Latin America

Ex-Brazil President Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup that included plan to poison Lula

Brazil’s prosecutor-general formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat, in a plot that included a plan to poison…

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Argentina gang crackdown has dried up cocaine exports

Patricia Bullrich, Argentina's security minister, is on a mission to stamp out drug gangs in the South American nation that have driven rising violence and led to a spike in…

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El Salvador offers to house violent US criminals and deportees of any nationality in unprecedented deal

El Salvador has agreed to house violent US criminals and receive deportees of any nationality, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday, in an unprecedented – and legally problematic…

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Colombia to declare state of emergency after rebel violence

A surge in guerrilla violence in northeastern Colombia that left over 100 people dead and displaced nearly 20,000 others has forced authorities to announce a state of emergency. President Gustavo…

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UPDATED: US announces $25m reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro as he is sworn in for third term

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12 years in office have been marked by deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for a third term on Friday, despite a…

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Venezuela has freed 533 election protest detainees, attorney general says

Venezuela's attorney general announced on Monday that 533 people detained during protests over the disputed July election have been released. The government stated that over 2,000 individuals were arrested following…

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Brazil’s Lula rushed to Sao Paulo for brain surgery, stable in ICU

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent surgery in Sao Paulo to drain a bleed on his brain linked to a fall at home in October, a medical note…

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Magnitude 5.6 quake hits El Salvador

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck some 9 km (6 miles) south-west of La Union in El Salvador, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said late on Sunday. Salvadoran civil protection authorities…

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UN human rights watchdog opens investigation into Venezuela presidential election

The United Nations Human Rights Council has directed Venezuela to preserve tally sheets and other electoral materials as it investigates allegations of electoral fraud by President Nicolás Maduro in this…

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Uruguay’s left returns to presidency

Center-left opposition candidate Yamandu Orsi secured victory in Uruguay's presidential election, official results showed , with 99% of votes tallied, in a second-round race that pollsters expected to be closely…

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Brazil police accuse Bolsonaro and ex-ministers of 2022 coup plot

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro plotted a coup to overturn the 2022 election along with dozens of ex-ministers and senior aides, federal police said in a formal accusation filed on…

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G20 talks in Rio reach breakthrough on climate finance

Diplomatic tensions over global warming spilled over into the G20 summit negotiations in Brazil this week, with sources saying the 20 major economies reached a fragile consensus on climate finance…

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Former Bolivian president Evo Morales says his car was shot at in assassination attempt

Evo Morales, the former Bolivian president, said a car he was travelling in had been shot at in what he condemned as an attempt on his life. A video he…

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Italian mafia fugitive arrested in Colombia for drug trafficking

A fugitive member of the Camorra mafia due to serve almost 19 years in prison for drug trafficking has been arrested in Colombia, Italian police said on Friday. Luigi Belvedere…

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Peru ex-President Toledo convicted of bribe-taking, sentenced to 20 years in prison

Peruvian former President Alejandro Toledo was convicted of taking bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison. The verdict marks Peru's first…

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Brazilian nun wins UN Nansen Refugee Award

Sister Rosita Milesi won the Nansen Refugee Award on Wednesday, an award given every year by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to those who have devoted themselves to protecting displaced…

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Colombia government suspends peace talks with ELN rebels

Colombia's government has called off peace talks with leftist rebel group the National Liberation Army (ELN), its peace delegation said, following an attack which killed two soldiers and injured more…

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Venezuela arrests US, EU citizens over alleged plot to kill Maduro

Venezuela over the weekendarrested three United States citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech national over their alleged participation in a U.S.-sponsored plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro and several members…

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Peru’s Fujimori, divisive head of political dynasty, dies age 86

Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who steered economic growth during the 1990s but was later jailed for human rights abuses stemming from a bloody war against Maoist rebels, died on…

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Maduro moves Christmas to October

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared that he would issue a decree to move Christmas to October 1. In his weekly television show on Monday, Maduro said "It's September, and it…

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Venezuela opposition urges global protest over poll result

Venezuela's opposition party has announced plans for global protests on 17 August in support of its claim that it won the recent presidential election. Although the government-controlled electoral commission declared…

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Colombia Considers Banning Pablo Escobar Souvenirs

Souvenirs depicting the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if legislators approve a bill introduced this week in the nation’s congress. The proposal is criticized…

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Brazil, Mexico and Colombia call for Venezuela to release full vote tallies

Brazil, Mexico and Colombia called for Venezuela to release detailed voting tallies, while the United States said it considered the opposition candidate as the winner, amid a dispute over presidential…

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Venezuela ruling party, opposition rally supporters in election dispute

Protests by ruling party and opposition supporters are expected to take place in Venezuela on Tuesday in the wake of a disputed election victory by President Nicolas Maduro, with the…

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Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro wins third term

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has won a third term with 51% of the vote, the country's electoral authority said just after midnight on Monday, despite multiple exit polls which pointed…

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Venezuela opposition seeks to end 25 years of socialist power in Sunday vote

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and her coalition's candidate Edmundo Gonzalez have commanded enthusiastic crowds during their campaign to unseat President Nicolas Maduro and end 25 years of ruling…

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Who is Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela opposition leader?

