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Cuba’s free sex changes mark break from past
A small but remarkable transformation is happening in Cuba, a nation known for the rugged revolution of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and a band of ever-macho, bearded rebels, who long punished gays and transsexuals, but is now paying for sex changes.
NYT: Flu shots in kids provide ‘herd immunity’
Although previous studies have demonstrated what scientists call “herd immunity,” none have been so incontrovertible as a study of farming colonies in Canada.
Brazil’s Silva quits smoking after 50 years
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says a recent health scare that sent his blood pressure soaring prompted him to kick the smoking habit he had for five decades.
Chile quake moves city 10 feet
The violent temblor — the fifth most powerful quake ever measured — shifted other parts of South America as well, from the southern tip of the continent to northern Brazil.
NYT: Damage often invisible in Chile capital
The streets of Santiago, Chile’s capital, appear mostly unscathed, but many people do not know if their lives will ever be the same.
Mexico police chief’s daughter, bodyguard killed
Gunmen opened fire on a police chief’s house in southern Mexico, killing his 23-year-old daughter and a bodyguard and wounding three others, police said Monday.
US: Israel, Palestinians agree to indirect talks
The Obama administration said Monday that Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to indirect peace talks brokered by U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell.
Biden to try to boost Middle East peace prospects
President Barack Obama dispatched his vice president to the Middle East on Sunday to try to build support for reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks despite deep skepticism on both sides.
Chile looters return items during amnesty
The police came with bullhorns to impoverished neighborhoods near the epicenter of Chile’s devastating earthquake, warning looters to return what they stole or face police raids.
Sources: U.S.-born Al-Qaida spokesman held
A California-born spokesman for al-Qaida has been captured in Pakistan, government sources report.
Symbolic building finally demolished in Chile
Workers demolished a fallen 15-story apartment building that has come to symbolize Chile’s earthquake after officials said there was no more hope for finding survivors inside.
Chile fears health crisis, but slow to let aid in
Chile launched a hepatitis and tetanus vaccination campaign Friday and doctors warned of outbreaks of diarrhea and infection among thousands of quake and tsunami survivors.
Chavez mocks Clinton as “blond Condoleezza”
Venezuela’s President Hugo mocked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday as a “blond” version of her predecessor, and said a row with Spain over alleged links with rebel groups was over.
Mexico Red Cross cuts back due to drug war
Red Cross clinics in some parts of Mexico are refusing to treat people wounded by gunshots after finding themselves caught in the drug war.
Strong aftershocks panic residents in Chile
A series of strong aftershocks rattled south-central Chile on Friday, panicking residents nearly a week after one of the most powerful earthquakes on record rocked the area and killed hundreds of people.
Over 85 million African kids to get polio shots
The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio.
Mexican official fired for painting teen’s bottom
A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging.
Chile pins recovery hopes on new president
Survivors throughout Chile’s disaster zone are hoping President-elect Sebastian Pinera – conservative billionaire who takes office next week – is up to the job of rebuilding quake-ravaged towns.
Mexico City’s gay marriage law takes effect
Throngs of Mexico City gay and lesbian couples register for marriage licenses Thursday, the day Latin America’s first gay-marriage law took effect.
Clinton: U.S. aid to resume to Honduras
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Obama administration will resume aid to Honduras that was suspended after a coup last year.
Newsweek: Fidel Castro retakes control of Cuba
After his convalescence, the ailing dictator appears to have reimposed his authority—quashing hopes of internal reform and détente with the United States.
Israeli court scolds police for limiting protests
Israel’s Supreme Court has reprimanded Jerusalem police for not permitting groups to protest the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in favor of Jewish settlers.
Fleeing Haiti, family gets hit by Chile quake
The Desarmes family left their native Haiti two weeks after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, joining the eldest son in Chile for what seemed a refuge from the fear and chaos of Port-au-Prince.
Chile military begins aid deliveries
Four days after a deadly earthquake, Chile’s military finally launches a massive effort to deliver food and other aid supplies to survivors.
Chileans arm selves against looters
Hundreds of survivors of Chile’s disaster have organized neighborhood watch groups, arming themselves and barricading streets to protect their damaged homes from looters.
Guatemala arrests highlight drug corruption
The arrests of Guatemala’s drug czar and national police chief underscore how deeply the world’s multibillion-dollar drug industry can corrupt small countries with weak institutions.
Ex-Gitmo inmate now Taliban commander?
A man who was freed from Guantanamo has returned to the fight and is now is now a senior commander of Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan, Afghan sources say.
