Mafia fugitive caught after posting YouTube cooking video

Marc Feren Claude Biart was betrayed by failing to hide his distinctive tattoos in the clip

A mafia fugitive has been caught in the Caribbean after appearing on YouTube cooking videos in which he hid his face but inadvertently showed his distinctive tattoos.

Marc Feren Claude Biart, 53, led a quiet life in Boca Chica, in the Dominican Republic, with the local Italian expat community considering him a “foreigner”, police said in a statement on Monday.

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Johnny Pacheco, co-founder of New York’s Latin label Fania, dies aged 85

The Fania All-Stars player and record-label impresario worked with Latin music giants including Celia Cruz and fostered a more intense, political salsa sound

Johnny Pacheco, the co-founder of trailblazing salsa label Fania Records, has died aged 85. The cause was complications from pneumonia.

A representative for Fania said Pacheco was “the man most responsible for the genre of salsa music. He was a visionary and his music will live on eternally.”

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Dominican Republic activists fear total abortion ban banishes women to the dark ages

Scores of Dominican women die each year from botched attempts to end unwanted pregnancies

As Argentina becomes the first major Latin American country to fully legalize abortion, activists in the Dominican Republic fear their own government is banishing its women to the dark ages by upholding a total ban first implemented in 1884.

The Dominican Republic is one of four countries in Latin America – along with Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador – where abortion is illegal in all circumstances.

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‘Air Cocaine’ smugglers given long sentences by French court

Seven jailed for role in attempt to smuggle 680kg of drug from Dominican Republic

A French court has sentenced seven people implicated in a drug-smuggling operation to up to 18 years in prison each, with two former air force pilots getting six-year terms.

Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos had fled the Dominican Republic after a raid on the private jet they were to fly to Saint-Tropez, southern France, but were re-arrested in France in November 2015.

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‘Air Cocaine’ drug-trafficking trial begins in France

Two former military pilots, a customs officer and celebrity bodyguard among the accused

Sitting on the asphalt at Punta Cana international airport in the Dominican Republic, the private plane was about to take off for an overnight flight to Saint-Tropez in France when police swooped.

Inside the aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 50, officers found four Frenchmen – two pilots and two passengers – along with 680kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of €20m (£17.5m), in 26 battered suitcases.

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Dominican Republic boosts security along Haiti border

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Security officials in the Dominican Republic, say they have beefed up security along the border with Haiti in order to stem the flow of illegal immigrants According to Defence Minister Ruben Paulino, additional troops from the three military branches, as well as intelligence units have been deployed. He says the plan includes 50 drones, 50 vehicles, 200 motorcycles, and air force aircraft and navy boats to patrol the coastline.

Jury set to hear closing arguments in Menendez bribery trial

The jury in the bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is set to hear closing arguments on Thursday after more than two months of testimony. The New Jersey Democrat is charged with accepting gifts from Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen in exchange for using his political influence.

Humanitarian crisis deepens as storm toll rises in Puerto Rico

U.S. Coast Guard personnel attend a briefing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They are helping distribute aid to island residents after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

The Latest: Hurricane Maria approaching Turks and Caicos

20, 2017. The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 yea... . Power lines are down after the impact of Hurricane Maria, which hit the eastern region of the island in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept.

Powerless: Puerto Rico faces weeks without electricity

The sky was darkening Thursday afternoon as 10-year-old Sarah Jimenez laid out three plastic buckets on her grandmother's patio in hopes of capturing rainwater. A day after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, flooding towns, crushing homes and killing at least two people, millions of people on the island faced the dispiriting prospect of weeks and perhaps months without electricity.

Prosecutors Say Menendez Knowingly Concealed Flights and Gifts

Prosecutors arguing the federal corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez said on Wednesday that the senator purposely failed to report flights taken on co-defendant Salomon Melgen's private jet in 2008 and 2010. As per U.S. law, senators are required to fill out annual disclosure forms detailing gifts valued at over $335.

Irma’s victims in the Caribbean brace for another hurricane

7, 2017, photo, damage is left after Hurricane Irma hit Barbuda. Hurricane Irma battered the Turks and Caicos Islands early Friday as the fearsome Category 5 storm continued a rampage through the Car... .

Police: Man lied about identity in attempt to get driver’s license

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Sunday said she would support Donald Trump withdrawing from atop the GOP ticket and said speaking out against Trump's lewd videotaped comments was more... Sunday's Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox was rained out due to an all-day rain.