Latin America

• Saturday, September 23rd 2023 - 09:36 UTC

  New legislation decriminalizes self-defense in Peru

  

  Peru's one-house Congress has allowed the use of lethal force in case of “imminent danger” in a move to protect the citizenry. President Dina Boluarte has signed the bill into law, it was reported in Lima.

• Thursday, September 21st 2023 - 11:03 UTC

  Ukrainian leader holds meetings with Lula and Boric

  

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday met separately with his Brazilian and Chilean colleagues on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

• Monday, September 18th 2023 - 10:10 UTC

  Haitians want PM to step down due to crisis with Dominican Republic

  

  Scores of Haitians demanded Sunday the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry following Dominican President Luis Abinader's decision to close all borders between the only two countries sharing the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, it was reported in Port-au-Prince.

• Monday, September 18th 2023 - 09:53 UTC

  Peru: Boluarte's gov't targets freedom of the press

  

  Journalist guilds in Peru have expressed their concern about restrictions on freedom the government of President Dina Boluarte is planning to exert through changes to the Penal Code to hold demonstrators and reporters criminally accountable, it was reported in Lima.

• Saturday, September 16th 2023 - 10:04 UTC

  Dominican Republic closes all borders with Haiti for as long as necessary

  

  Dominican Republic authorities closed all land, air, and sea borders with Haiti over a dispute stemming from the construction of a canal in Haitian territory that affects the flow of water from a river shared by both countries.

• Friday, September 15th 2023 - 10:16 UTC

  Argentine national stabbed in Bolivia dies after being denied medical attention

  

  The death of an Argentine national in Bolivia after being denied medical attention has sparked nationalistic anger and calls for retribution measures, it was reported in Buenos Aires.

• Friday, September 15th 2023 - 10:04 UTC

  Consequences of Lake Titicaca drought underreported, conservationists say

  

  The Association of Indigenous Peoples Conservationists (Asociación de Pueblos Originarios Conservacionistas - APOC) insisted this week that an emergency be declared in Lake Titicaca, which they claimed was suffering from “water stress,” meaning that water demand exceeds the amount available.

• Thursday, September 14th 2023 - 12:16 UTC

  Latin America, most dangerous region for environment defenders, Global Witness report

  

  Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world for environmental defenders, according to a new report released by the Global Witness NGO on Wednesday. The environmental crime watchdog said at least 177 landdefenders were killed worldwide last year. One in five of them were murdered in the Amazon rainforest.

• Thursday, September 14th 2023 - 10:09 UTC

  Peru to allocate green debt swap to tropical forest protection in Amazon

  

  The Peruvian administration of President Dina Boluarte pledged to use the proceeds from a US$ 20 million debt swap with the United States for climate action in the Amazon to finance a tropical forest protection fund over the next 13 years, it was reported Wednesday in Lima. It is the third debt-for-nature swap between the two governments.

• Thursday, September 14th 2023 - 09:54 UTC

  “Extraterrestrial” bodies displayed at Mexico's Congress

  

  Two fossilized bodies allegedly belonging to beings from outer space were set on display Wednesday at the San Lazaro Palace in Mexico City. According to carbon-14 tests, the items would be over 1,000 years old, ufologist Jaime Maussan said. The remains were displayed during a special session of Mexico's Congress.