Afghan mullahs promote birth control
Experts say contraception is starting to catch on in Afghanistan, a country with the world’s second highest maternal death rate, thanks to efforts to involve mullahs and husbands.
Mexico City enters gay marriage fray
Metropolis takes the lead in Latin America, over the protests of conservatives, church and nation’s president.
Chile earthquake may have shortened days
The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth’s rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.
Lots of anger, some aid, in Chile disaster
Facing angry survivors who had little or no warning of the quake-triggered tsunami, Chile’s government uses helicopters and boats to step up food aid as the death toll rose to nearly 800.
Spain busts hackers for infecting 13 million PCs
Spanish police have shut down a ring of computer hackers who infected more than 13 million PCs with a virus that stole credit card numbers and other valuable data in what may be the biggest cyber raid to date.
Town mourns its quake, tsunami dead
Kneeling over a row of body bags on the floor of a school gymnasium, Salome Tobita of Constitucion, Chile, softly kissed the purple hand of her dead son.
Clinton visits quake-hit Chile
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in earthquake-ravaged Chile on Tuesday to offer the devastated country moral and material support.
Quake, tsunami destroy Chile beach towns
The beach communities of Chile’s south-central coast suffered the double tragedy of the earthquake and the tsunami it caused. In Talcahuano, 80 percent of the 180,000 residents are homeless.
Ex-rebel leader now Uruguay’s president
A former guerrilla leader who won the trust of voters with his homespun manner and promises to govern as a conciliator became Uruguay’s new president Monday.
In ruined Haiti schools, educators see opportunity
After seven weeks with seven kids huddled under a shelter of tarps and bed sheets on the median strip of a busy road, Lissithe Delomme says the Haitian government can’t reopen schools fast enough.
‘What the earthquake didn’t take… the sea took’
A public gym has been transformed into a makeshift morgue after a surging tsunami devastated a picturesque Chilean coastal town, leaving hundreds of people missing.
Chile quake toll limited by good planning
Scientists and engineers in Chile and the U.S. agree that even though 500,000 homes were heavily damaged by the earthquake, stringent building codes resulted in fewer deaths.
Chile greets exchange student with ‘terremoto’
Chile’s monster earthquake was a rude greeting for Paige Orwin, a 19-year-old American who had arrived in Santiago just three days earlier to begin a foreign exchange program.
Chile minister says navy erred on tsunami
Chile’s defense minister says the navy failed to immediately issue a tsunami warning after a mammoth earthquake.
Man, daughter fall 13 floors in Chile quake
When their 13th-floor apartment began to shake, Alberto Rozas held his 7-year-old daughter and waited for it to stop. Then they began to fall.
Clinton heading to Latin America after quake
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s weeklong, five-nation tour of Latin America is certain to focus on the earthquake in Chile.
Chile was ready for quake, Haiti wasn’t
The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month — yet the death toll in Haiti is magnitudes higher. The reasons are simple.
Pope: I pray for Chile quake victims
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged the survivors of Chile’s devastating quake to be courageous and asked the Catholic church to play a role in relief efforts.
Powerful quake strikes Argentina
A strong earthquake strikes northwestern Argentina on the same day that a massive temblor strikes neighboring Chile. Authorities report at least one person was killed.
Survivors describe ‘very frightening’ quake
Survivors of the massive earthquake in Chile tell of their ordeal.
Survivors describe ‘very frightening’ quake
Survivors of the massive earthquake in Chile tell of their ordeal.
Huge quake hits Chile, sparks tsunami
A devastating earthquake strikes Chile, toppling homes, killing at least 147 people and setting off a tsunami that threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean.
Tsunami warning issued for Hawaii
A tsunami threatened the Pacific Rim on Saturday, with an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Chile sending potentially deadly waves across the ocean as fast as a jetliner.
U.S. plans major push into Kandahar
Even as Marines in Afghanistan fight for control of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, senior Obama administration officials say planning has begun for a bigger, more complex offensive in Kandahar.
Newsweek: Mexico missteps in its zealous drug war
Mexico was proud of a clean-up operation that jailed dozens of drug-tainted civil servants. Turns out the whole thing was just an empty show of strength.
Spain makes unusual criticism of Cuba
Spain’s Socialist government on Thursday voiced criticism of Cuba after the death of a hunger-striking dissident, a departure from usual Spanish policy of calling for closer relations with the communist island.
UK prime minister apologizes to child migrants
Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized Wednesday to the tens of thousands of poor British children shipped to former colonies such as Australia, where instead of a better life many were treated to harsh conditions, neglect and abuse.
Gunmen kill 13 people in southern Mexican town
Gunmen stormed a rural town in southern Mexico and killed 13 people, while the U.S. government warned Americans against traveling to cities in a northern border state where shootouts have left 19 people dead over three days.
