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Quito, Ecuador: Texas Oilman Detained and investigated for trafficking and sexual exploitation

CASE MAY HAVE CONNECTIONS TO RAPE AND DEATH OF FIFTEEN YEAR OLD FEMALE

Sources: Vistazo.com, Extra.ec, Elcomercio.com, Expreso.ec,Twitter.com, Facebook.com, Linkedin.com

On August 26, 2018, the lifeless body of fifteen year old Carolina Andrango was found in a vacant lot located in Comité del Pueblo, a neighborhood of Quito. Apparently she had been a victim of rape and sexual abuse. Her mother gave her permission to go out on August 25th, but never returned home. She also stated that days before her daughter’s death, she had revealed to her mother information about a man named ‘El Abuelo’. Also, the mother reported that friends of the victim, the man named ‘El Abuelo’ could possibly be involved with a network that recruited adolescents for sexual purposes.

Between March 16, 2019 and March 26, 2019, authorities became aware of five legal age Ecuadorians and two minors along with a U.S. male identified as ‘el abuelo -the grandfather’ (Royce Dale Phillips – Age 65) that could be involved in a sex trafficking ring. Officials believed that the group may have been luring teenagers to parties at the American’s residence in an upscale area called Quito Tenis. While in the residence victims were provided alcohol and after intoxicated, group sex would be encouraged while pictures and videos were made of the participants. Press reports state Royce Phillips paid young recruiters to locate potential victims to locate girls between 13 and 16 years old.

During the afternoon of March 26th, police raided Royce Philips residence and took him and several others into custody. Also, substantial amounts of evidence was obtained including cell phones, cameras, laptops and biological evidence. Sex toys and cash were also located by criminologists at the scene.

Authorities continue their investigation  and believe the suspects may be involved or have knowledge of the rape and death of Carolina Andrango in August of 2018. Several others are already in custody for her alleged rape and death.

RELOCATION SERVICES TO ECUADOR – CONTACT JOURNEYMAN JACK

Suspect Royce Phillips per media reports has been charged with trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Per Ecuadorian law, a 90 day investigation will follow while he has been ordered to house arrest based on his senior citizen status.

The following video was located on Twitter. The non-verified video is believed to be suspect Royce Phillips meeting with a group of young men.

Royce Phillips Facebook page indicates his last post was at 12:43 pm on March 26, 2019. A review of his page shows numerous comments which contains insults and threats towards him for his alleged actions. The page also states he is from Corpus Christi Texas. The suspects Linkedin.com account displays he is the operations and sales manager for the firm ESP Completion Technologies. Phone calls seeking comment from the firm have not been returned at the time of publication. It is believed that Phillips has resided in Ecuador for at least ten years and possibly as long as thirty years. His Linkedin.com and Facebook.com page state he is employed in the oil services business.

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Missing Expat in Ecuador from U.S. discovered deceased in Florida

FAMILY BELIEVED RANDALL BELL WAS LIVING IN ECUADOR WHEN ACTUALLY HE WAS DECEASED ALMOST A YEAR EARLIER IN FLORIDA Randall D. Bell an American citizen from Arkansas and Missouri lived in Ecuador for approximately five years. The volunteer group on Facebook Ecuador Emergency was alerted on September 28, 2018, that Mr. Bell’s whereabouts were not […]

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Nicaragua: Political Unrest Causes Tourism Industry to Collapse

Nicaragua’s national tourism in decline amid political unrest aljazeera.com reported… Workers in Nicaragua’s tourism industry are hoping to hang on until the next busy season, but if the country has not stabilised by then, migration may become their only option. The once-thriving tourism industry in Nicaragua has completely collapsed. The recent unrest in the Central […]

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Briceño, Manabi, Ecuador: Home Invasion of Expats residence (Video)

HOME BELONGING TO U.S. EXPAT INVADED/CANADIAN ASSUALTED LINK TO THE VIDEO OF THIS HOME INVASION IS BELOW ARTICLE ———————————————————————————– In an exclusive interview with one of the victims of this home invasion in Ecuador, a detailed account is revealed of this harrowing ordeal for three expats from the U.S. and Canada. This event took place […]

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Ecuador: Former President Correa Pelted with an egg (Video)

SPEAK SPANISH LIKE AN ECUADORIAN – READ THE BOOK SPANISH SLANG ECUADOR radiodinamica Ec https://www.facebook.com/RadioDinamicaEc/videos/167048547247840/

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Latin America’s Tango with China

INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THE BOOK usnews.com/ – Simeon Tege – lWhen Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski welcomed his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales for a bilateral summit in Lima earlier this month, a long-mooted interoceanic train was on the agenda once again. The idea is for the railway to run more than […]

