South America

Chile: Lollapalooza Comes to Santiago

Date: March 23rd, 2011 |

Though it has been less than a year since an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile, the capital city of Santiago has made a broad-reaching recovery. With the addition of modern museums and restaurants, the city has become a vibrant example of economic and cultural improvement and reinvention. In April, the 20-year-old American music festival Lollapalooza [read more]

Peru: Dengue Fever in Loreto and Iquitos Drives Out Peace Corps

Date: February 15th, 2011 |

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The Peace Corps has placed Iquitos and the state of Loreto off limits to personnel because of a surge in cases of dengue fever there. Peace Corps officials imposed the restriction because cases in Loreto jumped from 3,000 to 7,000 in one week in January and deaths from the disease climbed from eight to 12. [read more]

Bolivia: Protests Greet Decision to Drop Fuel Subsidies

Date: December 29th, 2010 |

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The price of gas shot up 73 percent (diesel fuel 83 percent) when the government ended fuel subsidies that had been in place for six years, prompting violent protests in La Paz. Public transit workers’ unions called for an indefinite national strike and protesters set up roadblocks in El Alto, Villa Fatima and on the [read more]

Brazil: Police Drive Drug Gangs Out of Rio Favela, Restore Law and Order

Date: December 1st, 2010 |

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Continuing a two-year effort to drive drug gangs out of the favelas overlooking Rio de Janeiro and establish police posts to restore the rule of law, police took control of a key neighborhood that sits near a highway that connects the city with the international airport. The assault had to happen because the drug gangs [read more]

Brazil: Drug Gangs Robbed Drivers En Masse in Rio

Date: October 13th, 2010 |

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Crime in Rio de Janeiro is not news, but recent attacks by armed drug gang members have been especially brazen. They set up roadblocks and robbed drivers stuck in the traffic jams, yanking some from their cars and in some cases making off with their vehicles. At least 10 of these robberies occurred in the [read more]

Argentina: Strikes Disrupt Travel to and from Buenos Aires’ Airport

Date: February 15th, 2011 |

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Strikes at or near Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza International Airport have disrupted travel four times in first forty days of 2011, the most recent occurring Feb. 11 when protesters blocked the highway leading to the airport. The resulting traffic jam backed up three miles with some travelers walking the remaining distance hauling their luggage. The strikers [read more]

Colombia: Pilgrims Robbed on Road Up Monserrate

Date: January 12th, 2011 |

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The 17th-century Monserrate church is a pilgrimage site and popular tourist attraction atop Monserrate mountain overlooking Bogota. There are three ways to get there, by aerial tram, funicular railway or climbing an old road to the summit. One is not safe, a group of 30 tourists discovered recently when they were calmly and efficiently robbed [read more]

Suriname: Tourist Killed Trying to Thwart Robber

Date: December 29th, 2010 |

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A Dutch tourist was killed during a robbery in Paramaribo Dec. 25 when he tried to take back his wife’s purse that had been snatched by an armed man as they walked toward their apartment. In the scuffle the robber shot the tourist and killed him on the spot. The incident serves as a reminder [read more]

Ecuador: Emergency Decree Extended in Quito

Date: October 20th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Quito reported that the Ecuadorian government’s “state of exception” imposed on Sept. 30 following police protests has been extended to 60 days in Quito but lifted throughout the rest of the country. The emergency decree gives the military law enforcement authority in Quito. The Embassy’s announcement noted that Quito is listed [read more]

Peru: Another Tourist Plane Crashes in Nazca

Date: October 6th, 2010 |

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A tourist aircraft crashed in Nazca on a flight to view the Nazca Lines, killing all six aboard: four British tourists and the Peruvian pilot and co-pilot. The crash was the latest in a series of disasters with the popular flight tours. In February, six South American tourists and their pilot died in a crash, [read more]

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