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Vast areas in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil are being hit by the worst flooding in 50 years, forcing the evacuation of more than 150,000 people. Days of heavy rains brought on by the E l Nino weather phenomenon have caused three major rivers to swell, and officials report at least six deaths. A state […]
Panama’s Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of former President Ricardo Martinelli, who governed the Central American country from 2009 to 2014. Mr Martinelli is accused of using public funds to illegally spy on more than 150 prominent people. Among those he allegedly spied on are trade union activists, politicians, lawyers, doctors and business people. […]
(BBC) Colombia’s president has signed a decree fully legalising medical marijuana in a shift away from preventing drug crop production. Juan Manuel Santos said the move put Colombia “in the group of countries that are at the forefront…in the use of natural resources to fight disease”. But, he said, the country would still fight illegal […]
(Washington Post) Brazilian health authorities are sounding the alarm about a mosquito-borne virus that they believe may be the cause of thousands of infants being born with damaged brains. The pathogen, known as Zika and first discovered in forest monkeys in Africa over 70 years ago, is the new West Nile — a virus that […]
The host of the Miss Universe has apologised after mistakenly naming the wrong woman as winner, leaving Miss Colombia empty-handed. After the error, Ariadna Gutierrez was instead declared runner-up and surrendered her crown to Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. #MissUniverse2015 became Twitter’s biggest trend of the night as social media users expressed their disbelief. Ms […]
(BBC) Eduardo Li – former president of the Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefut) – has been extradited to the US, the Swiss justice ministry says. He was handed over to the US police in Zurich and then flown to New York. Mr Li is one of seven officials with Fifa, world football’s governing body, who […]
(BBC) A federal judge in Brazil has blocked the assets of mining giants BHP Billiton and Vale in the country over the deadly collapse of a dam. The joint-venture company they own, Samarco, does not have enough resources to cover the potential damages, estimated at 20.2bn reais ($5.2bn; £3.4bn), the judge ruled. Samarco owned the […]
Barbados plans to remove Queen Elizabeth II as titular head of state and replace her with a ceremonial president from the Caribbean island, a former British territory once known as “Little England” for its colonial trappings. Prime Minister Freundel Stuart announced that the plan is to make Barbados a republic by November, 2016, when the […]
(BBC) Officials in Mexico say 60 people have been arrested in the US, Latin America and Spain over alleged links to a ring circulating images of child sex abuse. The Mexican government said almost 100 raids had been carried out in 12 countries. Three girls aged between nine and 15 were rescued in Mexico, a […]
(BBC) The government of Colombia and Farc rebels have announced that they have reached a deal on reparations for war victims. The agreement deals with one of the most sensitive issues in the three-year peace talks taking place in the Cuban capital, Havana. It will include the establishment of a special judicial system to deal […]
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