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Ecuador to increase oil output, ignore quota limits by OPEC

theguardian.com reported – Ecuador risks Opec split by increasing oil output Ecuador has become the first country to publicly admit it will not meet Opec’s production curbs, saying it needs to pump more oil to address its fiscal deficit. The South American country’s promised cut of 26,000 barrels of oil a day is a tiny […]

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Ecuador: Shaman to be sentenced to Prison Term in Death of U.S. citizen, during Ayahuasca Ceremony

SHAMAN MIGUEL CHIRIAP RECEIVES SHORT PRISON TERM – GUILTY OF HOMICIDE FOR PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE IN THE DEATH OF AMERICAN LESLIE ALLISON DURING AYAHUASCA CEREMONY – PROSECUTOR APPEALING DECISION ON BEHALF OF VICTIM’S FATHER – COURT APPEARS TO HAVE MODIFIED CHARGES AGAINST MIGUEL CHIRIAP PROVIDING LESS TIME IN PRISON Leslie Allison from the United States died […]

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Words of Wisdom for any Gringo Wanting to Move to Latin America (Video)

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Femicide in Latin America (Special Report)

telesurtv.net Femicide, the murder of a woman based on her gender in particular by a man, continues to plague Latin America. From Mexico to Argentina, femicides have skyrocketed only to be met with impunity at all levels of government. But resistance is growing. The epidemic of gender violence has united women of all races under […]

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Ecuador: Family working to defend ancient history on its land

The Civilization in the Backyard A family in rural Ecuador fights to defend a piece of ancient history on its land. By Naomi Renee Cohen / slate.com When Telmo Pereira purchased 200 acres of a plateau to cultivate in the northern Ecuadorian cloud forest region of Intag for $1.50 in 1949, he had no idea […]

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U.S. Military to Install Shared temporary Military Base with Peru, Brazil, Colombia

INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK theantimedia.org MILITARY EXERCISES NEAR VENEZUELA The involvement of the U.S. military in an upcoming multilateral military drill in South America has raised concerns over potential ulterior motives on the part of the U.S. The drill, dubbed “Operation: America United,” will involve the installation of a temporary military […]

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United States Southern Command Strategy 2018, LATIN AMERICA

United States Southern Command Strategy 2018 INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK 3 Commander United States Southern Command December 2008 The United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM) Command Strategy for 2018 provides the vision for how we hope to become a mor e interagency oriented organization seeking to work with U.S. and internat […]

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Targeting of Civilian Aircrafts in South America

Forewarned War: The Targeting of Civilian Aircrafts in South America and the Inter-American Human Rights System Alonso Gurmendi Dunkelberg INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK Abstract Throughout the War on Drugs, South American governments have fought a difficult and many times losing battle against drug trafficking. Lack of resources and policing capabilities have […]

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Mass Murderers in South America, A primer of the eight most pernicious

rollingstone.com/Melissa Locker / While the United States has more serial killers than any other nation, some of the most brutal murderers the world has ever seen came from the Southern Hemisphere. They’ve left hundreds of bodies of children, women and men in their wake, along the way earning grim nicknames like “monster,” “beast,” and “sadist” […]

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Latin America: Survey says these cities among the best to live in the world

Montevideo (Uruguay) is the first city that appears in the ranking occupying the number 79. They are followed by Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 93, Santiago (Chile) in 95, Brasilia (Brazil) in 109 And Asunción (Paraguay) in 115. Quito Ecuador ranked 121. In this 2017, Quito became the only place in Ecuador that entered the list […]

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Brazil’s Corruption Scandal and connection with Latin America

The Latin American connection in Brazil’s corruption scandal By Patricio Navia buenosairesherald.com INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK NEW YORK — The Lava Jato corruption scandal triggered an earthquake that radically changed the political landscape in Brazil — one whose aftershocks are still being felt throughout Latin America. From Peru to Colombia, from […]

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Latin America key center for Hezbollah’s global financial network (observations, opinion)

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has established a criminal and financial network across the region, and while the US has taken steps to disrupt these resources in the past, more needs to be done. csmonitor.com/Emanuele Ottolenghi February 3, 2017 —This piece was submitted in response to Christopher Sabatini’s article considering the Islamist threat in Latin America. […]

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Ecuador’s President calls for strong unity in Latin America against Trump

President Rafael Correa said the region needs to stand together to fight discrimination and human rights violations. telesurtv.net reported Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said on Monday that Latin America needs to respond with a strong front and united speech against the anti-immigration measures of U.S. President Donald Trump. Correa said there needs to be “a […]

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U.S. Citizen Living in Ecuador Vanishes Under Suspicious Circumstances

