Video shows guards walking away during fire that killed 40
March 28, 2023 GMTCIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — After migrants in northern Mexico placed mattresses against the bars of their detention cell and set them on fire, guards quickly walked away and made no apparent attempt to release the men before smoke filled the room and killed at least 40, surveillance video showed Tuesday.
Deadly fire highlights immigration pressures on Mexico
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — The fire that killed at least 40 people at an immigration detention center in Mexico happened as Western hemisphere countries face pressure to address the extraordinary number of people fleeing their homes.
3 dead, 13 missing in Caribbean sinking; 14 Africans saved
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — At least 14 people from the African nation of Cameroon were rescued from waters in the eastern Caribbean early Tuesday after their boat capsized, but three people were dead and 13 others missing, authorities in St.
Girl’s body pulled from Ecuador landslide, raising toll to 8
March 28, 2023 GMTALAUSÍ, Ecuador (AP) — Rescuers on Tuesday pulled the body of a 6-year-old girl from the rubble of a house buried by a big landslide in central Ecuador, raising the confirmed death toll to eight while the search continued for more than 60 people still missing.
Puerto Rico governor unveils solar energy plans in address
March 29, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced new solar energy initiatives on Tuesday during his annual state of the territory address, a speech viewed by many as critical as he fights plummeting ratings amid growing discontent over costly electric bills, government corruption and slow-moving hurricane reconstruction.
Brazil hits 700,000 virus deaths, 2nd highest in the world
March 28, 2023 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government on Tuesday reported the 700,000th death from COVID-19 in the South American nation, which has the second most victims of the virus after the United States.
Brazilian health experts say most people dying of COVID-19 in recent days are either unvaccinated or suffer from other debilitating diseases.
El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The Central American nation of El Salvador marked a full year Monday under anti-gang emergency measures that were originally supposed to last only a month.
It was the the first anniversary of President Nayib Bukele’s request for special powers to pursue gangs last March 27, following a surge in gang violence in which 62 people were killed in a single day.
Group bans some trade with Mexico over endangered porpoise
March 27, 2023 GMTThe international wildlife body CITES called Monday on 184 member countries to stop trade with Mexico for products linked to sensitive species, such as orchids, cactuses and skins from crocodiles and snakes.
Teenager fatally stabs teacher, wounds five people in Brazil
March 27, 2023 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — A 13-year-old student in Brazil’s biggest city fatally stabbed a 71-year-old teacher and wounded three teachers and two fellow students Monday in a knife attack at a public school, state officials said.
Landslide in Ecuador kills at least 7, with dozens missing
March 28, 2023 GMTALAUSI, Ecuador (AP) — A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday.
Family of US couple kidnapped in Haiti pleads for release
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nikese Toussaint was at church, so she didn’t see the text message from her sister.
All she knew at that point was that their brother and his wife, who live in the U.S., had landed safely in Haiti to visit ailing relatives and prepare for Rara, a colorful and boisterous festival born out of the dark days of slavery.
Voter abstention rises in Cuban National Assembly election
March 28, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Cuba's government reported Monday that abstention in National Assembly elections was 24.1%, a figure some analysts said reflects discontent with the island's economic crisis as well as a rise in apathy.
Mexican government puts grammatical ‘errors’ into textbooks
March 27, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Monday defended the apparent insertion of what teachers have long considered grammatical errors into school textbooks.
Copies of the new textbooks posted on social media show them using words like “dijistes,” long considered an incorrect or uneducated way of saying “dijiste,” meaning “you said.” The same goes for “hicistes,” in which the final “s” is also considered not correct.
US lawsuit seeks to protect habitat of endangered corals
March 27, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An environmental group filed a lawsuit Monday accusing the U.S. government of failing to protect 12 endangered coral species across the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean that have been decimated by warming waters, pollution and overfishing.
