A Mexican television personality reportedly fled from authorities after she and her husband allegedly embezzled billions of pesos.  Inés Gómez Mont and her husband, Víctor Manuel, a lawyer, allegedly embezzled 3 billion pesos, the equivalent of $146 million from Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior between 2016 and 2017. Ines Gomez Mont A federal judge on Sept. 10 issued a warrant for the couple’s arrest, prompting them to flee the country before police could detain them. The Mexican Attorney General’s Office has requested assistance from Interpol on the case.  Mexican authorities believe the couple has fled to the United States, Mexican outlet TV Notas reported. A colleague told the outlet … Continue reading Mexican host, husband reportedly flee country after embezzling $146 million

Police in northern Mexico have found 38 people, including 22 Haitians and Cubans, who were abducted from a hotel, authorities have said. The chief prosecutor of the northern state of San Luis Potosi said the victims were found alive on a roadside late Tuesday, apparently abandoned by their captors. Prosecutor Federico Garza Herrera said the group included 16 Mexicans and 22 foreigners, among them three children and a pregnant woman. It was not immediately clear whether the foreigners were asylum seekers or migrants. Initial reports suggested some were Venezuelans. Immigration authorities were checking their status in the country as authorities … Continue reading 22 foreigners abducted from Mexican hotel

A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit central Mexico on Tuesday, causing buildings to shake in the country’s capital, Mexico City. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicenter of the earthquake was located about 30 miles outside the tourist resort city of Acapulco. The quake caused the ground to sway in Mexico City, more than 230 miles away, The New York Times reported. Power lines and buildings in the capital city shook as the ground moved for several seconds, according to the Times. Civil protection agencies in Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, said the earthquake resulted in rockfalls and landslides onto roads, Reuters reported. Mexico … Continue reading Earthquake hits Mexico, shakes capital city

A statue of Christopher Columbus in the heart of Mexico City will be replaced by one of an indigenous woman, authorities said Monday, days before the country’s 200th independence anniversary. The figure of the Italian navigator, which was removed from Reforma Avenue last year as protesters vowed to topple it, will be moved to “a safe, dignified” place, the National Institute of Anthropology and History said. It will be replaced by a sculpture of an indigenous Olmec woman made by the Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said. “It is precisely indigenous women who have perhaps had … Continue reading Mexico to replace Columbus statue with indigenous woman

Brazil’s World Cup qualifying clash against Argentina was dramatically suspended shortly after kick-off on Sunday as controversy over Covid-19 protocols erupted. Amid incredible scenes at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the match between the two giants of South American football came to a halt when a group of Brazilian public health officials came onto the pitch, triggering a melee involving team staff and players. Argentina’s players trudged off the pitch to the changing room as the furore erupted. Argentina captain Lionel Messi later re-emerged from the tunnel without his team shirt on as confusion swept around the stadium. The South … Continue reading Coronavirus cancels Brazil-Argentina World Cup qualifier match

At least 32 passengers have died, including two children, and more than 20 were injured when a bus plummeted from a cliff in Peru, officials said, in the country’s third multiple-victim transport accident in four days. The accident happened on Tuesday on a narrow stretch of the Carretera Central road some 60 km (37 miles) east of the capital Lima. The road connects Lima to much of the central Andes. “Unfortunately, at the moment, there are 32 dead,” said police commander Cesar Cervantes. A six-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl were among the dead, police said. There had been 63 … Continue reading Tragic: 32 dead as bus plunges off cliff near Peruvian capital Lima

A young Brazilian bull rider seen as a “rising star” in the sport was killed in a “terrible wreck” Sunday during a competition in California, according to the Professional Bull Riders organization. Amadeu Campos Silva, 22, was riding at a Velocity Tour event in Fresno when he suffered a “severe accident,” PBR said in a statement shared by CEO Sean Gleason. Silva was pronounced dead at a hospital. The organization did not release any details about the incident. Local news outlets said Silva was riding a bucking bull named “Little Okie” at the time. “Our heart breaks for Amadeu’s family … Continue reading Tragic: Brazilian bull rider killed in ‘terrible wreck’ during competition

A collision of two river boats in the Amazon in Peru has left at least 11 passengers dead and others missing, according to a government statement. The accident took place at 05:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on the Huallaga River, in Muyuna on Sunday, when a boat full of passengers crashed into a freight barge amid dense mist at dawn, according to state channel TV Peru. The crash caused the wooden passenger boat, the Ayachi, to capsize. “So far there is an undetermined number of missing persons, as well as 11 dead and six injured,” the National Institute of Civil … Continue reading Several killed in boat collision in Peru’s Amazon

At least 20 people have died in the western Venezuelan state of Merida following intense rains that caused mudslides and rivers to overflow. On state TV on Wednesday a ruling Socialist Party official in Merida announced the death toll had risen and said authorities were working to restore telephone service in some areas. State governor Ramon Guevara said earlier that more than 1,200 houses had been destroyed and 17 people remained missing as rescue workers search the wreckage. “Let’s try not to make this political or ideological,” Guevara, a member of the Democratic Action opposition party, said. “Lets all look … Continue reading Tragic: 20 persons dead in western Venezuela floods

At least five people have been killed and six injured in a fire at an offshore oil platform owned by Mexico’s state-run company Pemex. Rescue workers are still searching for two people who are missing. The fire also caused work to be halted at 125 oil wells for which the platform provides gas and electricity. The incident comes six weeks after a gas leak in an underwater Pemex pipeline triggered a fire on the ocean’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico. The July blaze was dubbed “eye of fire” with footage widely shared on social media. Both that blaze and … Continue reading Tragic: Fire at Mexican offshore oil platform kills five

Jailed former Bolivian President Jeanine Anez is in “stable” condition after she tried to take her own life after prosecutors charged her with “genocide” over the deaths of protesters in 2019, an official has said. “We can say, without a doubt, that her health is stable,” Juan Carlos Limpias, the director of prisons, told reporters on Sunday. “At the moment, she is with her family in the penitentiary. The family will be an important factor to help improve her state of mind,” he added. Carolina Ribera, Anez’s daughter, said her mother made an attempt on her own life on Saturday … Continue reading Jeanine Anez ‘stable’ after suicide attempt in jail

At least 1,941 people are known to have died in Haiti in Saturday’s powerful earthquake – a rise of more than 500 on the previous figure, officials say. Nearly 10,000 people have been injured, and many are still missing after the the 7.2-magnitude tremor. Rescue work has been hampered by heavy rains brought this week by Tropical Storm Grace to the Caribbean nation. The UN says about 500,000 children now have limited or no access to shelter, safe water and food. “Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in … Continue reading Update: Death toll in Haiti earthquake reaches nearly 2,000