O Estado de Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Obama estuda visitar pasies 'hostis'

US President Barack Obama’s attempts to win over Latin America’s leaders seem to be working.

The South American press is dominated by the change in tone in relations between the US and Latin America.

Brazilian daily O Estado de Sao Paulo reports on Obama’s plans to visit countries formerly hostile to the US, notably Venezuela and Bolivia.

Any visit to Bolivia might help reassure Evo Morales, who maintains that he hasn’t noticed any change in US policy to his country.

El Pais (Spain)
Obama mira al Sur (Obama looks south)

The apparent thaw in relations between two former foes - the US and Cuba - continues to dominate the press.

Spanish daily El Pais says that, while Cuba was notably absent from the summit, Havana has none the less dominated the meeting.

The newspaper’s editorial says that, while the road ahead is still long and difficult, the shift in US attitude towards Havana is a positive sign of a new chapter in Cuba’s history.

Hoy (Ecuador)

Obama ofrece escuchar y aumentar la inversion en America Latina (Obama listens to Latin America, increases investment in the region)

Equatorian daily Hoy’s front page is dominated by the summit. The newspaper says the outcome will prove a barometer of Obama’s future relations with Latin America.

It also talks about Obama’s plans to increase investment in the region by 17 percent.


The New York Times (US)
The Torturers’ Manifesto

Moving on now to Barack Obama’s decision to overrule the director of the CIA and allow four memos written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department to be made public.

In a hard-hitting editorial, the New York Times says that reading them is to take a journey into depravity, comparing the language to that favoured by dungeon masters throughout history.

The memos set out details such as how many hours a prisoner can be kept without sleep for (eleven), and describe a contraption for waterboarding that flips prisoners upright if they stop breathing.

The New York Times says the memos are not about setting the legal limits of interrogation but to provide legal immunity for acts that are “clearly illegal, immoral and a violation of the country’s basic values."

The newspaper praises Obama for his transparency but criticises him for saying he won’t prosecute CIA members involved in the torture, arguing that not to do so violates international law and fails to show accountability for this dark chapter in US history.


Sunday Times of Johannesburg (South Africa)
A referendum of our past and future

Now, a look at what the South Africa's press has to say about forthcoming elections in the country..

In an editorial, the Sunday Times of Johannesburg says Wednesday’s vote is a referendum on citizens past and future. The newspaper says it’s a chance to look at the past fifteen years and work out where the country can do better.

It urges the government to dramatically improve education, health, crime and corruption – which it describes as the "cancer that will kill our society."

“Ballot Box Blues”

The newspaper has also made up a song to sum up the general mood of the hundreds of thousands of voters uncertain where their loyalties should lie.

Called the Ballot Box Blues, it’s a light-hearted look at the unpopularity of Jacob Zuma and general disillusionment.