South America

Tropical storm bears down on Mexico, US after leaving 26 dead in C. America

  by Rafael Martinez Agence France Presse CANCÚN, Mexico (AFP) — Tropical Storm Nate gained strength Friday as it barreled toward popular Mexican beach resorts and ultimately the US Gulf coast after dumping heavy rains on Central America that left at least 26 people dead. Nate, which currently has 50 mile (85 kilometer) per hour winds, is forecast to reach hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall in the United States on Saturday, on the north […]

Guard burns four toddlers to death in Brazil horror

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — A Brazilian nursery school guard burned four toddlers and their teacher to death after spraying them with alcohol and setting them alight Thursday in an attack which horrified the nation. Dozens of people were also hurt in the blaze while the guard, who was reported to be mentally ill, died after succumbing to his own burn injuries. The tragedy occurred in a modest quarter of Janauba, a city of […]

Mexico says last body found in rubble after quake

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Emergency workers pulled the last victim’s body Wednesday from the rubble of Mexico’s September 19 earthquake, officials said, as the country turned to rebuilding after a disaster that claimed more than 360 lives. After 15 days of searching, workers found the final victim’s body beneath the mountain of rubble left by the collapse of a seven-story office building in Mexico City’s hard-hit Roma district, tweeted the interior ministry official overseeing […]

Cuba, Bolivia, remembering “Che” 50 years after death

by Alexandre Grosbois Agence France-Presse HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) – A half-century after his death, Ernesto “Che” Guevara will be remembered in ceremonies next week in Cuba and in Bolivia, whose CIA-trained troops sent shockwaves around the world when they executed the Cold War revolutionary icon in 1967. In Cuba — where schoolchildren still begin their day with a raised fist salute and chant “Pioneers for communism, we will be like Che” — President Raul Castro […]

Machete, origami and reading: life in San Juan a week after Maria

by Leila Macor Agence France-Presse Alejandro Araujo whiles away the day doing jigsaw puzzles. At night, he sleeps on a hammock on the patio, machete at his side. Now that some streets have been cleared of branches and rubble Hurricane Maria left behind, middle class residents of Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan’s outskirts are afraid, and straining to keep up hope. Ten days ago, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left the American island of […]

Signs of corruption emerge from rubble of Mexico quake

by Jean Luis Arce Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) – Mexico is still cleaning up the rubble left by its killer earthquake on September 19, but already accusations are flying that shoddy construction, official negligence and corruption made the disaster worse. The 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed more than 350 people and left gruesome scenes of destruction in the capital, such as a primary school where 19 children were crushed to death. The mayor, education minister and […]

Watch: “Batman” cheers up volunteers in Mexico City aid center after quake

https://youtu.be/16RYvW2-OLg   Superhero “Batman” tried to cheer up volunteers in a makeshift aid center in the Mexican capital, bringing much needed joy to a country still reeling from a destructive earthquake that claimed more than 300 lives a week ago. And this local “Batman” in Mexico City brought with him his very own “Bat Mobile” which also attracted the attention of the volunteers and residents. “Because they are working hand in hand, day after day, […]

A week after quake, thousands still homeless in Mexico

by Elodie Cuzin  and Yemeli Ortega Agence France-Presse MEXICO City, Mexico (AFP) — A week after an earthquake that killed more than 300 people, thousands of Mexicans were still unable to return Tuesday to their badly damaged homes, much less their normal lives. After a week of eerie quiet in Mexico City, the capital’s notorious traffic jams were visible again as the sprawling city of 20 million people began returning to work and school. But many residents still […]

Army must prepare to counter US ‘threats’: Nicolas Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro called on his army Tuesday to ready their weapons to defend the country in an escalating war of words with US President Donald Trump. President Nicolas Maduro joined his army top brass at a military exercise near the northern city of Maracay, where he reminded them of their obligation to defend the country. “We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and […]

New US travel ban “psychological terrorism”: Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela accused the United States on Monday of “psychological terrorism” designed to bring down the government after it was included in a list of eight countries targeted by a travel ban. In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza described US President Donald Trump as acting like “the world’s emperor.” Amid an escalating war of words, Arreaza said Venezuela would seek dialogue with Washington to “stop […]

Mexico teaches quake volunteers not to make things worse

by Jennifer Gonzalez  Covarrubias Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — As thousands of volunteers gather to dig out victims of Mexico’s devastating earthquake, rescuers have started organizing crash courses to stop well-meaning but inept helpers from making the situation worse. Professional rescuers warned of chaos in the dangerous rubble piles, saying blundering volunteers could cause further collapse in unstable structures. “You don’t save lives with your heart, you save them with organization,” said […]

Five days on, hopes fade in Mexico City quake rescue operations

by Marc Burleigh and  Yemeli Ortega Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Hopes of finding more survivors after Mexico City’s devastating quake dwindled to virtually nothing on Sunday, five days after the 7.1 tremor rocked the heart of the mega-city, toppling dozens of buildings and killing more than 300 people. Yet authorities were still accommodating anguished families who insisted that painstaking rescue operations continue at a handful of sites. Foreign teams from Japan, […]