COMMODITIES / COLOMBIA / BRASIL : Coffee Price Break...Is Temporary.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/21/us-coffee-supply-idUSBRE82K12Q20120321

     Despite a recent retreat to a 17-month low...experts predict the price of arabica coffee beans will surge again...primarily because of continuing poor harvests in Colombia.
     Also...worldwide demand for the finer arabica beans is growing...including among the growing middleclass in Brasil.

POLAND: New Nat Gas Stats Way Down From Bloated USA Estimates.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/76360--estimate-cuts-poland-s-usable-shale-gas-reserves-to-under-768-billion-cubic-meters

      Not so long ago...the USA estimated Poland's potential shale gas reserves at a vast 5.2 trillion cubic meters.
     Those numbers had Warsaw licking its lips...over a future free from dirty coal and an unreliable Moscow.
     New official Polish estimates...come in between 346 and 768 billion...much less than a 5th of the hyped previous guesstimate.
     At the high end...the nat gas potential is still enough for 65 years...with maybe 10 years of shale oil.
     Now...the real question is...will the dozens of energy internationals anxiously crowding into Poland to explore for nat gas and shale oil stay...even with mixed recent results?

RUSSIA: Madonna To Oppose New Gay Law In St. Pete.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-21/madonna-vows-to-oppose-gay-law-in-putin-s-hometown.html

     No stranger to controversy...when aging singer Madonna performs in PM Putin's hometown... St. Petersburg in August...she vows she will defy its new law against promoting homosexuality.
     “I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed,” the pop star wrote in an e-mail. “I’m a freedom fighter.”
      The law forbids gay, lesbian and transgendered 'propaganda.'

COLOMBIA : Troops Kill 39 FARC Rebels; Capture 12 More.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h6hoPXF43EH16OhteizXLpSAwfWQ?docId=2bd0b9685af44990b5965e0fc478ba5a

      Several major recent military operations killed at least 39 FARC rebels...and captured a dozen more.
      Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon stated :"This is one of the greatest blows (to the FARC)...in the last 5 years."
      In Arauca near Venezuela's border...33 rebels were killed during a massive bombardment.

RUSSIA : The Kremlin's Rent A Rally...Detailed.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2109534,00.html?xid=gonewsedit&google_editors_picks=true

TIME : "...when the (Putin) opposition brought 100,000 people onto the streets of Moscow, pro-Kremlin activists tried to match that number, filling a square across town with legions of people chanting slogans in support of Putin. Dueling demonstrations have since become a mainstay of Russian political life."
AND:  "About an hour after Putin addressed the crowd, TIME followed a group of demonstrators into a nearby subway tunnel, where about 100 of them lined up to receive about $10 apiece. Policemen stood by the entire time watching because it is not a crime to pay people for attending a political rally. And as far as moral qualms are concerned, one brigadier on duty that night — not Sergei — told TIME he had none. "It's a paid flash mob," he said, smiling as he declined to give his name. "It's normal."

ARGENTINA / UK / FALKLANDS / MALVINAS : Cristina's Sovereignty Claims Get Islanders' British Backs Up.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/20/britain-argentina-falklands-idUSL1E8EJ0WF20120320

     The nearly 3,000 residents of Stanley...the Falkland Islands major city...now mostly agree on one thing.
     They are not Argentines!
     British patriotism there...is running hot and heavy.
    "The best we could hope for is that they realize the present track isn't getting them (Argentina) anywhere and that they need to start being a little bit more pleasant towards us," said a business owner.
     "It would be a much nicer if in the 30th anniversary year (2 April) we were able to keep looking forward with optimism to the future rather than think 'What's Argentina saying now?' said the island's governor.

     Another island politician declared : "There's no point in Argentina trying to ignore us because we are here, we are a people in our own right and if they want to change things, they'll have to go through us."

     Argentina has claimed the islands...since 1833.

MEXICO : 21 March UPDATE : Damage Survey Underway After Big 7.4 Quake Hits Guerrero; 40+ Aftershocks Continue.

