A soccer-loving nun from Brazil tops list of world’s oldest living person at nearly 117

Sister Inah Canabarro was so skinny growing up that many didn’t think she would survive childhood, said LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the globe.

Military police, soldiers from Guatemala, El Salvador arrive in Haiti to help fight gangs

The first fighting contingents of soldiers and military policemen from Latin America arrived in Port-au-Prince on Friday to join the armed international security mission in the country’s fight against terrorizing gangs.

Venezuela opposition leader recognized by US as election victor embarks on international tour

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who the United States recognized as the winner of last year’s presidential election, kicked off an international tour on Saturday that will take him to Washington just days before President Nicolás Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term in defiance of international pressure.

Honduras suggests ending US military cooperation over Trump mass deportation threat

In a New Year’s Day speech on a national television channel, Honduras President Xiomara Castro said that if the U.S. goes ahead with massive deportations, Honduras would reconsider military cooperation with the U.S. She added that she hoped the Trump administration would be open to dialogue.

Investigators meet in Brazil to extract data from black box of crashed Azerbaijani airliner

Azerbaijan claims that the Embraer 190 jet, made in Brazil, was unintentionally shot down by Russia. Brazil’s air force said in a statement that nine foreign investigators from three other countries, including Russia, have gathered with its own experts in the capital, Brasilia.

Puerto Rico’s new governor sworn in days after a major blackout left much of the island in the dark

Jenniffer González Colón was sworn in Thursday as Puerto Rico’s new governor during a normally ebullient ceremony held amid widespread anger over a blackout that hit the U.S. territory days ago.

Brazilian miner boosts rare earths output in challenge to China’s grip

Ricardo Grossi, the CEO of Brazil’s Serra Verde Group, sees a chance for the company to become an alternative supplier to the West for critical minerals, especially if China expands export controls against the U.S. to more metals.

Leaked documents show Cuban military sitting on billions of dollars amid humanitarian crisis

Even as Cubans have been dying because of shortages of medicines and supplies at hospitals, and the government claims it doesn’t have the money to buy them due to U.S. sanctions, companies run by Cuba’s military have stashed away billions of dollars, according to financial records obtained by the Miami Herald.

For Haiti’s kids, servitude in gangs, death on the streets leave little room for a future

The U.N. estimates that the number of children in the ranks of Haiti’s gangs has increased by 70% in the past year, and that children now make up roughly half of the gangs’ fighting force.

Trump picks a Miami-Dade commissioner as ambassador to Panama amid canal controversy

Donald Trump has selected Miami-Dade County commissioner Kevin Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama amid Trump’s recent threats to retake control of the Panama Canal over fees charged U.S. ships in the waterway.