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Mexicans living and working abroad sent home $11.85 billion in the first six months of the year, an increase of 6.2 percent from the same period in 2011, the country’s central bank said Wednesday.

The figure for June was $2.09 billion, up 3.5 percent from a year ago, the Banco de Mexico said.

Transactions totaled 36.4 million in the first half of 2012, a gain of 6.4 percent over last year, and more than 98 percent took the form of wire transfers.

The average payment in the January-June period was $331, compared with $326.51 during the first six months of 2011, according to the Banco de Mexico report.

Remittances from expatriates are Mexico’s second-largest source of foreign exchange after oil exports and help cover living expenses for millions of households. Most of the money is sent from the United States, where an estimated 12 million Mexicans live, about half of them undocumented migrants.

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A 73-year-old retired teacher went into a bank in Brazil and demanded at gunpoint that the financial institution return 50 reais (about $25) that a teller failed to give her when she made a withdrawal a day earlier, media reports said.

Janet Benfatti was carrying a loaded revolver when she entered a Banco Itau branch Wednesday in Sao Jose de Rio Preto, a city about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Sao Paulo, looking for the teller who had processed her transaction.

Benfatti threatened the branch manager with the gun when she was told the teller was off, the Agencia Estado reported.

“I didn’t notice the money was missing until I got home in the afternoon and since they told me today (Wednesday) that the teller was not working, I showed the manager the gun and told him that I wanted the missing money” from a withdrawal of 500 reais (about $250), the retired teacher told reporters.

The bank manager gave the woman the money and called police, who tracked down the retiree based on the tag of her automobile.

Benfatti, who taught philosophy and literature, was arrested and released a few hours later on bail of 630 reais (about $315), or nearly 13 times the disputed sum.

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Retired Gen. Tomas Angeles Dauahare and five other high-ranking Mexican military officers are to be arraigned this week on drug and racketeering charges.

The exact nature of the accusations remains unclear, the general’s lawyer, Ricardo Sanchez Reyes, told MVS radio on Wednesday.

Dauahare, a former deputy defense secretary, and the other officers were taken before dawn Wednesday to a maximum-security prison in the central state of Mexico.

A judge in the same state issued warrants for Dauahare, retired Maj. Gen. Ricardo Escorcia Vargas, Brig. Gen. Roberto Dawe Gonzalez and retired Lt. Col. Silvio Isidro de Jesus Hernandez Soto, the federal Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.

The four men have been in custody in the capital since May on suspicion of involvement in organized crime.

The judge also ordered the apprehension of Maj. Ivan Reyna Muñoz and Brig. Gen. Ruben Perez Ramirez.

Dauahare insists he is innocent and claims the allegations came from military rivals who viewed him as an obstacle to their hopes to succeed Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan.

“The investigation is roughly 2 1/2 years old and they have found nothing so far. It has been all false, malicious imputations, hearsay, without anything proven, a violation of my (constitutional) guarantees taken to an extreme,” he said in a July 25 interview from a holding cell in the federal AG’s office.

Dauahare was appointed deputy defense secretary in December 2006 by newly inaugurated President Felipe Calderon, who gave Mexico’s armed forces the leading role in battling drug traffickers.

Once touted as a potential future defense chief, Dauahare was abruptly replaced as deputy secretary in 2008 - with no official explanation - and retired from the army later that year.

Until his arrest in May, Dawe Gonzalez commanded an elite unit assigned to the 20th Military Zone, headquartered in the western state of Colima.

Calderon’s strategy of militarizing the struggle with the cartels has been accompanied by an explosion of violence and the drug war death toll stands at more than 50,000 as the rightist president approaches the end of his six-year term.

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Vitaliy Fridzon’s three-pointer with 4 seconds left gave Russia a 75-74 victory over Brazil here Thursday in Group B of the 2012 Olympics basketball competition.

It was the Brazilian squad’s first loss in the London Games, while Russia remained unbeaten.

The Russians were sluggish in the early going and Brazil led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter, thanks largely to Tiago Splitter’s 6-1 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Russia stirred to life in the second quarter and scored eight unanswered points to take a 28-23 lead, which the Europeans extended to 40-32 by the half.

