Latin America

• Wednesday, May 15th 2019 - 09:56 UTC

  Environmental emergency in Mexico City; classes and football match suspended, and cars restricted on Wednesday

  

  Authorities declared an environmental emergency on Tuesday for metropolitan Mexico City, one of the world's most populous megalopolises, as smoke from nearby wildfires pushed pollution to levels deemed potentially harmful to human health.

• Wednesday, May 15th 2019 - 09:55 UTC

  Brazil withdraws from hosting a Latin America climate conference next August

  

  Brazil has withdrawn its offer to host Latin America and Caribbean climate week, a key milestone leading up to the annual UN negotiations. Initially set to take place from 19 to 23 August in Salvador, the event is part of a series of regional summits to encourage dialogue between governments and civil society, in support of national climate pledges.

• Wednesday, May 15th 2019 - 09:52 UTC

  Ex Lima mayor jailed after admitting benefiting from the Odebrecht corruption network in Peru

  

  A Peruvian judge on Tuesday sentenced former Lima mayor Susana Villaran to 18 months' preventive detention for accepting illegal campaign funds from Brazilian construction firms Odebrecht and OAS. The Odebrecht bribery scandal, which has washed through Latin America, runs deep in Peru, where the country's last four presidents are accused of receiving illegal payoffs.

• Wednesday, May 15th 2019 - 09:29 UTC

  Guatemala constitutional court bars presidential candidate because she's the daughter of an ex military ruler

  

  The constitutional court of Guatemala has barred Zury Ríos, the daughter of ex-military ruler Efraín Ríos Montt, from running for the presidency. Ms. Ríos was one of the frontrunners ahead of elections on 16 June. The court argued that Guatemala's constitution bars close relatives of coup leaders from serving as president.

• Tuesday, May 14th 2019 - 08:45 UTC

  Brazil will ban violent foreign fans from the Copa America next month

  

  Copa America hosts Brazil will stop known violent foreign fans from entering the country for the South American football tournament starting next month, officials said on Monday. Troublesome supporters identified by border control and immigration officers will be turned back, the justice and public security ministry said. The order takes immediate effect.

• Monday, May 13th 2019 - 13:18 UTC

  Belize votes to take Guatemala's territorial claim to the International court of Justice

  

  Belizeans have voted to ask the United Nations world court to decide Guatemala’s claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, setting the scene for a resolution to a dispute that has rumbled on for centuries.

• Saturday, May 11th 2019 - 09:10 UTC

  LATAM Airlines for second year running, “Best Global Airline in South America”

  

  LATAM Airlines Group was named for the second year running as the ‘Best Global Airline in South America’ in the Passenger Experience Association of Airlines (APEX) Passenger Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California. LATAM was also recognized for the ‘Best Seat Comfort’, ‘Best Cabin Service’, ‘Best Entertainment’ and ‘Best Wi-Fi’ in South America.

• Saturday, May 11th 2019 - 08:52 UTC

  Two Argentine pilots survive crash landing in Costa Rica's capital

  

  Two Argentine pilots survived when their light aircraft crash landed on Friday in a heavily populated area of the capital of Costa Rica, officials said. The pilots climbed out of the wreckage of the plane after it came down in the Pavas neighborhood of San Jose, in an area full of homes and schools, witnesses and officials said.

• Saturday, May 11th 2019 - 08:45 UTC

  Mexicans take to the streets on Mother's Day to protest 40.000 missing persons

  

  Mexicans with missing children led marches on Friday - when Mother's Day is celebrated the country- to protest the government's failure to find their sons and daughters or bring their cases to justice.

• Friday, May 10th 2019 - 08:30 UTC

  “Spider” man arrested in Ecuador and sentenced to two years in prison

  

  A Japanese man was sentenced to two years in prison in Ecuador for attempting to smuggle a massive haul of creepy crawlies out of the country, officials said on Thursday.