MISSING: JONATHAN C. GILCHRIST – US CITIZEN, RESIDENT OF SALINAS ECUADOR Former Houston Texas Resident This article is prepared by LatinAmericaCurrentEvents.com. As often the case with a missing person event, the story can be very fluid and change within moments. It is believed by LACE that the facts presented here are accurate despite many missing […]

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Facebook Survey shows citizens in Latin America frustrated with bureaucracy

iadb.org/ Novel Facebook-based survey measures citizen frustration with bureaucracy in Latin America and Caribbean – The IDB has launched two studies on quality and innovation in public services The Inter-American Development Bank launched two studies that show the low regard citizens have for the quality of public services they receive and how innovation can help […]

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Latin America Lags In Math, Science, and Reading skills

oecd.org reported for science, math and reading skills, Latin American countries remain below average worldwide. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tested 540,000 15-year-old students in 72 countries. The main focus was on science, an increasingly important part of today’s economy and society. Singapore outperforms the rest of the world. The top-performing countries: […]

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Homicide Rates for Latin America and the Caribbean

2015 Homicide Rates for Latin America and the Caribbean *per 100,000 inhabitants El Salvador 103 Venezuela 90 Honduras 57 Jamaica 45 Guatemala 30 Brazil 26 Colombia 25 Dominican Republic 17 Puerto Rico 16 Mexico 13 Costa Rica 11 Panama 11 Argentina 9 Nicaragua 8 Paraguay 8 Uruguay 8 Peru 7 Ecuador 6 Bolivia 5 Chile […]

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Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2017

FEDERALREGISTER.GOV reported Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2017 A Presidential Document by the Executive Office of the President on 09/20/2016 Memorandum for the Secretary of State Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA), I hereby […]

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Prevention of Money Laundering and of the Financing of terrorism in Latin America

Economic Comission for Latin America and the Caribbean. E mail: Stefanie.GARRY@cepal.org. Money Laundering and Financial Risk Management in Latin America, with Special Reference to Mexico* Lavado de dinero y manejo de riesgos financieros en América Latina, con especial referencia a México Willy Zapata Sagastume,** Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid*** and Stefanie Garry* Abstract This paper reviews the […]

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Russia makes inroads into Latin America

Ciccarillo, Simon Gaetano, “The Russia-Latin America Nexus: Realism in the 21st Century” (2016).Student Scholarship & CreativeW Recent Events in Latin America Within the past 15 years, the Russian government has made inroads to Latin America, highlighting the nature of the depth of the relationship between the two. Under the Putin and Medvedev Administrations, high-level visits […]

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Rafael Correa warns of new Operation Condor aimed against progressive govts in Latin America

EFE/latino.foxnews.com reported Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa warned Saturday about the existence of a new Operation Condor, as the repressive action of Latin America’s military dictatorships in the 1970’s and ’80s was called, this time against the “progressive governments” of the region. “This is a new Operation Condor…today its targets are the progressive governments of the […]

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Venezuela: Journalist, lawyer charged for money laundering after protest

Reuters.com/ Girish Gupta reported A prominent journalist and lawyer on the Venezuelan island of Margarita was charged Monday with money laundering and will remain behind bars, according to family and a rights group, following his detention after publicizing a protest against President Nicolas Maduro. Videos published by activists, purportedly from the locality of Villa Rosa, […]

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Iran hopes to use Latin America in developing ballistic missile program

thetower.org reported the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Latin America last week signaled the Islamic Republic’s intent to rebuild its missile program in the Western Hemisphere, Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote in an analysis on Monday. “Iran has long relied on Latin America to evade Western sanctions, […]

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India: Passengers screened with destinations to Latin America, concern headed to U.S. illegally

dailymail.co.uk reported the immigration bureau at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is planning to conduct ‘surprise’ profile checks on passengers bound for Latin American countries in a bid to curb illegal immigration. The move has come after reports that middle-eastern airlines have denied boarding to a number of Indian passengers based on their profiles. According […]

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Central/South America: Hotel Occupancy down 4.9 percent

hotelnewsresource.com reported compared with July 2015, the Central/South America region reported a 4.9% decrease in occupancy to 56.7%. Average daily rate (ADR), however, increased 10.1% to US$89.84, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) grew 4.7% to US$50.93. Hotels in the Central/South America region recorded mixed results in the three key performance metrics when reported in […]

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Denmark Development Relations with Latin America

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK um.dk reported Denmark has had long-standing development cooperation in Latin America with a focus on rural development, environment and access to justice/human rights. In Latin America, Denmark has supported the efforts of the various countries (Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala) to combat inequality and poverty contributing to the […]

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Latin America: Levels of Inequality and Violence

