ROME - Pope Francis was grieving the loss of three family members on Tuesday following a traffic accident in Argentina. A Vatican spokesman confirmed to NBC News that the pope's niece and two great nephews had died. Father Federico Lombardi said "the pope has been informed and he is painfully sorry," adding that the pontiff asked for prayers.

Police in Cordoba told NBC News that a call came in just after midnight about an accident involving a cargo truck and a Chevy Spin. The Chevy driver - Francis' 35-year-old nephew, Emanuel Bergoglio - is in intensive care in an induced coma after suffering a variety of injuries including liver trauma and a fractured femur, police said. Bergoglio's wife, 36-year-old Carmona Valeria, and eight-month-old son Jose died at the scene. Bergoglio's two-year-old, Antonio, later died at the hospital, police added. The news - which was first reported by Agence France-Presse - came a day after the 77-year-old pope joked that he might die soon or follow in Benedict XVI's footsteps and resign the papacy. When asked Monday about his immense popularity, Francis said "this will last a short time, two or three years, and then to the house of the Father."

Pope Francis: I could quit like Benedict or even die by 2017

Pope Francis has suggested that he might one day resign the papacy like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI did last year, which would make him the second consecutive Pope to do so after almost 600 years. He said this yesterday Aug. 18th while speaking with reporters on his way back to Rome after his state visit to South Korea.

"Some theologians may say this is not right, but I think this way. Let us think about what [Benedict XVI] said, "I have gotten old, I do not have the strength", it was a beautiful gesture of nobility, of humility and courage. But you could say to me, if you at some time felt you could not go forward, I would do the same."

Asked about his immense popularity, the Pope, 77, joked that he would probably die in the next 2/3 years so should not get too proud:
“I know this will last a short time, two or three years, and then to the house of the Father.” he said

[readon1 url="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/three-pope-francis-family-members-die-argentina-car-crash-n183866"]Source:www.nbcnews.com[/readon1]

We must keep children in school, especially during crisis and conflict

Whenever I read stories and see graphic images illustrating the heartbreaking human tragedy that results from violent civil and cross-border conflict, collapsing governments and political instability, my first thoughts invariably go to the innocent children caught up in the midst of it all.

How, I wonder, do the children cope with the chaos during a conflict, the ever-present dangers and deprivation and the loss of their loved ones and homes? How do they stay safe from the staggering threats to their physical and emotion well-being? How do they find the hope that, in spite of it all, they will survive and someday live the healthy and prosperous lives we all deserve?

And what can we, the citizens of the world, do to keep them safe, alleviate their pain and help them get past the trauma?

Education is a critical element of a humanitarian response

World Humanitarian Day, which we observe today, prompts us to ask these questions and keep them in our minds year round.

One of the first priorities of any humanitarian response in fragile and conflict-affected countries should be to ensure that children stay in school and learn.

School should be where children can feel secure and experience something approaching normal life, even as turbulence churns outside. And, perhaps even more importantly, it is where they can imagine and prepare for a future beyond their current situations.

And if there isn't education...

Without schooling -- particularly over extended periods of time -- children risk losing out on valuable learning time, exams, progress and the opportunity to tap their full potential. Without education, individuals are more likely to face a lifetime of poverty and higher health risks. Without educated citizens who will provide critical brainpower and leadership, battered societies struggle to progress economically, socially and politically -- often for decades to come. Without education there is more risk of continuing violence.

When crisis erupts, emergency measures are important to ensure that schooling continues and children can learn in a safe learning environment. This means integrating education at the outset of any humanitarian response, increasing the levels of predictable humanitarian funding to education commensurate with the scale of needs, empowering civil society institutions to keep schools open, ensuring a strong supply of qualified teachers, and allowing children safe access to learning environments.

Our aim must be, no matter how difficult the circumstances, a quality education for every child. It's also essential that humanitarian responses in conflict areas protect children, teachers and their schools from violent attacks by armed groups or from political exploitation. Such attacks are gross violations of human rights and international law -- war crimes.

It's a tall order. Consider that about half of the approximately 58 million children currently not getting a primary education live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. But it's a need we must not neglect.

The Global Partnership for Education, whose board I chair, plays a leading role in many such fragile countries. Currently, 28 out of its 59 developing country partners are considered fragile or conflict-affected. The Global Partnership helps accelerate assistance in emergency situations, and serves as a bridge among humanitarian and development groups that are responding to the crisis.

