Latin America

U.S. Border Patrol Concentrates On Recruiting Younger People

8:24am September 28, 2017

by John Burnett

At the heart of President Trump's crusade to secure the southern border is a massive build-up of the Border Patrol. The president wants 5,000 new agents — that would expand the agency by a quarter.

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Relatives of people who are presumed still buried beneath the rubble await news of rescue efforts in Mexico City on Tuesday.

World News

Some Survivors Of Mexico's Quake Wonder: When Can We Go Home?

10:27pm September 27, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Rescue efforts will soon come to a close in Mexico, where a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed hundreds of people. Survivors displaced from damaged homes don't know when they'll get the okay to return.

World News

In Earthquake Aftermath, It's Uncertain When Kids In Mexico Will Return To School

6:06pm September 27, 2017

by Carrie Kahn

Many schools have gotten the green light to reopen, but others are either damaged or near damaged buildings. That uncertainty is putting a lot of stress on parents and kids hoping to get back to normal.

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In Puerto Rico, Residents Scramble For Supplies A Week After Hurricane Maria

5:36pm September 26, 2017

by Greg Allen

Aid has yet to arrive in many Puerto Rican communities even though nearly a week has passed since Hurricane Maria hit the island hard. Residents are scrambling for water and gasoline.

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Rep. Nydia Velázquez Urges White House For More Help In Puerto Rico

4:30pm September 26, 2017

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks to Democratic Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York, about her efforts to get the U.S. government to do more to help Puerto Rico. She visited there after the hurricane, and is leading a group of lawmakers who asked the executive branch for the same consideration as was given to Texas and Florida.

A deforested area of the Amazon rainforest in Para state, Brazil, in August. On Monday, the Brazilian government reversed its decision to open the National Reserve of Copper and Associates, which rests across Para and Amapa states.

World News

Brazil Declares It Won't Abolish Massive Reserve In The Amazon, After All

4:21pm September 26, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

About a month ago, the Brazilian government said miners would get access to an expanse of rain forest larger than Denmark. After public resistance and a legal setback, it reversed course Monday.

World News

Violence In Brazil Escalates, Army Is Deployed To Neighborhoods

8:12am September 26, 2017

by Philip Reeves

The request for the Army to patrol areas comes days after rival members of a drug cartel started a war in Rio's most dangerous favela. Since Sunday, shootouts have become common in the area.

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Carmen Rivera, at left in the orange dress, sits on a cot at the Cataño shelter. She suffers from severe asthma and knee pain and has had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital for asthma treatment twice since the hurricane. She says she feels forgott

Desperation In Puerto Rican Town Where 60 Percent Are Now Homeless

8:17pm September 25, 2017

by Greg Allen

In Cataño, near San Juan, the storm left hundreds living in a shelter where conditions are becoming increasingly dire.

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Entrepreneurs sort cocoa beans on a tray at Cacao de Origen, a school founded by Maria Di Giacobbe to train Venezuelan women in the making of premium chocolate. Zeina Alvarado (left) later found work in a bean-to-bar production facility in Mexico.

How A Venezuelan Chef Is Teaching Women To Make Chocolate And Money

2:12pm September 25, 2017

by Larissa Zimberoff

Some of the world's best cacao grows in Venezuela, a country roiled by political turmoil. One chocolatier is betting those beans can propel a whole industry and turn women into micro-entrepreneurs.

Earthquake In Mexico Hit Churches Hard in Puebla State

6:58am September 25, 2017

by Carrie Kahn

The central Mexican town of Cholula is rich in colonial architecture and home to many churches. It's said there are actually 365 — one for every day of the year. But many were damaged by the quake.