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK theconversation.com reported Latin America has traditionally been the world’s most unequal region, but it has recently shown signs of change. Through the 2000s, high international prices for exports have brought inequality levels down. Governments have made more concerted efforts to tackle poverty, mounting schemes such as conditional cash […]

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Iran Solidifying foothold in Latin America

freebeacon.com reported Iran is solidifying its foothold in Latin America, sparking concerns among U.S. officials that the Islamic Republic will enlist these regional allies in its push to launch terror attacks on U.S. soil, according to conversations with congressional sources. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has been on a diplomatic tour through key Latin American […]

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Most Livable Cities in Latin America

as-coa.org/Maria del Carmen Landa reported Porteños get another chance to brag about their hometown. Once again, Buenos Aires topped the list of Latin America and the Caribbean’s most livable cities, per the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2016 Global Livability Ranking, released last week. The Argentine capital made the top half of the index, followed by Santiago, […]

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Kidnapping Statistics for Latin America

SOURCE: UNODC/UNITED NATIONS Definitions for kidnapping differ from country to country. No information received from Argentina or Uruguay. Statistics are from 2014 or earlier depending on reporting from each country. GUATEMALA 2014 0.3 PER 100,000 46 KIDNAPPINGS BELIZE 2011 0.9 PER 100,000 3 KIDNAPPINGS HONDURAS 2013 0.9 PER 100,000 51 KIDNAPPINGS EL SALVADOR 2014 0.9 […]

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Mexico, Argentina, Brazil in top 21 countries at risk for extreme public unrest

Maplecroft.com reported civil unrest is significantly more disruptive to business in France than in any other western economy, reveals a new global index released by risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, which rates the country ‘high risk’ alongside emerging markets, such as Brazil and South Africa. France’s deep-rooted culture of political protest and strikes has seen the […]

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Expert’s view on Iran’s export revolution to Latin America

Sofey Saidi, PhD, on Tehran’s efforts to “export revolution” in Latin America Iran’s increasing involvement in South American and Central American countries has worried some observers who fear that the country may be “exporting” fundamentalist religion in these regions. The 1979 Iranian Revolution was, according to many analysts, the birth of modern Islamic fundamentalism, an […]

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Baby born in Texas dies from Zika virus after mother traveled to Latin America

dailymail.co.uk reported Zika baby death in Texas: Girl born with microcephaly after her mother traveled to Latin America has died Child was born in Harris County on Tuesday, died shortly after She had microcephaly and shrunken head – birth defects related to Zika 15 babies have been born with Zika in the US, 6 pregnancies […]

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Iran’s foreign policy in Latin America

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED SPANISH VOCABULARY – READ THIS BOOK aawsat.com/Caracas- Iran’s Foreign Ministry is currently in the process of preparing for Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s five-country tour in Latin America. The Iranian diplomat is scheduled to visit Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Chile in the upcoming period. Amid serious cautioning the peace of the Americas […]

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US Invasions in Latin America and the Caribbean, look from telesurtv.net

US Invasions in Latin America and the Caribbean TELESURTV.NET reported: Since the 1800s, the United States has invaded countries across Latin America and the Caribbean in an effort to protect both economic and political interests. This violent, aggressive policy has led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths and decades-long dictatorships. In commemoration of the […]

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Mexico fails in managing increased migration flows from Central America

phys.org reported Mexico launched the Comprehensive Plan for the Southern Border (CPSB) in 2014 in an attempt to manage increased migration flows from Central America. But two years after the plan’s implementation, it has yet to accomplish its goals of securing Mexico’s southern border, according to an issue brief from Rice University’s Baker Institute for […]

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Latin America: Sex Motel Apps helps lovers find an available room

Spanish Vocabulary Intermediate/Advanced Level: A Guide To Enrich Your Spanish Vocabulary fusion.net reported even though sex motels are everywhere, it’s not always easy to find an available room when you’re new to a city, or on a busy weekend night. And when you’re in the mood, the last thing you want to do is drive […]

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Latin America still risky for FCPA violations

insidecounsel.com reported as the world’s attention turns to the South American nation of Brazil this summer as it hosts the Olympics, those who follow the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) have long been watching the region. Spanish Vocabulary Intermediate/Advanced Level: A Guide To Enrich Your Spanish Vocabulary Even the Olympics themselves — […]

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Latin America: App use up across region

betanews.com reported Until now the Latin America region has been slow to adopt mobile apps, partly because of limited availability of high-speed data connections. But as the Rio Olympics kick off and the world focuses on the region, Yahoo’s analytics arm Flurry is releasing its first-ever report analyzing mobile activity across Latin America. Spanish Vocabulary […]