Laughter, tears, and requests for help often greet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as she tours the country urging voters to back change in the upcoming July 28 presidential…

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Brazil reports world’s first Oropouche virus deaths

Brazil has recorded the world’s first Oropouche virus deaths, the country’s health ministry said Thursday, after two women died of the illness spread by infected flies and mosquitos. The women…

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Magnitude 7.3 quake hits Chile’s north, no immediate damage

A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the mining-intensive Antofagasta region of Chile on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami risk…

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Venezuela’s Maduro accepts proposal to restart direct U.S. talks

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he has accepted a proposal to restart direct talks with the United States. "After thinking about it, I have accepted and next…

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Bolivia coup attempt fails after military assault on presidential palace

Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after President Luis Arce slammed a "coup" attempt against the…

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Venezuela disinvites EU observers from upcoming election

Venezuela rescinded an invitation to European Union observers to monitor the presidential vote in July. The country's electoral authority cited EU sanctions against Venezuela for their decision on Tuesday. "They…

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Floods in Brazil kill 143

The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 143, the local civil defense government body said on Sunday, up from 136 in the…

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Falklands dispute may last decades – Argentina president

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has acknowledges that the Falkland Islands are currently under UK control. In an interview with the BBC, the right-wing leader expressed his intention to pursue diplomatic…

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Brazil police investigate Bolsonaro’s stay in February at Hungary embassy

Brazilian police are investigating why former president Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasilia last month right after his passport was seized in an investigation into…

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Brazilian rightist Bolsonaro says he does not fear being put on trial

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro said he does not fear being put on trial, one day after a police investigation revealed the far-right politician tried…

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Venezuela’s Maduro announces candidacy for July re-election

By Mayela Armas Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro will run for a second re-election to secure another six-year term in voting planned for July 28, the ruling Socialist party said. Maduro,…

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Venezuela rushes to mend Iran relationship as US sanctions loom

Iran and Venezuela are trying to patch together an oil alliance that began to fray last year, according to six people familiar with the matter, after the South American country…

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Argentina launches $65 billion bond swap to push back 2024 debt

Argentina's government will launch a huge voluntary debt swap on Monday of peso and some dollar-linked instruments set to mature in 2024, a bid to push back repayments amid a…

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Poverty in Argentina hits 20-year high as inflation tops 200%

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Poverty levels in Argentina hit 57.4% in January, the highest in at least 20 years, according to a report by the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA)…

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Brazil beefs up its military presence in the Amazon

Border tensions over Guyana's Esequibo and the humanitarian crisis among the Yanomami Indigenous people have led Brazil's army to increase its forces in the Amazon by 10% ahead of plan,…

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Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

SANTIAGO, (Reuters) - Chilean ex-President Sebastian Pinera died in a helicopter crash on Tuesday, sending the country he led for two terms into mourning and prompting an outpouring of condolences…

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Forest fires kill 112 in Chile’s worst disaster since 2010 earthquake

Firefighters in central Chile on Sunday battled to quell fierce forest fires that have killed 112 people so far and razed entire neighborhoods, while President Gabriel Boric warned the country…

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Salvador’s Bukele declares victory in presidential poll

By Nelson Renteria and Sarah Kinosian SAN SALVADOR, (Reuters) - President Nayib Bukele on Sunday declared himself winner of El Salvador's national elections in a landslide, claiming he captured more…

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Short on cash, El Salvador doubles down on Bitcoin dream

By Sarah Kinosian and Nelson Renteria BERLIN, El Salvador (Reuters) - James and Nicki Malcolm moved to El Salvador from New Zealand to be part of a bitcoin dream sold…

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Brazil’s Lula launches ‘re-industrialisation’ plan for next decade

Brazil's government on Monday unveiled an industrial development plan for the next 10 years aimed at boosting growth in the sluggish economy with state credit and subsidies for companies, as…

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Scientists assert ‘alien mummies’ in Peru are really dolls made from Earthly bones

By Marco Aquino LIMA, (Reuters) - A pair of "alien mummies" that mysteriously turned up at the airport in Peru's capital last October have entirely Earthly origins, according to a…

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Barbecue off the menu in Argentina as inflation nears 200%

By Horacio Soria BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Argentine retiree Susana Barrio says she no longer invites her friends over for the traditional asado barbecue, long a key part of social…

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Colombia, Ecuador bust drug ring exporting five tons of cocaine a month

By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia and Ecuador broke up a criminal organization responsible for sending up to five tons of cocaine per month to the U.S. and…

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EU’s Borrell sees Argentina more open to EU-Mercosur trade deal

Argentina, whose new president Javier Milei has said the South American common market Mercosur serves no purpose, now appears to be more willing for the bloc to sign a free trade deal…

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Brazil shows concern as Venezuela slams UK warship sent to Guyana

Brazil expressed concern after Venezuela complained about the deployment of a British warship off the Guyana coast, raising tensions in a border dispute over the oil-rich Esequibo region of the…

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Venezuela’s Maduro slams deployment of British warship to Guyana

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the deployment of a British warship to waters off the coast of Guyana breaches the "spirit" of an agreement reached between Venezuelan and Guyanese authorities.…

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El Salvador offers citizenship to foreign bitcoin investors

By Gerardo Arbaiza SAN SALVADOR, (Reuters) - El Salvador's Congress has approved a migration law granting expedited citizenship to foreigners who make bitcoin "donations" to government social and economic development…

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Mexican president urges Argentines to peacefully resist Milei

Mexico's leftist leader recommended that Argentines peacefully protest the new government of radical libertarian President Javier Milei, who took office last week promising deep budget cuts in a bid to…

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Argentina’s economy enters recession

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Argentina's economic activity shrank 0.80% in the third quarter from the year-earlier period, the country's statistics agency said , missing analysts' forecast of a 0.70% contraction…

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Argentina devalues peso, cuts spending

Argentina will weaken its peso over 50% to 800 per dollar, cut energy subsidies, and cancel tenders of public works, new Economy Minister Luis Caputo said, economic shock therapy aimed…

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Argentine President Milei warns economic shock unavoidable in maiden speech

By Nicolás Misculin and Candelaria Grimberg BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Argentina libertarian economist Javier Milei took office on Sunday warning in his maiden speech that he had no alternative to…

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