Wind industry predicts bounceback and rapid growth in 2023
March 27, 2023 GMTThe wind power industry on Monday projected growth to rapidly accelerate this year, with incentives and policy changes in key nations helping to overcome factors that led to a slowdown in 2022.
Residents protest zipline on Rio’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain
March 27, 2023 GMTSome 200 protesters gathered beneath Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain to protest the ongoing construction of ziplines aimed at boosting tourism, alleging it will cause unacceptable impacts.
Eyes on abstention as Cubans vote for National Assembly
March 26, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Cubans voted Sunday in National Assembly elections with attention focused on voter turnout amid a deep economic and migratory crisis.
With 470 candidates running for the legislature’s 470 seats, and no opposition challengers, the election's outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Honduras establishes ties with China after Taiwan break
March 26, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Honduras established diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after breaking off relations with Taiwan, which is increasingly isolated and now recognized by only 13 sovereign states.
Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique in Beijing — a decision the Chinese Foreign Ministry hailed as “the right choice."
Mexican kid’s comic Xavier López, ‘Chabelo,’ dies at 88
March 25, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Xavier López, a Mexican children’s comic better known by his stage name “Chabelo,” has died at 88, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote Saturday.
López's best-known work, the Sunday variety show “En Familia con Chabelo”, ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015, Mexico's longest-running TV show.
Mourners gather for American killed by cartel on Mexico trip
March 25, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — Photos of a peewee football player flashed across a slideshow. The image of a smiling young man adorned memorial T-shirts. But the body of the American gunned down three weeks ago by the Gulf cartel in Mexico was kept shielded from funeral-goers.
Brazil’s Lula cancels trip to China because of pneumonia
March 25, 2023 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to China after contracting pneumonia, the presidential palace said on Saturday.
Lula, 77, was admitted to a hospital in the capital of Brasilia with flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with “bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia due to influenza A,” the palace said in a statement, quoting a medical note signed by Dr.
Venezuela: 21 officials, businessmen arrested in oil scheme
March 25, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s attorney general said Saturday that 21 people, including senior officials in the government of President Nicolás Maduro and business leaders, have been arrested in connection with a corruption scheme involving international oil sales.
Mexico sanctioned for not protecting endangered porpoise
March 25, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico acknowledged Saturday it faces sanctions from the international wildlife body known as CITES for not doing enough to protect the vaquita marina, a small porpoise that is the world’s most endangered marine mammal.
Bolsonaro’s legal woes deepen with undeclared diamond gifts
March 25, 2023 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Undeclared diamond jewelry brought into Brazil from Saudi Arabia has deepened the legal jeopardy of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. An investigation into two sets of jewels reportedly worth millions is only the latest scandal threatening the far-right politician.
Texas police: Migrants found ‘suffocating’ in train; 2 dead
March 25, 2023 GMTUVALDE, Texas (AP) — Two migrants were found dead and at least 10 were hospitalized Friday after police in South Texas received a call that they were “suffocating” in a freight train traveling near the U.S.-Mexico border.
DEA overseas review barely mentions corruption scandals
March 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — After nearly two years and at least $1.4 million spent, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday released an external review of its overseas operations that barely mentions recent corruption scandals and offers recommendations that critics dismissed as overly vague.
US, Canada end loophole that let asylum-seekers cross border
March 25, 2023 GMTST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement that has allowed thousands of asylum-seeking immigrants to move between the two countries along a back road linking New York state to the Canadian province of Quebec.
Human rights groups criticize Cuba’s new criminal code
March 24, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Cuba enacted a new penal code this week that activists and human rights organizations warned Friday could further limit free expression and snuff out protests at a time of deepening discontent on the island.
Man pleads guilty to role in Haiti president’s assassination
March 24, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A convicted drug trafficker pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court Friday to participating in the assassination of Haiti’s president in 2021.
Rodolphe Jaar, 50, pleaded guilty in Miami to conspiring to provide material support, providing material support and conspiring to kidnap and kill President Jovenel Moïse, according to court records.