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Iran: Foreign Minister to tour Latin America

tasnimnews.com reported Foreign Minister Zarif will begin another round of his international tours on August 21 by visiting Cuba, a source in the Iranian foreign ministry told Sputnik on Saturday. According to the source, he will later visit Ecuador, Nicaragua, Chile and Bolivia. The Iranian top diplomat will lead “a large economic delegation” and is […]

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New book focuses on acquiring superior Spanish Vocabulary

Improve your Spanish language, grammar, and writing skills with this unique Spanish vocabulary book. Developed entirely with the intermediate to advanced student in mind, readers will be challenged and rewarded by possessing a much wider and deeper understanding of Spanish vocabulary. —- There are many sources that provide students with basic Spanish vocabulary or lists […]

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Latin America Countries Increasingly Involved in export of weapons

elcomercio.pe/bbcmundo reported in Latin America are increasingly countries that want to stop being simple gun buyers to seek to be part of the controversial business of selling. In recent days, for example, Colombian media announced that a company owned by the state, Indumil, was looking to export manufactured bombs in Colombia to Middle East countries. […]

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U.S.: DHS transporting illegal immigrants from border to Phoenix, then releasing them

judicialwatch.org reported, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quietly transporting illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to Phoenix and releasing them without proper processing or issuing court appearance documents, Border Patrol sources tell Judicial Watch. The government classifies them as Other Than Mexican (OTM) and this week around 35 were transferred 116 miles north […]

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Latin America Safety Security, think like a criminal in choosing your residence

Extracted from the book “100 Points to Consider Before Moving or Retiring in Ecuador 139. Safety Protocol – Think like a Criminal: Luckily, most of us don’t have a criminal mind. However, to help in staying safe and when conducting threat assessments it is important to think like a criminal or how a criminal group […]

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Leptospirosis common in tropical areas of Ecuador

Jorge Chiriboga, Verónica Barragan and others: CDC.gov Abstract Leptospira spp., which comprise 3 clusters (pathogenic, saprophytic, and intermediate) that vary in pathogenicity, infect >1 million persons worldwide each year. The disease burden of the intermediate leptospires is unclear. To increase knowledge of this cluster, we used new molecular approaches to characterize Leptospira spp. in 464 […]

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Intelligence detects Hezbollah activity in Latin America

aawsat.com reported Mexican intelligence, in cooperation with Canadian intelligence services, has recently revealed activities for the Lebanese Hezbollah under Iranian support being detected in Latin America, at Venezuela, Mexico, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, in addition to the zone between the Paraguay, Argentine, and Brazil border triad. George Shea, expert in Middle Eastern affairs and […]

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Zika Virus Reignites Abortion Debate in Brazil

Rondoniadinamica.com reported the effects of Zika virus with regards to Brazil’s rigid anti-abortion laws. Zooming in on the Atlantic coastal city Recife, the hardest hit region in the country, the source examined situations women can expect to face now that the abortion debate has re-surfaced. Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly in newborn babies, […]

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Latin American Govts need to adapt to extreme weather events such as El Niño

David Dudenhoefer Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 The global weather event known as El Niño has been blamed for droughts in Central America and northern South America and record-breaking floods in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. But some scientists warn that the worst could be yet to come. El Niño poses major challenges for Latin America’s governments, […]

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WHO reports Zika virus likely to spread throughout the Americas

reuters.com reported the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Zika transmission has not yet been reported in the continental United States, although a […]

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Zika Virus transmission reported in 17 countries in Latin America Region

Local Zika Transmission in the Americas Region paho.org/ reported countries and territories with autochthonous transmission reported. Epidemiological Week (EW) 17 of 2015 to EW 2 of 2016 Brazil Colombia Ecuador El Salvador French Guiana Guyana Guatemala Haiti Honduras Martinique Mexico Panama Puerto Rico Paraguay Saint Martin Suriname Venezuela Read Article

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NASA reports current El Nino could be as bad as 1998

bbc.com reported Nasa says the current El Nino “shows no signs of waning”, based on the latest satellite image of the Pacific Ocean. It bears “a striking resemblance” to one from December 1997, the agency says, “the signature of a big and powerful El Nino”. Strongest El Nino since 1950 on the way Matt McGrath: […]

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Latin America’s Commodity Exports to China to Slow Sharply

qz.com reported since the start of the millennium, Latin American economies have thrived, as China’s expanding factories bought boatload after boatload of oil, copper, and other raw materials. But Latin America’s commodity exports to China will slow sharply in coming decades, according to a study released Dec. 11 by three international bodies. And that will […]