Also read the Call to Action: Education Cannot Wait, signed by numerous GPE partner organizations during the recent GPE Replenishment Conference.

Flexibility is the key

In such situations, flexibility is the key. Standard operational approaches that might work in more stable environments might not be possible in countries where there is insufficient government capacity to plan and deliver educational services.

It also calls for pooling financing resources quickly to ensure education needs are adequately financed and can keep up with fast-moving conditions on the ground.

Earlier this year, the Global Partnership provided $3.7 million in accelerated emergency funding to the Central African Republic where a civil conflict rages. The funding helped to rehabilitate schools, get new furniture and books, and support community teachers.

In Somalia, more than 75 percent of public schools had been destroyed during the civil war. Interventions in the education sector were difficult and limited and, as a result, two generations of children have largely grown up without access to basic education. With the help of the Global Partnership for Education, the country has now shifted away from fragmented, emergency activities toward better education planning and received funding to bridge the gap between emergency aid and medium-term development.

So much more to be done

Much of this work in fragile or conflict-affected countries can only be done thanks to the extraordinary and often dangerous efforts of local and international humanitarian aid workers who are committed to ensuring that children's basic needs are met during an emergency and that they get the schooling they need.

Unfortunately, the demand for these interventions continues as new conflicts and crises break out across the globe. As they do, we are all challenged, especially on World Humanitarian Day, to think not only of the children who are caught in the tumult, but, perhaps more importantly, of what we and the entire world are willing and able to do to help them.

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The Perseid meteor shower coincides with the brightest 'supermoon', but both events could be obscured by the tail end of hurricane Bertha

Would-be stargazers keen to see the biggest and brightest 'supermoon' for 20 years could be disappointed as lingering storm clouds threaten to spoil the view in the UK.

The display, caused by the moon reaching the point in its orbit closest to Earth - known as perigee - at the same time as it became full, wowed viewers in the Southern Hemisphere on Sunday morning, but is due to be largely obscured by clouds that have brought heavy rain across the country.

It had promised to be more impressive than the supermoon seen on July 12, and next due to appear on September 9, as at 6.10pm it will be the closest the moon has been to Earth all year.

Supermoons occur relatively often, on average every 13 months and 18 days. At perigee, the moon is around 31,000 miles closer than when it is furthest away from the Earth.

The visiblity of the Perseid meteor shower, which started on Saturday and is expected to peak on Tuesday before finishing on Wednesday, has been affected by the supermoon's presence.

Tony Markham, director of the Society for Popular Astronomy's meteor section, said: "You can minimise the effect of the moonlight by observing with your back to the moon – possibly viewing the Cassiopeia/Cepheus/Ursa Minor area.
"If possible, keep the moon hidden behind trees or a nearby building."
The Perseids are caused by comet Swift-Tuttle swings through the inner Solar System every 133 years leaving behind a trail of dust, which burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

[readon1 url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/11024366/Supermoon-could-be-a-flop-as-clouds-threaten-view.html"]Source:www.telegraph.co.uk[/readon1]

China’s economic role in Latin America is expanding and far-reaching these days. In the meanwhile, U.S. leadership and influence with its neighbors to the south, except with Mexico, is declining. The Chinese presence comes – so far – without a political agenda, but together with the lack of U.S. initiatives, it has (and will eventually continue to have) a profound impact in the Inter-American landscape.

Chinese President Xi Jinping travels around Latin America over the past few weeks (his second tour in a year) sets the stage for what is coming. The round included Venezuela, Argentina and ended in Cuba, after a summit of the BRICS in Brazil.

In Brasilia, the Chinese president announced $35 billion in equity to finance projects in Latin America. These funds will be divided into three types: the first fund is endowed with an initial capital of $20 billion dollars to finance infrastructure, the second tranche of $10 billion is to offer credit lines to finance development projects in the region, while the last is a $5 billion dollars window to finance specific projects in areas defined by Beijing.

In response, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff explained: "China offers us a very important relationship," referring to the offer of a strategic alliance between the largest Asian economy and Latin America. The United States tours to the region by President Obama or Vice President Biden are far from delivering when compared to any of the Xi Jinping visits.

On the other hand, the “realeconomik” is self-explanatory when assessing the impact of China’s importance for the Latin American economies today.

