while the European-looking cafes buzz with remote workers tapping away on their keyboards. There is an air of tranquillity here which is a far cry from chaos just a few blocks away […]Read more...
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Gun laws where guns take the most lives
A study released last year revealed that just six countries make up over half of all gun-related deaths, and they’re all in the Americas. Topped by Brazil with 42,000 deaths, the macabre list is followed by the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala. One in four people murdered annually is a Brazilian, Colombian, Mexican or Venezuelan, reported the Igarape Institute, and although Latin America only holds 8% of the world’s population, 38% of the world’s murders occur on the continent. Between 2000 and 2006 in South America, 53% of all murders were committed with a firearm, a statistic which […]Read more...
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Parties split on the role of aid in Venezuela
A red cross on a white background is a universal symbol of humanitarian aid, whether it be emblazoned on the side of helicopters rescuing people from a natural disaster or identifying deliveries of food and water for those in need. However, the ICRC logo has been notably absent from the epicenter of the most reported-on crisis in the Americas–the border of Venezuela. Earlier this month, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) openly condemned aid packages sent by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) that have been dumped unceremoniously on the Colombian border with Venezuela, stating that […]Read more...
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Chilean president proposes Venezuela-less alternative to UNASUR
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera issued a Twitter statement on Monday, February 18, outlining his intentions to create a new regional bloc which will put an end to UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) on account of its “failure,” which he attributes to “excess ideology.” A replacement coalition, which has now been proposed by both Piñera and Colombian President Iván Duque, will be an “ideology-less” union named ‘Prosur,’ comprised of all South American nations apart from Venezuela. Formed in December of 2008, UNASUR was spearheaded by Brazilian leadership during the socialist presidency of Lula da Silva at a time when Latin America was experiencing a surge in […]Read more...
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Don’t mess with my kids: Why Argentina still doesn’t have comprehensive sex education
Sex education is a tricky topic all over the world. When is too early to teach it? When is too late? But, in Latin America, throw in a hefty dose of conservatism and a pervasive Catholic culture and you’ve found yourself an explosive mixture. Argentina passed a law in 2006 that proposed a country-wide comprehensive sexual education curriculum (ESI), that would include teaching children about contraception and promote non-discrimination against LGBT individuals. Thirteen years later it is sporadically being implemented and to varying degrees across provinces and in schools. Last year a follow-up commission was created to bring the ESI […]Read more...
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Cúcuta in the eye of the storm as aid showdown looms
Last Saturday in Cúcuta saw a small gathering meet a few hundred metres from the border with Venezuela. Leaders and activists made the call for large numbers of people to join them at Tienditas bridge to form a human chain that could help distribute humanitarian aid into Venezuela. The leaders gave impassioned speeches about the future of Venezuela and many members of the international press were there. The date had now been decided. “It’s February 23 or never,” one speaker screamed, referring to the day of the march set by Juan Guaidó, Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president. The […]Read more...
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Environmental costs mounting but EPM pushes forward with controversial dam project
An early estimate has been made into the environmental damage caused by closing the floodgates to troubled dam Hidrotuango. In a press release issued by EPM, the owner of the project, the energy company stated that 12,300 fish had died as a result of precautionary measures carried out on 29 January. It has been estimated by EPM that a total 228 kilos of fish died during the emergency procedure. The vast majority (96%) of fish were a species of freshwater fish, Astyanax microlepis (pictured below), which is abundant but unique to the Cauca river. Commonly referred to as ‘sardinas‘ in […]Read more...
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Guaidó announces plans to open up new humanitarian aid centre in Brazil
Venezuelan self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó has announced that a second humanitarian aid centre will open up in the Brazilian border town of Roraima. The new centre for aid distribution will be the second-largest after the existing warehouse in the Colombia-Venezuela border town of Cúcuta. There, humanitarian aid sent by the US has been waiting to cross the border into Venezuela for delivery since last Thursday, February 7, due to barricades put in place on border routes by President Nicolás Maduro. The US aid sitting on the Venezuelan border with Colombia – worth approximately US $20 million – which according to Guaidó consists of […]Read more...
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A nation on the move: Venezuelan migrants walk great distances in search of a better future
Berlin, Santander, is the last stop on the páramo before it all starts going downhill. The landscape is a cold, sunlit and expansive plateau; a treeless alpine tundra where rocks jut out like ancient ruins. Berlin’s farming community, which subsists largely on local livestock and produce, are distinguished by their ponchos and for being warmer than the temperatures they live in. Yisera, a waitress in the region, was asked by a passerby if she could give him corn soup or a tinto. In Colombian Spanish the words “give” and “gift” are governed by the same verb: ‘regalar’, and Yisera knew […]Read more...