        LINK CHANGE/ With 1:59 Video Report...After :15 ad.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/21/world/americas/mexico-earthquake/


     Mexico's strongest earthquake...since a deadly 8.0 tremor hit Mexico City... killing over 10,000 people...struck 15 miles east of Ometepec, Guerrero.
     It measured 7.4...at a depth of 11 miles...and was felt 100 miles away in Acapulco...200 miles in the DF...and even in Guatemala City.
    An immediate aftershock of 5.1 was reported...with least 40 aftershocks registered.

    Some 60 buildings were destroyed and over 500 damaged.
    At least 11 people were injured.

VENEZUELA : Chavez Announces Alleged Capriles Murder Plot.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-20/chavez-warns-of-plot-to-assassinate-electoral-rival-capriles.html

     Is it a case of 'Deja Vu'...all over again?
     President Hugo Chavez claims to have evidence of a plot to kill his opponent...Henrique Capriles Radonski...6 years after he made a similar claim...right before an election.
     "There's information out there that they want to attempt to kill him and it's not the government. It's information we've taken seriously because of the source from which it comes,' said Chavez.
     SERBIN...the secret service agency...is meeting with Capriles' people about protection.
     Capriles tweeted that Chavez's announcement 'borders on the irresponsible'...and reflects on the nation's out of control crime rate.
    A Chilean diplomat's daughter was killed by police Sunday in Maracaibo...at a botched  checkpoint stop...just 4 blocks from her home.

BRASIL / CHILE : Billionaire Batista's Son Kills Rio Cyclist; Atacama Residents Win In Court Vs Batista Thermo Power Plans.

         http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=480588&CategoryId=14090


    The eldest son of multi billionaire mining and energy magnate Eike Batista...easily Brasil's richest man...struck and killed a cyclist Saturday evening near Rio.
     Thor Batista (foto), 20...was driving the Mercedes SLR McLaren...when he hit the victim... Wanderson Pereira dos Santos, 30.
     Police breathe tests revealed no alcohol.
     Thor Batista runs a company that manages discos.

     AND:  Chile's Atacama desert community of Totoral won a lower court ruling against a faulty environmental study that had approved of magnate Eike Batista's (above foto) plan to build a $4.4 billion thermal power project...with 6 massive coal fired plants...near the rich marine  diversity of Punta Cachos.
      http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=107137

URUGUAY / ARGENTINA / BRASIL / MERCOSUR: Mujica Will Defend Mercosur...'To The Death.'

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/03/20/mujica-promises-to-fight-to-the-death-for-the-future-of-mercosur


     Though Brasil and Argentina...the big mean girls of Mercosur...the struggling LatAm trading union...are erecting new hurdles...Uruguay's President Jose Mujica says he will fight for Mercosur 'to the death.'
     Mujica said “the big countries in Latin America must understand that they also need us, the small guys. And they have to accept it humbly. You can’t go around merrily playing with fiscal issues, and with inflation”.
    “The Mercosur defects are our defects and we will fight them to the death without compromising and without giving up; nobody is going to give us prosperity, we have to fight for it,” he concluded.

BRASIL / AUSTRALIA : 21 March UPDATE: Brasilia Demands Probe Of Paulista's Death From Police Tasers In Sydney.

          LINK CHANGE/ New Details
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10793692

      Paulista Roberto Laudisio Curti (foto), 21...died Sunday night...after being tasered 3 times by Sydney police.
      A Brasilian diplomat is demanding a probe into Laudisio Curti's death...who was studying English there.

(Generic internet foto)

        Police say that he was tasered as he tried to flee...after stealing cookies from a convenience store.
       But a witness and his friends say it was a case of mistaken identity....that police killed the wrong man.
     ORIGINAL POST/LINK...with MORE FOTOS:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117601/Moment-Brazilian-student-stole-packet-cookies-dies-Tasered-Australian-police.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

USA / WALL STREET : The Dangers Of High Frequency Trading; Truth Or Fiction?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june12/highfrequency_03-15.html
      Video report 8:22 with transcript.

