The news at a glance ... Americas

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Children in peril: Aid agencies have largely stopped evacuating severely injured Haitian children to U.S. hospitals for fear of being accused of kidnapping. After 10 American missionaries were arrested last month for transporting 33 children, most of whom turned out not to be orphans, doctors and aid workers have become reluctant to airlift children without official documentation. But with the Haitian government barely functioning in the wake of last month’s devastating earthquake, documentation is hard to obtain. Elizabeth Grieg, head of the largest pediatric field hospital treating survivors, said several children have died waiting to be airlifted. “Everything has slowed down,” said relief pilot Scott Dorfman, “and most pilots are backing out of these medical missions with kids.”

San José, Costa Rica

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Señora presidente: Costa Rica has elected its first female president. Laura Chinchilla Miranda, a social conservative from the party of incumbent President Oscar Arias Sánchez, defeated two rivals, a leftist and a libertarian, in a landslide. Chinchilla, who previously served as vice president and justice minister, campaigned on a law-and-order platform, pledging to drastically increase spending on police and security. “The greatest challenge we have is crime, violence, and drug trafficking,” she said in her victory speech this week. “Central America could be the last battlefield of the war taking place in Colombia and Mexico.” Chinchilla has a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and speaks fluent English.

Caracas, Venezuela

A constant presence: Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Hugo Chávez, can now add radio personality to his résumé. Chávez recently closed down several independent television and radio stations for failing to air his interminable speeches in full. This week, he launched a new radio show, Suddenly Chávez, on Venezuelan National Radio; it can air anytime, day or night, he has something he wants to share with the nation. In the first bulletin, he surprised listeners by declaring a 60-day state of emergency to deal with the power shortages that have caused rolling blackouts for months. “I call on the whole country: Switch off the lights,” Chávez said.