Two opposition members were killed yesterday in the Venezuelan state of Barinas during a campaign rally in support of presidential candidate Henrique Capriles. The incident comes a little over a week before the country’s 7th October elections. Antonio Valero, aged 32, of the Primero Justicia party and Omar Fernandez, aged 63, an Independent, were members of […]

Hundreds of indigenous families have occupied the area directly in front of the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute in the capital Asunción, accusing the government of Federico Franco of failing to attend to “those who have fallen into extreme poverty”. The protesters had initially marched to the National Emergency Ministry to demand the urgent delivery of food, […]

The Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic has received 3,800 applications from potential volunteers hoping to participate in the literacy programme announced by President Danilo Medina on 10th September. The National Literacy Plan, also known as “Quisqueya Learns With You,” declares literacy a fundamental human right for people over 14 years old, and hopes […]

A Nicaraguan judge found businessman and music promoter Henry Fariñas guilty of money laundering, drug trafficking, and organised crime on Wednesday in Managua. Authorities say Fariñas was the likely target of an attack that killed Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral in Guatemala last year. Fariñas and Cabral were en route to Guatemala City airport on […]

The Attorney General of Colombia has reported that there are more than 50,000 victims of criminal activities by paramilitary groups in the country. The report is based on confessions given by ex members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). According to the report, which was publicised by RCN Radio, 25,083 of those victims […]

Groups of landless farmers, known locally as ‘carperos‘, yesterday declared that they would begin to occupy territory in protest at government delays in allocating land. The protesters said they would begin to occupy land in eight days if they did not receive an official answer by then. “If the government does not meet its commitment […]

On Tuesday Uruguay’s lower house of Congress voted to decriminalise abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and up to the 14th week in cases of rape, grave danger to the woman, or severe birth defects. Under current law, abortion is punishable by three to nine months in prison for the woman and six […]

In a speech at the opening of the U.N. General Assembly today in New York, President Dilma Roussef criticised the expansionist economic policies of the world’s richest countries. The Brazilian leader was the first head of state to address the 93 nation General Assembly. She indicated that moves to extend economic influence and budget cuts […]

A senior human rights lawyer who represents Agrarian peasant groups in disputes with large land owners was killed on Sunday in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. Alejandro Trejo Cabrera, 41, was shot several times as he stepped outside of a church to answer a phone call, where he was attending a wedding. He was […]

Yesterday four Uruguayan marines were detained on suspicion of abusing a young man whilst on a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. The men are being charged with the “private abuse” of an 18-year-old male and could face up to three years in jail. They are currently awaiting trial. The case came to light following the […]