At least three people have been killed in an earthquake in the Haitian city of Jérémie, just days after floods left at least 42 dead. The 4.9-magnitude quake struck in the early hours of the morning, the US Geological Survey said. It came in the wake of torrential rains that have displaced more than 13,000. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said his government and international partners were taking “urgent measures” to deal with the flooding. The World Food Programme, an agency of the United Nations, said that it would start providing hot meals to the displaced. Haitian authorities said the three … Continue reading Deadly earthquake kills three in Haiti after floods

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has visited Brazil for the first time since he was banned by former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019. Mr Maduro was received by the new president, fellow leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, ahead of a summit of Latin American leaders in Brasilia. “What’s important about Maduro coming here is that it’s the beginning of Maduro’s return,” Lula said. Mr Maduro talked of a “new era” in bilateral relations. Lula said the region should tackle poverty. A number of countries question the legitimacy of Mr Maduro, who is described by opponents as a dictator. Greeting … Continue reading Lula welcomes back banned Venezuelan leader Maduro

Ajudge sentenced former El Salvador president Mauricio Funes to 14 years in prison on Monday for negotiating with gangs during his administration. Funes’ trial began in April with the former leader living in Nicaragua. El Salvador changed its laws last year to allow trials in absentia. Prosecutors had accused Funes of illicit association and failure to perform his duties for the gang truce negotiated in 2012. Funes had denied negotiating with the gangs or giving their leaders any privileges. Funes’ former security minister Gen David Munguia Payes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the negotiations. … Continue reading Ex-El Salvador leader Mauricio Funes sentenced to 14 years over gang negotiation

Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament amid an impeachment trial. He had been accused of turning a blind eye to alleged embezzlement and was facing an imminent vote that could have ousted him from office. Mr Lasso, a conservative, said the charges were politically motivated. He will now have up to six months to govern by decree – without the input from lawmakers – before fresh general elections are held. The constitutional clause Mr Lasso invoked in order to disband the National Assembly and order early elections to be held is known as “muerte cruzada” (mutual death). … Continue reading Update: Ecuador’s President dissolves parliament

Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso has asserted his innocence over corruption charges at an impeachment trial being held in the National Assembly. Mr Lasso, 67, has been accused of embezzling funds from public companies. The conservative leader told the opposition-controlled parliament his accusers lacked evidence and suggested the trial was politically motivated. It is the second time it has tried to remove the president from office since he was sworn into office in May 2021. Impeachment proceedings last year failed to garner enough votes to make it to the trial stage. But last week, 88 out of 116 lawmakers present voted in … Continue reading Impeachment trial of Ecuador’s president begins

A luxury presidential plane which Mexico had been trying to offload for more than four years has finally arrived in its new home – Tajikistan. President López Obrador made the sale of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner one of his campaign promises, calling it a symbol of previous governments’ excesses. But the specially-outfitted plane proved hard to shift and an attempt to raffle it off failed. It was finally sold to the Tajik government for $92m. The jet took off from California, where it had been in storage, and arrived in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, early on Monday. The plane was … Continue reading Mexico finally sold-off presidential jet to Tajikistan

At least 27 people have died in a gold mine fire in Peru, in the worst mining accident in the country in decades. The mine company, Yanaquihua, said 175 miners were rescued. It is a small mine in the Arequipa region, in the south. An electrical short-circuit is thought to have sparked the fire. Officials said the miners were working about 100m (330ft) below the surface when the blaze broke out. Images from local media showed flames and smoke erupting from the hillside. According to the Peruvian news website rpp.pe, the fire was fuelled by La Esperanza gold mine’s timber … Continue reading Fire outbreak at gold mine kills at least 27 in Peru

The Bolivian general who captured the Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and became a national hero has died aged 84. In 1967 Gary Prado Salmón led a military operation in Bolivia, backed by US secret service agents, that defeated a communist insurrection organised by Che Guevara. At the time Bolivia had a right-wing military government. An army officer executed Argentina-born Guevara a day after his arrest. The Cold War between the US and Soviet Union was at its height and Washington was extremely concerned about communist influence in Latin America, including Che Guevara’s activities. He had left Cuba after the … Continue reading Bolivian General Gary Prado Salmón who captured Che Guevara dies

A man who killed the Dominican Republic Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera has been sentenced to 30 years in jail. Miguel Cruz opened fire on Orlando Jorge Mera in the office of the latter on 6 June 2022. The two men were childhood friends who had fallen out over the failure of the minister to grant environmental permits to Cruz. After the shooting, Cruz went to a church and confessed to a priest, to whom he also handed the murder weapon. The judges said they had sentenced Cruz to the maximum jail term because the murder had been premeditated. As … Continue reading Update: Killer of Dominican Republic minister jailed for 30 years

A group of 13 suspected gang members has been beaten and burned to death by a mob in Haiti’s capital after being seized while police were searching their vehicle. The suspects were reportedly beaten with gasoline-soaked tyres before being set alight in Port-au-Prince on Monday. Police say they confiscated weapons from them just before the incident. They have not explained how members of the public got hold of the suspects. Haiti has descended into increasing lawlessness since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. The United Nations said in a report published on Monday that insecurity in the capital … Continue reading Jungle Justice: Mob burns suspected gang members to death in Haiti

The top national security adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has resigned after video emerged showing the aide inside the presidential palace in Brasilia during rioting on 8 January. Gen Marcos Gonçalves Dias stepped down after CNN Brasil broadcast CCTV footage of him talking to members of a mob. The general denied accusations that he had facilitated the rioters’ entry. The government is now backing a congressional inquiry into the riots. This comes on top of an investigation by federal police. Gen Gonçalves Dias said he had arrived after the rioters. CNN Brasil said it had analysed … Continue reading Brazil’s National security chief resigns over his involvement in the storming of Congress by mob

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered an intricately carved stone they believe was used as a scoreboard for pelota, a ball game played by the Maya hundreds of years ago. The circular stone was found at the Chichen Itza archaeological site and is thought to be around 1,200 years old. At its centre are two players in elaborate headgear surrounded by hieroglyphic writing. Experts are now analysing the writing to decipher its possible meaning. The 40kg-stone (88lb) was found by archaeologist Lizbeth Beatriz Mendicut Pérez in an architectonic compound known as Casa Colorada (Red House). Casa Colorada is the best preserved … Continue reading Archaeologists discover scoreboard for ancient Maya ball game