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Latin America: Ride Sharing Apps big business, stiff competition

latimes.com reported but competition is stiff here for the San Francisco-based company, which often trails homegrown alternatives that use established taxi fleets rather than private cars, such as the Brazil-based Easy Taxi, which claims to have the leading application in Latin America. On Tuesday, Easy Taxi announced it was merging with Tappsi, an app based […]

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Rabies from dog bites persisent problem Latin America and worldwide

discovermagazine.com reported this past spring, a street dog and her puppy were captured in Cairo, Egypt. Her vaccination certificates were forged, and she was shipped to the United States by an animal rescue organization in a shipment that included seven other dogs and 27 cats. Days later, following her placement in a Virginian foster home […]

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2016 will be difficult year for Latin America, Stratfor report

businessinsider.com/ Stratfor – reported low commodity prices and rising US interest rates, which affect currencies, will also spell another difficult year for much of Latin America. The threat of impeachment will hang over Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and further sour the investment climate in Brazil in the short term. Argentina may have a new, reform-minded […]

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Zika Alert for Central and South America

biprepwatch.com reported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued travel notices this week regarding recent outbreaks of the Zika virus in Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. The CDC reports that the virus has been reported in the following countries as of Thursday: El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname, […]

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U.N. South America economy to contract 0.8 percent, Central America to expand

South America to contract 0.8% and Central America will expand 4.6% in 2016, says UN office mercopress.comLatin American and Caribbean economies will contract 0.4% on average in 2015 and will grow just 0.2% next year, as a result of the complex external scenario, according to new projections unveiled on Thursday by the UN Latin America […]

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Central and South America have the highest homicide rates in the world

telegraph.co.uk reported murder continues to blight countries in Central and South America, while almost half a million people lose their lives each year due to intentional homicide, figures reveal. Central and South American countries had the highest homicide rates in the world, according to figures published by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Honduras […]

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Latin America, U.N.: Huge task to reverse discrimination against those of African descent

un.org reported The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, saying he was struck by the “enormity of the task” over the next decade to reverse five centuries of discrimination against the 150 million people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean, has urged the region to draw on […]

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Latin America: 80% of trans women murdered are in their 30’s or younger

pinknews.co.uk reported trans women in Latin America have a life expectancy of just 35 years a new study has found. Research into the Violence Registry reveals that 80% of trans women murdered in Latin America are in their mid-thirties or younger. However, the Organisation of American States (OAS) say that even though crime against the […]

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Not an Opportune Time to Invest in Latin America

seekingalpha.com reported…Latin American economies are currently faced with a multitude of headwinds. Tighter U.S. monetary policy is cutting off growth, while a general global slowdown is harming commodity prices. With the many problems Latin American countries face, shorting ILF could be a profitable strategy as the Fed begins to hike rates. Read Article

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Latin America generates 9% of global electronic waste

Latin America generates 9% global electronic waste elespectador.com reported 9% of e-waste produced in the region corresponds to 3,904 kilotonnes and that figure is expected to reach 4,800 by 2018. Latin America in 2014 generated 9% of electronic waste in the world, mostly in Brazil and Mexico, while Chile and Uruguay were the biggest per […]

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Ecuador: Anti-goverment marches across country, some police reported injured

Ecuadorvisa.com reported…The mobilization against the constitutional emniendas ended today with isolated incidents in some cities, amid a heavy police guard. In Quito, thousands of people marched through the center of the city and sought to reach the National Assembly, which was guarded by 1,500 police.The protesters, who had said that the National Assembly would be […]

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Latin America’s New Class of Dictators Have Hijacked Democracy

Carlos Sabino – opinion- panampost.com – With the complete restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, we have returned to a time when Latin American dictatorships are tolerated, even accepted, as long as they meet certain requirements. These 21st-century dictators have grown stronger, and democratic leaders around the world rush to embrace […]

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Investigation Reveals: Priests Accused of Sex Abuse allowed to relocate to Parishes in South America

kgw.com/Global Post/Will Carless reported the Catholic Church has allowed priests accused of sexually abusing children in the United States and Europe to relocate to poor parishes in South America, a yearlong GlobalPost investigation has found. Reporters confronted five accused priests in as many countries: Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. One priest who relocated to […]

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Drone Use Increasing in Latin America for good and evil

mcclatchydc.com/Tim Johnson reported… As the chief executive of what may be the first academy to train drone operators in Latin America, José Luis González is acutely aware that unmanned aerial vehicles can be used for both good and evil. Most of the students who study at his Drone Academy are photographers seeking to capture sweeping […]

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Latin America: Assange claims NSA eavesdrops on 98% of communications from South America

RT.com reported The US National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdrop on practically all communications from South American countries, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a Chilean media outlet on Tuesday. “Ninety-eight percent of Latin American communications are intercepted by the NSA while passing through the United States to the world,” Julian Assange said in an interview with […]