Cuba dissident dies after hunger strike
An opposition political activist imprisoned since 2003 dies after a lengthy hunger strike, members of Cuba’s human rights community said.
Activists: Cuba dissident dies after hunger strike
An opposition political activist imprisoned since 2003 died Tuesday after a lengthy hunger strike, members of Cuba’s human rights community said.
Argentine stolen at birth, now 32, learns identity
The search is finally over for Abel Madariaga, whose pregnant wife was kidnapped by Argentine security forces 33 years ago.
Under world’s greatest cities, deadly plates
Tokyo, Cairo and Los Angeles are among a large list of urban centers sitting atop shifting tectonic plates.
Peru buses crash head-on; 38 dead
Two buses crash head-on along a remote stretch of highway in northeast Peru, killing at least 38 people and injuring 58, police said.
Controversial Obama statue back on display
A statue of Barack Obama as a boy is placed at the Jakarta elementary school the U.S. president once attended, after its display in a public park prompted backlash.
Shipwrecked students feared remote death at sea
When wind and rough seas drove the Canadian sailing ship carrying dozens of teenage students to lean precariously to one side, the captain figured it was just another day of sailing in rough weather.
Canadian school ship sinks off Brazil; all rescued
A Canadian sailing ship filled with high school and college students sank off the coast of Brazil in strong winds, but officials said all 64 people aboard were rescued Friday after about 16 hours in rafts tossed by rough seas.
Young man’s body falls from cargo plane
The body of a young man fell from a cargo plane as it was starting to take off for Miami, Dominican officials said.
Paralyzed Belgian patient can’t talk after all
It was heralded as a medical miracle. After spending more than two decades in a coma, Rom Houben, a Belgian man in his mid-forties, was suddenly able to communicate, news reports trumpeted last November.
China protests Obama, Dalai Lama meeting
China said President Barack Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama “seriously harms U.S.-China relations.
NYT: Chinese schools linked to Google attacks
Online attacks on Google and other U.S. companies have been traced to computers at two educational institutions in China, including one with ties to the Chinese military, investigators say.
NYT: Chinese schools linked to Google attacks
Online attacks on Google and other U.S. companies have been traced to computers at two educational institutions in China, including one with ties to the Chinese military, investigators say.
Dalai Lama ‘very happy’ with Obama meeting
President Barack Obama personally welcomed the Dalai Lama to the White House Thursday and lauded his goals for the Tibetan people, but he kept their get-together off-camera and low-key in an attempt to avoid inflaming tensions with China.
Son of top drug suspect sent to US from Mexico
A man accused of being an influential, second-generation member of the Sinaloa drug cartel was extradited from Mexico to the United States on Thursday on charges he helped move tons of cocaine from Colombia to California, New York and Chicago.
Mexico – Gang – Mexico – United States border – US-Mexico Border [...]
528-pound mom gives birth to 6.4 pound baby
A 25-year-old woman weighing 528 pounds (240 kilograms) gave birth to her first baby on Thursday at a hospital equipped to treat obese people.
Group of 7-year-old queen last in Rio Carnival
A samba group that enraged child-welfare advocates by choosing a 7-year-old as a drums corps queen finished last Wednesday in the extravagant parade competition, relegating them to the minor leagues next year.
Newsweek: How China has been good for Tibet
President Obama’s controversial meeting with the Dalai Lama this week has already infuriated China and stirred up Tibet advocates. But one story that is often missed is that for China’s many blunders in mountainous region, it has erected a booming economy there.
Embalmer finds ‘dead’ woman really alive
A Colombian woman declared dead of a heart attack moved one of her arms just as an undertaker was about to embalm her, doctors said Wednesday.
Cops hunt U.S. missionaries’ ex-adviser
The former legal adviser to a group of American missionaries jailed in Haiti on child kidnapping charges is now the focus of a manhunt in the Dominican Republic.
Circumcision ring cuts AIDS risk in Africa
The most powerful force against AIDS in Africa may be circumcision, experts say. Now there may be a new weapon in the arsenal — a ring-shaped device that is mostly painless and requires less time for health workers.
Missile threat signals U.S.-Russia reset strains
Moldova’s rebel region of Transdniestria said on Monday it was ready to host Russian tactical missiles if the Kremlin were to ask, escalating growing tensions about defense between Moscow and Washington.
Moldovan rebels offer to host Russian missiles
Moldova’s rebel region of Transdniestria said on Monday it was ready to host Russian tactical missiles if the Kremlin were to ask, escalating growing tensions about defense between Moscow and Washington.
