Latin America News

SALVADOR, Brazil (AFP) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday received Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas here Thursday for the first in a series of discussions on forging peace in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Full Story »

QUITO (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence from inside Ecuador was used to plan a 2008 bombing by Colombian troops that killed a top FARC guerrilla chieftain inside Ecuadorean territory, the government said on Thursday. Full Story »

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - A gunman opened fire in a Mexico City Starbucks coffee shop, killing an ex-police chief involved in drug-related corruption and wounding two other people, authorities said. Full Story »

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization authorized Brazil Thursday to impose trade sanctions on the United States over its support for cotton, as Brazil ratcheted up pressure on Washington over the illegal subsidies. Full Story »

MEXICO CITY - The mother of the man Mexico's government has identified as Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos has died at Mexico City's airport. Full Story »

BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the nation's president should decide whether to extradite Italian fugitive Cesare Battisti, a former leftist rebel wanted by his native country for political killings in the 1970s. Full Story »

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AFP) - Seven women were murdered in Mexico, including one who was beheaded in the southern beach resort of Cancun, authorities reported Monday. Full Story »

BRASILIA (AFP) - The premiere of a new movie about the early life of Brazil's phenomenally popular president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left an audience in tears -- and some critics on Wednesday predicting Oscar glory. Full Story »

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has lifted its bans on imports of pork products from the United States, Canada and Mexico, its quarantine bureau said on Tuesday, but analysts said the move would not likely lead to a surge of new imports. Full Story »

BRASILIA (AFP) - As the United Nations food agency meets in Rome to discuss ways to combat global hunger, Brazil's President Luiz Inacia Lula da Silva can tout the success of his country's "Zero Hunger" program. Full Story »

MEXICO CITY - A colorful street vendor-turned-politician took over the offices of Mexico City's most populous borough Monday, declaring "the only way they'll get me out is dead." Full Story »

BRASILIA (AFP) - A massive blackout across half of Brazil last week was caused by a short-circuit during bad weather, the energy ministry insisted on Monday despite persistent doubts over its explanation. Full Story »

HAVANA (Reuters) - Hundreds of government supporters drowned out two small opposition protests in Cuba's capital on Thursday, chanting and jeering at the dissidents as they marched to mark International Human Rights Day. Full Story »

PHOENIX - Government officials overseeing the construction of a "virtual fence" along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border hope to turn over the first segment to the Border Patrol in January, while beginning construction on a second stretch in coming weeks. Full Story »

SAO PAULO (AFP) - A massive blackout that plunged half of Brazil into the dark days ago remains a mystery, casting a shadow over the country's energy policy and its plans to host the 2016 Olympics, experts say. Full Story »

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AFP) - At least 17 people were killed over the weekend in Mexico's northern state of Chihuahua, including a women's rights activist in Ciudad Juarez, on the US border, local officials said Sunday. Full Story »

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday there are growing signs of religious freedom in Cuba and that there is an opportunity for reconciliation between the communist nation and the United States. Full Story »

MEXICO CITY - Bison have returned to Mexico for the first time since the 1800s, with Mexican authorities releasing 23 donated U.S. animals in northern Chihuahua state. Full Story »