Latin America news stories on Newser

Bolivia Seizes Spanish-Owned Power Firm

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:19:00 CDT

Bolivian President Evo Morales marked May Day by ordering the country's armed forces to seize the assets of the country's main electricity company. Spanish-owned Red Electrica owned and operated around 85% of Bolivia's power grid, and Morales announced that he was nationalizing the company because it had failed to invest...

Guatemala Prez: Regulate the 'War on Drugs' to Death

Mark Russell — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 06:07:14 CDT

Guatemala's President Otto Pérez Molina, due to his old job as head of intelligence services of the army, has been at the forefront of his country's drug war for more than 20 years. But despite "decades of big arrests and the seizure of tons of drugs," Pérez Molina writes in...

25 Anonymous Hackers Busted in 4 Countries: Cops

Rob Quinn — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:35:00 CST

Some 25 suspected members of the Anonymous hacking collective have been arrested in Europe and South America, according to Interpol. The international police agency says 250 items of IT equipment were seized in raids in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Spain, the BBC reports. The suspects—including "Pacotron," the alleged chief...

Fox Apologizes to Jews for 'Jesus Killer' Poll

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:46:00 CST

A Fox staffer in Latin America thought a good way to promote a Christmas special would be with an online poll asking people whether they thought the Jewish people were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. Other options included Pontius Pilate or the high priests. Fox pulled the poll...

Chavez Suggest US Gave World Leaders Cancer

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:51:00 CST

Argentina's Cristina Fernandez has become the latest Latin American leader to be diagnosed with cancer , prompting Hugo Chavez to wonder if the US is to blame. "Would it be strange if they had developed a technology to induce cancer, and for no one to know it?" pondered the Venezuelan leader,...

Chile Prez Slammed for Summit Sexist Joke

Rob Quinn — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:05:00 CST

Opposition lawmakers in Chile say President Sebastian Pinera embarrassed the country by telling a sexist joke to the other 32 heads of state at a regional summit over the weekend. "Do you know what the difference between a politician and a lady is?" he asked. "When a politician says 'Yes,...

Eva Peron Helped Nazis, Hid Jewish Treasure: Book

Kevin Spak — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:15:05 CDT

A new book is giving Argentina a new reason not to cry for Eva Peron: She helped a number of Nazis who fled Europe after World War II, and was rumored to have harbored treasures taken from their Jewish victims. The accusations come from The Politically Incorrect Guide to Latin...

Latin American Folk Singer Murdered in Ambush

John Johnson — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:31:17 CDT

Renowned Latin American folk singer Facundo Cabral was murdered today in an ambush on the streets of Guatemala City. Police say the 74-year-old Argentine was not the intended target of the professional hit, in which three cars surrounded the car he was riding in and opened fire, reports the AP...

Rumors Swirl About Hugo Chavez's Health

John Johnson — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:46:09 CDT

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez hasn't been joking about aiming missiles at the US lately. In fact, he has been nearly invisible since emergency surgery in Cuba on June 10, and that has speculation swirling about his health and political future, reports the Wall Street Journal . The official word is that he...