The gap widened to 59-48 in the third quarter, but Leandrinho Barbosa put up five points to bring the Brazilians closer before the final period.

Tighter defense and more wizardry by Barbosa allowed Brazil to knot the score at 63-63 with 5:30 left on the clock and then take a 70-65 lead.

After both teams missed free-throws, Russia’s Alexey Shved tied the game at 72 with a three-point shot as the clock ticked down to 26 seconds.

Marcelinho Huertas put Brazil ahead, only to see Fridzon seal the game for Russia.

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Cuban judo team member Asley Gonzalez blew his chance to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games when he lost a tight final match in the 90 kg class to South Korea’s Song Dae-Nam.

Joining the first and second-place finalists on the podium were the two bronze medalists: Greece’s Ilias Iliadis, who beat Brazil’s Tiago Camilo, and Japan’s Masashi Nishiyama, who triumphed over Russia’s Kirill Denisov.

Gonzalez, the Pan American champion, could not find a productive combat rhythm against the South Korean’s conservative approach.

It was the first medal for the 22-year-old Cuban judoka, who could not hold back his tears on the mat and also participated in the Beijing Games in 2008.

Gonzalez generally fought a very equal match against Song and even dominated his opponent for several minutes of the contest, which was tied at the end of the regulation five minutes.

However, a few minutes into overtime, Song hooked the Cuban’s leg and threw him down on his back for the crucial point that decided the match.

Gonzalez’s medal is Cuba’s second silver in judo after Yanet Bermoy lost the women’s 52 kg class final to North Korea’s Kum Ae-An on Sunday.

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A Colorado family is currently battling a confusing and frustrating battle revolving around house, a shady real estate agents, and illegal squatters.

The Donovan family had fallen on hard times. Both and Danya and her husband Troy were unemployed and found themselves two months on their mortgage payments.

In August 2011, the Donovans traveled to Indiana with their two daughters when Troy got a temporary job with a racing team. They made sure their home of 13 years was prepared to make it through a Colorado winter, locked the house up, and left.

While in Indiana, however, Danya said she had a feeling something was happening with the house so in March of this year she called a neighbor near the Littleton home.

It was then that she learned someone had inexplicably moved into her home. The Donavan’s returned to evict the people immediately and called the police to assist them.

Upon arrival though, Veronica Fernandez-Beleta and Jose Rafael Leyva-Caraveo, the people occupying the home, presented officers and the Donavans with an affidavit proving “adverse possession” of the property.

Under Colorado law, an “adverse possession” deed is given when possessors claim property after openly using it for 18 years without dispute.

Fernandez-Beleta and Leyva-Caraveo refused to leave the home, claiming their “adverse possession” affidavit, given to them by real estate agent Alfonso Carillo, in exchange for $5,000, meant they owned the home.

Fernandez-Beleta has since told reporters she is very sad and confused as to why she has to leave a home she believed was hers.

In July, a judge ordered Fernandez-Beleta and Leyva-Caraveo, squatters in the eyes of the law, to exit the home and give it back to the Donavans.

The Donovans were relieved by the judge’s ruling, but things were not that simple.

On July 20, Fernandez-Beleta filed for bankruptcy. Because of this, the eviction has been halted.

Arapahoe County Undersheriff David Walcher recently told a local CBS affiliate, “The sheriff’s office will not proceed with an eviction if there is a bankruptcy in question.”

The Donovan family is currently living in the basement of a relative’s home about 65 miles from their Littleton home.

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Cuban judoka Oreydi Despaigne was disqualified Thursday from his men’s -100kg bout after biting opponent Ramziddin Sayidov of Uzbekistan with 30 seconds remaining in a round-of-16 contest he was winning.

With the Cuban half-heavyweight up on the scoreboard with one waza-ari versus two yukos for his opponent, the Uzbek extended his hand to grab the flap of Despaigne’s kimono but misjudged the move and put a finger in the Cuban’s mouth.

Sayidov complained that Despaigne had bitten him and the judges decided to disqualify the Cuban.

