(Even more here)

July 31, 2017

Brazil

• “Com Exercito, Violencia Ainda Preocupa Carioca” (Veja (Brazil), July 31, 2017).

Militares patrulham as áreas mais violentas da cidade

Colombia

• Diana Durán Núñez, “Caso de Ejecucion Extrajudicial Enreda a Futuro General” (El Espectador (Colombia), July 31, 2017).

El coronel Diego Luis Villegas empezó su curso de ascenso en la Escuela Superior de Guerra en enero de este año, un mes después de que un juzgado de Medellín ordenara su detención

• “Onu Recibio el Sabado Listado de Bienes de las Farc” (Semana (Colombia), July 31, 2017).

Los ajustes en el cronograma que hicieron las partes, no alteró la fecha que se había fijado para la entrega del inventario. En las próximas horas el documento pasará a manos del Gobierno

• LeÓn Valencia, “Tantos Obstaculos y Miedos para un Cese al Fuego” (Semana (Colombia), July 31, 2017).

Algo está cambiando en el ELN porque las cinco condiciones que publicaron no tienen ese tinte maximalista que han tenido sus pronunciamientos a lo largo de estas conversaciones

Mexico

• Kiah Collier, T. Christian Miller, “Border Agency Set to Jumpstart Trump’s Wall in a Texas Wildlife Refuge” (Propublica, Texas Tribune, ProPublica, July 31, 2017).

Customs and Border Protection indicates it will use its own funds to build 3-mile segment of wall amid one of the nation’s most cherished bird-watching locales

• Eric Martin, “Trump Sticks With Mexico Ambassador Favored by Clinton and Obama” (Bloomberg, July 31, 2017).

The ambassador isn’t the only Trump surrogate to break rhetorical ranks with the president over Mexico

Venezuela

• Marianna Parraga, “U.S. Oil Sale Ban to Venezuela’s Pdvsa Would Hit Refining, Blending” (Reuters **, July 31, 2017).

A 100,000 bpd reduction in imported crude and products is seen by analysts and sources as the United States imposing light sanctions

• Michael Weissenstein, “Venezuela: More Than 8 Million Grant Government More Power” (Associated Press **, July 31, 2017).

Members of the opposition said they believed between 2 million and 3 million people voted and one well-respected independent analysis put the number at 3.6 million

• Ana Vanessa Herrero, Nicholas Casey, Patricia Torres, “Venezuela Vote Marred by Violence, Including Candidate’s Death” (The New York Times, July 31, 2017).

The opposition made little headway in opposing the weekend of the vote. Leaders canceled a rally scheduled in the afternoon because of the clashes rocking the country

• Francisco Toro, “Translating Venezuela’s Political Crisis Into American Terms” (The Washington Post, July 31, 2017).

What you’ve just read is the broad outline of the news in Venezuela over the past 20 months

• Luis Vicente Leon, “¿Constituyente?” (ProDaVinci (Venezuela), July 31, 2017).

Después de todos los errores previos, veremos un país mucho más débil, primitivo y peligroso, que terminará haciendo después lo que antes hubiera evitado mucho dolor: negociar, pero en peores condiciones

• Christopher M. Matthews, Jose De Cordoba, “U.S. Weighs Sanctions Against Venezuela’s Oil Industry” (The Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2017).

An embargo on imports of Venezuelan oil is off table for now, but other options include a ban on sales of U.S. oil and refined products to the country