Latin America

World News

U.S.: Venezuelan Officials Involved In Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering

7:44am May 21, 2015

Steve Inskeep talks to Juan Forero of The Wall Street Journal about his report that officials are being investigated for allegedly turning the country into a hub for cocaine and money laundering.

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Jenny Tenorio Gallegos, 35, in Lima, Peru, is being treated for drug-resistant TB. The treatment lasts two years and may rob her of her hearing.

She's Got One Of The Toughest Diseases To Cure. And She's Hopeful

2:44pm May 20, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a growing problem. It's spread through the air. It can kill you. And it's incredibly difficult to treat. But a program in Peru shows that the disease can be cured.

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A man and his drone: Carlos Casteneda of the Amazon Basin Conservation Association prepares to launch one of his plastic foam planes.

Eyes In The Sky: Foam Drones Keep Watch On Rain Forest Trees

7:46pm May 19, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

The autopilot toy planes, equipped with cameras, help conservationists detect illegal logging and mining earlier in the remote parts of the Amazon basin.

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Assault On Salt: Uruguay Bans Shakers In Restaurants And Schools

1:33pm May 19, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

The tiny nation has some of Latin America's highest rates of obesity, hypertension and heart disease. The capital Montevideo has tried to intervene by making salt on the table illegal.

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Researchers meet participants: (from left) investigator Jose Luis Roca; Dr. Ernesto Ortiz; study participants Rainer Leon and his mother, Rina Leon Chanbilla; and nurse Jennifer Rampas.

They're Going Door To Door In The Amazon To See Why People Get Sick

10:14am May 19, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

In one of the most remote parts of the Peruvian Amazon, researchers are in the midst of an extensive health census. The study could be key to figuring out the impact of mercury used in illegal mining.

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Franklin Canacuan strips the leaves from his coca bushes in southern Colombia. He says his daughter became ill after she was doused with weed killer while playing outside.

World News

Colombia Will End Coca Crop-Dusting, Citing Health Concerns

10:29pm May 18, 2015

by John Otis

The U.S.-funded aerial spraying program has been aimed at killing the plants that feed the cocaine industry. Colombia says one of the chemicals in the spray may cause illnesses.

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Elian Gonzalez attends the closing ceremony of the legislative session at the National Assembly in Havana on Dec. 20, 2014. Gonzalez tells ABC News that he would like to visit the U.S. as a tourist.

Elian Gonzalez Says He Would Like To Visit U.S. As A Tourist

6:41pm May 18, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Now 21, Gonzalez was seized 15 years ago from his relatives in Miami by U.S. officials who returned him to his native country. His mother died trying to reach the U.S. His father wanted him back.

This aerial view shows the effects of gold mining on Peru's rain forest.

Who Did This To Peru's Jungle?

3:53pm May 17, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

When the price of gold skyrocketed, illegal miners flooded into the country's Amazon basin, eager to find even the tiniest bits of the precious metal. Trees and villagers have paid a price.

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The Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba (shown here in June 2014) cost $215 million to build. It has been in the news recently, thanks to the homeless people who've made it their home.

Brazil's World Cup Legacy Includes $550M Stadium-Turned-Parking Lot

10:20am May 12, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Another lavish $215 million arena built for last year's event is now a homeless shelter. Touted as one of the best World Cups in history on the pitch, it's left a hangover of waste and mismanagement.

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World News

Venezuela Faces Crime Epidemic

8:12am May 12, 2015

by John Otis

With 16,000 homicides last year, Venezuela became the world's second deadliest country. But even as crime climbs, the number of police battling criminals is falling.

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