“I tried to talk to the judges and I told them (Sayidov) put his hand in his mouth. They told me ‘no,’ that he bit him. How is he going to bite him? This has never happened in judo. I’ve been in this for 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Justo Noda, Despaigne’s trainer, said.

A dejected Despaigne also expressed his displeasure with the decision while making his way to the locker room.

“I feel good about how I competed but disappointed at this injustice. He stuck his hand in my mouth, he split my lip. Look! It’s still swollen,” the Cuban said.

Despaigne, who had received a bye in the first round, was eliminated from the competition because judokas who lose prior to the quarterfinals cannot compete for a bronze medal in the consolation bracket.

The Cuban was a silver medalist at the 2011 Pan American Games and a bronze medalist at the 2010 and 2007 World Judo Championships.

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In Peru, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday has dropped by an amazing 76% in the last 20 years.  But their under 5 mortality rate is one of highest in the region and challenges remain - find out more by checking out UNICEF’s info graphic on child survival.

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The second-in-command of the FARC guerrilla group’s Southern Bloc, believed to have been killed in a Colombian military airstrike in 2010, reappeared in an interview with Caracol Television.

Jose Benito Cabrera, alias “Fabian Ramirez,” who was dressed in an olive-green uniform and cap and looked noticeably older, said his “intelligence services” had warned him about the bombing and that he had fled the area beforehand.

That airstrike, part of Operation Nemesis, took place in November 2010 near San Vicente del Caguan in the southern province of Caqueta, a historical stronghold of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

In the aftermath of the airstrike, which killed at least four guerrillas, President Juan Manuel Santos said security forces had located some of Ramirez’s belongings - including a backpack and computers - but the rebel’s body was not found.

In the interview in a jungle area, the guerrilla chief told British independent journalist Karl Penhault that the FARC is interested in “ending the war.”

“This war needs to be ended via an agreement, without hatred, without advantages, ceding ground” to reach a deal, he said, adding that governments “aren’t interested in that (because) it’s a business; the politicians don’t want that because there are economic interests.”

He also reiterated the FARC’s pledge - first made in February, two months before releasing the last remaining police officers and soldiers in its possession - to not carry out any more kidnappings for ransom.

But Ramirez said that if security forces are captured they will be regarded as prisoners.

The rebel also blamed “corrupt” politicians for “robbing the (the Colombian people) of their chance to survive.”

Shortly afterward, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said in an interview with that same media outlet that it is regrettable that a news program “gives space and recognition ... to someone who has caused so much harm.”

Pinzon said the military “remains on the offensive” against the guerrillas nationwide and lamented Tuesday’s death of the highway patrol commander in the northwestern province of Antioquia, Col. Cristian Florez, apparently at the hands of the FARC.

The FARC has battled a succession of Colombian governments since the mid-1960s.

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Myrtle Beach Police have arrested a senior citizen couple in the local Balsam Park for indecent exposure and public intoxication.  Police encountered 64-year-old Audra Rodriguez with her underwear and shorts pulled down to her ankles with 76-year-old James Harsey’s performing ‘oral sex on her genitals.’

The couple was lying on the ground near a bush when a Myrtle Beach Police officer found them.  The couple was not alone, they were surrounded according to the police blotter by ‘several bottles of vodka’.

According to the .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) the couple was arrested and officially charged with ‘obscene/exposure of private parts in a lewd and lascivious manner,” and public intoxication.

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On July 8, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s most exciting artists took over the Battersea Arts Centre in London, bringing their signature pieces of work, and launching a 30-day festival. The event kicked off the Rio Occupation: London, a festival commissioned by Rio de Janeiro’s State Culture Secretariat and Executive Produced by People’s Palace Projects. It was co-funded by the British Council and Arts Council England project in London and Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Occupation: London had 30 ground-breaking Rio artists occupy the vibrant streets, stages and squares of London during the London 2012 Olympic Games, working across the capital with UK based artists as part of the London 2012 Festival. Rio Occupation: London was created to bring Rio artists to the attention of those attending the 2012 Olympics in collaboration with London artists.

The month-long occupation kicked off with a big Brazilian party thrown at Battersea Arts Centre featuring film, theatre and music.

