Weekly Roundup: LatAm's Gender Strides, Canada-EU Trade Deal, Colombia's Judicial Reform Law

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Report: Latin America and the Caribbean Close 70 Percent of Overall Gender Gap

On October 25, the World Economic Forum released the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, which shows that Latin America and the Caribbean closed 70 percent of its overall gender gap this year, the largest improvement compared to other regions. The report measures gaps between males and females in economic participation and opportunities, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Leading the region is Nicaragua, which has ranked in the top 10 countries globally for two years based on strong political empowerment. Next is Cuba, which moves up four places in the global ranking to number 15, due to an increase in women in parliament. Brazil ranks at spot 62, and managed to close the gender gap in the education and health categories. Mexico comes in at number 68, having improved its global ranking by 16 places since last year’s rank as a result of a rise in the number of women in the workforce and in Congress. Chile and Guatemala rank among the least equal countries for women in Latin America.

Brazil and Germany Team up after New Spying Revelations

This week, Brazil joined forces with Germany to press for expanding international law on privacy rights, “marking the first major international effort to restrain the National Security Agency's intrusions into the online communications of foreigners,” wrote Foreign Policy’s blog The Cable in an exclusive report. The two countries are reportedly meeting privately to create a UN General Resolution for online privacy rights. The joint effort took place after reports that the Agency tapped the private phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and monitored the communications of 35 unnamed world leaders.

First Pre-Salt Oil Auction Takes Place in Brazil

On October 21, the Brazilian government auctioned the offshore Libra field, estimated to hold up to 12 billion barrels of oil below the so-called “pre-salt.” The sole winning bid came from a consortium, with Brazilian state-run energy company Petrobras claiming 40 percent of the field. European companies took another 40 percent, with Chinese companies claiming 20 percent. The consortium will pay $6.88 billion up front. The government estimates it will receive $400 billion in taxes and other revenue from Libra over the next three decades, reports Reuters.

Mexican Government Reacts to U.S. Spying Reports   

In the latest revelations of U.S. spying in Latin America, Germany’s Der Spiegel reported this week that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) hacked the email of former Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations José Antonio Meade said the spying was “an abuse of trust,” and met with U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne on October 24 to discuss the latest revelation. The meeting marks the fourth time the two ambassadors met to talk about the NSA’s activities in Mexico.

Coming Soon: A Mexican Health System Reform

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto marked this week’s seventieth anniversary of his country’s Secretariat of Health by revealing that he will announce a health system reform in 2014 to guarantee universal health care. “It is essential to build a Universal National Health System, with a more homogeneous care model, an integrated operating system and greater coordination between the various health institutions,” said Peña Nieto on October 23. The president also said that, in the coming days, a plan would be announced to confront the country’s growing diabetes problem. Mexico overtook the United States in obesity rates in this country and CBS News reports that one in six Mexican adults suffers from weight-related diabetes.

Poll: Over a Third of Venezuelans Do Not Identify with a Political Party

Thirty-eight percent of Venezuelan citizens do not identify with any political party, an October 23 IVAD poll revealed ahead of the December municipal elections. The poll’s 1,200 respondents were split nearly evenly when asked whether they are satisfied with the outcome of country’s April presidential election, and 66 percent said they would definitely head to the polls on December 8. El Universal provides an infographic with the highlights from the survey.

Who Are Latin America’s Most Active Internet Users?

A new Tendencias Digitales report released this month found that despite an internet penetration rate of only 45 percent, Venezuelans are the region’s most active web surfers, with 92 percent of internet users on email and 87 percent on social networks. The study also shows that Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile lead Latin America with the highest internet penetration rates at 59 percent and more. According to estimates by eMarketer, Latin Americas’ internet penetration rate stands at around 50 percent overall, and is poised to rise to 63 percent by 2017.

Colombian Court Rules Judicial Reform Law Unconstitutional

On October 23, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled a new military reform law unconstitutional. The law, which allows military courts increased jurisdiction over crimes committed by members of armed forces, had come under scrutiny for the potential to promote impunity for human rights abuses. La Silla Vacía points out that the law helped placate critics of the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, because it assured legal protections for the military as it continues to battle guerrillas. With the law no longer in place, members of the military could grow increasingly critical of the peace process, writes the Pan American Post.

Canada, EU Ink Trade Deal   

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a “historic win” for the country on October 18, when he revealed a new trade deal inked between Canada and the European Union.  Known as the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), the accord—along with NAFTA—will give Canada “preferential access” to most of the world’s economy, says CBC News. The Globe and Mail reports that CETA’s broad scope will affect almost every industry, eliminating certain tariffs and expanding quotas on Canadian exports to the EU. However, full ratification is not expected for another two years as parts of the agreement have yet to be finalized.

Court to Consider Validity of Amnesty Law in Ríos-Montt Case

On October 23, Guatemala’s Prensa Libre reported that the country’s Constitutional Court had issued a ruling that opens the door to amnesty for General Efraín Ríos-Montt, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity when he ruled in the early 1980s. Ríos-Montt was convicted in May, but the decision was overturned and a retrial is expected next year. However, closer inspection of the court documents shows that a different court will assess whether the country’s amnesty law applies to the case, with a decision expected Friday or Saturday.

Cuba to End Dual Currency System

The Cuban government announced on October 22 that it will put an end to the country’s dual currency system. The two-tier system has reportedly created a “privileged class” with access to the convertible peso (CUC) worth one U.S. dollar and used largely for tourism and expensive goods, writes The Los Angeles Times. The process to unify the currencies could take up to 18 months.

Border Patrol Rescues on the Rise in Arizona

The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector reports that the number of migrant rescues is increasing while the reported number of apprehensions remains relatively unchanged, reports Fronteras Desk. Statistics through August 2013 show that rescues in the first 11 months of the fiscal year are 20 percent higher than in 2012 and 50 percent higher than in 2011. Border Patrol spokesman Peter Bidegain noted that a possible reason for increased rescues stems from the expansion of cell phone coverage in remote areas of the Arizona desert.

Interactive: Where Do Latinos Live in the United States?

The U.S. Census created an interactive based on figures released in September 2013, showing the concentration of 22 different Latino groups by origen across the country. For example, the map shows that the largest Mexican communities are found throughout the Southwest, while Dominican and Puerto Ricans are concentrated in New York and Florida. 

Real-Time Map Shows Denial of Service Attacks in LatAm

This week, Google launched a live global map of distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), a type of cybercrime in which a hacker makes a network or website unavailable to users. The real-time map shows Brazil and Venezuela as the main DDoS targets and sources in Latin America.

Chile Lands a Win with “Intelligent Jacket” at Global Innovation Competition

A Chilean team came out on top of the Intel Global Challenge 2013, a Silicon Valley innovation competition. The team beat 18,000 contenders from 60 countries by creating an “intelligent jacket” for miners equipped with smartphone technology that monitors a worker’s vital signs while tracking environmental conditions.