Central America

UPDATED: Strong Acapulco quake aftershocks unnerve Mexican resort’s residents

Shaken residents slept in cars and on the streets of Mexico's famed Acapulco beach resort early on Wednesday, as a series of strong aftershocks rippled through the city after a…

Read More Here

New migrant caravan sets off for U.S. from southern Mexico

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…

Read More Here

Cuba authorizes and seeks to regulate cryptocurrency use

Cuba said this week it would authorize and regulate the use of cryptocurrency, a move that could help the Communist-run country skirt U.S. sanctions that have complicated transactions through the…

Read More Here

Photo Story: One dead, five missing after Pemex offshore platform fire

A view of the fire on an oil platform in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche state, Mexico. At least one person died and five more are missing due to a fire…

Read More Here

Hurricane Grace unleashes severe flooding in Mexico, killing eight

Hurricane Grace pummeled Mexico with torrential rain, causing severe flooding and mudslides that killed at least eight people after becoming one of the most powerful storms in years to hit…

Read More Here

Grace becomes major hurricane, barrels toward Mexico’s Gulf coast

TECOLUTLA, Mexico, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Hurricane Grace rapidly intensified into a major hurricane on Friday night as it barreled towards Mexico's Gulf coast, threatening to lash the oil-producing state…

Read More Here

Mexico’s confirmed coronavirus cases top 3 million

Mexico reported 22,711 more coronavirus cases, according to health ministry data, pushing the total number of confirmed cases over 3 million. Mexico also reported an additional 727 fatalities, bringing the…

Read More Here

Ranks of Mexican poor swell to reach nearly half the population

Mexico's poverty rate grew to nearly 44% at the end of last year, government data just released showed, worsened by an economic slump as the coronavirus pandemic led to steep…

Read More Here

Mexico sues U.S. gun makers

Mexico sued several gun makers in a U.S. federal court on Wednesday, accusing them of reckless business practices that supply what it called a "torrent" of illegal arms to violent…

Read More Here

Latin America’s resurgent left and Caribbean spurn U.S. policy on Cuba

The United States doubled down on its tough stance and sanctions on Cuba after historic protests in the Communist-run island last month and said it would seek to support protesters.…

Read More Here

Guatemalans protest for second day against corruption

Anti-government protesters once more blocked intersections across Guatemala for the second day in a row as calls intensified for President Alejandro Giammattei and the attorney general to step down after…

Read More Here

Protests in Guatemala over lack of commitment in fighting corruption

Thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets in protest on Thursday, lighting fires and blocking roads across the Central American country, to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei after…

Read More Here

Cuban Embassy in Paris attacked with petrol bombs, France beefs up security

Cuba's embassy in Paris said on Tuesday it had been attacked overnight with petrol bombs that caused some damage but no injuries to its staff, in an incident that prompted French authorities…

Read More Here

Pro-democracy Cuban-American protesters pressure Biden to do more for Cuba

Thousands of Cuban-Americans descended on the White House to call on President Joe Biden to do more for Cuba saying the sanctions he imposed last week are not enough after…

Read More Here

Mexico in talks to produce Italy’s GRAd-COV2 COVID-19 vaccine

Mexican authorities said they are in talks with Italian health authorities and Italian biotech firm ReiThera about the possibility of producing the GRAd-COV2 COVID-19 vaccine in Mexico. Deputy Foreign Minister…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Feminists protest in Mexico City over teacher’s death

A view of a policeman's helmet, which was painted during a protests by feminist groups and relatives of Susana Garrido, in Mexico City, Mexico, 18 July 2021. Feminist collectives and…

Read More Here

Cuban government holds mass rally in Havana after protests

HAVANA - Raul Castro was among thousands who attended a government-organized rally in Havana on Saturday to denounce the U.S. trade embargo and reaffirm their support for Cuba's revolution, a…

Read More Here

U.S. calls for calm in Cuba, concerned by images of violence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Tuesday called for calm in Cuba and said it was concerned by images of violence it had seen in the past few…

Read More Here

Cuban president claims unrests pushed by US as Biden backs protests

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Monday accused Cubans of stirring up trouble through a social media campaign that he said increased over the last few weeks, leading to mass anti-government protests…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Cuba

