Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of Havana, spoke of the mediation of the Catholic Church in the process of normalizing U.S. and Cuban relations. 

U.S. President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba was greeted with praise in Latin America, but sadly the move is not leading to a new era of hemispheric relations. 

U.S. and Cuban officials met in Havana for new talks on restoring diplomatic ties, but their historic rapprochement was strained by tensions over Venezuela. 

Authorities in Ecuador confirmed the arrest of 68 citizens of that country in Honduras headed toward the United States. 

Several of the best-known names in the U.S. economy want to head to Cuba. 

Critics say the use of force was disproportionate and resulted in abuses and unnecessary deaths. 

The U.S. State Department said that the United States “is not promoting social instability in Venezuela,” nor trying to undermine its economy. 

Cuban President Raúl Castro’s recent comments (that before full diplomatic relations can be established with the U.S. it must lift the trade embargo on the island, pay compensation for damages done to the country, and return the Guantánamo military base) should be “taken with a pinch of salt.” 

Cuba’s Raúl Castro celebrated the thaw with the U.S. but stood firm during his speech in Costa Rica; observers noted, however, that Cuba and the U.S. could be catching a glimpse of a possible future. 

Brazilians thought that a Democratic president would be different from a Republican as far as U.S.-Latin American relations were concerned.