On August 3rd, the three-day finale will occupy the Biscuit Factory’s halls and bars during the afternoon.

“Then as the sun falls we turn up the heat (and the music!) and bring a final Rio blow out that will be heard all the way from Bermondsey to Brazil.”

Read more here.

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Latino Superstar’s Shakira and Pitbull have collaborated on this new music video “Get It Started” - Check it OUT.  Great dance footage that only Pitbull can do with Shakira providing sensual visuals.

In May, Cuban-American rapper Pitbull and Colombian singer Shakira announced they were working on a song together and now its here.

The song was produced by RedOne and Afrojack. This is Pitbull and Shakira’s second project together, having previously joined forces on “Rabiosa”.

Related Videos

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Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), the world’s largest restaurant company and parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, announced Wednesday that multi-Grammy Award winner and pop superstar Christina Aguilera is using her voice for good in the fight against hunger by filming a new PSA for the Company’s World Hunger Relief effort that benefits the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies.

Aguilera will appear in the new PSA as well as in advertising, online efforts and posters made possible by KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to be released this fall. She has served as global spokesperson for Yum! Brands’ World Hunger Relief effort since 2009 where her participation has helped raise millions for WFP and other hunger relief agencies. She also serves as an “Ambassador Against Hunger” for WFP where she has traveled on relief trips with the organization to Haiti and Guatemala.

There are nearly 1 billion hungry people around the world today. Hunger and malnutrition are the number one risk to health worldwide - greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

“I’m excited about my new PSA for Yum! Brands’ World Hunger Relief effort this fall using my voice for good to help feed millions of children who go to bed hungry every night,” said Aguilera.  “I hope to inspire others to use their voice for good and move millions of people from hunger to hope.”

Yum! Brands’ annual fall World Hunger Relief effort is the world’s largest private sector hunger relief initiative, spanning more than 120 countries, nearly 38,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants and over one million employees, to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds for WFP and others. Consumers can visit www.FromHungertoHope.com or donate in the restaurants this fall. Every U.S. dollar raised will go directly towards WFP’s operations to fight hunger around the world.

“We are extremely thankful for Christina’s passion to help us raise attention to the critical global hunger problem, inspire others to become part of the solution and save millions of lives,” said David Novak, Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands, Inc.

Since World Hunger Relief launched in 2007, more than one million of the Company’s employees, franchisees and their families have volunteered millions of hours to aid hunger relief efforts in communities worldwide. The effort has raised $115 million for WFP and other hunger relief organizations and is helping to provide 460 million meals and save the lives of millions of people in remote corners of the world.

Yum! is also addressing hunger across the U.S. through its Harvest program. Since its launch over two decades ago, Harvest has become the largest prepared-food donation program in the world. Through Harvest, Yum! has donated over 148 million pounds of food, with a value of nearly $650 million, to those at risk of hunger in the U.S. The Company also has been the primary sponsor of the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville for nine years, and has donated $10 million to this local agency.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with nearly 38,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and territories. Yum! is ranked #213 on the Fortune 500 List with revenues of more than $12 billion in 2011. The Company’s restaurant brands - KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell - are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Outside the United States, the Yum! Brands system opened approximately four new restaurants each day of the year, making it a leader in international retail development.

WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.wfp.org.

Watch the behind-the-scenes footage here.

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A Brazilian construction worker is lucky to be alive after a having a steel removed from his head.

While working in Rio de Janeiro last week, 24-year-old Eduardo Leite was struck by a 6-foot piece of steel bar that had fallen six floors. The bar went through his hard hat, piercing his skull from the back of his head and exiting between his eyes.

Amazingly, Leite’s wife, Lilian Regina da Silva Cost, said he was not only conscious when he arrived at the hospital and able to tell doctors what happened, but also said he felt no pain. During the 5-hour surgery, doctors were able to remove the bar, pulling it out through the front of his face

A spokesperson for Rio de Janeiro’s Miguel Couto Hospital said Leite showed no negative consequences after the operation. Adding, “It is really a miracle.”