Protesters in Suriname demand president resign
March 24, 2023 GMTPARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — A few hundred protesters gathered in Suriname’s capital on Friday to demand that the president of the South American country resign.
They accused the administration of President Chan Santokhi of trying to postpone the 2025 general election, which can’t be organized until legislators amend an electoral law as required by a court ruling last year that aims to create a fairer voting system.
Mexican president pushes back on US criticism on violence
March 24, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Friday angrily rejected comments by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Mexican government has lost control over parts of the country.
However, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged that Mexican cartels had placed people inside Mexico's drug regulatory agency to approve imports of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro turns in undeclared jewels to authorities
March 24, 2023 GMTBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A representative of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday handed a set of diamond jewelry he received during his presidency over to a state bank, as ordered by a government watchdog amid an investigation into the gifts.
Cuba holds national elections with no opposition candidates
March 24, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Cuba holds National Assembly elections Sunday, but there are only 470 candidates running for the 470 seats, with no opposition challengers and no campaigning. Voters essentially will do no more than endorse the nominated slate of candidates.
Brazil’s Lula contracts pneumonia, pushes back China trip
March 24, 2023 GMTBrazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pushed back his departure to China after contracting “mild pneumonia," the presidential palace said in a statement Friday.
Lula, 77, underwent medical examinations in a hospital after a trip to Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, the statement said.
Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup champs
March 24, 2023 GMTBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Messi mania gripped Buenos Aires as the Argentina national team led by Lionel Messi beat Panama 2-0 on Thursday in a friendly match that was essentially a celebration of their World Cup victory last December.
Rio police raid slum to arrest drug lords, 13 people killed
March 24, 2023 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police exchanged fire with gunmen Thursday when they raided one of Rio de Janeiro’s slums to arrest alleged drug traffickers, and 13 people were killed, authorities said.
Police said the raid was tied to drug traffickers originally from the northern state of Para, where more than 40 police officers have been killed since 2021.
Paraguay launches corruption probe of former president
March 23, 2023 GMTBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Paraguay’s attorney general launched a criminal investigation Thursday into U.S. allegations that a former Paraguayan president and the current vice president were involved in corruption and had ties to a terrorist group.
Mexico president confirms killer of Jesuits was found dead
March 23, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Thursday forensic tests have confirmed that a body found in northern Mexico was that of a drug gang leader accused of murdering two Jesuit priests last year.
New deep-sea worm named after Trinidad & Tobago scientist
March 23, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new species of deep-sea worm that can live in environments on the ocean floor that are either extremely hot or very cold has been named after a marine scientist from Trinidad and Tobago.
Taiwan recalls ambassador as Honduras switches ties to China
March 23, 2023 GMTTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan says it has recalled its ambassador to Honduras amid moves by the Central American country to establish formal diplomatic ties with China.
Taiwan and China have been locked in a battle for diplomatic recognition since the sides split amid civil war in 1949.
Jury finds former Puerto Rican mayor guilty of corruption
March 23, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal jury has found a former Puerto Rican mayor guilty of bribery, extortion and conspiracy in the U.S territory’s latest government corruption case.
Ángel Pérez Otero, who was mayor of the northern city of Guaynabo and president of Puerto Rico’s Mayors’ Federation, was released on bail after the verdict in U.S.
Big jump in migrants crossing Panama’s dangerous Darien Gap
March 23, 2023 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s government said Wednesday that 50,000 migrants crossed the treacherous Darien Gap linking Colombia and Panama in the first two months of 2023, five times more than in the same period last year.
Farmers struggle in Argentina as drought withers their crops
March 23, 2023 GMTURQUIZA, Argentina (AP) — The ground crackles as Guillermo Cuitino walks across dry farmland that should be green and lush this time of year. He grabs a soy plant and easily disintegrates its leaves with his hands.
