Latin America

Colombian Officials' Role In The U.S. Election

4:38pm October 05, 2020

by Tim Padgett

Conservative Colombian elected officials are supporting President Trump's reelection and calling Joe Biden a socialist. NPR discusses what it means for the election races in Florida.

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Dola Banerjee homeschools her children in New Delhi in August.

New U.N. Tracker Looks At How Countries' COVID-19 Responses Are Helping Women

2:19pm October 05, 2020

by Maria Godoy

A new database from U.N. Women and UNDP looks at how 206 countries and territories are responding to women's needs during the pandemic. And the results are mixed.

The statue of Sebastián de Belalcázar, a 16th century Spanish conquistador, lies on the ground after it was pulled down by Indigenous people in Popayán, Colombia, earlier this year.

World News

U.S. Statue Removals Inspire Indigenous People In Latin America To Topple Monuments

1:54pm September 30, 2020

by John Otis

The latest target was a statue of Sebastián de Belalcázar, a Spanish conquistador who founded two Colombian cities and led a military campaign that killed and enslaved thousands of Indigenous people.

"I'm not sure how the country will survive," said Alexandre Garnizé, 48, a historian and musician who plays African and Brazilian percussion.

Rio's Joyous Carnival, The World's Largest, Is Postponed Due To COVID-19

3:09pm September 25, 2020

by Marisa Peñaloza

The postponement will cause financial hardship for people who depend on the celebration — but "financial loss doesn't justify human loss," says one musician. Brazil has been hit hard by the virus.

(Left) During the coronavirus pandemic, cleaning has become more intense and important. Gloves used for cleaning photographer Celeste Alonso's house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Right) Plants on Alonso's balcony.

Photographer Uses Instant Images To Make Sense Of Life In Isolation

6:31am September 20, 2020

by Laura Beltrán Villamizar

When Argentina went into strict lockdown in March, Celeste Alonso was isolated in her home in Buenos Aires. She has been asserting what control she can over daily life, one Polaroid at a time.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, shown at an event marking the country's independence earlier this week, tested positive for COVID-19 Friday.

President Of Guatemala Tests Positive For COVID-19

6:10pm September 18, 2020

by Marisa Peñaloza

Alejandro Giammettei says he is showing typical symptoms of high fever and body aches, "resting and isolating myself from all public activity."

World News

Mexico Records The Highest Number Of Health Care Worker Deaths From COVID-19

4:11pm September 17, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

The coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 health care workers in Mexico, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for doctors and nurses to fight the coronavirus.

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A person buys soda at a convenience store in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on April 13. The country has high levels of obesity and medical conditions that health authorities warn are related to a diet high in soda and processed foods.

'We Had To Take Action': States In Mexico Move To Ban Junk Food Sales To Minors

12:06pm September 14, 2020

by James Fredrick

"The damage of this kind of diet is even more visible because of the pandemic," says a Oaxaca legislator who spearheaded a law against the sale of junk food and soda to minors. The idea is spreading.

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Mauricio Claver-Carone, nominated to head the Inter-American Development Bank, speaks with Ricardo Ospina of Caracol TV at the 2019 Concordia Americas Summit in Bogotá, Colombia.

Trump's Candidate Is Poised To Become Inter-American Development Bank's 1st U.S. Head

8:22pm September 11, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

Mauricio Claver-Carone is the first U.S. citizen to be nominated to lead the region's premier development funder, which provides $12 billion a year for projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Reili Franciscato, pictured in 1997, on the Purus River in Brazil. Franciscato died Wednesday in the Amazon rainforest, shot with an arrow.

Defender Of Amazon Tribes Killed In Brazil

5:08pm September 10, 2020

by Philip Reeves

Rieli Franciscato was a leading expert on uncontacted tribes and was killed while on a mission to shield an isolated indigenous group from a possible hostile encounter with outsiders.