Chanting "freedom" and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the…

Read More Here

Cuba says second COVID-19 vaccine Soberana 2 boasts 91.2% efficacy

Cuba said its two-shot Soberana 2 vaccine, delivered with a booster called Soberana Plus, had proven 91.2% effective in late stage clinical trials against the coronavirus, following similar news about…

Read More Here

Honduras coffee exports jump nearly 30% in June

Honduran coffee exports in the 2020-2021 harvest soared 28.4% in June, compared with the same month in the previous period, following higher shipping commitments, an industry executive said on Thursday.…

Read More Here

Mexico to step up border vaccinations to get frontier back to normal

Mexico aims to roll back pandemic-induced restrictions on its shared frontier with the United States by speeding up vaccinations ofits border population against COVID-19, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.…

Read More Here

Mexico bans influential ex-minister from holding public office

A former Mexican senior Cabinet minister, Luis Videgaray, has been banned from holding jobs or positions in public service for 10 years for failing to properly disclose his assets while…

Read More Here

Mexico backs G7 corporate tax plan, aims to include in 2022 budget

Mexico backs an agreement reached by the Group of Seven (G7) economies for a minimum global corporate tax rate of at least 15% and hopes to incorporate the scheme into its 2022 budget plan, a Mexican finance official said…

Read More Here

US VP Harris meets Guatemalan leader, steps seen to tackle human smuggling, graft

The Biden administration is expected to announce steps to combat human smuggling and corruption in Guatemala as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited for talks with President Alejandro Giammattei on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Mexican president keeps Congress but loses shine in mid-term vote

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador kept control of Congress in mid-term elections on Sunday but suffered losses to an opposition seeking to capitalize on discontent over his record on…

Read More Here

Mexicans vote in midterm elections seen as referendum on president

Mexicans headed to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new lower house of Congress, state governors and local lawmakers, in a race seen as a referendum on President…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Sinkhole in central Mexico extends and collapses part of a house

The sinkhole of 97 meters in diameter and an approximate depth of 20 meters, in the municipality of Juan C. Bonilla, in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The large sinkhole…

Read More Here

Microsoft, Mastercard sign on to VP Harris’s Central America strategy

Twelve companies and groups including Microsoft Corp, Mastercard and Nestle's Nespresso will commit to making investments in Central America - a win for Vice President Kamala Harris as she aims…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Red Moon seen from western Mexico

View of the super red moon at dawn, observed from the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 26 May 2021. VIA EPA-EFE/Francisco Guasco

Read More Here

Mexico reports lowest daily coronavirus death toll in over a year

Mexico’s health ministry registered 50 new confirmed deaths from COVID-19, the lowest daily increase reported from the pandemic in over a year, according to government data. The rise, which brought…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Mexico’s LGBT community demands an end to murders, which continue despite pandemic

Members of the LGBT Community protest in Mexico City, Mexico, 17 May 2021. The LGBT community of Mexico demanded on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, the end…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Mam Indians carry out Prayer of Rain 40 days after the end of Holy Week, in Guatemala

A Mayan spiritual guide throws flower petals as an offering to the Chicabal lagoon, in the crater of the Chicabal volcano, in San Martin Sacatepequez, Guatemala, 13 May 2021. Mam…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Notices are posted with files of missing persons in the Mexican state of Jalisco

A woman hugs her son in front of a mural with information on missing persons in Guadalajara, Mexico, 09 May 2021. Relatives of disappeared persons placed tiles with printed images…

Read More Here

China becomes top market for Cuba’s legendary cigars

Cuba’s state cigar monopoly, Habanos S.A., said that China had displaced Spain last year as its top market but rising demand in the Asian giant could not compensate for declines…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Pacaya volcano eruption in Guatemala

A person holding a cross watches lava flowing down the Pacaya volcano, in San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala, 05 May 2021. A lava river created by a new fissure in the…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Devastation and death after subway crash in Mexico City

Emergency services workers rescue one of the several people injured in an accident on the Mexico City subway at the bridge between the Olivos and Tezonco stations, in Mexico City,…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Virgen de los Dolores Temple in Zangarro community exposed due to drought