     As regular visitors know...this blog savors economics...especially the macro version.
     OK...along with sometimes weird...and hopefully interesting news items.
     Here is a recent book review/report/interview on the dangers of  algorithmic high frequency trading...trades that average about 22 seconds...and now equal 75% of Wall Street's trades.

      PBS reporter Paul Solman spoke with novelist Robert Harris about his new book..."The Fear Index."

     It's chilling when fiction is actually tamer than reality!

PERU / ARGENTINA / UK: 20 March UPDATE: Lima Cancels Brit Ship Visit After Media Uproar.

       LINK CHANGE
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17442215

      Argentina couldn't let the Malvinas/Falklands brouhaha die.
     After LatAm media criticized Peru for letting the British warship HMS Montrose dock for 4 days in the El Callao naval base...Lima cancelled the visit.
     Even a Lima newspaper had called the visit permit a 'fissure in UNASUR'...and labelled Peru as 'the region's first casualty.'
    The UK visit had been approved by Peru's Congress.
    President Ollanta Humala had sent a letter of support to Argentina over the disputed islands...as the 30th anniversary of the war over the islands nears.

COLOMBIA : Narco Sub Pioneer 'Morfi' Captured.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/03/18/colombia-captures-drug-trafficker-who-pioneered-use-submarines/

      The man who reportedly pioneered the use and manufacture of narco subs...Jose Samir Renteria...aka 'Morfi'...was arrested in Cali.
      Renteria has allegedly been smuggling drugs since the mid-1980's...first with 'go-fast' boats...and since 1993...with rapidly evolving versions of submarines.
     Colombia's navy has seized at least 66 subs since 2003.


FOR PREVIOUS Narco Sub LINK: with 7 min. video report. 
http://thehypervigilantobserver.blogspot.com/2012/01/colombia-look-inside-narco-subs.html

MEXICO: 20 March UPDATE: 12 Police Murdered, 11 Wounded Searching For Bodies Of 10 Severed Heads In Guerrero; Narcomantas Welcome Pope.

LINK CHANGE
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXcc_zn13mBO373WE5HmUFUciSRQ?docId=17df8b696f574615a1b297ffdf4d4b52


       A gruesome discovery of 10 severed heads in Guerrero...morphed into an unspeakable tragedy as police...searching for the missing bodies...were ambushed in the mountainous region...leaving 12 dead...and 11 wounded.
       Police in Teloloapan....found the severed heads...of 7 men and 3 women...outside a slaughterhouse.
      With the heads was a warning: 'This is going to happen to all who support the FM"(Familia Michoacana).

     Meanwhile...in Leon and other cities in Guanajauto...at least 11 banners/narcomantas... signed by the Knights Templar narco gang...vowed to avoid violence during the Pope's visit there next weekend.

RUSSIA / SYRIA / IRAN / KAZAKHSTAN / TURKMENISTAN: Opinion: Why Putin Stubbornly Supports Tyrants.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450004577277820529873332.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
        OPINION / ANALYSIS By MELIK KAYLAN.

     If you have wondered what Russia gets from supporting the ongoing horrible slaughter in Syria...Kaylan offers this take.
    It's all about supplying and limiting...energy.
    From WSJ Editorial page. Available free...so far...on 19 March.

    WSJ:   Putin "...doesn't favor dictators for mere principle's sake. Iron-hard strategic calculations underpin his support for the Syria-Iran axis.

   AND:  "... the pivotal consideration in Mr. Putin's efforts to re-establish his country's superpower status centers on Iran. Syria is a domino. Without its Syrian ally, Iran would be almost totally isolated and crucially weakened. That Moscow cannot allow."

