Topics
South America
Brazil's claim adds yet another facet to the case of the Bahia Emerald
The bizarre, tortuous journey of the Bahia Emerald began in the depths of a Brazilian mine and eventually landed it in a Los Angeles County sheriff's evidence locker, where it remains today. Since 2009, the 180,000-carat, 840-pound behemoth of a gem has been the subject of a contentious court battle among a colorful crowd of gem traders, miners and a real estate tycoon all vying for the prized jewel — once valued at $372 million. And just as the court saga appeared to be nearing a conclusion in recent months, a new party stepped up to stake its own claim to the stone. The country that birthed it: Brazil. "We're trying to get back what belongs to us," said...
Related "South America" Articles
Brazil's claim adds yet another facet to the case of the Bahia Emerald
The bizarre, tortuous journey of the Bahia Emerald began in the depths of a Brazilian mine and eventually landed it in a Los Angeles County sheriff's evidence locker, where it remains today.
Since 2009, the 180,000-carat, 840-pound behemoth of a gem...
Shortages, inflation and long lines have Venezuelans grumbling
Waiting in line for hours to buy groceries at a supermarket in eastern Caracas, Helena Siso didn’t know or care who was to blame for the acute shortages of consumer goods plaguing Venezuela. She just wanted the government to do something about it.
...
Ecuador goes for Super Bowl exposure with halftime ad
During Super Bowl halftime Feb. 1, you can expect to see high-priced commercials for beer, fast food, cars, soft drinks and a small South American banana exporter.
Ecuador is expected to become the first foreign country to buy a 30-second ad during the...
Argentine prosecutor probing 1994 bombing shot in head, autopsy shows
An Argentine special prosecutor who last week accused the nation's president of being involved in a coverup tied to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center died of a gunshot wound to the head, an official said Monday following an autopsy.
Natalio...
Venezuelan gasoline and goods still sold in Colombia despite crackdown
Miguel is a pimpinero, a curbside vendor of contraband Venezuelan gasoline that he sells at two-thirds of the going price at Colombian gas stations.
Despite a professed government crackdown, hundreds of bootleggers openly hawk their black market fuel...
The Latin American gun leak
During the 1980s, El Salvador was the single largest recipient of U.S. military hardware and weaponry in the Western Hemisphere. Although the Central American country's civil war ended in 1992, the guns, grenades and bullets linger, as do their...
Venezuela's president hits road to save ailing economy
His economy reeling from the global decline in oil prices, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro traveled to Russia on Monday on the first leg of a tour designed partly to obtain an infusion of cash for his ailing economy.
The trip also will include a stop...
Paraguay government agrees to talk with protesters nailed to crosses
The Paraguayan government agreed Tuesday to meet with former workers who have nailed themselves to wooden crosses over a wage dispute, an increasingly common form of protest in Paraguay that has been condemned by the Roman Catholic Church but has often...
In global climate talks, some major polluters drag their feet
Recent commitments by the world's major polluters to cut emissions have added fresh momentum to international climate talks, but foot-dragging persists among the next tier of polluters, including India, Brazil, Canada and Australia.
Representatives of...
Sao Paulo, Brazil, officials downplay water crisis as residents suffer
The water crisis is so bad in South America's largest city that when rain began to dribble from the sky recently, workers in a downtown office high-rise stood up and cheered, running to the windows to celebrate each drop.
A majority of city residents...
Colombia's leftist FARC rebels declare unilateral cease-fire
Leftist rebels negotiating a peace agreement with the Colombian government on Wednesday declared a unilateral and indefinite cease-fire in hope of drawing a reciprocal halt by the armed forces, something President Juan Manuel Santos has so far...
Amid climate change, what's more important: Protecting money or people?
At the latest round of international climate talks this month in Lima, Peru, melting glaciers in the Andes and recent droughts provided a fitting backdrop for the negotiators' recognition that it is too late to prevent climate change, no matter how fast...
Bridge links Brazil to French Guiana, yet doesn't
As Jose Domingos speeds down the Oiapoque River in his canoe once more today, he passes underneath a mammoth suspension bridge. By far the most imposing structure anywhere near this muggy Amazonian border town, it looms overhead and then retreats behind...
Comedian Chespirito's work wasn't just laughs, it was also about class
It is difficult to overstate the influence that Roberto Gómez Bolaños had on the childhoods of Spanish-speakers all over the globe.
Even viewers of "The Simpsons" owe a debt of gratitude to Gómez: Without his goofy...
Opposition leader indicted in alleged plot to kill Venezuela president
A Venezuelan judge on Wednesday formally charged opposition leader Maria Corina Machado with conspiracy to kill President Nicolas Maduro and told her that she faces a maximum prison sentence of eight to 16 years if convicted.
Six other prominent...
Sen. Kevin De León leading delegation to Peru on climate change
State Senate leader Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles) will head a delegation of California officials attending a weeklong conference on climate change starting Sunday in Lima, Peru.
De León will be accompanied to the United Nations Framework...
El Sistema founder, Gustavo Dudamel are targets of scathing new book
Everyone loves El Sistema, Venezuela's revolutionary music education program — which serves hundreds of thousands of students, many in the barrios — and produced Gustavo Dudamel. Its founder, José Antonio Abreu, has been heralded as a national...
6 Guantanamo prisoners sent to Uruguay as refugees
Six prisoners held for 12 years at Guantanamo Bay have been sent to Uruguay to be resettled as refugees, the U.S. government announced Sunday — a deal that had been delayed for months by security concerns in the Pentagon and political considerations in...
Peru climate change talks slowed by clashes of rich and poor nations
International climate talks in Lima, Peru, are entering their final week, with few hints of whether a newfound optimism that marked the start of negotiations will ultimately translate into an agreement that would rein in climate change.
Convened by the...
Six detainees transferred out of Guantanamo Bay prison to Uruguay
Six men held at Guantanamo Bay were transferred to Uruguay, the largest single group of detainees to be moved from the military prison in Cuba, the Pentagon said Sunday.
The transfer, nearly a year in the making, marks the first time that Guantanamo...
Loading