Report: Killer of Jesuits in Mexico found shot to death
March 22, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The sister of a drug gang leader accused of murdering two Jesuit priests last year has identified a body found shot to death in northern Mexico as her brother, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Ex-Haitian mayor found liable in killings charged with fraud
March 22, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — A former Haitian mayor was criminally charged Wednesday with lying on his application to become a legal resident of the U.S., just one day after he was found liable for a killing and two attempted slayings in his homeland.
Getting safe water a struggle for many of Venezuela’s poor
March 22, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Everyone knows Franklin Cáceres in his neighborhood on the far east side of Venezuela’s capital. A roadside vendor directs a visitor downhill, past a curve and to the left.
Red Cross says violence displaced more Colombians in 2022
March 22, 2023 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The number of internally displaced people in Colombia increased significantly last year as several armed groups fought for control of rural pockets of the country, the Red Cross said Wednesday.
USGS: Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes northwest Argentina
March 22, 2023 GMTBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck northwestern Argentina on Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
A 5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida
March 22, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A 5,000-mile seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
Brazil police foil gang plot targeting Carwash judge Moro
March 22, 2023 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — Federal police raided locations in several states Wednesday to crack down on a gang accused of plotting assassinations and kidnappings of public officials including a former judge who presided over Brazil’s biggest corruption case.
Mexico rights agency: 4 soldiers killed unarmed men
March 22, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s governmental human rights agency said four soldiers opened fire without justification on a pickup truck in the border city of Nuevo Laredo last month, killing five men and wounding another.
US ‘concerned’ by Mexican seizure of Alabama company’s port
March 21, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it was “concerned about the fair treatment of our companies in Mexico” after Mexican police seized a cargo terminal owned by an Alabama-based company.
Messi mania in Argentina as soccer star mobbed at restaurant
March 21, 2023 GMTBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A steakhouse in the trendy Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo was mobbed by hundreds of frenzied soccer fans late Monday night when word spread that Lionel Messi was inside having dinner.
Number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico drops 22%
March 21, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favored wintering grounds tripled.
Venezuela oil czar in surprise resignation amid graft probes
March 21, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The man responsible for running Venezuela's oil industry — the one that pays for virtually everything in the troubled country, from subsidized food to ridiculously cheap gas — has quit amid investigations into alleged corruption among officials in various parts of the government.
Jury rules against ex-Haitian mayor, orders $15M in damages
March 21, 2023 GMTThree men who said they or their families were subjected to political persecution that included a killing, attempted killings and torture in their hometown in Haiti finally got justice after about 15 years on Tuesday when an American jury ruled in their favor and awarded them $15.5 million in damages.
Ecuador officials have suspect in explosives sent to media
March 21, 2023 GMTQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Authorities in Ecuador are investigating small explosives sent to journalists at several media outlets, one of which detonated but did not injure anyone, and they said Tuesday they have a suspect.
Fireworks explosion leaves 7 dead, 15 injured in Mexico
March 21, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A powerful blast at an illegal fireworks workshop near Mexico City left seven people dead and 15 injured.
The explosion occurred late Monday at a house used to make fireworks in the state of Morelos, just south of the capital.
UN: Fresh gang violence in Haiti leaves 187 dead in 11 days
March 21, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — New clashes between gangs in Haiti’s capital and beyond have killed at least 187 people in less than two weeks and injured more than 150 others, the U.N. said Tuesday.
Bullfighting ban faces critical legislative vote in Colombia
March 21, 2023 GMTVILLAPINZON, Colombia (AP) — A 61-year-old matador nicknamed “Little gypsy of America” fell headfirst into the dust when he was headbutted by a bull. He recovered to the applause of the crowd, and later killed the bull with a sword thrust to the back of its neck.
Venezuela’s oil czar resigns amid corruption investigations
March 21, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s oil czar announced his resignation Monday as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials in the state oil industry and other parts of the government.
US company says Mexican police illegally seized property
March 20, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.S. company said Monday that Mexican police and soldiers have illegally entered and seized a cargo port it operates on land it owns on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Alabama-based Vulcan Materials said police forced their way into the Caribbean coast dock at Punta Venado, near Playa del Carmen, last week.