Aerial view of the Virgen de los Dolores Temple in Zangarro community, Guanajuato state, Mexico, 02 May 2021 (Issued 03 May 2021). Virgen de los Dolores (Our lady of Sorrows)…

Read More Here

UPDATE – 23 die as metro overpass collapses in Mexico (Photos)

At least 23 people were killed and 65 were hospitalized when a railway overpass and train collapsed onto a busy road in Mexico City on Monday night, crushing cars under fallen carriages…

Read More Here

Earthquake shakes buildings in Panama City

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.0 earthquake shook buildings in Panama City early on Saturday, a Reuters witness said, but authorities found no immediate sign of damage. The United…

Read More Here

Photo Story: ‘Magister Rafaello’ exhibition in Mexico City

People visit the audio-visual exhibition 'A wonderful journey through the Italian Renaissance', which opened today at the National Centre for the Arts (Cenart), in Mexico City, Mexico. The exhibition themes…

Read More Here

Castro era in Cuba to end as Raul confirms he’s retiring

HAVANA, April 16 (Reuters) - Raul Castro confirmed he was handing over the leadership of the Cuban Communist Party to a younger generation at its congress that kicked off on…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Rivers of lava caused by the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala

People crowd next to lava rivers caused by the Pacaya volcano, in the El Patrocinio village of San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala. The lava flows continue their course in the direction…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Mazatlan, Mexico

A general view of the Teodoro Mariscal Stadium in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Photo: EPA-EFE/Carlos Ramirez

Read More Here

Climate change shrinks marine life richness near equator: study

During some summers, as the Caribbean water temperatures climb, the luminous coral colonies of gold, green and blue that ring the island nation of Cuba give way to patches of…

Read More Here

Mexico, Brazil will not limit AstraZeneca vaccine

Mexican and Brazilian health regulators said on Wednesday they would not limit the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot after Britain's vaccine advisory committee recommended not using it for people under…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Holy Week procession in San Jose

Members of the 'Hermandad Romana Senorio de Cristo' take part in one of the few Holy Week processions allowed to take place in Costa Rica amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,…

Read More Here

Mexico says COVID-19 deaths likely 60% higher than confirmed toll

Mexico's death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is likely at least 60% higher than the confirmed number, putting it in excess of 300,000, according to government data. Updated figures https://coronavirus.gob.mx/exceso-de-mortalidad-en-mexico…

Read More Here

Cuba approves second homegrown COVID vaccine for late phase trials

Cuba’s drug regulatory authority approved a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate for late-stage clinical trials as the country races to secure a homegrown shot to quell its worst outbreak since the…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Guatemalan nationals killed in Mexico

Family and friends of Elfego Miranda, one of the Guatemalan nationals killed in the Santa Anita massacre, attend his funeral procession at the San Francisco cemetery in Comitancillo, Guatemala, 13…

Read More Here

U.S. prosecutors say Honduras has become a ‘narco-state’

U.S. prosecutors alleged that Honduras had become a “narco-state” with security forces and politicians, including President Juan Orlando Hernandez, working with traffickers to move large quantities of cocaine into the…

Read More Here

Mexico’s coronavirus death toll rises to 190,604

Mexico’s Health Ministry on Sunday reported 2,734 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country and 247 additional fatalities, bringing the total tally to 2,128,600 infections and 190,604 deaths. Health…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Increased activity on Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano

A view of an eruption of the Pacaya volcano as seen from San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala. The Pacaya volcano, one of the most active of the 32 in Guatemala, increased…

Read More Here

U.S. downplays possibility of sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Mexico

The Biden administration on Monday downplayed the prospect of sharing coronavirus vaccines with Mexico, saying it is focused first on getting its own population protected against a pandemic that has killed…

Read More Here

Population of Mexico’s monarch butterflies falls 26%

The population of monarch butterflies that arrived in Mexico’s forests to hibernate this winter fell 26% from a year earlier, the country’s Commission for National Protected Areas and the World…

Read More Here

U.S. arrests wife of Mexico cartel chief El Chapo on drug charges

The wife of Mexican drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was arrested and charged in the United States on Monday with helping her husband continue to run his drug trafficking cartel while…

Read More Here