Latin America

• Tuesday, February 25th 2020 - 07:25 UTC

  Colombia offensive against drug traffickers clearing national parks to plant coca

  

  Colombia's Defense Minister said on Monday the military will step up an offensive against drug trafficking gangs responsible for clearing thousands of hectares of protected national parks for coca plantations.

• Saturday, February 22nd 2020 - 09:49 UTC

  Peruvians demonstrate in support of bull and cock fighting

  

  Around 10,000 people demonstrated in support of bull and cock fighting in Lima on Friday ahead of a Supreme Court decision on their future.

• Saturday, February 22nd 2020 - 09:17 UTC

  “El Menchito”, son of a powerful Mexican drug lord extradited to the US

  

  The son of a powerful Mexican drug lord was this week extradited to the United States, where he is wanted for trafficking, a government source revealed. Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, known as “El Menchito,” “was extradited this day on the charge of conspiracy to smuggle drugs” into US territory, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

• Friday, February 21st 2020 - 08:29 UTC

  Suspects of killing 7-year old girl that triggered massive protests in Mexico, arrested

  

  Mexican law enforcement has arrested suspects in the killing of a seven-year-old girl whose murder rocked the capital with protests, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum wrote in a post on Twitter. The body of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett was discovered over the weekend in a plastic garbage bag, sparking outrage over growing violence against women in Mexico.

• Friday, February 21st 2020 - 08:25 UTC

  Public school teachers strike in Colombia: seven million children without classes

  

  Public school teachers in Colombia launched a two-day strike on Thursday to protest violence against the profession and killings of activists and other community leaders, leaving more than 7 million children without classes.

• Thursday, February 20th 2020 - 18:24 UTC

  Brazilian delegation in Mexico trying to lobby rice exports

  

  A delegation of Brazilian rice producers is on a mission to Mexico this week to lobby for a cut in the 20% tariff their exports face in the lucrative Mexican market, a reduction they say could enable them to compete with U.S. rivals.

• Thursday, February 20th 2020 - 13:23 UTC

  LATAM sued for the alleged rape of a child flying unaccompanied

  

  A man in Florida is suing one of Latin America's largest airlines, saying his 6-year-old son was sexually assaulted by an airline employee while traveling as an unaccompanied minor from Brazil to the U.S.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2020 - 06:45 UTC

  Colombia orders Facebook to strengthen security measures to protect users personal data

  

  Colombia issued an ultimatum to Facebook, telling the Silicon Valley-based tech giant it must strengthen its security measures to better protect users' personal data in the Andean country.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2020 - 06:42 UTC

  Cuba short of oil forced to burn old tyres to power factories

  

  The Cuban government has ordered a cement factory to burn old tyres to power its operations and save on oil, amid a worsening fuel shortage brought on by US sanctions on the Communist island.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2020 - 06:24 UTC

  Mexican government accused of failing to protect a murdered seven year old girl despite family pleas

  

  Relatives of a seven-year-old girl murdered in Mexico said on Monday the government had failed to protect her despite their pleas, while President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to blame the crime on neo-liberal economics.