HOUSTON - In the border city of Juarez, Mexico, authorities continue to investigate the murder of three people with connections to the US consulate that occurred on the streets of that city in broad daylight Saturday. Many observers on both sides of the border, however, question the Mexican government’s ability to solve such cases as […]

SANTIAGO - A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday killing at least 78 people, toppling buildings, and triggering a tsunami warning around the Pacific “rim of fire.”  Cell phone communication has been knocked out across much of the country and communication has been difficult in the area where the earthquake struck. 
A powerful earthquake […]

WASHINGTON - Haitian government officials say an estimated 400,000 residents displaced by last week’s earthquake will be moved to new villages to be set up outside the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince.
Officials said Thursday they will provide transportation for the residents and hope to begin moving them as soon as possible. The 7.0 magnitude quake left an […]

WASHINGTON - A strong earthquake has once again struck Haiti, shaking buildings and causing panic, eight days after a 7.0 magnitude quake left much of the nation in ruins.
The U.S. Geological survey said latest quake had a magnitude of 6.1 and was centered 59 kilometers from the devastated capital Port-au-Prince.  There were no immediate reports […]

WASHINGTON - Desperate Haitians have spent a third night in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, waiting for promised aid that is slowly trickling in following Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was expected to drop anchor off the Haiti coast Friday where it will serve as a floating airport for helicopters carrying […]

MIAMI - A massive earthquake has struck near the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, causing damage across the impoverished region. It is the largest quake to hit the area in some 200 years.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say the earthquake struck about 10 kilometers from Port-au-Prince,  Tuesday afternoon.  The initial quake registered at magnitude 7 on […]

MIAMI - President Barack Obama has been under pressure to recast the nation’s relations with Cuba and ease decades of restrictions on the Communist government. Already the president has ended travel limits on Cuban-Americans and called for new talks between the nations, but Havana says Washington is not going far enough.
As many people make plans […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday urged Latin American countries to “think twice” about establishing links with Iran, which she said is the world’s leading promoter and exporter of terrorism. Clinton also expressed concern about democratically-elected leaders in Latin America who later move to undermine democratic institutions. 
Clinton’s remarks at a State […]

TEGUCIGALPA - Porfirio Lobo has won the presidential election in Honduras, with about 56 percent of ballots cast.  Election officials say voter turnout was high, in spite of a call by ousted President Manuel Zelaya to boycott the poll.
Wealthy rancher Porfirio Lobo declared victory after election results showed a broad lead for the candidate from […]

WASHINGTON - Thousands of pro- and anti-government protesters took to the streets of Nicaragua’s capital over the possible re-election of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
At least 40,000 anti-government demonstrators rallied Saturday in one area of Managua, marching against what they called Mr. Ortega’s attempt to set up a dictatorship.
The rally marked the anniversary of last year’s […]

HAVANA - Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama over a U.S. agreement with Colombia that allows American troops access to Colombian military bases.

In a column published in Cuba’s state-run Granma newspaper, Mr. Castro says allowing the United States to use Colombia’s military bases threatens not only neighboring Venezuela, but […]

HAVANA - Former Cuban president Fidel Castro says relaxed travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba have helped spread the H1N1 swine flu virus.
In an opinion piece published Saturday in Cuba’s state-run newspapers, Mr. Castro says the first cases of the H1N1 viruses were brought to the island nation by visitors from other nations.  […]

BRAZIL - Many residents of some of Rio de Janeiro’s worst slums are fleeing their homes to escape a drug war that has left part of the Brazilian city in ruins, and killed a dozen people.
Smoke rose from the smoldering wreckage of a police helicopter shot down by drug gangs Saturday, while eight buses burned […]

GENEVA - United Nations agencies say Guatemala is facing the worst drought in 30 years. They report some 2.5 million people in 21 provinces are affected and in need of urgent food assistance.
The effects of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino have extended the dry spell in Guatemala, triggering a food crisis in the […]

OTTAWA - Canadian public opinion polls indicate a majority of Canadians favor pulling their troops out of Afghanistan when their current mission as part of NATO is scheduled to end in December 2011.  However, a growing number, says defense analyst Steven Staples of the Rideau Institute in Ottawa, say the troops should come home right […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department says it has offered to resume talks with Cuba on Cuban migration to the United States.
The State Department said Friday it proposed that the discussions be restarted to “reaffirm both sides’ commitment to safe, legal and orderly migration.” There was no immediate response from Cuban officials to the offer. […]

WASHINGTON - The Venezuelan government has seized the assets of 60 local and foreign-owned oil services firms. 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced the seizures Friday, saying they were authorized under a law passed Thursday by the National Assembly.
Among the firms whose assets were taken is Oklahoma-based Williams Companies, which said the government took control of two […]

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Felipe Calderon is urging people to stay at home while the federal government suspends non-essential activities in an effort to combat the spread of swine flu.
In a nationally televised address late Wednesday, Mr. Calderon said that home was the safest place for Mexicans at this time.
The Mexican government is suspending […]

HAVANA - Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says U.S. President Barack Obama has “misinterpreted” statements made by his younger brother to suggest a thaw in relations between the two rivals.
In an essay published Tuesday on a government website, the older Castro says President Raul Castro’s offer to hold discussions with the new U.S. administration was […]

WASHINGTON - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he expects to send an ambassador back to the United States soon, in a move that would come months after both nations expelled the other’s envoys.
President Chavez said Saturday at the Summit of the Americas that he has spoken to former foreign minister Roy Chaderton and designated him […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday said U.S. policy toward Cuba’s communist government, which features a decades-old economic blockade, has failed and she is calling Raul Castro’s offer of talks with Washington on the full range issues between the two adversaries “a very welcome overture.”

Clinton spoke at an Internet “town hall meeting” […]

HAVANA - Cuban President Raul Castro says he is ready to enter into negotiations with the United States, following U.S. President Barack Obama’s call for the island nation to reciprocate to his recent overtures. 
Speaking late Thursday at summit of Latin American leftist leaders in Venezuela, Mr. Castro said Havana is prepared to discuss any issue […]

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flies to Mexico Wednesday for a two-day visit aimed at showing support for Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his government’s crackdown on drug cartels. On the eve of the trip, the Obama administration announced new steps to curb border traffic in drugs, illicit money and weapons.
Secretary Clinton will […]

WASHINGTON - Mexico’s growing drug violence is now considered a “national security threat” by the United States, as the wave of drug-related killings and attacks in Mexico continues to mount.
There is a growing worry among U.S. officials that the bloodshed will spill over into the United States as Mexican authorities struggle to curb power of […]