Guatemala seeks to remove opposition candidate’s immunity
March 20, 2023 GMTGUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A prosecutor in Guatemala asked a court Monday to lift the immunity of one of the candidates in June presidential elections, because the candidate had asked about a judge’s motive in prosecuting journalists.
Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend files lawsuit seeking $40M
March 20, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Bad Bunny’s ex–girlfriend is suing the superstar for at least $40 million over a well-known voice recording she provided the singer before he became famous.
Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, whose breathy “Bad Bunny, baby” recording was included in two of the artist’s songs, claimed in a lawsuit filed this month in a Puerto Rico court that her voice and the phrase she came up with are being used without her permission.
Dominican police arrest 19 in high-profile corruption case
March 20, 2023 GMTSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested 19 people in a sweeping corruption case that accuses a well-known former presidential candidate and three former officials of embezzling nearly $350 million and illegal campaign financing.
Fear, grief follow deadly quake on Ecuador’s southwest coast
March 20, 2023 GMTQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Some affectionally call Machala the "Banana Capital of the World." This port community on Ecuador's Pacific coast is home to about a quarter million people and normally bustles with commercial activity.
Pope offers prayer for earthquake victims in Ecuador, Peru
March 19, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis offered prayers Sunday for the victims of an earthquake that shook vast swaths of territory in Ecuador and parts of Peru.
During his weekly Sunday noon blessing, Francis recalled that the 6.8-magnitude temblor caused “death, injuries and heavy damage.”
Strong earthquake kills at least 14 in Ecuador, 1 in Peru
March 19, 2023 GMTQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A strong earthquake shook southern Ecuador and northern Peru on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, trapping others under rubble, and sending rescue teams out into streets littered with debris and fallen power lines.
Mexico president holds massive rally ahead of 2024 elections
March 19, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held a massive rally in Mexico City’s main plaza attended by tens of thousands of people Saturday.
Though it was called to commemorate Mexico's 1938 expropriation of the oil industry, many of those attending the rally Saturday agreed that it was the de-facto opening salvo to the 2024 elections that will choose the president’s successor.
US warns about fake, dangerous pills being sold in Mexico
March 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold at pharmacies in Mexico that often contain fentanyl.
The travel alert posted Friday says Americans should “exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico.”
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown
March 18, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country's government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Tejano musician Fito Olivares dies in Houston at 75
March 18, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — Tejano musician Fito Olivares, known for songs that were wedding and quinceanera mainstays including the hit “Juana La Cubana,” died Friday. He was 75.
The noted saxophonist died in the morning at home in Houston, according to his wife, Griselda Olivares.
Mexican migrant killed in California capsize left daughter
March 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Yecenia Lazcano Soriano left behind a 4-year-old daughter in her home town of Tehuacan, Mexico, when she set out almost in secret to reach the United States.
The last message she sent to relatives was a heart emoji.
Lack of hugs caused US fentanyl crisis, Mexico’s leader says
March 17, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Friday that U.S. families were to blame for the fentanyl overdose crisis because they don’t hug their kids enough.
The comment by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador caps a week of provocative statements from him about the crisis caused by the fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.
Panama buries last 13 bodies of dozens of bus crash victims
March 17, 2023 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama buried the last 13 unclaimed bodies Friday from a Feb. 15 bus crash that killed over three dozen migrants from several countries.
The migrants buried Friday included people from Haiti, Eritrea and Nigeria.
Haiti PM turns to military for help in fighting gangs
March 17, 2023 GMTPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Prime Minister Ariel Henry signaled Friday that he wants to mobilize Haiti’s military to help the National Police fight the country’s increasingly powerful gangs.
Henry said during an appearance at the Haitian Armed Forces headquarters that he intends to mobilize all of the country’s security forces in the fight against gang violence.