   AND: MORE RUSSIA ANALYSIS FROM BERLIN'S DW TV:
     Russia may be loosening its pro-Syria stance...as ForMin Lavrov (foto) appears 'perplexed' by Assad's actions.
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15818040,00.html

URUGUAY: 20 March UPDATE: 2 Male Nurses Held Without Bail For Killing At Least 16 Patients

     LINK CHANGE / NEW DETAILS
      http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=480607&CategoryId=23620

      The public is alarmed after...it was revealed that 2 male nurses admitted killing at least 16 patients in 2 Montevideo hospitals.
      After a tip...and weeks of investigations...the police arrested 2 men...who apparently acted separately.
     The nurses both claimed they did not want the patients to suffer.
     But...officials say...not all the the victims were terminally ill.
     Police also charged a woman as an accomplice.
    The men are being held without bail.

CUBA : 20 March UPDATE: 'Ladies In White' Told: No More Protests Allowed; 70 Dissidents Briefly Detained...And Released.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view/20120320cubas_ladies_in_white_warned_public_protests_no_longer_allowed/srvc=home&position=recent

       In what may be a sign of renewed state oppression before Pope Benedict's visit to Cuba...secret police briefly 'detained' 70 members of the dissident 'Ladies in White'.
       They were rounded-up and hauled away in buses after their weekly Sunday march along 12 blocks in La Habana...veered off its approved route.
      They were reportedly told by secret police that no more protests would be allowed... anywhere on the island.
      At least 12 other dissidents were reported under arrest in other parts of the isla.
      The Ladies in White have been allowed to march to Santa Rita church in the Miramar barrio of La Habana every Sunday since 2010.
      Many dissidents are criticizing Cuba's Cardinal Ortega...for the removal of 13 protesters from a church...who were seeking a brief meeting with the Pope.
    "The cardinal is acting like the first two of the three wise monkeys, who could neither see evil nor hear it," claimed one prominent dissident.

MUSIC FOR MONDAYS: Ciao! Adios! 25TH SXSW Ends! From Austin...Charanga Cakewalk.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ask-89WVx24
    "Chispas"  3:33 / static album foto


    The clean-up and packing-up are well underway...as Austin's 25th SXSW has finished.
    Over 2,000 bands now crowd the airport heading home...and preliminary reviews are trickling in.
     A USA group called 'Alabama Shakes' is being lauded...as this year's 'discovery.'
     In the LatAm sphere...Venezuelan rockers 'La Vida Boheme' got some notice (not my cup of  mate)...as did Chile rocker 'Astro'...which I sorta liked...here with a 'weird' video. 
     (3:29) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5DRzmVboj0
      Colombia's Juanes was LatAm's biggest star to perform.
      He even claimed that SXSW was a life changing experience for him.
     "It is the greatest experience of my life," Juanes said. "I'm so happy and so thankful. It's changing my life. I just feel it. It's inspiring me, and that's the best."
      http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hT1OxBA32XXjFLp4-vRpEOdOZCjA?docId=348dd6fa3e51478da60d3db6522ed401
     But today's musical selection...is from a local Austin group...'Charanga Cakewalk' ...with a tasty and lively tune called 'Chispa'/spark.
      For 5 More Songs, SEE:

http://www.myspace.com/charangacakewalk
      AND: BRIT NEWSPAPER Reviews SXSW 25:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-festivals/9151293/SXSW-Austin-Texas-review.html

BELARUS : Minsk Executes 2 For Horrific Subway Bombing.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belarus/9151702/Belarus-executes-2-men-convicted-of-metro-bombing.html

      It only took one bullet...each...to the back of the head...to execute 2 young men...convicted of killing 15 and wounding more than 300 with a bomb in a Minsk subway station last April.
     Human rights activists have condemned the speedy executions.
    "The government shot these boys so quickly that I have even more doubts about their guilt," said a woman.
     One man freely admitted his guilt. 
     The other said he was aware of the plans to bomb the subway but insisted he did not take part.

VENEZUELA / CHILE : Chavez Returns To Caracas; Police Kill Diplomat's Daughter.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLA2Vi2QOXkhGG3rsjMOCgqgpe1g?docId=ab71f482ee2c4205ba1affd502cccf22


    The teenage daughter of a Chilean diplomat was gunned down by police...when the auto she was in...failed to stop at a checkpoint in Maracaibo.
    Karen Berendique, 19, was a passenger in a car driven by her brother...and just 4 blocks from her home...headed to a birthday party...when she was shot 3 times...including a bullet to her head.