According to the International Monetary Fund, trade between China and Latin America grew 8 percent to US$255.5 billion in 2012. This growth rate surpasses 6.2 percent trade growth of the region with the United States.

On the other hand, China is already the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Chile and Peru. Trade with Brazil reached US$ 83.3 billion last year, signaling a growth rate of 10 percent, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Commerce.

Looking at the trade trends with Mexico (the U.S. biggest economic partner in the region) one comes to interesting numbers. China became Mexico's second largest trading partner behind the U.S. in 2003, with a growth trend of 823 percent over the past decade, thus creating a trade deficit for Mexico in the amount of $51.22 billion in 2012. According to the Sino-Mexican trade numbers, Mexico is only exporting around $6 billion to China, while importing close to $57 billion, which engages the Mexican government in a strong push to gain access to the Chinese markets.

One initial conclusion is that both Mexico and the U.S. are taken by Chinese imports leaving fantastic bilateral commerce and investment opportunities among them on the table, resulting in massive trade deficits for both economies with respect to China. Finally, according to a United Nations study, by 2016 China will surpass the euro zone as Latin America's second-largest trading partner.

In the finance front, as it is pointed out in a research project by the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington DC: “Since 2005, China has provided more than $100 billion in loan commitments to Latin American countries and firms. China's loan commitments of $37 billion in 2010 were more than those of the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and U.S. Export-Import Bank combined.”

In Venezuela alone, during the past seven years, according the publicly available information, China has provided about 57 billion dollars in loans to the Sino-Venezuelan Fund, were the Venezuelan government contributed another 12 billion dollars. The fund resources can only be invested in projects contracted to Chinese companies, or to finance imports from China, whose government gets repaid for the loans with future oil production from PDVSA.

In all, the Sino-Venezuelan fund has received and spent $70 billion in seven years, and the net result of these agreements is that Venezuela owes $45 billion to China, repaying with oil at $65 per barrel, when the average price of the same in the international markets is $100. The commitment of Venezuela’s oil supply to China is estimated at least 530,000 barrels per day.

In addition to the oil-secured financing to Sino-Venezuelan fund, China has provided loans to Venezuelan public sector entities from its Ex-Im Bank, or other sources, in the amount of $8 billion, bringing the debt balance as of 2014 to $52 billion, including the most recent commitment of $5 billion agreed in the round of talks personally attended by China’s President in Caracas in the past couple of weeks.

The three largest debtors after Venezuela are Argentina with $14 billion, Brazil with $13.4 billion, and Ecuador with $9.9 billion (an extraordinary amount given the size of this economy).

When it comes to direct investments, the vast majority of direct investment from China, over 90 percent, has gone to natural resource enterprises, including hydrocarbons, copper and iron ore, and agriculture, with Brazil, Argentina and Peru as the primary recipients, according to a research by Thomas Mellor and Brian Sogol, from Bingham McCutchen LLP.

Nonetheless, the flow of direct investment is triggering in many observers and experts a concern of “de-industrialization,” as China’s final goal is to secure commodities, targeting the Latin American economies as consumers of Chinese industrial products produced in the mainland. In other words, China demand for commodities fuels growth to a region that is targeted by China’s strategy as a debtor and an importer.

Although China’s economic strategy does not come, at least until this point, with a clear and declared political agenda – such as exporting a particular political model or posing a direct security or military concern to the United States – countries like Venezuela and Ecuador in South America, or Nicaragua in Central America (where the Chinese government intend to build a new canal to compete with Panama) have taken particular advantage of this cooperation system.

Given the close links between Venezuela, Cuba and their ALBA partners in the region, the impact of China’s role is providing margin of maneuver to a set of countries that are confronted to the democratic values and commitments expressed by the OAS charter and other instruments of international law.

This may present a challenge to U.S. interests and democratic values. However, the weaknesses of the Venezuelan economy in spite of the massive inflow of Chinese resources, and the more pragmatic approaches taken by Ecuador and Bolivia; or the Cuban gradual economic reforms (which seem like a transition out of the Venezuelan dependency of the past decade) might be signaling other issues instead, and suggesting aggressive economic policy strategies and approaches from the United States.

What does this mean from a political and policy perspective? The answer seems more an economic than a political one. The United States is giving away a fantastic opportunity to promote development partnerships across the Americas, which can integrate economies much further than we usually conceive in a free-trade agreements strategy.

