Latin America

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fell for the second consecutive month in August, compared to a year ago, according to preliminary government data published on Friday, with year-to-date figures for 2021 also showing a slight decline. Forest clearances in August totaled 918 square kilometers (354 square miles), down 32% from …

Violence associated with campaigning for Colombia’s 2022 presidential and legislative elections occurred every four days over the past five months, an observation group reported on Wednesday, warning that threats and killings may increase as voting draws closer. Between March 13 and Aug. 23, there were 29 violent incidents that claimed …

Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that penalizing abortion is unconstitutional, a major victory for advocates of women’s health and human rights in the majority Roman Catholic nation. “This is a historic step for the rights of women,” said Supreme Court Justice Luis Maria Aguilar. The unanimous vote by Mexico’s …

Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gathered in major cities on Tuesday to back the far-right leader in his dispute with the Supreme Court, exacerbating a conflict that has rattled Latin America’s largest democracy. Bolsonaro has urged his supporters to turn out in record numbers, hoping for an overwhelming display …

El Salvador purchased 150 additional bitcoins on Tuesday, Salvadoran President Nayib Buekele said on Twitter, hours after the Central American nation became the world’s first to adopt the cryptocurrency as legal tender. Bukele said El Salvador was “buying the dip” after prices of the currency dropped sharply on Tuesday morning. …

The Columbus statue was a frequent target of protesters denouncing European suppression of Mexico’s Indigenous civilisations. A statue of Christopher Columbus that was a prominent presence on Mexico City’s most iconic boulevard will be replaced by a statue honouring Indigenous women, the city’s mayor has announced. The 19th-century bronze statue …

Venezuela this week will receive the first coronavirus vaccines obtained via COVAX, President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday, following months of stalled attempts to obtain inoculations through the global vaccine program. The South American nation has been inoculating its population with doses acquired directly from China and Russia, following months …

El Salvador’s top court has ruled that the country’s president can serve two consecutive terms, opening the door for incumbent Nayib Bukele to stand for re-election in 2024. Issued late on Friday, the ruling was handed down by judges appointed by lawmakers from Bukele’s ruling party in May after they …

A migrant caravan of around 400 people, including many children, set off from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula for the United States on Saturday, just a couple of days after security and migration officials dispersed another large group. Mostly comprising Central Americans and Haitians, the caravan left at around …

Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, has suspended beef exports to its No. 1 customer China after confirming two cases of “atypical” mad cow disease in two separate domestic meat plants, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday. The suspension, which is part of an animal health pact agreed between China …

Thick smoke billowed above Brazil’s Amazon jungle as fire tore through the butchered rainforest and discarded trees littered the scorched earth like dead matchsticks, burnt and black. A Reuters witness saw vast burned and clear cut areas on Wednesday and Thursday, as the arc of deforestation advanced deeper into the …

As long as cocaine is illegal, the cat-and-mouse game between drug runners from Colombia and the authorities will continue. Decades of busts and subsequent innovation have led to a regular sort of news story, where black-market businessmen have created a new way to get drugs to their customers. Tunnels, planes, …

Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Wednesday a severe drought could lead to energy rationing in Brazil, contradicting other officials who have said that such a step would not be necessary. Brazil, one of the world’s agricultural superpowers, is suffering from one of its worst droughts in a century. …

Armed robbers hit several banks in a small Brazilian city on Monday, using locals as human shields, leaving a trail of explosive devices, and shooting at police in an assault that killed at least three people, a senior state security official said. The brazen attack around midnight in Araçatuba, a …

Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday said he sees three alternatives for his future: winning the 2022 presidential elections, death, or prison. “I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed, or victory,” he said, in remarks to a meeting of evangelical leaders. Bolsonaro later added that the …

Peruvian lawmakers on Friday confirmed a new leftist Cabinet nominated by President Pedro Castillo, giving the fledging administration some respite after a contentious first month in office. Overall, 73 lawmakers voted in favor and 50 voted against confirming the Cabinet. Castillo’s party, the Marxist-Leninist Peru Libre, holds only a minority …

A blob of warm water in the southern Pacific is fueling a decades-long megadrought in Chile, and climate change is at least partly to blame, scientists say. The “Southern Blob” east of New Zealand is driving hot and dry conditions in Chile, with snow caps melting on the Andes, reservoirs …

The United States needs to invest in development, not just migration restrictions, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday. Mexico will always seek to have a good relationship with the United States, Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference in response to a question about the U.S. …

Murders of human rights and community activists in Colombia were down to 78 in the first half of the year, the country’s human rights ombudsman said on Wednesday, but the attacks persist. The killing of activists is a top problem for the Andean country, with President Ivan Duque vowing he …

At least 16 people have died in the western Venezuelan state of Merida following intense rains that have triggered mudslides and caused rivers to overflow. State governor Ramon Guevara told Reuters on Wednesday that more than 1,200 houses had been destroyed and 17 people remained missing as well, as rescue …