South America – News Stories About South America - Page 3

More Americans Eating ... Guinea Pigs

They've long been popular food in some South American countries

(Newser) - New Mexico is thinking about processing horse meat . Montanans have roadkill . And now the latest in offbeat meat appears to be ... guinea pigs. NPR reports on an American trend fueled by South American expats and the US restaurants that serve such cuisine, and bolstered by foodies' penchant for trying—and...

6.7 Earthquake Rattles Chile

Apr 17, 2012 2:09 AM CDT

6.7 Earthquake Rattles Chile

Buildings shudder, but no major damage reported

(Newser) - A powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook Chile early today, shuddering buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing outdoors. There was an early report of a death by heart attack during the quake that struck 25 miles northeast of the eastern port city of Valparaiso. The temblor was felt for almost a...

Scientists Find
Fossil of World's
Largest Bear

Feb 3, 2011 6:53 PM CST

Scientists Find Fossil of World's Largest Bear

Figure about 11 feet tall and nearly 2 tons

(Newser) - Scientists have uncovered the fossilized remains of the largest bear known to walk the Earth, LiveScience reports. Unearthed in Argentina, the giant short-faced bear was at least 11 feet tall when standing on its hind legs and weighed between 3,500 and 3,855 pounds—almost twice as big as...

Hundreds of Penguins
Wash Up in Brazil

Jul 21, 2010 6:02 AM CDT

Hundreds of Penguins Wash Up in Brazil

Scientists scrambling for answers

(Newser) - Some 500 dead penguins have washed up on Brazil's beaches, and stumped scientists are searching for a reason. The birds' bellies were completely empty, indicating they starved to death. The cooler than usual temperatures off the coast could have driven away the fish and squid the penguins feed on, one...

Dinosaurs
Arose in
S. America

meet tawa hallae

Dec 10, 2009 7:59 PM CST

Dinosaurs Arose in S. America

Fossil of T. rex cousin helps fill in the puzzle

(Newser) - The fossil of a feisty little ancestor of T. rex lends credence to the theory that dinosaurs emerged in South America. More precisely, they likely arose about 230 million years ago in Pangaea, which was then the single joined continent of the Americas. The development follow the discovery of a...

US Coast Guard, Brit Navy Seize $380M in Cocaine

Sep 28, 2009 2:46 AM CDT

US Coast Guard, Brit Navy Seize $380M in Cocaine

Nearly 5.5 tons discovered under concrete floor of fishing boat

(Newser) - The British Navy and US Coast Guard have seized a record $380 million worth of cocaine on a fishing boat off the coast of South America. The boat was searched for 24 hours before investigators broke up the concrete floor with sledgehammers and discovered 5.5 tons of the...

'Bourgeois'
Golf Courses Tee Off Chávez

Aug 13, 2009 9:20 AM CDT

'Bourgeois' Golf Courses Tee Off Chávez

Venezuela shutting down the links—that happen to be near oil

(Newser) - Hugo Chávez has gone after oil conglomerates and media companies, and now he's hitting the capitalist pigs where it hurts: at the golf course. The Venezuelan president is trying to shut down the country's best-known courses, which he believes are part of an anti-Marxist conspiracy, the Independent reports. "...

Sauvignon Blancs
Perfect for Summer

OPINION

Jul 22, 2009 12:49 PM CDT

Sauvignon Blancs Perfect for Summer

Wine panel rates the best from South America

(Newser) - We have reached “the vast plateau in the middle of summer,” the time when “one of wine’s primary purposes is to offer relief from the daily bout with seasonal oppression,” writes Eric Asimov in the New York Times. Summer wines, “like a good beach...

Rio's Olympic Bid
Picks Up Steam

Jun 18, 2009 4:52 PM CDT

Rio's Olympic Bid Picks Up Steam

(Newser) - With 3½ months to go, Rio de Janeiro has picked up significant momentum in the race for the 2016 Olympics. The Brazilian city emerged with the most buzz among the four competing cities during presentations yesterday in Switzerland to International Olympic Committee members. Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo are the other...

Dozens of
Sacrificed Girls
Found at Inca Site

Jun 5, 2009 2:56 AM CDT

Dozens of Sacrificed Girls Found at Inca Site

(Newser) - Dozens of carefully buried human sacrifices have been found in a coastal Inca site in Peru, reports the Telegraph. Most of the dead are teenage girls, and one appears to have been pregnant. The bodies, which still contain skin and hair, all bear signs of knife slashes along the neck....