   Her brother apparently feared that thieves were manning the night time roadblock.
   12 police have been detained for questioning about the slaying.

    AND: On Friday...President Hugo Chavez made a triumphal return to Caracas after 3 weeks of cancer treatment in La Habana.
   He was greeted by a throng of supporters. 
   On Saturday...he sang and danced with his daughter on the palace balcony...vowing to beat cancer...and his newest opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski, 39...for anther presidential term.
    New polling shows Chavez with 56.6% support. 
    Chavez must undergo another round of radiation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/17/us-venezuela-chavez-idUSBRE82G0EB20120317

  TO SEE: 1:09 Chavez Return VIDEO:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/mar/18/hugo-chavez-venezuela

MEXICO : Rampant, Blatant Kidnappings...Continue Unabated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/world/americas/in-mexico-a-kidnapping-ignored-as-gang-crimes-go-unpunished.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

     This long, detailed, sad and chilling piece follows the fates of 18 members of a Matamoros family kidnapped last 9 July...across from the USA border by a so-called 'good' narco gang.
    5 men are still unaccounted for...despite payments exceeding $100,000 usd.
    It reports on the uselessness of law enforcement to prosecute or even cope with kidnappings...as abductions in Mexico have soared by more than 300% since 2005.

COLOMBIA : FARC Rebels Kill 11 Soldiers In Arauquita.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17419412

      11 soldiers protecting oil installations in Arauquita...near the Venezuelan border...were killed by FARC forces. 
      Early reports are that rebels launched homemade missiles at troops.

MEXICO : PRI Demands Candidate Resign For 'Puta' Comment.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/03/16/international/i165641D82.DTL


     PRI congressman Francisco Moreno Merino probably won't be running for the senate as he hoped.
     The party told him to quit...after he suggested that all pretty women become prostitutes.
     Quoting a little known folk saying...Moreno Merino uttered: "There is no horse that doesn't have a bit of mule in him, there are no pretty women who don't become prostitutes, there is no good man who doesn't have a bit of uselessness in him."
     A group of congresswomen quickly condemned his remark.
     The ruling PAN party is running its first female presidential candidate in the July election.

UKRAINE : 18 March UPDATE: Gang Rape And Torching Of Teen By Officials' Offspring Upsets Nation.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/young-woman-raped-burned-left-for-dead-improving-doctors-say/


      Ukrainians are outraged by the recent gang rape of a teen in Mykolayiv...by 2 sons of ex-government officials.
      Oksana Makar, 18, is hanging on for life...after 3 young men allegedly raped her, choked her, dumped her body and set it on fire.
     Both of Makar's feet...and an arm were amputated...and 55% of her skin was destroyed.
     But doctors say her condition has improved...after she was put into a supervised coma...and moved to a burn hospital.
     Some members of parliament want the death penalty for the accused men...and another proposes their castration.
     Local police have come under fire for conducting a 'slipshod' investigation.

CZECH REPUBLIC : Markets Say 'Ne' To 2 New Temelin Nukes.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-16/stalemate-hits-10-billion-czech-nuclear-plan-on-funding-energy.html

      Some experts are calling Prague's $10 billion effort to build 2 new nuclear power plants near Germany...'unrealistic' for investors.
     The nation's utility CEZ has suffered from falling power prices...and lacks financial muscle.
     But CEZ and Prague insist the projects will proceed.
     The question is...who will fund them?

BRASIL / USA : Is Obama Downplaying Dilma's First Official Visit?

http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/03/16/it-takes-two-to-samba-is-the-u-s-dissing-brazils-dilma-on-the-eve-of-her-visit/
           ANALYSIS/OPINION / T.Padgett


     Is the Obama White House still harboring a snit from former president Lula's obstreperous 2010 agreement with Iran over nukes?
     It could be the reason new President Dilma Rousseff's first official DC meet on 9 April...is not being treated as a 'high level state visit'...unlike Brit PM Cameron's just finished tour. 
     A recent cancellation of a $355 million Embraer airplane deal only adds to the slight/bofetada...as Obama advisers chafe from Brasilia's contrararian positions on Cuba and Syria.

