Latin America

Faced With Peace, Former Rebels In Colombia Find New Ways To Survive

4:48pm July 04, 2017

by John Otis

Rebel fighters in Colombia have laid down their arms ending a more than 50-year conflict. But now comes the tough part: Former guerrillas have to figure out how to make a living.

World News

In Brazil, Some Inmates Are Using A Novel Way To Get Out Of Prison Earlier

4:48pm July 04, 2017

by Philip Reeves

Brazil's prisons are dangerous places, blighted by overcrowding and drug gangs. But literacy is offering a way to shorten some inmates' sentences: Read books, reduce your time behind bars.

World News

Fighting Among Drug Traffickers Leads To Surge Of Murders In Mexico

5:47pm July 03, 2017

by Carrie Kahn

There's been a surge of murders in Mexico. Forty-five people were killed over the weekend in violence largely attributed to fighting among narco-traffickers. Among the victims, authorities found a suitcase filled with human remains in Los Cabos.

A Look At The Ongoing Upheaval In Venezuela

8:01pm July 02, 2017

by Michel Martin

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Javier Corrales, a professor at Amherst College who studies Latin American democracies, about Venezuela's economic and political crises.

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On Saturday Brazilian Federal Police arrested Luiz Carlos da Rocha — who they call their most wanted drug trafficker.

Elusive 'Drug Baron' Of Brazil Nabbed

4:09pm July 02, 2017

by Amy Held

Luiz Carlos da Rocha earned the nickname White Head because he lived like a "ghost," say police, evading capture for close to three decades, thanks in part to facial plastic surgeries.

Harold Cardenas Lema runs the blog La Joven Cuba out of the two-room apartment he shares with his mom and girlfriend.

In Cuba, Growing Numbers Of Bloggers Manage To Operate In A Vulnerable Gray Area

8:26am July 02, 2017

by Carrie Kahn

Their work on politics, music and local issues is tolerated by the state, but can still be censored or shut down. "They are committed to expressing themselves through this format," says a Cuba expert.

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Organizer Of Failed Bahamas Musical Festival Arrested, Charged With Fraud

4:55pm July 01, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Billy McFarland has been accused of bilking at least two people who invested $1.2 million in the festival.

Alika Kinan was one of eight international activists honored at the State Department for their work against human trafficking.

State Department Honoree Was Trapped In A Brothel For Nearly 20 Years

3:02pm June 29, 2017

by Sasha Ingber

Alika Kinan, a victim of sex trafficking in Argentina, made history when she sued her captors — and won. This week, she was honored as a "hero" for her activism.

Bartender Robin Miller mixes a round of mezcal margaritas at Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C. As U.S. drinkers embrace mezcal, investors are flocking south to the heart of Mexico's mezcal country, and local incomes are rising.

World News

America's Growing Taste For Mezcal Is Good For Mexico's Small Producers

7:18am June 29, 2017

by Rodrigo Cervantes

Oaxaca is the heart of mezcal country, where the pungent booze is made from the same plant as tequila by traditional distillers. As U.S. drinkers embrace mezcal, investors are flocking south.

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World News

Venezuela's Supreme Court Attacked By Rogue Police Helicopter

5:29pm June 28, 2017

NPR's Ari Shapiro interviews Brian Ellsworth, a senior correspondent for Reuters in Caracas, about the aftermath of the attack on Venezuela's Supreme Court by a rogue police helicopter.