The United States might also play a more significant role than China when it comes to the design of development strategies, pushing for industrialization in the region by promoting joint ventures and other forms of sustainable growth alliances.

However, the United States is playing at a disadvantage because government policy makers and businessmen strategize in a more distant way (or not together at all) than is needed to approach the Latin America opportunity.

But above all, policy makers in the United States are focused in other priorities or keep looking to the south with the offensive approach of the “backyard,” instead of thinking about Latin America, and particularly its leading economies, as neighbors that can be equal partners, whom should not be taken for granted.

Leopoldo Martínez is a former Venezuelan congressman currently living in Washington, DC, where he is the CEO of the Center for Democracy and Development in the Americas (CDDA).

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2014/08/05/opinion-america-latina-or-america-lachina-new-challenge-for-us-policy/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sánchez is one busy woman. She is juggling motherhood and Hollywood and now she’s doing it in two different languages.

The 41-year-old who stars as aspiring singer Carmen Luna in Lifetime’s “Devious Maids,” will soon be starring in her first Spanish-language original television comedy series titled “Familia en Venta” which will air on MundoFox starting this Sunday.

"I’ve been wanting to do something in Spanish for a long time,” Sánchez told Fox News Latino, adding, “I read ‘Familia en Venta’ and I was laughing so hard.”

Sánchez filmed the show in Colombia two years ago, right after having her daughter, Sebella Rose.

"‘Familia en Venta’ prepared me for 'Devious Maids,' because I was able to do 13 episodes of full comedy, working along stand-up comedian Carlos Espejel," she said.

Up to that point Sánchez’ roles had all had a more serious tone. She’s played CIA Agents, lawyers and district attorneys in movies and TV series such as “Act of Valor,” ”Without a Trace” and “Kojak.”

“I don’t do stand up comedy, so to be able to study somebody's work and see how he [Espejel] breaks down the material and how he improvises, by the time I went back to do ‘Devious Maids,’ I was like, I got it!”

Mexican actor Carlos Espejel plays Pipo in "Familia en Venta." His character is divorcing Lili (Sánchez) after fifteen years of marriage and due to the housing market crash they are forced to live together.

Comedy ensues as they try raising a family that includes a quirky son, a free-spirited daughter and a grandfather.

The statuesque Puerto Rican beauty and the Mexican comedian make an unlikely pair, but Sánchez assures their on-screen chemistry was red-hot.

“Carlitos has what we call tumbao. Carlitos is very short, but Carlos walks a certain way, and he dresses a certain way and he has tumbao.”

The series premieres on August 10 on Mundo Fox. In the meantime, Sánchez is waiting to hear if Lifetime will pick up “Devious Maids” for a third season.

“Everyone is very positive, it’s the highest rated show for Lifetime so they need it, we are super proud of it,” she told FNL.

Sánchez said "Devious Maids" was a groundbreaking show that has made Hollywood executives thirsty for more Latino-themed content.

“All the networks are going crazy looking for the next Latino project. They first passed on a jewel, which was 'Devious Maids,' and now they all want something like 'Devious Maids.'”

Sánchez recently released a single, "Pick Up Your Game," her first musical release since 2003, and she isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon.

“Listen, I’m 41, and I have a TV show for both markets, I have a beautiful healthy child, I have a great marriage. Life is so good. Like they say, 40 is the new 30.”

Although Sánchez does admit that aging in Hollywood is easier for men that it is for women she says the life-experience she’s gained can help her connect with the audience.

“It’s important to cultivate the female audience, when you are in your late 30s and 40s you know what you want,” she said. "You're much more mature."

That maturity made Sánchez realize that she was ready to start a family a few years ago. Setting aside fears about how Hollywood would react to her new role, she focused on working actress she admired who have been able to balance motherhood and acting.

“Every single female that I look up to within the business, that I go, 'I wish I could have that career!,' they all have kids, and they’re doing it,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez admitted that she wants to give Sebella Rose a sibling.

“She needs to learn that she needs to share, we call her The Governor. She runs the house, that needs to change!” the actress said.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2014/08/08/devious-maids-star-roselyn-sanchez-seems-to-have-it-all-including-spanish/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

New York, August 7, 2014- A Mexican delegation comprised of the Mexico Tourism Board, the Mexican Chapter of MPI, Mexico City, the cities of Los Cabos, Monterrey, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende; hotel groups Grupo Presidente and Velas Resorts as well as the Puerto Vallarta's International Convention Center and San Miguel de Allende's La Casona Convention Center participated at Meeting Planner's International (MPI) annual World Education Congress (WEC).