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Aid for Venezuelans arrives in Colombia but can proceed no further
CÚCUTA, Colombia — Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro remains firm on his stance, saying in a sitdown interview with the BBC yesterday that the aid packages are “a charade…in order to humiliate the Venezuelans” and that Venezuela has “the capacity to satisfy the needs of its people.” Maduro refuses to allow the cargo to enter via Tienditas bridge, a vehicular access bridge between Colombia and Venezuela, whereas opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who installed himself as interim President last month, claimed that preparations would be made for Venezuela. Although initially indicating these preparations would be ready by Tuesday, Guaidó has now extended the […]Read more...
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Fintech first for Latin America
Latin America will be at the forefront of fintech next year with Peru and Colombia tipped to host the first continental editions of one of the world’s most revered financial sector conferences. Finnovating will bring their global event Unconference to Latin America for the first time following strong interest from startups and banks alike. The event pairs the biggest players from fintech startups and global banks to work through the implications of technology on the world of finance – and 66 Peruvian startups from the fintech sector have already been chosen to attend along with the leaders of large companies. Unconference director Pedro […]Read more...
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Six countries demand International Criminal Court investigates Venezuela
Six countries have signed and presented a formal request for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity and human rights violations taking place in Venezuela. Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay were the first four countries to express their plan at the the UN General Assembly to undertake such a measure, and now Peru and Canada have added their signatures to the document that was presented to the ICC on Wednesday September 26. IMPORTANTE| 6 gobiernos han dado un paso sin precedentes al solicitar una investigación de CPI sobre Vnzla. Esta acción refleja la creciente […]Read more...
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Chilean President announces plan to help indigenous group
On Monday, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced a development plan which will invest US$8 million between 2018 and 2026 in improving Mapuche quality of life in the Araucania region. Chile’s private and public sectors have historically clashed with indigenous Mapuche groups who believe that the government and companies are stealing their ancestral land and draining natural sources. Violence has been increasing in Mapuche protests who often commit arson in order to have their voices heard. What does the plan entail? The US$8 billion will be invested in 491 projects over the next eight years, Piñera explained, and will be be […]Read more...
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Peruvian President enjoys popularity boost
Martín Vizcarra’s approval rating is back on the rise after having cooled off in his first months as Peru’s President. According to the latest official polls, Vizcarra has been positively graded by 52% of Peruvians, which is a significant boost from last month’s numbers and is on the rise from his 37% rating this summer. Per a report from Andina news agency, the east region (69%) and Lima (53%) were the two regions where Vizcarra was most popular for September’s polling. Vizcarra recently put a confidence vote into Congress to speed up a decision regarding judicial reforms as people protested lawmakers’ delay in responding […]Read more...
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Four years on: Mexican disappearance case earns legal win
Four years after 43 students disappeared, in what has become known as the Ayotzinapa case, a special commission has finally been opened into the Mexican mystery. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the students has been heavily criticized by the international audience. Branded a crime against humanity, the disappearance and apparent cover-ups from leading players called into question the former government’s ability to control crime in a country rife with corruption. In March of this year, the UN accused Mexico of torture in the aftermath of the disappearances and inadequate answers to the events, and the most recent accusations against how […]Read more...
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Collective opts against military action in Venezuela
The majority of Lima Group member states have refused to take part in a military intervention against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia belong to the collective, which was created last year in an attempt to find a solution to Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian crisis. At the start of this week, those ten governments out of the 14 member states released a statement which pointed to their refusal to take part in any military action. The message was made in response to a statement made last Friday by the director […]Read more...
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Cuba and its coming crop of digital innovators
Fifty years is a long time, and especially so under imposed isolation. Cuba’s economic freeze from the international community may be starting to thaw but citizens’ conservative approach to resources is unlikely to alter. Cars can always be repaired and appliances always fixed on the island nation. It is this mentality – this resolver – which is driving tech opportunities in the Communist state. The people of Cuba have spent the the better part of a century making do with what they have, and their unique approach is influencing a current wave of digital ingenuity. Case in point: accommodation application […]Read more...
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Walmart expands digital empire into Latin America
And just like that: Walmart laid out its $225 million plan to further digital domination in Latin America. The American retail giant confirmed its purchase of grocery delivery platform Cornershop on Thursday with the clear intent of extending its international focus on digital commerce and home convenience. The purchase of the on-demand delivery app, which operates in Chile and Mexico, gives an important indication of where the world’s biggest retailer by sales is headed. The Cornershop investment follows similar moves from Walmart in other corners of the world. The company made recent agreements with Chinese online grocer Dada-JD Daojia and Japanese […]Read more...