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Simple Exercises to Develop your awareness for personal protection

You hear it often when discussing crime in forums about traveling or living in foreign locations – “Stay Alert”, Use Common Sense”, “Be Aware of your Surroundings”. All good advice but what it does not instruct you on, is how to develop those skills. How do you learn those things? It is similar to baseball, […]

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Maduro from Venezuela calls for meetings with CELAC members to discuss coup plots in Ecuador

telesurtv.net reported President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela called upon the other member countries to show solidarity with Ecuador’s elected government. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for an urgent meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to discuss tensions and possible coup plots against the government of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa. “It’s […]

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Latin America’s Ranking Corruption by Transparency International (2013)

TrhansThe Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 serves as a reminder that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world. The Index scores 177 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). No country has a perfect score, and two-thirds of countries score below […]

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Colombia plans project to develop ecological corridor across northern South America

eyeonlatinamerica.wordpress.com reported Colombia proposes an ambitious plan that would establish the world’s largest ‘ecological corridor’, protecting vast swathes of Amazon rainforest stretching from the Andes to the Atlantic coast, with the help of Brazil and Venezuela. Colombia has announced plans to lead a project that would see the creation of the world’s largest ‘ecological corridor’ […]

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Opinion: Rafael Correa seeking control of courts in Latin America

LATINO.FOXNEWS.COM/ Andrés Páez Benalcázar is a legislator in the National Assembly of Ecuador w wrote ….without question, the control of the Inter-American system is key for Correa’s regional ambitions. With Pazmiño’s faithful service and Sierra’s blessing, will he be able to do it through the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica? This is […]

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Foreign Investment Down 14% In Latin America for 2014

expreso.ec reported the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Latin America fell in 2014 by 19% and amounted to 153,000 million, according to the latest study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). FDI fell after four years of increases, which is mainly, according to UNCTAD, declining 26 percent in cross-border […]

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More North Americans Moving to Latin America

latino.foxnews.com reported the warmer weather. The beaches. The lower cost of living. The many options for health care coverage. And the proximity to the United States. Those are among the top reasons that Americans increasingly are looking south of the border to retire, or for those not yet ready to comb gray hair, to start […]

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U.N. reports Latin America is region that most uses guns in commission of violent crimes

laht.com reported that the head of the Firearms Team of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC, said Tuesday in Quito that Latin America is the region that most uses guns to commit violent crimes. “Latin America is the region where guns are most frequently used to commit violent crimes,” Italy’s Simonetta Grassi […]

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Cuenca Ecuador: A hidden cafeteria tucked away in the center of the city

A number of years ago when working on a book about Ecuador, an expert on Ecuadorian cuisine commented to me that in general many Ecuadorians often ate at the new flavor of the month in terms of restaurant fare, that they were impressed with the new and fashionable. She also explained that under the radar […]

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Americas: Media Under Threat report, World press freedom index 2014

rsf.org reported…. More than 20 years have passed since the military dictatorships and civil wars ended in Latin America and the Caribbean, except Colombia, which still endures an armed conflict that began half a century ago. Cuba is also distinguished by a regime inherited from the Cold War that tolerates no independent watchdogs although an […]

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U.S. AID vows to stop destabilization attempts in Latin America

telesurtv.net reported… After numerous scandals involving its attempts to undermine governments, especially in Latin America, the self-declared “aid” organization is set to roll back its involvement in certain programs, but such roles look set to be continued by other State Department agencies. Self-proclaimed “pro-democracy” organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, claims it will no longer […]

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Latin America: Four Cities Rank in top ten globally as worst regarding women’s safety

Trust.org reported /The poll was conducted in 15 of the world’s largest capitals and in New York, the most populous city in the United States. Polling could not be conducted in five of the largest capitals – Cairo, Dhaka, Kinshasa, Tehran and Baghdad – due to conflict or YouGov and its polling partners unable to […]

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Ecuador Taxes

respond to updated perceptions about the information and enforcement capacity of the tax authority would be an interesting avenue for future research. 6 Conclusion This paper investigates the impact and potential limitatio ns of tax enforcement based on third-party information. When firms are notified by the tax authority about detected revenue discrepancies, they amend their […]

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Spanish Version of RT in Latin America, Telesur (opinion)

By FABIÁN BOSOER and FEDERICO FINCHELSTEIN/ The Spanish version of RT is intended as an antidote to the toxic influence of foreign media channels “that transmit news based on their interests,” as Mrs. Kirchner put it. The Spanish-language RT deal mirrors the Venezuelan-Argentine venture in the public news channel Telesur, in which Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, […]

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SIP conference in Chile discusses setbacks in Latin America for freedom of expression

voanoticias.com reported the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (SIP) expresses concern at the setbacks suffered by Latin America in the field of freedom of expression. Gathered in Chile, experts such as Edison launches considered that “the situation of freedom of expression that is lived every day in the region leaves us breathless”. Lance, who serves as […]

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Mexico enlists strategy against Ebola virus from spreading

elcomercio.com reported Mexico, gateway to Latin America from the United States, trying to lift a sanitary barrier against Ebola on its northern border, poring deported migrants and repelling to cruise passenger Texas, where there is alarm for several infections. With still fresh in 2009 being the epicenter of the H1N1 flu epidemic trauma, Mexico triggered […]

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Latin America: corruption and tax evasion directly correlated to inequality, injustice

IPSNEWS.NET reported…The 2013 Latinobarómetro poll indicates that 26 percent of all Latin Americans said they were aware of at least one case of corruption in their country in the past 12 months. A similar percentage said that nearly everyone in their government was corrupt. Venezuela and Mexico top the ranking for perception of corruption, with […]

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Gallup Survey results, Latin Americans least likely to say women treated with respect and dignity

gallup.com reported Latin Americans were the least likely in the world in 2012 and 2013 to say women in their countries are treated with respect and dignity. A median of 35% of adults across 22 Latin American countries said their women are treated this way — about half as high as percentages in any other […]

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Mexico: Most in demand weapons by cartels, AK-47, AR-15 Assault Rifles

michoacantrespuntocero.com reported Morelia, Michoacan.-AK-47 and AR-15 assault Rifles are the weapons most required by members of organized crime in Mexico, according to the database of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). According to published Millennium, don September 1, 2013 to July 31, 2014, the Unit seized 447 firearms – representing an average monthly seizure of 40 […]

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Latin America on track to post slowest rate of growth since 2009

wsj.com reported Latin America is on track this year to post its slowest rate of annual growth since 2009, when the global financial crisis began to be felt in the region, the World Bank said Tuesday. The bank cut its growth forecast for the region by nearly half to 1.2%, following expansions of 2.4% and […]

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Latin America may face seriuos risk situation due to climate change by 2030

(IPS) reported – “We could be the last Latin American and Caribbean generation living together with hunger.” The assertion, made by Raúl Benítez, a regional officer for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), shows one side of the coin: only 4.6 percent of the region’s population is undernourished, according to the […]

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Global AgeWatch Index 14′ Snapshot of situation for older residents of 17 countries in Latin America

In Latin America 17 countries were scored out of 96 countries worldwide. Here is the ranking for countries in Latin America: 22 – Chile 23 – Uruguay 24 – Panama 26 – Costa Rica 30 – Mexico 31 – Argentina 33 – Ecuador 42 – Peru 51 – Bolivia 52 – Colombia 54 – Nicaragua […]

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Cuba: Colognes named after Hugo Chavez and Che Guevara removed from market

bbc.com reported the Cuban government has said it will take disciplinary action against a state pharmaceutical company that created perfumes named Ernesto Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez. In a statement in the official Granma newspaper, the government described the project as “a serious error”. “The symbols of the Revolution are and will always be sacred,” […]

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Latin America: Report claims population of 45 million Indigenous

Eluniverso.com reported The new figure of 45 million indigenous people until 2010 poses a 49.3% increase in the first decade of the 21st century, as in its previous report of 2007 the Economic Commission for Latin America of the United Nations had estimated a figure of 30 million natives in 2000. The Ecuadorian indigenous population […]

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Left Wing Politicians to discuss political panorama of Latin America in Ecuador

Left-wing politicians, academic and activists will discuss the new political panorama in Latin America telesurtv.net reported thirty left-wing personalities from 20 countries will be among the participant of the first Latin American Progressive Encounter (ELAP), to be held in Ecuador on September 29 and 30. The meeting is organized by Ecuador’s leftist PAIS Alliance, the […]

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What Defines Middle Class in Latin America (study)

MEASUREMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MIDDLE CLASS IN LATIN AMERICA 1 Maria F. Cortés Public Policy Consultant Econometría Consultores Nancy A. Daza Researcher at Directorate of Economic Studies National Planning Department of Colombia Abstract The present research aims to compare and improve the measurement and, therefore, the definition of what “middle class” represents, for a […]

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Latin America: middle class growth slowing down

ftseglobalmarkets.com reported after a steady rise during the past decade, Latin America’s middle class growth is moderating and ratings agency Moody’s believes the slowdown in middle class growth will likely have a broad economic impact as well affecting particular industries. Moody’s new report, entitled, “Latin America’s Middle Class Growth Slows, Tempering Prospects for Retailers, Banks […]

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