Obama statue removed amid outcry
Authorities remove a statue of Barack Obama from a park in the Indonesian capital due to a public backlash and move it to a nearby elementary school that the U.S. president attended.
Child samba queen cries at Rio’s Carnival
She was cheered by legions of Carnival fans, but 7-year-old Julia Lira, the youngest drum corps queen in memory at Rio’s lavish party, didn’t dance and broke down crying upon realizing she was the center of everyone’s attention early Monday.
Under Obama, more targeted killings than captures in counterterrorism efforts
Although senior administration officials say that no policy determination has been made to emphasize kills over captures in the war on terrorism, several factors appear to have tipped the balance in that direction.
Pakistani PM plays down crisis, opposition pounces
Pakistan’s prime minister sought to defuse tension Sunday over a Supreme Court decision to strike down a presidential order appointing two top judges, saying the dispute would not threaten political stability.
Detained Americans seek distance from adviser
A man who provided legal assistance to 10 jailed U.S. missionaries and who may be wanted for human trafficking in El Salvador was not known to the Americans’ church group before their arrest, a relative said Saturday.
Can’t miss if you seek a kiss at Rio Carnival
A kiss is just a kiss, but at Rio’s Carnival, collecting as many pecking partners as possible at one of the 650 massive street parties that hit high gear on Saturday is truly a competitive sport.
Carnival – Arts and Entertainment – Performing Arts – Brazil – Rio de Janeiro
NYT: Missionaries’ aide eyed in trafficking ring
Police in El Salvador investigate whether a man suspected of leading a sex trafficking ring has been providing legal advice to the Americans charged with child abduction in Haiti.
Mexican interior secretary quits ruling party
Mexico’s interior secretary made a sudden split from President Felipe Calderon’s ruling conservative party, dealing it a new political blow on top of flagging support due to drug gang violence and an economic downturn.
White House announces new Iran asset freeze
The Obama administration announces that it is freezing the assets of four companies affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Brazil heat wave kills 32 elderly people
Thirty-two elderly people died in a southeastern Brazilian city this week because of a heat wave that has pushed temperatures to unseasonably high levels, a health official said Wednesday.
In Cuba, license plates tag drivers, not the car
It’s Cuba’s twist on “you are what you drive”: Here, you are your license plate.
Texan, girlfriend get 9 years for baby trafficking
A Texas man and his girlfriend are sentenced to nine years in prison for recruiting Mexican women to give birth in the U.S. and sell their babies to couples there, a judge says.
Kidnap fears spark Haiti ‘children’s emergency’
The head of UNICEF warns that people may still be trying to smuggle children out of Haiti.
Arrested Tijuana cops were hailed as models
Just a few weeks ago, the two officers were lauded as part of a new breed of honest cop, elevated to become key players in a drive to overhaul one of Mexico’s most notorious police forces.
2nd German traveler camps out in Brazil airport
A German man who went to Brazil for a woman he met on the Internet has been camping out in an airport for more than a month after thieves took all his money and possessions, authorities said Tuesday.
Magnitude 5.7 quake rattles southern Mexico
A magnitude 5.7-earthquake shook southern Mexico near the Oaxaca coast Monday, setting off evacuation alarms and swaying buildings as far away as Mexico City.
Mexico arrests 2 reputed leaders of drug gang
Mexican authorities on Monday arrested two suspected leaders of a brutal drug trafficking gang that terrorized the border city of Tijuana for several years, a U.S. official said.
Mexico troops find 12 tons of pot in truck
Mexican soldiers seize more than 12 tons of marijuana found beneath a false floor of a tractor trailer.
Spring rains threaten Haitian survivors
In Haiti’s devastated capital city, early spring rains threaten to cause landslides and bring about health problems in the makeshift camps where more than 500,000 people are living.
Alligator kills 11-year-old girl in Brazil
Authorities say an alligator killed an 11-year-old girl as she swam with friends in a river in northeastern Brazil.
Amid drug war, Mexico less deadly than decade ago
Decapitated bodies dumped on the streets, drug-war shootings and regular attacks on police have obscured a significant fact: A falling homicide rate means people in Mexico are less likely to die violently now than they were more than a decade ago.
Six shot dead in Mexico disco in likely drug attack
Gunmen stormed into a nightclub in the Mexican beach resort of Mazatlan and shot dead six people in what looked like the latest in a flurry of drug cartel attacks.
Haiti relief supplies stall in shipping limbo
More than three weeks after the earthquake, donated goods are accumulating at small charities, sitting in limbo because of costs and a complex web of transportation logistics.
