AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

July 19-25, 2024 Venezuela's political opposition held rallies throughout the country, as residents got ready to vote in the July 28 presidential election. Paraguayans wore bird-like costumes to celebrate 16th century Saint Francisco Solano, who's said to have miraculous powers....

UN says nearly 40 million people had HIV in 2023, lack of treatment means someone died every minute

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, over 9 million weren’t getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the U.N. said in a new report launched Monday. While...

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo critical of extended Copa America final halftime for Shakira concert

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo was critical of the extended halftime planned for Sunday night's Copa America final to allow a concert by Shakira. Shakira will be the first musical act to perform during the halftime of the Copa America final. The Colombian...

US sanctions a Venezuela gang for spreading criminal activity across Latin America

MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday sanctioned a Venezuelan gang allegedly behind a spree of kidnappings, extortion and other violent crimes tied to migrants that have spread across Latin America and the United States. The U.S. also offered a $12 million reward for...

Biden administration sanctions Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang for spreading criminal activity throughout Latin America

Chileans confront a homelessness crisis, a first for one of South America's richest countries

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The presidential residence of Gabriel Boric, the leftist millennial leader of Chile elected three years ago in the wake of public unrest over income inequality, shares a street in downtown Santiago with an overwhelmed homeless shelter. The sight of cardboard...

Essence Festival wraps up a 4-day celebration of Black culture

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — For 30 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has brought together people from all walks of life and from around the world to connect through conversation, shared experiences and, of course, music. The nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture ended...

El Salvador's president threatens to use gang-crackdown style tactics against price gougers

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, famous for his heavy-handed crackdown on street gangs, threatened to use similar tactics against price gougers. Since 2022, Bukele has rounded up tens of thousands of suspected street gang members — often on...

AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

June 28-July 4, 2024 Hurricane Beryl powered through the Caribbean on its way to Mexico. Guatemala marked its army's 153rd anniversary. Campaigns opened in Venezuela with political rallies ahead of the July 28 election. Brazil soccer fans watched their team play in the Copa America...

Migrants pause in the Amazon because getting to the US is harder. Most have no idea what lies ahead

ASSIS BRASIL, Brazil (AP) — Dozens of migrants sleep in a mosquito-infested six-bedroom wooden shelter in the Brazilian Amazon, their dreams of a better life in the U.S. on hold because of President Joe Biden’shalt on asylum. Johany “Flaca” Rodríguez, 48, was ready to leave...