Category: News Briefs

As UN Debate on Decolonization Begins, Puerto Rico Presses for Self-Determination

NEW YORK — Advocates of Puerto Rican self-determination have for decades claimed that their status as a U.S. commonwealth amounts to second-class citizenship, but regular petitions to the United Nations’ […] Read More >

‘El Chapo’ Escapes, Threatening to Derail Peña Nieto Presidency

The Sinaloa Cartel chief Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán escaped for the second time in his life from a Mexican prison on Saturday night. Guzmán, who is widely considered the world’s […] Read More >

In Declaring Puerto Rico’s Debt “Unpayable,” Governor Shifts Position on Debt Restructuring

In a televised speech delivered in a somber tone on Monday, Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said that Puerto Rico’s $73 billion public debt is “unpayable,” confirming similar remarks […] Read More >

Prosecutor’s Mystery Death a Litmus Test for Argentina

BUENOS AIRES — The mysterious circumstances under which Argentine Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman died in January of an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head has spawned a number of […] Read More >

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Alan Gross Appeal in Lawsuit Against U.S. Government

NEW YORK — The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal on Monday by former government subcontractor Alan Gross, who filed a $60 million lawsuit in 2012 alleging negligence on the […] Read More >

Guatemalans File $1 Billion Lawsuit Over U.S. Government Research that Exposed Subjects to STDs

NEW YORK — More than 750 Guatemalans filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. city of Baltimore against Johns Hopkins University, drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and The Rockefeller Foundation over their […] Read More >

Transcript: Obama’s Statement to the Press Over Immigration Ruling

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama was forced to suspend the first phase of his executive order on immigration, which would have gone into effect Wednesday, after a Texas federal judge […] Read More >

At Least 16 Dead, 60 Injured in Haiti Carnival Accident (Update)

UPDATE: The Haitian government has cancelled the last day of Carnival celebrations, and declared three days of mourning following Tuesday’s accident. UPDATE 2: The number of reported dead following the […] Read More >

Investigation Into Argentine President Will Resume

In the latest twist in a case that has captivated Argentina over the past month, a federal prosecutor has decided to move forward with accusations that President Cristina Fernández and […] Read More >

FARC Rebels Announce a Ban on the Recruitment of Child Soldiers

FARC rebels in Colombia announced Thursday an immediate and indefinite ban on the recruitment of child soldiers under 17 years old, a concession that the government and human rights advocates […] Read More >