Teenage Spanish matador kills 6 bulls in 1 day
A 16-year-old Spanish matador killed six bulls in one afternoon Saturday, pulling off a feat normally attempted only by seasoned veterans and winning trophies for his bravery — ears from animals he had just slain.
29 dead, homes flooded in central Mexico
A landslide killed at least 11 people in central Mexico on Friday, adding to 18 deaths this week from severe and unseasonable winter storms that closed schools and freeways and flooded thousands of homes.
Samba queen role too sexy for child?
A judge in Brazil is considering blocking a 7-year-old dancer’s participation in a coveted Carnival role normally reserved for barely clad models.
Haiti aid chopper crashes, killing 2 Americans
Two Americans were killed when their helicopter, which was participating in aid and recovery operations in earthquake-hit Haiti, crashed in the Dominican Republic.
Drug cartels go into the rehab business
Mexico’s powerful drug cartels are operating drug rehabilitation clinics, turning some into bloody killing fields and forcing recovering addicts into their ranks of hit men and smugglers.
Cheers! Brits toast shatterproof pint glass
British officials unveil a new shatterproof pint glass will save billions in health care costs because the glass won’t double as a lethal weapon.
Suicide bomb kills 6 in Afghan south
The blast comes as as coalition troops gear up for a push to capture the town of Marjah, the first major offensive since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
China holiday lets workers scout new jobs
Millions of Chinese workers are heading home for the Lunar New Year — the world’s biggest annual migration of people — but some are hoping to stay home if they can find a job there.
Obama, Dalai Lama to meet in February
The White House says President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama will meet at the White House this month.
Mexico says neighbor’s info led to massacre
Gunmen who killed 15 people in this Mexican border city were directed to the neighborhood by a resident who said members of a rival gang were planning a party, an official says.
Obama keeps N. Korea off terror sponsor list
President Barack Obama tells Congress that North Korea does not meet “the statutory criteria” to be added a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
China warns Obama on Dalai Lama meeting
Beijing says a meeting between the president and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader would further erode ties between the the U.S. and China.
Swiss OK asylum for 2 Gitmo inmates
Switzerland approves the resettlement of two Chinese inmates at Guantanamo as part of its commitment to help President Obama’s administration close the detention center.
7 suspects, 1 policeman die in Mexico shootout
A shootout that began in a shopping center and spilled onto a highway in northern Mexico caused the death of seven suspected drug cartel gunmen and one federal police officer while freeing two kidnap victims, police said.
China warns U.S. over Dalai Lama, Taiwan
China says a possible meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama would further hurt Sino-U.S. relations.
16 killed at party in Mexican border city
The death toll of the weekend massacre in Ciudad Juarez, one of the deadliest cities in the world, rose to 16 after three more victims died at hospitals.
Rare ailment makes girl, 13, look like she’s 50
On the inside, Zara Hartshorn is just like any 13-year-old girl — but on the outside she looks middle-aged due to lipodystrophy, a rare condition she inherited from her mother. She said she suffers cruel taunts from other children who “call me Grandma.”
Hugo Chavez is hobbled, but still standing
A new slogan used by anti-government protesters in Venezuela sums up a growing sentiment about President Hugo Chavez after 11 years in power: “You’re struck out.”
Doctors in Haiti posed with patients, condoms
Puerto Rican doctors who appeared on Facebook posing with guns and Haitian earthquake victims are under investigation for possible ethics violations.
Mexican police find headless bodies in border city
Mexican police on Saturday found two severed heads near blanket-wrapped bodies in a border city where 15 people have been killed in less than 24 hours.
Haitian families start own rebuilding
Defying government pleas to wait for Haiti’s reconstruction, families are starting to do the unthinkable: build new homes on top of old ones devastated in the earthquake.
Haiti – Humanitarian aid – Health care – Caribbean – Organizations
Last Machu Picchu tourists evacuated
Helicopters ferry out the last tourist stranded near Machu Picchu, Peruvian police said.
U.S. to sell $6 billion in arms to Taiwan
The Obama administration says it plans to approve more than $6 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, a move sure to strain U.S.-China ties.
Machu Picchu aims to evacuate last tourists
Authorities are hoping to evacuate the last tourists stranded near Machu Picchu in Peru on Friday.
Machu Picchu evacuations speed up
Helicopters are bringing out Machu Picchu tourists stranded by mudslides, but the continuous arrival of hikers means hundreds are still hunkered down near the Inca citadel.
U.S. may push new Iran sanctions
The Obama administration could circulate an outline of possible tough new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program as early as this week at the United Nations.
6.9-magnitude earthquake rocks Chile