Latin America

U.S. Deal May Not Change Life Much For Everyday Cubans

4:24pm December 23, 2014

Melissa Block talks to Steve Wicary, a freelance journalist based in Havana, about reactions on the ground in Cuba, to the announcement that the U.S. and Cuba will normalize relations.

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Sandra, an orangutan owned by the Buenos Aires Zoo, was given the right to leave the zoo after a court ruled she was entitled to more desirable living conditions.

Orangutan Declared To Have Basic Legal Rights In Argentina

9:48am December 23, 2014

by Bill Chappell

A Buenos Aires judge ruled in favor of advocates, who are calling for more freedom for Sandra, a 28-year-old orangutan who was born in a zoo.

World News

Brazilian Politician's Fiery Comments Revives Debate On Free Speech

5:50pm December 22, 2014

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

When a member of Brazil's congress said a female colleague "deserves" to be raped, it set off a national debate about hate speech and congressional immunity.

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National

Jailed Cuban Spy's Wife Is Pregnant — With A Little Help From The U.S.

5:29pm December 22, 2014

by Scott Horsley

The U.S. helped Gerardo Hernandez and his wife conceive through artificial insemination while he was in prison for spying. Hernandez was released last week as part of a prisoner swap.

Cubans try to connect to the ETECSA server during a May 9 service outage as they wait with other customers outside the offices of the state telecom monopoly in Havana, Cuba. Cuba's government has blamed technological problems on a U.S. embargo. Critics of

World News

For An Island Trapped In The '50s, An Instant Digital Revolution

2:55pm December 22, 2014

by Aarti Shahani

Cuba is one of the least connected countries on Earth, with 5 percent of residents online. But it could become the Caribbean's largest market if the Castros open the nation up to the Internet.

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A member of the activist group Women in White is arrested during a demonstration to commemorate Human Rights Day in downtown Havana, on Dec. 10. Members of the opposition movement say they feel betrayed by the U.S. decision to restore ties with Cuba's com

Cuba's Jews, Catholics Have Very Different Takes On The U.S. Thaw

1:33pm December 22, 2014

by Carrie Kahn

The country's tiny Jewish community is embracing the breakthrough. But some Catholics feel betrayed by President Obama's overtures to Cuba's communist government.

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Panamanian tamales stuffed with chicken and wrapped in bijao leaves — one of hundreds of interpretations of the dish found throughout Latin America.

Pride And Prejudice: For Latinos, Tamales Can Taste Of Both

1:05pm December 22, 2014

by Maria Godoy

Tamales are a Christmas Eve tradition throughout Latin America, but there are hundreds of different versions. Whose is best? That's a question likely to elicit a fiercely partisan response.

A couple walks on the beach in the resort area of Varadero, Cuba. Varadero is home to upscale hotels and resorts that cater to foreign tourists, but there aren't yet enough to handle a potential influx of Americans.

Ready To Hit The Cuban Beach? Americans Still Have To Wait

12:12pm December 22, 2014

by David Schaper

Travel to Cuba for business or education will be much easier as the U.S. eases restrictions, but until the embargo is completely lifted, going to Cuba simply for tourism still won't be allowed.

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'Rum, Rumba, And Romance': A Book On Cuba's Enduring Mystique

5:24pm December 21, 2014

by Richard Blanco

This week, President Obama announced that he will begin to normalize relations with Cuba. Cuban-American writer Richard Blanco recommends a book about Cuba's imprint on the American imagination.

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Still Few Answers In Disappearance Of 43 Students In Mexico

5:24pm December 21, 2014

In September, 43 students disappeared in Mexico and were assumed dead after an alleged attack by police. NPR's Arun Rath talks to John Gibler about his continued reporting from Iguala, Mexico.

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