Uruguay’s former guerilla-turned-president, Jose Mujica, widely known as a leftist icon who transformed his small country into one of the most socially liberal in all of Latin America, said Monday that he has esophageal cancer. Mujica, 88, said he was diagnosed during a routine medical checkup last Friday. He said the tumor discovered in his esophagus is particularly dangerous because …
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A Colombian army helicopter has crashed in a rural area of the country's north, killing 9 soldiers
An army helicopter carrying supplies to troops crashed in a rural area in northern Colombia on Monday, killing nine soldiers on board, the country’s armed forces said. In a statement, the Colombian military said the helicopter was taking the supplies to the municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur, an area that has recently experienced fighting between the National Liberation Army …
Read More »Iran rejects Argentina's push to arrest interior minister for 1994 Jewish center bombing
Iran lashed out at Argentina on Wednesday after the South American country sought the arrest of Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi over his alleged involvement in the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center. Without mentioning Vahidi by name, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned Argentina against “making baseless accusations against citizens of other countries.” The warning Wednesday came …
Read More »Thousands protest in Argentina as Milei's austerity plan hits universities
Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has tried to dismiss the worsening budget crisis at public universities as politics as usual, a contest with his leftist political rivals who hold sway over liberal campuses. It does not feel that way to many of the students at the elite University of Buenos Aires, where halls went dark, elevators froze and air conditioning …
Read More »Thousands of Indigenous people gather in Brazil to protest Lula's land grant decisions
Thousands of Indigenous people began gathering in Brazil’s capital on Monday for what was expected to become a protest against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s unfulfilled promises to create reserves and expel illegal miners and land-grabbers from their territories. Holding Lula’s government to account appeared to be the focus of this year’s 20th Free Land Camp, an annual weeklong …
Read More »Peruvian psychologist Ana Estrada, who fought in courts for 'death with dignity,' has died by euthanasia
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance. Ana Estrada fought for years in Peruvian courts for the right to die with …
Read More »Hollywood handbag designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags into the US
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the “Sex and the City” TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia. Nancy Gonzalez was arrested in 2022 in Cali, Colombia, and later …
Read More »Venezuela closes its embassy in Ecuador
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered the closure of his country’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador on Tuesday in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the Mexican embassy in Quito. Venezuela also “fully supports” Mexico’s request to have the United Nations suspend Ecuador from the world body, Maduro said during a virtual meeting of …
Read More »Ecuador rations electricity as drought persists in the northern Andes
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador on Tuesday began to ration electricity in the country’s main cities as a drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern depletes reservoirs and limits output at hydroelectric plants that produce about 75% of the nation’s power. The power cuts were announced on Monday night by the ministry of energy, which said in a statement …
Read More »Argentine court blames Iran and Hezbollah for deadly 1994 Jewish center bombing
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s highest criminal court reported a new development Thursday in the elusive quest for justice in the deadliest attack in the country’s history — the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center headquarters — concluding Iran had planned the attack and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group had executed the plans. In a ruling obtained by The …
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