BOGOTA, July 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Americas' top human rights commission on Thursday called on Honduras to investigate growing violence against trans people in the Central American nation, where three transgender women were killed in the first week of this month alone.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday called the jail conditions of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman inhumane, while vowing to bring down violence stemming from drug violence by create a society less obsessed with material wealth.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A minor earthquake struck Mexico City on Thursday, shaking tall buildings in the metropolis, though with no immediate reports of damages.

BUENOS AIRES, July 18 (Reuters) - Argentina have never beaten New Zealand at rugby in 32 matches but momentum on one side and personnel changes on the other mean they may never have a better chance to end that run than on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

TUNDAYME, Ecuador, July 18 (Reuters) - Copper output began at the Chinese-owned Mirador mining project in southern Ecuador on Thursday, a milestone in market-friendly President Lenin Moreno's effort to boost the mining sector and wean the OPEC nation's economy off its dependence on oil.

SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Two Iranian vessels have been stranded for weeks at Brazilian ports, unable to head back to Iran due to lack of fuel, which state-run oil firm Petrobras refuses to sell them due to sanctions imposed by the United States.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore crude oil production and natural gas output both remained cut by 19% on Thursday because of shutdowns forced by Tropical Storm Barry, the U.S. government said.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Having surged ahead of anticipated congressional passage of a pension reform in recent months, Brazilian financial markets find themselves at a crossroad.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentinian authorities designated Hezbollah, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organization on Thursday and ordered the freezing of the Lebanese Islamist group's assets in the country.