Brazil Finds Drunk-Driving Law Tough to Swallow

Dec 23, 2008 3:20 PM CST

Brazil Finds Drunk-Driving Law Tough to Swallow

Home of carnival balks at cultural shift; corruption, lack of funds also hinder effort

(Newser) - Brazilians have mixed feelings about recently adopted drunken-driving laws that threaten to undermine their carnival lifestyle. The 0.02% alcohol limit—much stricter than America’s 0.08%—aims to curb the 35,000 deaths that occur on Brazil’s roads annually. But with just 900 breathalyzers for a nation...

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

TRAVEL

Nov 20, 2008 2:26 PM CST

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

With gratuity varying by country, it's important not to offend

(Newser) - Knowing the appropriate level of gratuity can be tricky, and it gets even more difficult abroad, where tipping practices widely vary. Forbes offers some help, noting, for instance, that for a cab ride in South America, rounding up the fare to the next dollar is an acceptable tip, while in...

Bet You've Never Heard of This Megachef

glossies

Nov 12, 2008 11:02 AM CST

Bet You've Never Heard of This Megachef

But that'll change when he conquers US with his Peruvian cuisine

(Newser) - Peruvian cuisine is the latest craze to hit south of the border, writes Andrew Curry in Portfolio, "thanks in part to superchef Gastón Acurio." With a hit TV show and more than a dozen eateries on two continents, this culinary rock star has cooked up a multi-million-dollar...

Cocaine's Nazi Ties Moved Mirren to Quit

Sep 1, 2008 12:09 PM CDT

Cocaine's Nazi Ties Moved Mirren to Quit

Actress 'loved' drug, but link to war criminal opened her eyes

(Newser) - Helen Mirren stopped using cocaine because of a Nazi war criminal. “I loved coke," says the Academy Award-winning actress. "I never did a lot, just a little bit at parties.” And she gave it up after learning that Klaus Barbie was living off cocaine proceeds while...

As World Economies
Falter, Brazil Sambas

Jul 31, 2008 6:33 AM CDT

As World Economies Falter, Brazil Sambas

New economic powerhouse withstanding tremors

(Newser) - Economies worldwide are stalling, with growth slowing to a trickle and markets seizing up. But in Brazil, long a laggard on the international stage, the economy is growing at the largest rate in three decades. Good government, progressive social programs, and newly discovered resources have allowed Brazil to finally take...

Volcanic Plume
Blankets S. America

May 7, 2008 8:04 PM CDT

Volcanic Plume Blankets S. America

Ash from Chile eruption closing in on Beunos Aires

(Newser) - A mammoth plume of ash and smoke from a newly erupted volcano in Chile is slowly working its way across South America and now poses a health risk to the 8 million residents of Beunos Aires, AFP reports. Thousands of residents of southern Chile were evacuated Tuesday, with ash coating...

Weak Dollar
Not Slowing
US Vacations

May 3, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Weak Dollar Not Slowing US Vacations

About 25 million expected to travel abroad this summer

(Newser) - The dollar may be weak, but Americans’ desire to travel overseas this summer is strong, the Los Angeles Times reports. While domestic travel has appeared to hit the skids, more than 25 million Americans will grab their passports and take off for adventures abroad—up 2.6% from last year,...

Rice Snubs Argentina in
Trip South

Mar 13, 2008 2:19 PM CDT

Rice Snubs Argentina in Trip South

Relations grow icier as Kirchner drifts toward Chavez

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice has embarked on a visit to Brazil and Chile, but the secretary of State won’t be stopping in neighboring Argentina, a sign of ever-frostier relations. “The United States is clearly snubbing Argentina,” one expert tells the New York Times. New Argentine president Cristina Fernández...

Not So Noble After All

OPINION

Dec 8, 2007 4:23 PM CST

Not So Noble After All

Chavez tried to fix results, demanded margin of error be shrunk

(Newser) - Why was Hugo Chavez so princely in defeat last week, never demanding a recount after losing at the polls? Because he did try to fix the vote behind closed doors, and relented only when officials slimmed the margin of defeat to help him save face, writes Newsweek's Jorge Castaneda.

At 500, 1st 'America' Map Baffles

Dec 4, 2007 5:25 PM CST

At 500, 1st 'America' Map Baffles

German monk closely mapped South America, unknown Pacific

(Newser) - The Library of Congress this week unveils the first map to use the name "America"—and the 500-year-old mysteries that go with it. The 1507 map by a German monk includes a surprisingly precise rendering of South America, Reuters reports, and seemingly predicts the contours of the continent's...