Vancouver
Masked man: Using a false name, a Chinese asylum seeker managed to board a flight from Hong Kong to Canada last week wearing a silicon mask that covered his whole head. The 20-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was disguised as an elderly white man. A passenger on the Air Canada flight, Nuray Kurtur-Balas, says she noticed his odd appearance right away. “It wasn’t a real person’s skin. It looked plastic,” she said. “I was thinking he was going to blow the plane up.” The man removed his mask in the airplane bathroom and asked for political asylum. “Obviously, we are very concerned about what happened,” said Transport Minister Chuck Strahl.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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Cholera spreads: The tent cities around Port-au-Prince, which house more than 1 million earthquake survivors, reported their first cases of cholera this week. The cholera epidemic, which has killed some 500 people and sickened thousands elsewhere in Haiti, had so far spared the capital. But this week, wind and rains from Hurricane Tomas caused the Artibonite River to burst its banks, and officials say contaminated water from the river reached Port-au-Prince. Scores of patients are already being treated, and the disease is expected to spread rapidly in the crowded, unsanitary camps. “It’s coming,” said Health Minister Alex Larsen.
Barra de Colorado, Costa Rica
Invasion by Google: Costa Rican police and Nicaraguan troops confronted one another at the border last week in a territorial dispute that has its origins in Google’s map service. Costa Rica claims Nicaragua has been dredging the San Juan River in Costa Rican territory, causing environmental damage. The Nicaraguan official in charge of the project said he used Google Maps to plan the work. Google has acknowledged that its map of the border was incorrect, but said it could not be held responsible for the spat. “Although Google maps are of high quality and Google works constantly to improve and update existing information, in no way can they be used for the military decisions between two countries,” said Google’s Daniel Helft.
Lima, Peru
Berenson freed: American Lori Berenson, who spent 15 years in a Peruvian prison for aiding leftist rebels, was released on parole this week. Berenson, 41, was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for plotting with the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement to attack Peru’s parliament building; the sentence was later cut to 20 years. While in prison, she married her Peruvian lawyer and gave birth to a son, now 18 months old. She was initially released in May, but her parole was reversed on a technicality and she returned to prison in August. Under the terms of her parole, Berenson must remain in Peru for five more years, unless President Alan García commutes her sentence.
São Paulo, Brazil
Racer attacked: Doubts about Brazil’s ability to provide security for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games increased this week after a Formula One driver was attacked by gunmen outside the São Paulo Grand Prix. World champion Jenson Button said men brandishing machine guns rushed his car as it was stopped in traffic the night before a race. His driver, a Brazilian policeman, gunned the motor of the armored Mercedes and the pair got away. “He bounced off about five cars,” said Button. “We were driving over the top of them. It was very scary.” Brazil has one of the highest rates of gun crime and carjackings in the world. Armored cars are now common among the nation’s wealthy.