The educational and networking event for the meetings and events community is the signature event through which MPI delivers top-rate education, networking and business opportunities to the meeting and event community.

During the conference Mexico's presence was maintained through a number of activities including hosting a special lunch for all participants, servicing the Hosted Buyer Lounge and MarketSquare in addition to having over 30 meetings with conference hosted buyers.

Puerto Vallarta, which recently became a Preferred Member of MPI, had the largest delegation with Patricia Farias, CEO of the International Convention Center, Miguel Andres Hernandez, Executive Director of Puerto Vallarta CVB and Gustavo Rivas-Solis from the city's PR agency, LATITUDE. Meetings were held with representatives from HelmsBriscoe, HPN Global, Applied Meetings & Hospitality Solutions, Rx Worldwide Meetings, Inc, Performance Improvements Incentives, First Incentive Travel and the World Council of Credit Unions; media interviews given to editors from Meetings Focus, MeetingsNet, Smart Meetings, Rejuvenate Magazine, Prevue Magazine and Successful Meetings.

Puerto Vallarta also hosted a Past and Present Chair Breakfast where the delegation networked with Kevin Kirby, Chairman of the Board, Fiona Pelham, Chairwoman-elect as well as Vice Chairman, Brian Stevens, Michael Dominguez, Immediate Past Chairman and Paul Van Deventer Ex-Officio. The Puerto Vallarta hosted LGBTA MPI reception also provided extensive time to network with the organization's members.

The delegates representing Puerto Vallarta also held meetings with the industry players such as SITE, AIBTM, IMEX, IAEE, and ICCA in an effort to promote the diverse opportunities the destination has for the business industry.

Additional information on Puerto Vallarta is available at www.visitpuertovallarta.com

You probably buy insurance for your biggest assets – say, your home or your car. But in the glitzy and glamorous world of Hollywood, things work a little differently.

Since celebrities depend on their bodies for their income, they sometimes take out insurance to protect these assets. It’s weird, but true: Celebrities have insured everything from legs, breasts and butts, to hair, teeth and fingers.

Here are five of the weirdest celebrity insurance policies:

Dolly Parton: The country singer, songwriter and actress is well-known for her powerful voice, her bright blonde hair and her two “biggest” assets - her famous 40DD breasts - which she first insured in the 1970s for $600,000.

Since then the practice of insuring body parts has become at least a bit more common: Holly Madison and Madonna have had their breasts insured, while Rihanna and Heidi Klum have both insured their legs.

As Parton once told Sunday Magazine: “I’m in showbiz. I look at my boobs like they’re show horses or show dogs. You’ve got to keep them groomed.”

Bruce Springsteen: The New Jersey singer and songwriter, best known for hits like “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Born to Run,” insured his voice with Lloyd’s of London in the 1980s. Springsteen has sold more than 64 million records in the U.S., which makes him the 15th highest-selling artist of all time, according to RIAA.

At age 64, he is still going strong, performing live across the country. If anything were to happen to Springsteen’s voice, he would be set to receive a $6 million payout, according to Time.

Troy Polamalu: The Pittsburgh Steelers' strong safety is well-known on the football field for both his bone-crushing hits and his long hair, a tribute to his Samoan heritage. Following an endorsement deal with Head and Shoulders shampoo, the company obtained insurance on the eight-time Pro Bowler’s hair for $1 million.

“Head and Shoulders has gone above and beyond by insuring my Samoan locks for a cool $1 million,” Polamalu was quoting as saying in a company press release. “This reinforces that my full and thick hair is unstoppable.”

Polamalu’s hair is so long that if all his hair was laid end to end, they would span 100 football fields, the company said.

Daniel Craig: The English actor insured his body for $9.5 million while filming “Quantum of Solace,” the 22nd film installment in the James Bond series, according to MSN Money.Since Craig performed most of his own stunts in the film, the insurance policy was taken out for protection against injury.

Craig later starred in his third Bond film, “Skyfall,” which was released in 2012, and has committed to at least two more movies in the series, so insuring his body looks like a wise move.

Julia Roberts: Roberts is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, commanding $25 million per film for most of her career. She has been named to People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” 11 times, and in 2011 she made it onto Men’s Health’s “The 100 Hottest Women of All Time.”

Hoping that neither her star nor her dazzling smile would soon fade, the Academy Award-winner insured her teeth for $30 million

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2014/08/05/protecting-their-assets-celebrities-with-strange-insurance-policies/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

A new study shows that less than 5 percent of actors in top Hollywood films are Hispanic, and that Latinas are more likely than women of any other ethnicity to appear partially or totally naked on screen.

The study of the top 100 grossing films in 2013, by the University of Southern California's Annenberg school, found that the make-believe world of movies generally does not reflect what America looks like in real life.

About 74 percent of the actors in the study were white, compared with a U.S. population that's 63 percent non-Hispanic white.

Hispanics, who are 17 percent of the nation but had 4.9 percent of film roles, were the most underrepresented group on screen. That's despite the fact that Hispanics bought about 25 percent of all movie tickets and are more likely than any other group to go to the movies, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Black characters represented about 14 percent of those in the films, which is comparable to America's 13 percent black population. However, 17 percent of the films examined in the study did not have a single black speaking role, and half the films had a smaller percentage than the population, which indicates that a few movies with predominantly black casts balanced out the many movies with few black actors.

2013 was called a banner year for black actors, due to the success of films such as "Fruitvale Station," ''Lee Daniels' The Butler" and "12 Years a Slave," which made Steve McQueen the first black filmmaker to direct a best-picture winning film.

Hispanic stars such as the Dominican Zoe Saldaña, the New York-born Puerto Rican Jennifer Lopez and the Spaniard Antonio Banderas appeared on the big screen.

Yet there has been no significant change since 2007 in the number of non-white actors in top films, said Stacy L. Smith, director of USC Annenberg's Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative and author of the study being released Monday.

"The only obstacle here is imagination," Smith said in an interview.

She said that the number of black directors remained low — 6 percent of all directors in the study — and they were much more likely to use diverse casts. Hispanic directors were not counted.

"What we're seeing in the aggregate is very few folks not white and male being able to participate behind the camera," Smith said. "So the (on-screen) landscape remains primarily white and male. When you do have diversity behind the camera, things start to shift."

The study examined all 3,932 actors who spoke at least one word in the top 100 films of 2013. USC did similar counts in 2007-2010 and 2012.

Asians filled 4.4 percent of roles in 2013, compared with their 5.3 percent of the U.S. population. One percent of roles were played by "Middle Eastern" actors, less than 1 percent by Native Americans, and 1 percent by "other."

Almost 38 percent of Latina actresses appeared partially or fully naked on screen, the study said. That compared with 32 percent of white females, 24 percent of black females and 18 percent of Asian actresses.

"Latinas have this stereotype that we're sex symbols ... that we walk sexy and (have) this flavor," said Roselyn Sanchez, a Puerto Rican actress who has appeared in such films as "Act of Valor" and "Rush Hour 2."

She had no explanation for why Hispanics have so few movie roles. "It's not about talent," she said.

About 17 percent of Hispanic males were shown in "tight, alluring, or revealing clothing," the most of any group. Some 14 percent of Asian males, 13 percent of black actors and 8 percent of white actors were shown in similar attire.

Black males were more likely than those from any other group to be shown in a committed relationship, at 68 percent. Asian males were the least likely, at 29 percent.

Blanca Valdez, who runs a Hispanic casting agency in Los Angeles, said it's difficult for Latinos to audition for roles unless the call specifically asks for "diversity" or "multiethnic." That often keeps them out secondary roles such as the neighbor, the lawyer, or the bank teller.

She said some actors with Hispanic surnames who look white will only put their first name on their casting photographs, just to get a foot in the door.

But Valdez said things have been changing rapidly in commercials and television, with more calls than ever for Hispanic and "multiethnic" actors. She hopes that studios will "follow the money" since Latinos are such big movie fans.

"I hope this improvement continues," Valdez said, "because there's so much talent out there that doesn't get seen."

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2014/08/04/top-hollywood-movies-still-lack-hispanics-in-leadings-roles-study-finds/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

A video released by Brazil's National Indian Foundation, or FUNAI, shows an an isolated Indian tribe's first contact with civilization in Acre, a state on the border with Peru, and how the Indians interact with a nearby indigenous community.

