South America

Lula returns vowing to rebuild, reunify Brazil

by Ramon SAHMKOW Agence France-Presse BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office Sunday for a third term as Brazil’s president, vowing to fight for the poor and the environment and “rebuild the country” after far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro’s divisive administration. The 77-year-old veteran leftist, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, took the oath of office before Congress, capping a remarkable political comeback for the metalworker-turned-president less than five years […]

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Venezuela, Colombia finalize border reopening

UREÑA, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela and Colombia reopened the last stretch of their shared border Sunday that had remained closed for years in a diplomatic dispute now settled under new leadership. Cars honked and passengers waved flags as vehicles with license plates from both countries traversed the area’s Atanasio Girardot bridge, which had been blocked by containers amid high tensions. The bridge, which is also known as Tienditas, was the last to remain inaccessible since […]

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Three Peru police generals, others arrested in alleged graft plot

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Authorities in Peru arrested three police generals and three other people on Monday for alleged involvement in the corruption case against ousted president Pedro Castillo, the interior ministry said. A “mega-operation” netted the six who are suspected of involvement of “irregular promotions” in the police force, said a ministry statement. Three of the six are active police generals suspected of having approved promotions, with Castillo’s alleged blessing, in exchange for money. […]

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‘Shame of Apurimac’: Peru region disavows homegrown president

by Patrick FORT Agence France-Presse ABANCAY, Peru (AFP) — Apurimac, a poor, Indigenous-majority region in Peru’s rural south, is the birthplace of the country’s brand new president, Dina Boluarte. It has also been the epicenter of violent protests against her political takeover. Twenty-one people have died in countrywide unrest sparked by the ouster early this month of leftist Pedro Castillo, under whose tumultuous 16-month leadership Boluarte was vice president. Six of the deaths were recorded […]

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Fan gloom as Argentina World Cup victory parade ends abruptly

by Barnaby CHESTERMAN Agence France-Presse BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Millions of jubilant fans turned out Tuesday to welcome home Argentina’s World Cup winners led by Lionel Messi, but most were left disappointed when an open-top bus parade had to be abandoned due to the massive crowds, in favor of a hastily organized helicopter tour. Vast crowds of ecstatic fans cheered on their heroes along every meter of the planned 30-kilometer parade route from a […]

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Paraguay picks 2023 presidential candidates in primary vote

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AFP) – Paraguay’s leftist opposition coalition and long-ruling, conservative Colorado Party held primary elections on Sunday to pick their candidates for the April 2023 vote to replace outgoing President Mario Abdo Benitez. Economist Santiago Pena, 44, was elected to lead the Colorado Party, which has been in power for more than 70 years, except for one term from 2008-2012. The leftist opposition coalition, led by the Liberal Party, chose veteran politician Efrain Alegre, 59. […]

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Peru declares state of emergency as ousted leader remains in prison

by Luis Jaime CISNEROS / Patrick FORT Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru declared a nationwide state of emergency Wednesday over violent protests against the ouster and arrest of ex-president Pedro Castillo that have left seven people dead. Castillo’s supporters have taken to the streets and set up roadblocks countrywide in protests that have also left 200 injured as they demand his release and the holding of early elections. The country plunged into crisis […]

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As Peru protests rage, court denies ex-president’s release appeal

by Carlos MANDUJANO / Patrick FORT Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — A court in Peru rejected on Tuesday an appeal by former president Pedro Castillo to be freed from detention on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, as officials warned protests demanding his release could spiral out of control. Prosecutors late Tuesday filed a request to hold Castillo in pre-trial detention for 18 months, marking the formal start of the investigation against him, a prosecution […]

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Two killed in Peru as protests spread against new president

by Carlos Mandujano and Luis Jaime Cisneros Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Protests against Peru’s new government turned deadly on Sunday, with two people killed as police clashed with angry demonstrators calling for a national strike, fresh elections and the release of detained former president Pedro Castillo. The protests have swelled, notably in the northern and Andean towns, since the South American country’s legislature on Wednesday threw out the leftist Castillo after he tried […]

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Peru’s ousted president put in provisional detention

by Carlos MANDUJANO / Luis Jaime CISNEROS Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s former president Pedro Castillo was placed in provisional detention on Thursday, a day after he was ousted by lawmakers and arrested, accused of attempting a coup. Prosecutors carried out a dawn raid on the presidency and some ministerial offices in search of evidence against Castillo, who is being investigated for “rebellion and conspiracy.” Looking visibly nervous and disheveled, the toppled leftist […]

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Peru president ousted after bid to dissolve Congress

by Carlos MANDUJANO / Luis Jaime CISNEROS Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s leftist leader Pedro Castillo was impeached and replaced as president on Wednesday in a dizzying series of events in the country that has long been prone to political upheaval. Dina Boluarte, a 60-year-old lawyer, was sworn in as Peru’s first female president just hours after Castillo tried to wrest control of the legislature in a move criticized as an attempted coup. […]

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Colombia landslide kills 34

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AFP) — Heavy rains in northwest Colombia sent a wall of earth crashing onto a winding road, swallowing up a bus and other vehicles and killing 34 people, emergency services said Monday. The landslide Sunday evening prompted a large rescue effort, with dozens of people in hard hats using backhoes and excavators to dig through the earth looking for victims. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said the fatalities included eight minors […]

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