Latin America

A seasoned criminal serving a 73-year sentence in a Brazilian jail donned his teenage daughter’s clothes, a long wig, and a silicon mask in a startling makeover, which, however, failed to fool the guards into letting him out. Clauvino da Silva, 42, was stopped by the guards of Gericino Penitentiary …

A new governor has been sworn into office in Puerto Rico, bringing fresh controversy to the US territory. Pedro Pierluisi is the handpicked successor of Ricardo Rosselló, who resigned amid mass protests over a leaked chat in which he and top aides shared obscenity-laced messages. But Pierluisi’s term as governor …

US President Donald Trump has designated Brazil a so-called major non-NATO ally of the United States, a move that could potentially facilitate the expansion of Washington’s dominance over the Latin American country. “I hereby designate the Federative Republic of Brazil as a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for …

Conditions at a prison in Brazil where 57 inmates were killed in fighting on Monday have been described as “terrible” in an official report. The National Justice Council said that Altamira jail in north-eastern Pará state contained more than double the number of inmates it was built for. It also …

Gunmen in Brazil have stolen 750kg (1,650lbs) of gold estimated to be worth at least $30m (£24m). The suspects entered Guarulhos airport in São Paulo dressed as police officers and took the gold, which had been destined for New York and Zurich. Two airport workers were taken hostage, according to …

A US judge has sentenced Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to life in prison plus 30 years. Guzmán, 62, was found guilty of 10 charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, by a federal court in New York in February. He escaped a Mexican jail through a tunnel …

A harrowing photo of a Salvadoran migrant and his young daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border became the focus on Wednesday of a U.S. political debate over President Donald Trump’s asylum policies. The picture of Oscar Alberto Martinez, 25, and his 24-month-old daughter Angie Valeria …

He is the controversial Brazilian president who has promised zero tolerance on the country’s pervasive drugs trade – but it seems Jair Bolsonaro will need to start with his own entourage. A member of his official military detail has been arrested on route to this week’s G20 summit in Japan …

Argentina is investigating what caused a massive power cut that hit nearly 50 million people. President Mauricio Macri called the outage “unprecedented”, promising a thorough inquiry. Almost all of Argentina, neighboring Uruguay and some areas of Paraguay woke up to darkness on Sunday. The disruption hit public transport while hospitals …

The Cascabel project, operated by Australia’s Solgold, is currently in its advanced exploration phase; it is one of Ecuador’s most ambitious mining projects, with the state hoping it will spur its economy. One of the world’s largest deposits of gold, copper, and silver has been discovered in Ecuador in the …

US President Donald Trump has inadvertently revealed some details of his immigration deal with Mexico. He refused to discuss the plans with reporters, saying they were “secret”. But he said this while waving around a sheet of paper that had the specifics of the deal written on it – which …

Major U.S. cruise operators said on Wednesday they will no longer sail to Cuba following the Trump administration’s ban on travel to the Caribbean island, angering travelers and prompting worries about trip cancellations and company earnings. The new restrictions are aimed at pressuring Cuba’s Communist government to reform and stop …

The leader of an international religious organization is being held in the US on charges of human trafficking, child rape, and other felonies. Naasón Joaquín García, who heads La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World) church, was detained at Los Angeles airport, California prosecutors said. Mr. García, known …

A group of former U.S. ambassadors to Mexico representing both Republican and Democratic presidents have banded together to urge US President Donald Trump to treat trade and migration as separate issues, the diplomats wrote in an article. The article is signed by all six living ex-U.S. ambassadors to Mexico who …

At least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, where a fight between rival prison gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said. A federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an …

U.S. authorities say a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador died last year after being detained by border authorities in a previously unreported case. The death marks the sixth known case in the last year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that she died on Sept. 29 …

Malaria has been eliminated from Algeria and Argentina, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, an important milestone in fighting the mosquito-borne disease. WHO said there were now 38 countries and territories that have been declared free of the disease, which has been making a comeback globally. “Algeria has …

Authorities in the Central American nation of El Salvador have reported a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, according to the nation’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The earthquake had its epicenter off the coast of the La Union department, about 200 kilometers southeast of the capital San Salvador. Meanwhile, the United States …

Venezuela is reopening its borders with Brazil and the Caribbean island of Aruba, Venezuela’s Economy Vice President Tareck El Aissami said on Friday, though Aruba’s government said it did not consider a re-opening “opportune.” The government of President Nicolas Maduro shut those borders in February amid an opposition campaign to …

U.S.-educated political veteran Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo won Panama’s presidential election in an unprecedented close race on Sunday, with the electoral tribunal declaring a winner after 95 percent of votes had been counted. In his victory speech, Cortizo called for national unity, after winning just a third of the votes with …