Transportation in major cities continues to be paralysed as bus and taxi workers strike over cuts to fuel subsidies. Protests over fuel subsidy cuts paralysed transportation in major Ecuadorean cities again on Friday, a day after unrest in which 275 people were arrested and 28 police officers were injured, the government said. Witnesses said bus […]

Microplastics have been found in penguins for the first time, scientists have revealed. The discovery was made in penguins living on South Georgia, Bird Island, Signy Island and the South Orkney Islands in the South Atlantic. British Antarctic Survey researchers took samples from the scats – faecal matter – of the animals, with tests revealing […]

Ecuador’s government has declared a state of emergency after protesters opposed to a fuel price hike disrupted transport nationwide. President Lenin Moreno said he imposed the measure to “ensure citizens’ security and avoid chaos”. Protesters were angered by Mr Moreno’s decision to end 40-year-old subsidies for fuel, which he said were no longer affordable. Diesel […]

US prosecutors say jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán gave $1m (£810,000) to the brother of the Honduran president, a bribe that was meant to reach the country’s leader. The charge was read out at the start of the trial of President Juan Orlando Hernández’s brother in New York. Juan Antonio Hernández was […]

Peru’s political crisis has deepened after President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress, saying the body was blocking his anti-corruption measures. The opposition-run Congress then voted to suspend Mr Vizcarra, naming Peru’s vice president as new leader. But officials said their move was void, as the chamber had already been closed. Hundreds of Mr Vizcarra’s supporters gathered […]

Peru’s political crisis has deepened after President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress, saying the body was blocking his anti-corruption measures. The opposition-run Congress then voted to suspend Mr Vizcarra, naming Peru’s vice president as new leader. But officials said their move was void, as the chamber had already been closed. Hundreds of Mr Vizcarra’s supporters gathered […]

About 200 Bolivians, most of them members of an indigenous group from the Chiquitanía region, are taking part in a protest march to demand more action be taken to stop fires that have ravaged their area. They are urging President Evo Morales to declare a national emergency, after blazes destroyed large areas of forest as […]

Popular Mexican singer José José, known as the “Prince of Song”, has died at the age of 71. The culture ministry confirmed his death on Saturday, describing him as one of Mexico’s most-loved voices. Known for his heartfelt ballads, José José’s career spanned five decades, during which he received several Grammy nominations. The crooner died […]

Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva is seen as much as a saviour as he is a sinner in Brazil: a man who came to power promising change yet ended up leaving politics with a very different legacy. His life mirrored that of many Brazilians. He was born in 1945 into a poor family in the […]

A ruling by Brazil’s top court could see one of jailed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s corruption convictions being overturned. The Supreme Court ruled that defendants should be allowed to defend themselves after being cited in plea deals by witnesses also accused of corruption. The decision could annul one of Lula’s two convictions […]