Americas

WASHINGTON—The United States says the NAFTA countries are nowhere close to a deal. It has issued a statement that appears to douse hopes an agreement might be just a few minor adjustments away. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, and several high-ranking staffers were in the U.S. on Thursday urging a quick […]

HAVANA—A Boeing 737 plane crashed on Friday shortly after taking off from Havana‘s main airport on a domestic flight, with a number of people feared dead or injured, Reuters witnesses and officials said. There were at least three possible survivors among the 105 passengers plus nine crew, Cuban state-run media reported, adding that there were five […]

Nicaragua has again appeared in international news after the nation’s authoritarian government killed at least 47 protesters in April. Protests continue, but news coverage forgets that violence and illegality are standard procedure for the regime leader Daniel Ortega and his socialist clique. The rise of Ortega, from Marxist guerrilla to Nicaraguan president, is a warning […]

BOGOTA—Colombia has ordered the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people living along the Cauca river in the northern part of the country after construction problems at a hydroelectric dam prompted fears of massive flooding. Heavy rains have increased water levels in the Cauca, which feeds the Ituango Dam in Antioquia province, the country’s largest-ever hydroelectric project. Problems […]

BUENOS AIRES—Argentina’s peso snapped its losing streak on Tuesday, closing 3.73 percent stronger at 24.10 per U.S. dollar after the central bank sold reserves but before the government reported 12-month inflation at a dizzying 25.5 percent. The bank said it sold $791 million in the spot market to support the local currency on Tuesday. It […]

Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in “Superman” opposite Christopher Reeve, has died at age 69. Kidder went on to become a mental health advocate after revealing she had bipolar disorder. She also became a political activist and was arrested in 2011 during a protest against the Keystone XL pipeline. Kidder was born in Yellowknife […]

MEXICO CITY—Thieves siphoned hundreds of millions of pesos out of Mexican banks, including No. 2 Banorte, by creating phantom orders that wired funds to fake accounts and promptly withdrew the money, two sources close to the government’s investigation said. Hackers sent hundreds of false orders to move amounts ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds […]

In Santiago, Chile, dogs are being used to help children relax during dental treatment. The Labrador retriever therapy dog, Zucca, recently helped Mateo, a boy with autism, remain calm during surgery. Zucca is owned by Raul Valera who directs the non-profit organization, Junto A Ti—meaning “next to you” in Spanish. Valera said that parents have […]

In Santiago, Chile, dogs are being used to help children relax during dental treatment. The Labrador retriever therapy dog, Zucca, recently helped Mateo, a boy with autism, remain calm during surgery. Zucca is owned by Raul Valera who directs the non-profit organization, “Junto A Ti” – meaning “next to you” in Spanish. Valera said that […]

Speaking at the Council of Americas meeting at the White House on Wednesday, May 9, Vice President Mike Pence called on the Maduro regime to suspend the upcoming presidential election in Venezuela. “We are calling on the Maduro regime to restore democratic institutions, to set aside this sham election that is approaching in the coming […]

WASHINGTON—Top-level talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made little headway on Wednesday as the United States and Mexico sought to settle differences over the key issue of automobiles, three well-placed sources said. With time fast running out to reach a deal, the two NAFTA members are discussing a U.S. demand that a […]

An alleged arms trafficker who has been on the run for close to two decades for arms smuggling and fraud was arrested by authorities in Spain on May 4 on an Argentine warrant with Interpol. The French-born Jean-Bernard Lasnaud was wanted in Argentina, where he is accused of arms smuggling and fraud in operations between […]

CARACAS—Venezuela said on Thursday it had arrested 11 top executives of the country’s leading private bank, Banesco, for “attacks” against the OPEC country’s rapidly depreciating currency, the leftist government’s latest move against the private sector. The detentions come on the heels of last month’s shock arrests of two Venezuelan executives working in the country for […]

Nearly 350 victims of modern-day slavery have been rescued as part of a coordinated police raid across 13 countries in the Americas. The anti-trafficking raids were conducted by The International Criminal Police Organization, also known as Interpol. In a statement on Monday, April 30, the organization said over 500 police officers were involved. “Operations like this show the […]

SAO PAULO—A 26-floor building engulfed in flames collapsed in the center of Brazil’s largest city early on Tuesday, May 1, and firemen said at least one person was killed as he was being rescued, Globo TV reported. Television images showed the horrifying moment when a fireman tried to reach the man clinging to the building […]

MEXICO CITY–Mexico’s interior minister on Monday said that authorities had arrested the alleged murderer of a renowned journalist in northern Mexico whose death had become emblematic of a spike in violence across the country. Javier Valdez was assassinated last year in the state of Sinaloa, which has been the scene of violent battles between gangs […]

By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY—The second-placed contender in Mexico’s presidential race won the opening televised debate of the campaign on Sunday night, a telephone survey found, after the front-runner came under relentless attack from competitors. Tapping into discontent with the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) over corruption and violence, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has […]

HAVANA–Cuba’s new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, began his term on Thursday with a promise to defend the socialist revolution led by the Castro brothers since 1959, giving a sober speech that also emphasized the need to modernize the island’s economy. A stalwart of the ruling Communist Party, Diaz-Canel was sworn in to replace Raul Castro by […]

LIMA, Peru—Vice President Mike Pence blasted Cuba, calling it “a tired communist regime,” at the Summit of the Americas on April 14. He accused Cuba’s dictators of “exporting their failed ideology” across the region and supporting the dictatorship in Venezuela. Standing in for President Donald Trump at the Lima summit, Pence called on regional leaders […]

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico—Magda Rubio had just launched her campaign for mayor of a small city in northern Mexico, when a chilling voice came through her cell phone. “Drop out,” the caller warned, “or be killed.” It was the first of four death threats Rubio said she has received since January from the same well-spoken, anonymous […]