South America

Venezuela struggles with water shortages

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) — Tensions are mounting in Venezuela over water shortages the ruling socialist government has attributed to natural phenomena, whilst the opposition says infrastructure neglect is to blame. The country has been struggling with water rationing since the start of the year, fueling public anger already simmering over a worsening recession, soaring inflation and widespread shortages of medicines and basic goods. Lines of people queuing to buy even toilet paper has become a […]

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Venezuela pulls top diplomat from US over ‘threat’ decree

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday recalled Venezuela’s top diplomat from the United States in protest at the renewal of a year-old US decree calling his country a security threat. “Enough arrogance, double standards, condescension and intrigue,” the leftist leader said as he announced he was summoning charge d’affaires Maximilien Arvelaiz back to Caracas. “Bolivar’s Venezuela deserves respect.” © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

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Nigeria frees 63 after dislodging Boko Haram Islamists: army

LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigeria’s military said on Thursday it had rescued 63 people after dislodging Boko Haram Islamists from villages in the country’s restive northeast. Five Boko Haram fighters were also killed at their hideouts in Lawin Meleri, Matiri Bulaka and Aljeri villages during the clampdown, army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement. “During the operation, they (troops) killed five Boko Haram terrorists and also rescued 63 persons held captive by the terrorists,” […]

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Colombia rebels: Laying down guns to embrace roles as mothers

MAGDALENA MEDIO VALLEY, Colombia (AFP) — They have seen bloodshed and death in Colombia’s jungles but for some women rebel fighters, the greatest pain was being forced to abandon their children. Wearing green combat fatigues, Rosmira, 29, sits with a group of her sisters-in-arms at a secret mountain camp, where AFP was exceptionally granted access by commanders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In a half-century-long conflict that has left countless orphans and widows, […]

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Dozens of sea lions wash up dead on Chile’s northern coast

ANTOFAGASTA, Chile (Reuters) — Dozens of sea lions have washed up on Chile’s northern shore in the region of Antofagasta, local media reported on Thursday (February 25). It was a grim scene on the beach of the coastal town of Hornitos, with most of them found in an advanced state of decomposition. Chilean environmental authorities have said the animals are dying of starvation because the El Nino phenomenon is causing a scarcity of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton […]

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Rio 2016 reveals route for Brazil’s Olympic torch relay

(Reuters) – The Olympic torch will visit 329 cities across each of Brazil´s 26 states and the Federal District, the Rio 2016 organising committee announced on Wednesday (February 24) in a colourful ceremony at its headquarters in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. One of the greatest symbols of the Olympics will arrive in Brazil’s capital from the Games’ heartland in Athens on May 3, and will be carried 20,000 kilometres (12,430 miles) across ground […]

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Morales loses fourth term bid in official results

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP) — Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has lost his bid to seek a fourth term, his first direct election defeat since taking office in 2006, according to official results released Tuesday. Morales, 56, has been in power for a decade, thanks largely to support from indigenous groups and grassroots organizations in one of the Americas’ poorest countries. While refusing to concede until the very end, Morales has promised to respect the official results […]

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WHO chief ‘confident’ Olympics will be safe despite Zika

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday she is confident Brazil can host the Rio Olympics safely despite the Zika threat, though she warned of a long battle against the mosquito-borne virus. Margaret Chan, who was in Brazil for a 48-hour visit, praised the Brazilian government’s efforts to stamp out mosquitoes and its coordination with various international bodies, including the WHO and the International Olympic Movement, ahead of the Games’ kick-off […]

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Six die as protesters burn Bolivian government office

EL ALTO, Bolivia (Reuters) — Six local government workers died of asphyxiation in the Bolivian city of El Alto after a group of protesters occupied and set fire to the municipal offices on Wednesday (February 17), El Alto’s local government said. The municipal government of El Alto – a fast-growing satellite city of La Paz – said in a statement that six of its workers had died after the violent occupation of their offices by […]

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Venezuela devalues bolivar, raises fuel price amid crisis

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday (February 17) devalued the currency and raised heavily subsidized fuel prices in an effort to stem a widening economic crisis, though critics of the socialist leader quickly dismissed the moves as insufficient. The measures are meant to help shore up the OPEC nation’s finances as plummeting oil prices and a collapsing state-led economic model have left the country with a severe recession, triple-digit inflation and […]

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Fighting terrorism is still main job of DHS, says official

CCTV — U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday that the United States continues to step up its efforts to stop terrorism at airports, ports and on social media. He made the remarks at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. where he answered questions following his State of Homeland Security address and emphasized that active shooter training is one of the best ways to protect U.S. citizens against self-radicalized terrorists, who […]

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Fish, other mosquitoes now warriors in Zika battle

SAN DIEGO, El Salvador (AFP) — With larva-chomping fish and genetically modified insects, Latin Americans are deploying legions of little helpers to destroy mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus in the world’s latest mass health scare. Scientists are devising numerous ways to try and stamp out the mosquitoes whose bites spread the virus, which they suspect can cause brain damage in babies and paralysis in adults. Some want to wipe out baby mosquito larvae in standing […]

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