The week at a glance...Americas

Ottawa

Limits of bilingualism: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has dared to say that not every high-level functionary in Canada should have to be fluent in both English and French. Harper was widely criticized for appointing Michael Ferguson, who speaks only English, as auditor general, the Canadian equivalent of the head of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office. In an interview with French television this week, he said he would “avoid that type of situation” in the future but expressed frustration with too strict an application of the two-language requirement. “Does every cabinet minister need to be bilingual?” he said. “I think that’s too much.” Some 40 percent of public administration jobs in Canada require bilingualism.

Mexico City

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National police: Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has announced the creation of a national police force to take over the fight against drug cartels. His predecessor, Felipe Calderón, had ordered army troops into cities to battle drug gangs, but the tactic backfired. More than 60,000 people died in the drug war during Calderón’s six-year term, and troops were accused of torturing and murdering civilians. The new force of 10,000 officers will be modeled on Spain’s Guardia Civil. Peña Nieto said the force would focus more on reducing crimes like murder, kidnapping, and extortion than on pursuing drug lords.

São Paulo, Brazil

Remember mad cow? At least six countries have banned beef from Brazil’s Paraná state after the government announced that a cow there had tested positive for proteins that can cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. The agriculture ministry said the grass-fed cow, which died two years ago, had “atypical BSE,” likely arising from a spontaneous mutation, and never entered the food chain. Secretary of Agricultural Defense Enio Marques called the case “an old and isolated occurrence that brings no risk to public or animal health in the country.” Brazil is one of the world’s largest beef suppliers, exporting more than 1 million tons a year.