BOLIVIA : Coca Leaf Reading Indigena Judge Outrages Many.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17393139


      An Aymara judge who admitted using coca leaves to make decisions...is being urged to resign his post.
     Judge Gualberto Cusi is refusing to quit after admitting he twice used coca divination for guidance.
    An opposition politician said: "We can't put our trust in people who determine the liberty of individuals by reading coca."
    Last year...Cusi was elected under a newly enacted popular vote statute.

MEXICO / USA : Drought Hurt Monarch Butterflies Wintering : Down 28%

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUsYG7jUv9APuCbW1sCimPMq9l9Q?docId=15fdb315324b4e54a5cb46fbadf84a19


      Monarch butterflies found wintering in central Mexico are down 28% from last year.
     Some experts say a severe drought in the USA's southwest is responsible.
     Others claim continued deforesting...with crop encroachment and pesticide use on lands near monarch's favored pine forests...are responsible.

BRASIL / MEXICO: Brasilia Wins Auto Import Quota Dispute.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-mexico-brazil-autos-idUSBRE82E1A820120316


     Mexico has blinked in its dispute with Brasil over importing autos.
     It will slash its soaring Brasil car sales...to an average of $1.55 billion for 3 years.
     Mexico's auto exports to Brasil soared by 70% in 2011...hurting Brasil's local makers.
     The two nation's long standing free trade agreement will resume in 3 years.

RUSSIA : 18 March UPDATE: 95 Arrested In New NTV Protest; Social Media Erupt After State TV Claims Anti-Putinistas Were Paid To Protest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17422267

     About 95 people...including former Deputy PM Boris Nemtsov...were arrested protesting outside of the highly visible tower of state TV broadcaster NTV...during an unsanctioned rally.
    NTV...a state TV channel...aired a 'documentary' called 'Anatomy of Protest'...claiming to show Putin opponents being paid to link up around Moscow in a recent protest.
     It also charged again that the USA was the force behind the demonstrations.
     Critical comments about the film...exploded on Russia's social media....and the NTV site crashed.

ORIGINAL LINK:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9148089/Russian-state-TV-claims-demonstrators-were-paid.html

BRASIL / USA : 18 March UPDATE: Chevron Execs To Be Criminally Charged For New Leak Off Rio's Coast.

     LINK CHANGE
                      http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=148829218

       Federal prosecutors announce they will file criminal charges against 17 Brasil-based Chevron employees...over new oil seepage...some 240 miles off Rio's coast.
      They have also asked the court to block the executives from leaving Brasil.
             (Below Foto of Chevron Brasil CEO George Buck)

    Chevron halted all production in its productive Frade field...after a new oil slick was discovered there.
    The production stoppage is costly...about 62,000 bbls daily.
    Chevron is already facing $121 million in fines...and possibly even an $11 billion lawsuit for a November spill of 3,000 bbls. in the same field.

CHILE: 50 Arrested...As 5,000 Protest Education Again In Santiago.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jPtTlnnwCuoJ3Rdbrpj2ozxbfxgQ?docId=CNG.f31c542340413c26a62a1c4f4d21625a.ba1

     Some 5,000 mostly high school students...demanding better facilities and free education...encountered riot police in Santiago...armed with tear gas and water cannons.
    At least 50 were arrested...and 3 police were injured. 
    Reportedly...university students have taken a back seat in the new protests.

     But...as usual...only the dogs were having fun chasing water and getting doused.

RUSSIA : 2008 Putin Macho Tiger Shot Revealed As PR Stunt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/15/putin-tiger-pr-stunt


      President-elect...PM Putin seems the master of macho PR...until truth emerges.
      Portrayed as 'heroic'...and broadcast widely on state TV...in 2008...Putin shot an 'attacking' amur tiger with a tranquilizer...and allegedly saved a TV crew.
      Now the action is described as a masterful PR stunt.
     Bloggers and environmentalists claim evidence that the tiger was not wild and fierce...but a zoo resident named Serga...that eventually died from 3 shots to calm it.