Leite miraculously escaped losing an eye and being paralyzed on the left side of his body by only a few centimeters.

Though he is doing well, the very lucky young man will likely remain in the hospital for the next few weeks.

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Everyone knows the sport of water polo is a rough sport except for NBC apparently.  Wednesday during a Spain - U.S. women’s water polo match one of the women’s suits was inadvertently pulled down.

Since the Peacock network and Olympic broadcaster was streaming live via the Internet a lot of viewers got a NSFW viewing.

The NBC cameras were filming up close the underwater action of the game when they flashed the nipple of a Spanish player whose swimsuit was tugged at by her American opponent.

Yahoo Sports, who reported the airing, opines that many might of missed the quick shot but since the story has gone viral, many will now be looking for it in replays.

The game ended in a 9-9 draw, this is the Olympic debut for Spain in women’s water polo. 

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Three suspected al-Qaeda members arrested in possession of explosives were planning an attack on European soil, the Spanish interior minister said Thursday.

Authorities found “clear indications” the trio was plotting to strike in Spain or another European country, Jorge Fernandez Diaz told a press conference in Madrid.

He described two of the three suspects as “extremely dangerous persons” who were the “operational” elements of the cell.

Security forces had earlier identified the two men as Chechens and the third suspect as a Turkish national who acted as a “facilitator.”

The Turk was detained at a residence in the southern province of Cadiz where police found explosives.

Police apprehended the two Chechens in Almuradiel, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Madrid, as they were traveling by bus from Cadiz to the northern city of Irun, on the French border.

The quantity of explosives seized would have been sufficient to “destroy a bus,” Fernandez Diaz said.

One of the two Chechen suspects occupied an important position in al-Qaeda and has experience in bomb-making, the interior minister said.

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Vanity Fair has named the past year’s fabulously frocked for their latest edition of the magazine’s International Best-Dressed List and a few Latinos made the list.

Victor Cruz (Puerto Rican-American)
Occupation: Wide receiver for the New York Giants.
(Known for his salsa moves after touchdowns)

Andrés Santo Domingo (Colombian)
His Occupation: Music executive and Colombian beer heir
(Andrés pictured with his wife, Lauren, the contributing editor for Vogue and co-founder and creative director of Moda Operandi. She also made the list.)

Carlos Souza (Brazil)
Occupation: Worldwide brand ambassador for Valentino
(Souza pictured with Bahaman “It Girl” Rebecca De Ravenel)

Cruz, Souza, and the Santo Domingos join non Latinos like Prince Harry, Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, musicians Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, photographer Bill Cunningham, actresses Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing and Jessica Chastain, footballer Tom Brady, 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer, and a number of others.

See the full list here.

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Wrestling stars are teaming up with the government on a campaign to reduce the obesity rate in Mexico, a country that has been struggling with this problem for years, officials said.

The “Wrestling against Obesity and Being Overweight” campaign is being conducted by the Health Secretariat and Triple AAA, which broadcasts wrestling matches on television.

The campaign has “a great enemy to beat” and the wrestling heroes’ mission will be to get adults, teenagers and children to change their eating habits and shift to a more active and healthy lifestyle, Health Secretary Salomon Chertorivski said.

“We have a serious problem with people being overweight in our population that we have to deal with,” Chertorivski said during the launch of the campaign Tuesday at the Health Secretariat.

The Cabinet official was accompanied by wrestling stars “El Elegido,” “Cibernetico,” “La Parka” and “El Mesias,” as well as Triple AAA chief Marisela Peña.

Weight problems are linked to a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition and lack of exercise, Chertorivski said.

Mexico, according to world health indicators, overtook the United States in 2010 as the country with the largest percentage of overweight adults.

Chertorivski put up a slide showing that seven of every 10 Mexican men and women are overweight, while more than 30 percent of those in the 12-19 age group and 29 percent of those in the 5-11 age group are overweight.

The campaign will be taken to eight states, including the Federal District, where wrestling idols will hand out wristbands and other items promoting weight control and healthy eating habits, Peña said.

A three-minute video featuring El Elegido will be screened at events, with the wrestler sharing his daily exercise and nutrition routine with fans.

