Isla San Luis, Mexico
Tourist boat sinks: One American was killed this week and seven others were missing and feared dead after a tourist boat capsized off the coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Forty-four people were on a sport-fishing trip aboard the 115-foot boat when it capsized in a sudden storm. The 16 crew members and the passengers floated in the water, clinging to coolers, rescue rings, and life vests, for more than 16 hours until they were rescued by other fishing boats and the Mexican navy. The only body recovered so far is that of Leslie Yee, 65, whose co-workers at the San Francisco Chronicle gave him fishing gear at his recent retirement party.
Caracas, Venezuela
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Chávez loses Chomsky: Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has lost the support of his intellectual hero, U.S. linguist and activist Noam Chomsky. In an open letter, Chomsky this week urged Chávez to free María Lourdes Afiuni, a judge who was arrested in 2009 by the president’s secret intelligence police. Her transgression was that she had ordered the release of a Chávez opponent who had been jailed for nearly three years pending trial for illegal financial transactions. Human-rights activists say Afiuni was abused in prison before she became sick and was transferred to house arrest. Chávez famously held up a copy of Chomsky’s book Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance during his 2006 appearance at the United Nations.
Lima, Peru
Big Jesus: Peru has unveiled one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world. The Christ of the Pacific, erected last week on a hill in Lima, is a pet project of President Alan García, who helped finance it with his personal funds. At 121 feet, it’s an impressive sight, though not as tall as Bolivia’s Christ of Peace (133 feet) or Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer (125 feet). But many Peruvians are underwhelmed. Lima Mayor Susana Villarán said city authorities were not consulted over placement of the statue, which she called “a cheap copy of the Christ the Redeemer.” A Facebook page suggested that the Lima monument be called Christ the Rip-off.
Santiago, Chile
Miners are sick: Nearly half of the Chilean miners who spent 70 days trapped underground last year have applied for early retirement because the ordeal left them sick. Fourteen of the 33 men say they have been completely incapacitated by physical or psychological trauma. At least three of them are suffering from silicosis, which is caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust and can irreversibly damage the lungs. The government is expected to grant the request, at least for “the oldest and sickest,” said Interior Ministry official Cristián Barra, “since they have no real chance of returning to work.”
