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February 2008
- Argentina Baby Snatch Witness Dies in Trial
  
  BBC | Feb 27, 08 9:46 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Days before he was to testify about the Dirty War disappearance of twins born to a political prisoner, a former Argentine army officer has been found dead of a gunshot wound to the head, the BBC reports. Police don't know if Paul Navone committed suicide but human rights groups think he might have been murdered to stop him from talking. More »
- Ancient Plaza Found in Peru
  
  Reuters | Feb 26, 08 1:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed one of the oldest structures in the Americas, Reuters reports. Carbon dating indicates the ceremonial plaza in Casma is 5,500 years old, scientists at the dig say. That's 500 years older than the nearby ancient citadel of Caral, previously thought be Peru’s oldest ruins. "It's an impressive find," said the project's supervisor. More »
- Don't Expect Another Cuban Revolution
  
  New York Times | Feb 25, 08 2:45 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - You won't see him wearing fatigues and making fiery speeches, but Raul Castro is expected to hew closely to brother Fidel's line. Cuba's new president is a pragmatic military man who lacks his brother's charisma and ego, the New York Times reports. Fidel is still party leader, and 31 Castro allies were reelected in uncontested races to top government positions along with him. More »
- Cachaça Is the New Tequila, Devotees Say
  
  BusinessWeek | Feb 24, 08 10:49 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The next big buzz in the world of potent beverages may well be cachaça, the Brazilian take on rum that has its sights set on unseating tequila as the trendy shot du jour in the US. The exported version of the national drink, distilled from sugar cane, ranges from 76 to 96 proof and is already popular in Germany, BusinessWeek reports. More »
- Cuba Takes a Swing at Golf
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 08 12:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Nearly a dozen tony golf-resort projects funded by Spanish, British, and Canadian consortiums are under way in Cuba as acting President Raul Castro tries to lure foreign tourists—and their cash—back to the struggling island nation by creating a new Caribbean golf destination, reports the Wall Street Journal. Castro took over for his ailing brother, Fidel, in July 2006; he's expected to be named president tomorrow. More »
- Plane Crashes in Venezuela; 46 Aboard
  
  Reuters | Feb 21, 08 9:40 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A plane crashed in western Venezuela with 46 people aboard today, AFP reports. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the airliner soon after it took off from the Andean city of Merida bound for Caracas. People in the mountainous Coyado del Condor region reported seeing a plane go down. Merida's head of civil defense said search-and-rescue teams were on the way. More »
- Nine Dead, 10 Missing in Amazon Boat Wreck
  
  Associated Press | Feb 21, 08 1:59 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Nine people died, and 10 more are missing and feared dead after a ferry in Brazil sank this morning after colliding with a barge on the Amazon River, the AP reports. Authorities, who rescued 92 passengers near the town of Itacoatiara, say "visibility was very poor" at the time of the accident due to the lunar eclipse. More »
- Patriots' 'Winning' Gear Finds a Home
  
  New York Post | Feb 14, 08 8:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A small town in Nicaragua is celebrating New England's victory in the Super Bowl, the New York Post reports, with children donning T-shirts celebrating the NFL's first-ever 19-0 season. Yes, yes, the Giants were the actual victors Feb. 2, but the gear had to be ready for a Patriots win—and it was donated to a charity benefiting the needy kids. More »
- Brazil Oil Data Stolen From State Company
  
  Associated Press | Feb 14, 08 4:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company, today announced that important information had gone missing, and one Brazilian site says the data concerns two large, important new gas and oil finds, the Associated Press reports. The new fields are so large, Terra reports, that they could earn Brazil a seat with the OPEC oil cartel. More »
- Climate Swing Jump-Started Civilization
  
  NPR | Feb 12, 08 2:10 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - An ancient Peruvian civilization may have been kick-started by a climate swing. Five thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers moved inland from the seashore, settling in arid, desolate river valleys where they learned to farm. Archaeologist Jonathan Haas thinks the new settlers were spurred to move by more frequent El Ninos, which killed the fish and shellfish they had relied on for food, reports NPR. More »
- Drug Cartels Aim to Master the Deep
  
  Washington Post | Feb 6, 08 7:41 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Colombian drug cartels are increasingly relying on homemade submersibles to transport cocaine, the Washington Post reports, with 13 such vessels seized last year—more than in the previous 14 combined. The vehicles skim just under the waves, nearly invisible to sonar and aircraft. And even enforcement officials have grudging respect for the ingenuity the traffickers show in constructing them. More »