Weekly Roundup: Chile's Earthquake, LatAm's Mega-Cities, Cuban Twitter

Amid Protests, Maduro Seeks Support from International Community

As protests continued this week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called for peace and reconciliation with the U.S. government in an April 1 op-ed penned for The New York Times. Caracas Chronicles points out that Maduro is facing “battles on the home front that are being submitted to the court of international public opinion for international validation.”

Meanwhile, on March 31, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled that opposition Congresswoman María Corina Machado would lose her National Assembly seat after she tried to speak at the Organization of American States (OAS) as a temporary member of the Panamanian delegation. The OAS voted against holding a public session and Machado ultimately never made her speech.

Major Earthquake Strikes Chile; Improvements Help Save Lives

Stricter building codes, mandatory evacuations, and better emergency preparation were measures that helped Chile more effectively weather the 8.2 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the northern coast on April 1, reports CNN. In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami claimed more than 500 lives. The Atlantic produced a slideshow of images about the aftermath of this week’s quake, which killed six people.

Bachelet Sends Tax Reform to Chile’s Congress

On April 1, President Michelle Bachelet sent her tax reform proposal to Congress. The legislation seeks to raise tax revenues by 3 percent of GDP, or $8.2 billion, in order to fund measures included in education reform. Bachelet’s administration aims to pass the bill in the Chamber of Deputies by May 21 at the latest.

Peruvian Investigation of Former President Hits a Wall

The legislative commission investigating former President Alan García ran into legal issues on March 31 when a Lima court annulled the commission’s findings, which call for García’s indictment on the grounds of corruption. The ruling caused protests, while President Ollanta Humala told García not to hide from an investigation and García claimed the president supported the investigation for political reasons.

Mujica and Obama Set Meeting for May

President Barack Obama will host his Uruguayan counterpart José Mujica for a visit to the White House on May 12. The confirmation comes after Mujica agreed to take in to six Guantánamo Bay detainees to the South American country.

Marking 50 Years since Brazil’s Military Coup

On March 31, Brazil marked the 50-year anniversary of the country’s 1964 military coup. The military agreed to open investigations on torture that took place on bases during the two decades of the dictatorship. A new Datafolha poll shows that 62 percent of Brazilians think democracy is the best form of government—an increase from 43 percent in 1989, four years after the dictatorship ended.

Brazil to Build Nicaragua’s Largest Hydroelectric Plant

After five years of negotiations, Brazil’s state-run electricity company Eletrobras is slated to begin construction of Nicaragua’s largest hydroelectric plant. The project is expected to cost $800 million and will produce 253 megawatts of energy—more than 50 percent of the Central American country’s total energy usage.

U.S. Withdraws Radar Assistance from Honduras

The U.S. government announced this week that it will suspend drug-trafficking radar assistance to Honduras after the country passed a new law to protect airspace. A U.S. embassy spokesperson said the measure, which allows Honduran military to shoot down suspicious planes, is “incompatible” with U.S. laws.

Investigation: USAID Created Secret “Cuban Twitter”

On April 3, the Associated Press published an investigation into ZunZuneo, a Twitter-style platform developed by USAID that was launched in Cuba in 2010. The program reached 40,000 users at its peak, providing content related to sports and music, but was intended to later introduce political content intended to inspire a “Cuban Spring.” The platform also collected private user data. While government censorship and a shortage of funding contributed to ZunZeo’s downfall, Latin American analyst James Bosworth points out that the U.S. embargo also played a part, as market sanctions limit the flow of communication and information to the island.

Haiti Gets a Cabinet Shakeup as Electoral Bill Gets Green Light

For the fifth time since his 2011 inauguration, Haitian President Michel Martelly reshuffled his 22-member cabinet on April 2, replacing 10 ministers, reports The Miami Herald. The shakeup comes a day after the Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed an electoral bill that outlines electoral rules and proposes to hold October 26 legislative and local elections, overdue since 2011. The Senate must now vote on the measure.

Report: Puerto Rico Statehood Could Boost Federal Spending on the Island

A new U.S. Government Accountability Office report examines the effects that Puerto Rican statehood would have on revenue sources and certain federal programs. Statehood would affect 11 out of 29 federal programs studied. For example, 2011 federal spending on Medicaid in Puerto Rico could have increased from $685 million to $2.1 billion, since statehood would remove a funding cap and would require extending eligibility to low-income individuals.

WEF: The Best and Worst Trade Performers in LatAm

A new trade report from the World Economic Forum looks at 138 economies and assesses trade performance based on factors such as market access, policies, and infrastructure. Ranking eighth globally, Chile’s trade performance leads the region; meanwhile, Venezuela came in last in the region, coming in at spot 137 worldwide.

Despite Advances, Inequality Still Dogs LAC Region

An Oxfam report launched this week at the World Economic Forum in Panama found that, even with advances against poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, the region still has the highest level of wealth inequality in the world. Latin America’s wealthiest bring in roughly 50 percent of the region’s income, but the poorest bring in just 5 percent. Mexico’s Animal Politico illustrates the report’s findings through a series of infographics.

Survey of Top Priorities for Residents of LatAm’s Mega-Cities

A new Inter-American Development Bank survey looks the concerns of residents in five of Latin America’s largest cities: Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, and São Paulo. Of those surveyed, 78 percent believe that extreme weather events happen more frequently than in the past, and participants listed safety and transparency as top priorities. Over 28 million people in these cities commute at least 90 minutes a day—the equivalent to 10 weeks of work a year per person.