VENEZUELA: WikiLeaks Reveal Catholic Bishops Defied Pope JP2 On Chavez Ousting.

M. HERALD / K. Hall

Ten years ago, Pope John Paul II ordered Venezuela's clergy to avoid getting involved in any efforts to get rid of President Hugo Chavez...but bishops there defied him...according to a new WikiLeaks.

A Nov. 2002 confidential USA cable reported:"The Holy See is concerned about the prospect of civil violence in Venezuela in the coming months, and the pope himself has urged the Venezuelan bishops to 'cool it' on political activism and instead to encourage dialogue".

The pope's message was reportedly largely ignored.

COSTA RICA / USA : WikiLeaks Reveals Nation Is "No Paradise With Raw Sewage Everywhere."

INSIDE C.R./

  Here's a new travel brochure pesadilla/nightmare for Costa Rica.
  A just released WikiLeaks cable from an American diplomat describes Costa Rica as..."no paradise, with raw sewage everywhere".
    The 2007 report by Embassy Public Affairs officer Laurie Weitzenkorn claims : "Pollution has damaged mangroves and coral reefs, and is suspected of causing a decline in commercial fishing. It is also linked to water pollution hepatitis, cholera, skin problems and diarrhea cases increased by 16% in Costa Rica from 2002 to 2005.
    "For a country dependent on tourism, which relies on its reputation as an environmental haven and a premier tourist destination, the use of the rivers, instead of a modern health system, as a conduit to discharge raw sewage in its most accessible beaches and major fishing areas, is a shocking revelation."

MEXICO: Clinton Visit Supports Calderon Narco Fight, Damage Control After Wiki Cable Leaks.

BBC/

   Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stopped in Guanajuato to repeat her support for President Felipe Calderon's fight against the narco terrorists.
    Clinton said there was "no alternative" to confronting the narcos. "It is messy. It causes lots of terrible things to be on the news," she said. "The drug traffickers are not going to give up without a fight".
    Observers speculate that the visit was  intended as an exercise in damage control after Wikileaks revealed that some US officials were sceptical about the ability of Mexico to fight the narcos.

CUBA: WikiLeaks : Corruption Is An Accepted Way Of Life.

M.HERALD/ Juan Tamayo /
  

   Four cables by U.S. officials from 2006-07 have been released by WikiLeaks to the Spanish newspaper El Pais. They report that Cuba "...is rife with corrupt practices. Given state control over all resources, corruption and thievery have become one and the same."
    "Bribes are a common means of getting around suffocating controls."
    All I can say is...DUH!
    Anyone who's spent even a few weeks on the isla knows about the rampant corruption. It permeates the daily life of every Cuban.
    But the cable also warns that there are hazards. Offering a bribe to "a clean official -- or worse, a strident revolutionary -- could result in disaster."
    My recommendation is NEVER attempt it or even joking at La Habana's airport passport control! Security cameras record every move and the jobs are highly prized...by the true believers.
    Oh, and NEVER overstay your visa- even by a few hours. You will be jailed immediately and eventually forced to pay a huge fine... in hard currency!

CUBA: Wikileaks Reveals Fidel's Near Death in 2006; Raul's Possible Depression After Wife's Death.

BBC/ 

   Fidel Castro's health is considered a state secret in Cuba.
    No Longer. Wikileaks sent cables to Spain's El Pais newspaper that reveal what many Habinistas speculated at the time, that Castro almost died after suffering a perforated intestine during an internal flight.
   His illness led Fidel to turn power over to his brother Raul.
      Details revealed that Fidel had a perforation of the large intestine and needed surgery.
      But that he "capriciously" refused to have a colostomy so his condition deteriorated over time and he required further surgery. There were complications until a specialist was brought in from Spain.

AND:  In a 2007 cable after the death of Raul Castro's wife, Vilma Espin, it was speculated that the loss might throw Raul into a depression —  but have little effect on Fidel.

FOR  MORE DETAILS ABOUT CUBAN CABLES:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jp2gThsncH_jcreqF8euJayzXEqw?docId=eecee32fcfc14554b8797a68599a8323

CUBA: Wikileaks Cable Predicts "Insolvent" Economy Ahead; Ladies In White Scuffle During Protest.

GUARDIAN/
   Wikileaks has revealed a U.S. cable sent on 9 Feb. that speculated Cuba's economy `could become fatal'' within two to three years and it risked being ``insolvent'' as early as 2011.
    That was, of course, before Raúl Castro's announced reforms cutting 500,000 public employees. It also predicted the military's growth.
    `The cable reported that "Even China admitted to having problems getting paid on time and complained about Cuban requests to extend credit terms from one to four years. France and Canada responded with `welcome to the club."

   ON Thursday, about five dozen supporters of the Ladies in White marched. They were followed by a crowd that shouted out insults including "worms" and "traitors," declaring their support for the Revolution along with some minor pushing and shoving but no injuries.

READ MORE: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/top-news-in-other-news-the-cuban-government-was-in-risk-of-becoming-insolvent-as-early-as-2011-according-to-a-wikileak.html#ixzz17jGW5GDX

BRASIL: U.S. Exploited Internal Divisions To Stem Leftward Tilt.

BUZZFLASH/ Longish ANALYSIS and OPINION/ NIKOLAS KOZLOFF :
   "...Crucial to Washington's geopolitical effort in the hemisphere is Brazil, a nation which forms part of the so-called leftist "Pink Tide" but which nonetheless has stable relations with the United States. In recent years, the U.S. has sought to drive a wedge between leftist Venezuela and Bolivia on the one hand and so-called more "responsible" progressive governments like Brazil.
     Recent Wikileaks disclosures illuminate how the U.S. does business in Brazil: by cultivating high level contacts in the Brazilian defense establishment in an effort to counterbalance more hostile anti-U.S. diplomats at Itamaraty, the nation's Ministry for Foreign Affairs."