The world at a glance . . . Americas

last updated 8 January 2015

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Tourist killing: A Puerto Rican man has been sentenced to 105 years in prison for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of an American tourist earlier this year. Eliezer Marquez Navedo pleaded guilty to the murder of Sara Kuszak, 36, of Savannah, who was five months pregnant at the time of her death. Kuszak, who was vacationing on the island with her fiancé, had gone for a jog when Marquez ambushed her and stuffed her into the trunk of his car. She made a desperate phone call to her fiancé, but an hour later, she was found dead, her throat slashed. In 1992, Marquez’s mother, Ines Navedo, was convicted of murdering two children by slashing their throats. Police have now reopened those cases to investigate whether Marquez was the true perpetrator.

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Cops who kill: The Jamaican security minister came under fire this week for saying that suspected criminals killed by police should be regarded as “collateral damage” in the war on crime. Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson apologized for his remark after human-rights groups complained, but he reiterated that the government would support officers in the use of deadly force. Jamaica has one of the world’s worst records of police shootings. The human-rights group Jamaicans for Justice said that in the past decade, police have killed more than 2,000 Jamaicans; only one officer has been convicted of manslaughter.

San Salvador, El Salvador

Marxist takes over: Former Marxist rebel Mauricio Funes was sworn in as president of El Salvador this week and immediately restored relations with Cuba. El Salvador cut ties with Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution, and is the last Latin American nation to restore them. Funes’ party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, fought to overthrow U.S.-backed governments in the 1980s. But he said his new government would be a friend of the U.S. The “strong examples” of President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Funes said, are “proof that progressive leaders, instead of being a threat, can be a new, safe alternative for their people.”

Off the coast of Brazil

Mystery crash: An Air France jetliner traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the Atlantic Ocean this week, and all 228 people aboard are presumed dead. Brazilian military jets searching the flight path found debris—including an airplane seat, a life jacket, and a fuel slick—but no sign of survivors. The aircraft was battling its way through thunderstorms when it sent out automated pings signaling something was wrong. But the pilots did not send a distress call, suggesting that something quick and catastrophic occurred. “Lightning alone is not enough to explain the loss of this plane, and turbulence alone is not enough,” said Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, chief executive of Air France. “A completely unexpected situation occurred onboard the aircraft.” Theories include sudden decompression, hail breaking the windshield, and an electrical fire. Most passengers were Brazilian or French; two were American. Investigators saw no indication of terrorism.