Booths will be set up at events, allowing fans the opportunity to have a doctor measure their body mass and provide them with a nutrition guide based on their individual needs, Peña said.

This marks the first time that Triple AAA, which broadcasts its programs on non-pay television channels, has joined a campaign launched by the federal government.

Other athletes are appearing in spots aired during the Summer Olympics from London, encouraging viewers to do at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, drink plenty of water, eat fruits and vegetables, weigh themselves regularly and keep down their caloric intake.

Triple AAA has about 150 wrestlers and broadcasts matches in Mexico, the United States, Central America, Japan and Spain.

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Mexican bantamweight Oscar Valdez took a big step toward an Olympic boxing medal Wednesday, defeating Tajikistan’s Anvar Yunusov 13-7 to reach the quarterfinals.

Valdez, 21, showed the form that carried him to a bronze medal at the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Milan, Italy. He took the initiative from the outset and never let his opponent, a bronze medalist at the 2011 world championships in Azerbaijan, get comfortable in the ring.

“He’s a great boxer. I’ve known him since the last Olympic Games and I was thrilled when the referee raised my hand,” Valdez said afterward.

Valdez will next square off Sunday against another dangerous rival, Ireland’s John Joe Nevin, with the winner assured of at least a bronze medal.

Nevin, who won bronze at the 2009 and 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 15-10 victory Wednesday over Kazakhstan’s Kanat Abutalipov.

In other action Wednesday involving Latin American bantamweights, reigning world champion Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba outpointed American Joseph Diaz Jr. 21-15 and Brazil’s Robenilson Vieira edged Russian Sergey Vodopiyanov 13-11.

Those two fighters will next lock horns in Sunday’s quarterfinals.

The Brazilian won each of the first two rounds by one point and then fought Vodopiyanov to a draw in the final round to earn the victory.

Alvarez, meanwhile, cruised to an easy win over his overmatched opponent, dominating the contest with a wide variety of combinations.

Action in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions, meanwhile, got underway on Wednesday.

Argentine heavyweight Yamil Peralta got off to a good start with a 13-5 win over Algeria’s Chouaib Bouloudinats, while Ecuadorian super heavyweight Ytalo Perea, the 2011 Pan American champion, was worn down by reigning Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in an 18-10 decision.

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Four Mexican police officers and a civil servant were fatally shot by assailants who tried to seize a vehicle they thought was carrying money, authorities in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz said Tuesday.

The gunmen came away empty-handed, however, as the vehicle was on a return journey after the funds had been delivered.

The incident occurred Monday in Tlachichilco, a municipality in the northern part of the state.

Four police officers were escorting an official of the Veracruz government’s Social Development Department to deliver funds to various anti-poverty initiatives.

The would-be robbers ambushed the group on a dirt road between the rural villages of Onatal Azteca and Otatitlan and all five occupants of the vehicle died on the spot.

The state official had already handed over the money to recipients in Otatitlan, Veracruz police said.

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Puerto Rico’s Jantony Ortiz gave a lesson in good boxing to Tetteh Sulemanu of Ghana, defeating him 20-6 in the light flyweight class and qualifying for the next round at the London Olympic Games.

Ortiz used his jab very well right from the start, he moved well and overcame the African with the speed of his hands and legs.

Without giving his opponent any break and with lively punches using both hands, Ortiz won the second round 6-2 and, instead of refusing to take any risks, he went all out in the third round to dominate his rival 20-6 and move to the round of 16.

Jantony said that his wins are the result of his attitude and his custom of smiling at the first opportunity.

“I’m a defender of happiness. My smile distinguishes me and they will always see that in me,” said the 18-year-old fighter, who won the bronze medal at last year’s Pan American Games.

Latin America secured another victory in the light flyweight class when Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo beat Spain’s Kelvin de la Nieve 14-11 in an attractive match in which the Spaniard took the offensive, but he became disconcerted upon seeing that he was three points down when he had thought he was tied.

In the next round, Quipo will face off against Thailand’s Kaeo Pongprayoon, who beat Algeria’s Mohammed Flissi 19-11.

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