VENEZUELA : Intrigue Surrounds Chavez's Return From Cuban Cancer Treatment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/15/hugo-chavez-cancer-venezuela-election

     "He is about to die. He will hang on long enough to win re-election, then die. He is cured and will rule for decades. He doesn't have cancer and faked the whole thing.

      Welcome to Venezuela's presidential election campaign, a swirl of intrigue and conspiracy theories over the health of Hugo Chavez that has thrown the race wide open and stoked hope and dread on both sides."

AND..."It is a bizarre and at times morbid saga that has turned this nation of 28 million people into amateur oncologists. Instead of debates about poverty, crime, inflation or how best to spend oil revenues, the pre-election climate resembles an episode of the (USA) TV series House, in which characters argue over a patient's symptoms and prognosis."

GERMANY : Rare Earless Bunny..Literally Killed By Media.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/9145964/Til-Germanys-celebrity-earless-baby-bunny-killed-by-clumsy-cameraman.html


     A unique 17-day old earless bunny named Til...lost its chance at celebrity and life...after a clumsy TV cameraman...stepped on it...killing it instantly.
    The bunny with a rare genetic defect...was making its world debut at a Saxony zoo.
    The cameraman was described as distraught.

CUBA : 16 March UPDATE: 13 Dissidents End Occupation Of Church...Without Pope Benedict Demands; Smuggled Video Shows Intolerable Prison Conditions.

               LINK CHANGE
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/16/world/americas/cuba-church-dissidents/?hpt=wo_c2

    The 13 dissidents...occupying La Habana's Church of Charity de Cobre for 2 days...left the church...'without resistence'...after the Catholic Church asked authorities to end the occupation.
     They had refused to leave...until Pope Benedict agreed to mediate the island's repression, release of political prisoners, and better internet access...during his 26 March visit.
    They had revised their initial demand to meet with the Pope himself.
    Cuba's Catholic Church had denounced the protest because of its political nature.
    The protesters were not charged with any crime.
    The dissidents were in an area off limits from church services and visitors.
    For 2 days...they were unable to get food...drinking only water.


   AND!!!  A new smuggled-out video shows insides of Cuba's infamous high security prison...Combinado del Este.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/03/14/2437089/havana-prison-inmates-complain.html


   TO SEE : 3:55 Video:
http://www.miamiherald.com/video/#

ARGENTINA : Published Reports About Palace Intrigue Anger Cristina.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/03/14/the-lady-out-of-control-appeals-to-nazi-mengele-and-anti-semitism-to-attack-the-media
      Detailed READ


      For the few readers interested in Buenos Aires palace intrigue...this link is just for you.
      It takes you deep into the weeds on the grounds of Cristina's Casa Rosada.
      President Fernandez slammed opposition La Nacion and Clarin reports...using words like 'Nazi, Mengele and a scent of anti-Semitism'...because they detailed the sudden rise of economic advisor Axel Kicillof, 41...the increasing power of her son Maximo...and the decline of VP Amado Boudou.

PERU: 15 March UPDATE: 3 Dead After 12,000 Illegal Gold Miners Riot in Puerto Maldonado.

         LINK CHANGE 

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/15/world/americas/peru-mine-clashes/index.html?hpt=ila_c1

     More than 12,500 miners rioted in Puerto Maldonado...trying to take-over public buildings, markets and the airport.
    At least 3 are dead...and 38 injured...as gunshots were reported throughout the city.

      At least...60 were arrested.
     After officials said the 700 regional police were badly outnumbered...1,000 more officers were dispatched.
      For a week...miners have protested...objecting to governmental efforts to scale back widespread illegal gold mining in the Madre de Dios region.
       ALSO TO SEE: 5:53 Video Report (En Esp):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6oYzZW7rzg