Chile has passed a bill outlawing the use of mobile phones and other smart devices during classes at elementary and middle schools. The new law approved late Tuesday will take effect next spring. It will make Chile the latest country to restrict smartphone use among young students to reduce its harmful effects and curb classroom distractions.

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has tightened his personal security, including changing beds, and leaned on Cuba, a key ally, amid a growing threat of a U.S. military intervention in the country.

The murder and immolation of Bazelais Merantus, a disabled man praised as kind and resilient, underscores the worsening savagery of Haiti's gangs as they move beyond Port-au-Prince. Can a new multinational police initiative stop them?

Haiti’s transitional presidential council has adopted an electoral law in the latest step toward holding a general election for the first time in nearly a decade. The adoption late Monday means the government can finally publish an official electoral calendar.

The wife of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández says he has been released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons website confirmed his release from a penitentiary in West Virginia on Monday. Hernández was sentenced last year to 45 years for aiding drug traffickers.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was once critical of English. But he now sings John Lennon's "Imagine" and promotes peace with his newest catchphrase "No War, Yes Peace." Venezuela's opposition says this is a display of desperation.

Lawmakers from both parties say they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Their comments follow a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack.

They discussed a possible meeting between the two of them, but nothing has been scheduled, and the administration continues to increase the military pressure on Venezuela.

President Trump’s military actions and immigration policies have divided Venezuelans in South Florida, many of whom fled the Maduro regime.

The U.S. government has imposed visa restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti's transitional presidential council, and accused him of supporting gangs. The U.S. also accuses Jean of obstructing Haiti's fight against the gangs that control 90% of Haiti's capital and extort businesses using military-grade weaponry.