South America News

A U.S. Foreign Service officer stationed in Brazil and Congo used his status to pressure female visa applicants for sex, according to federal charges unsealed Friday. via Houston Chronicle

“This new problem has led them to these complex daisy-chain money laundering activities.”

Every day, American Airlines Flight 914 takes off from Bogota, Colombia, at 8:20 a.m. and touches down at the Miami airport at noon. via Alabama Live

“We are asking the population to remain calm. The situation is under control”

Brazil flew 50,000 doses of yellow fever vaccine into Paraguay on Thursday and Peru promised 250,000 more doses next week, as the government said it was expanding a vaccination campaign against the first outbreak of the disease here in 34 years.

Five cases of yellow fever detected in a remote Paraguayan farm community have touched off unease in South America's second-poorest country and prompted public health officials here to make international appeals for vaccine stocks. None of those infected has died. Read more

TRINIDAD, Bolivia : President Evo Morales declared Bolivia's devastating floods a national disaster on Tuesday, freeing more government funds to confront a crisis his government has linked to global climate ... via International Herald Tribune

“We want to act together, reflect together, build together.”

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, wave to photographers upon their arrival to St. via The Macon Telegraph

President Tabare Vazquez ousted his ministers of defense, foreign affairs and industry on Monday, saying he was seeking a better team for his final two years in office. via Guardian Unlimited

“Nobody at the embassy has ever asked American citizens to participate in intelligence activities here”

President Evo Morales declared a U.S. Embassy security officer to be an "undesirable person" on Monday after reports that the officer asked an American scholar and 30 Peace Corps volunteers to pass along ... via HeraldTribune.com

PENIPE, Ecuador : Ecuador's erupting Tungurahua volcano has dumped an inch of ash on nearby villages, causing major crop damage in an agriculturally important area, officials said Saturday. via International Herald Tribune

“Today has been great because as well as enjoying the special paths (for bicycles), you are breathing air different from the normal”

BOGOTA, Colombia : Residents of Colombia's capital could breathe a little easier on Thursday as the city celebrated a "day without cars." More than a million private cars and trucks were kept off the streets ... via International Herald Tribune

Argentine federal police arrested two retired military officers on Saturday in connection with the massacre of 16 leftist guerrillas in 1972 on a military base in the Patagonian city of Trelew.

According to the state news agency Telam, the detainees are Paccagnini Ruben, 81, who captained a ship and headed the military base Almirante Zar Trelew, and Emilio Del Real, 73, a frigate captain who allegedly was at the Aug. 22, 1972 shooting of the guerrillas.

They face charges of torture, homicide, attempted homicide and illegal detentions. It was not immediately known if they have lawyers. Read more

“The kingdom has moved, my Rio has bloomed”

Brazil's Carnival parades got off to a majestic start on Sunday night as dancers dressed as monarchs, courtiers and even roast pheasants at a royal feast shimmied their way through Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome. via Reuters

“Your pulse beats faster and your stomach turns, but it's great.”

Dancers perform as they protest against the banning of a float depicting the Holocaust during the parade of Unidos da Viradouro samba school at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, Feb. via Press of Atlantic City

Bolivia's foreign minister said Thursday that the world has an obligation to send aid to flood-ravaged areas of Bolivia, linking a disaster that has killed 49 people to global climate change.

As Bolivia faces a second straight year of devastating floods, David Choquehuanca argued that developed nations who produce most of the world's greenhouse gases are morally obligated to pitch in when the negative effects of climate change strike poorer countries.

'The international community has the obligation to help to Bolivia because these are the consequences' of global warming, he told media. Read more

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro's Carnival jury named parade group Beija-Flor (Hummingbird) champion for the second year running on Wednesday, while another samba group was relegated to the second division after its dancing queen paraded naked.

The 4,200-strong Sao Clemente samba school, which kicked off two nights of parades on Sunday night, lost its place among the 12 top league groups as judges punished it by trimming precious points for "exposed genitalia."

Viviane Castro, 25, a model and dancer, had lost her original "tapasexo" -- a small triangle of glitter used to cover the most intimate parts. An improvised substitute glued between her legs right before the show also fell off on the parade strip. Read more

“The volcano has entered a new explosive eruption cycle, a process which does not seem to be slowing down”

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano shot columns of ash miles into the air on Wednesday, as officials ordered the evacuation of 3,000 villagers living near its slopes. via The Macon Telegraph

“They tried to disqualify our parade in 2007, but we have shown that we have won in the most dignified manner possible”

Revelers wrapped up Brazil's wild carnival bash with the popular Gala Gay ball last night on Rio de Janeiro's streets, littered with feathers and sequins after five days of partying. via The Irish Times

“The damage to the Amazon and to the planet will be irreparable”

Two Brazilian research groups said the Amazon rain forest will shrink nearly 20 percent by 2030 as farming, road construction and poor government surveillance speeds deforestation, according to a study ... via Detroit News

“At this time of year, all everyone wants to do is samba and have fun”

A group of gagged people, beheaded dancers and a bloody giant baby closed the first of Rio's world-famous carnival parades early Monday, injecting considerable controversy and questionable taste into the ... via Raw Story