Members of the tribe were first spotted on June 27, when FUNAI personnel out fishing saw two Indians who had dropped a basket of lemons on the banks of the Envira River.

The video, which was released on Tuesday, shows the first direct contact with the tribe on June 29.

Ashaninka Indians from Simpatia, a village on the banks of the Envira River, who receive medical care from the agency helped in making contact with the new tribe, the FUNAI said.

The video shows the Ashaninkas making contact with some members of the isolated tribe, who make signs that they are hungry and are given bananas.

The meeting between the Indian groups was not friendly, with the new tribe, armed with bows and arrows, looting the Ashaninka dwellings and stealing hatchets and clothing, the FUNAI told Efe.

It is still not clear why the tribe contacted the Ashaninkas, but it may be that the isolated group came under pressure from Peruvian loggers, FUNAI anthropologists said.

The previously unknown tribe had a shotgun that may have been stolen from a logger or abandoned by an outsider.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/07/31/video-shows-first-contact-with-indian-tribe-in-brazil/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

 Crocodiles, though natural predators, are a big tourist attraction in Costa Rica for their immense size and because they're easy to observe.

The experts, however, call on visitors to respect their habitat to avoid attacks on humans.

Seeing people approach crocodiles to feed them, giving them food with their own mouths, is a common pastime among foreigners who visit the Central American country.

Such behavior worries the Crocodile Conservation Commission, which says that humans are invading the reptiles' space and for that reason might provoke attacks.

"Crocodiles are naturally aggressive and attack to defend their territory," crocodile researcher Ivan Sandoval said.

The Tarcoles River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean, is known in Costa Rica for the large number of enormous crocodiles living there and as a tourist attraction, since it's easy to take their picture from a bridge while they are sunning themselves.

The Crocodile Conservation Commission, which in 2004 calculated 9.22 of the reptiles per linear kilometer (14.87 per linear mile), now estimates their population density at around 9.5 per kilometer (15.3 per mile).

There are also river tours in the area where even locals risk their lives feeding the reptiles from just a short distance away from them.

Commission records indicate that since the year 1995 in Costa Rica, some 32 attacks on people have been reported, of whom 15 were killed by the crocodiles.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2014/07/28/crocodiles-become-tourist-attraction-in-costa-rica/" ]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

HAVANA (AP) – Cuba marked the 61st anniversary of the beginning of Fidel and Raul Castro's revolution on Saturday with a leading official calling on islanders to be united and to defend the nation's communist system.

President Raul Castro, wearing an olive-green military uniform as he sat in the front row with other top leaders, ceded speechmaking duties to Vice President Ramiro Valdes, a former commander in the rebellion.

"We must preserve this unity above all things," Valdes said. "We have no alternative but to keep fighting every day, until the last breath, for the country, with the revolution and with socialism."

The Castro brothers' failed attack on a military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago on July 26, 1953, is considered the onset of the revolution, which culminated in 1959 when strongman Fulgencio Batista fled the island.

The date is a national holiday celebrated each year with musical performances and patriotic speeches. On Saturday, the main ceremony took place in the provincial capital of Artemisa, west of Havana.

"There is no place in our hearts for discouragement, and the word defeat has been erased from our vocabulary," Valdes said.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/07/27/cuba-celebrates-61st-anniversary-castro-revolution-with-call-for-unity/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

MEXICO CITY – A 32-year-old schizophrenic man was arrested in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León after he confessed to murdering his fiance's mother in a Facebook post, officials said Monday.

Roberto Alejandro Santos was arrested on Sunday and is being held in connection with the killing of 61-year-old Lucila Reyes, Nuevo León deputy prosecutor's office spokesman David Perales told Efe.

Reyes's body was found Saturday afternoon at her house in the city of San Nicolas, but investigators suspect she was killed in the early morning hours.

"I did it, I don't know how they can allow me to live another day," Santos said in a Facebook post.

Santos was already a suspect in the case because his fiance, 25-year-old Julibeth, had filed a complaint with police after he beat her.

The suspect is being held on a preventive arrest order of up to 30 days, prosecutors said, adding that a judge will decide whether to charge him once the order expires.

Santos's confession is not enough to charge him and the case will depend on what he tells prosecutors.

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/07/21/mexican-man-arrested-after-posting-murder-confession-on-facebook/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]