The week at a glance...Americas
Americas
Caracas, Venezuela
Maduro is angry: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro lashed out this week against foreign leaders who support a recount of the close vote that put him in office last month. On state television, he called President Obama the “chief of devils” for suggesting that the election campaign—which allowed nearly unlimited TV time for Maduro and almost none for his rival, Henrique Capriles—may not have been entirely fair. He recalled his ambassador from Peru after Peru asked the Union of South American Nations to issue a resolution calling on Maduro to exercise tolerance. And he has accused Álvaro Uribe, an ex-president of Colombia, of conspiring with the Venezuelan opposition to kill him.
Bogotá, Colombia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Medical marijuana: The Colombian capital is trying to wean addicts off a crack-like drug by giving them high-potency marijuana. In a pilot program, 300 people addicted to bazuco, a cheap cocaine derivative that is as addictive as heroin, will receive marijuana bred with a high THC content to relieve the anxiety and jitters of withdrawal. Bazuco has become a public health crisis in Bogotá, where at least 7,500 of an estimated 9,500 homeless people are addicts. Possession of small quantities of marijuana is legal in Colombia, but dealing it is not.
Cuzco, Peru
Cult leader found dead: A Chilean cult leader suspected of burning his own newborn daughter alive has been found hanged in Peru. Ramón Gustavo Castillo Gaete, 36, led a small doomsday cult that believed the world would end last December in the Mayan apocalypse. He convinced one of his followers to sacrifice her 3-day-old daughter, saying the child was the Antichrist, in a bonfire last November. Castillo Gaete had sex with female cult members and is believed to have been the girl’s father. The mother and three other cult members were arrested last week, and Castillo Gaete was found dead shortly afterward, in what authorities called an apparent suicide.
Rio de Janeiro
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
WTO head: Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevedo has become the first Latin American to head the World Trade Organization, beating out a Mexican candidate favored by the U.S. and the EU. Azevedo has been a litigator in high-profile trade disputes and a top negotiator for Brazil at the trade body, so he has intimate knowledge of the issues that have stalled global trade talks since 2001. “He will be able to lead the organization toward a path of a fairer and more dynamic global economic order,” said Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. The WTO was established in 1995 as a forum to set rules for international commerce, but it has become mired in bickering over agricultural subsidies and tariffs.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - October 13, 2024
Sunday's cartoons - the swing of things, fear of facts, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 timely cartoons about climate change denial
Cartoons Artists take on textbook trouble, bizarre beliefs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kris Kristofferson: the free-spirited country music star who studied at Oxford
In the Spotlight The songwriter, singer and film-star has died aged 88
By The Week UK Published
-
The news at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Youthful startup founders; High salaries for anesthesiologists; The myth of too much homework; More mothers stay a home; Audiences are down, but box office revenue rises
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...Americas
feature Americas
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance...United States
feature United States
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature Comcast defends planned TWC merger; Toyota recalls 6.39 million vehicles; Takeda faces $6 billion in damages; American updates loyalty program; Regulators hike leverage ratio
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature The rising cost of graduate degrees; NSA surveillance affects tech profits; A glass ceiling for female chefs?; Bonding to a brand name; Generous Wall Street bonuses
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature GM chief faces Congress; FBI targets high-frequency trading; Yellen confirms continued low rates; BofA settles mortgage claims for $9.3B; Apple and Samsung duke it out
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated