Latin America

Chavez inspects the Air Force in Catilletes, near the border with Colombia, in March 2001.

World News

Venezuela's Chavez: An Outsized Personality, A Domineering Figure

6:20pm March 05, 2013

by Juan Forero

The populist president was an ally of dictators like Cuba's Fidel Castro and loudly opposed the United States. Chavez claimed capitalism was destroying the world and tried to transform Venezuela into a socialist state.

Queue Listen Now

Rivalries And Infighting Could Follow In Wake Of Chavez's Death

6:20pm March 05, 2013

Audie Cornish talks to Tom Gjelten about what's next for Venezuela after President Hugo Chavez's death. He died Tuesday at the age of 58.

Queue Listen Now

Many homes that were rebuilt after the earthquake in 2010 are even more dangerous than the original ones. This three-story home was put up after the quake but is already slated for demolition to make way for an 18-unit housing project.

What Happened To The Aid Meant To Rebuild Haiti?

4:39pm March 04, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Three years after an earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital, it's clear that only a fraction of the $9 billion pledged in international relief reached the country. Most of what did arrive went to short-term relief, instead of rebuilding people's homes.

Queue Listen Now

Armando Martin DueÃ±as shows a replica of one of the hand-crafted loafers that were given to Pope Benedict XVI during his March 2012 visit to Mexico at the Ackerman shoe factory in Leon, Mexico.

The Pope Emeritus' New Shoes And The Mexican Man Who Makes Them

8:42am March 01, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

Along with giving up the chair of St. Peter, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI gave up his stylish red shoes. Now, he's wearing shoes made by a man in Leon, Mexico.

Queue Listen Now

Workers prepare the foundation for a new warehouse and manufacturing facility at the Caracol Industrial Park in northern Haiti. The park, which opened last year, is still under construction.

World News

Will 'Made In Haiti' Factories Improve Life In Haiti?

3:05am February 15, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

International aid agencies are pouring millions of dollars into a large industrial park on Haiti's north coast. The Caracol Industrial Park is intended to create 60,000 jobs and encourage people to move out of the overcrowded capital Port-au-Prince.

Queue Listen Now

Construction continued at the Belo Monte dam complex in the Amazon basin near Altamira, Brazil, in June 2012. Belo Monte will be the world's third-largest hydroelectric project, and will displace up to 20,000 people living near the Xingu River.

World News

Hungry For Energy, Brazil Builds Monster Dams In The Amazon

9:44pm February 13, 2013

by Juan Forero

Latin America's largest economy is growing fast and has plans to put up dozens of dams in the coming years. Environmentalists and residents in some areas are opposed, but the projects are moving ahead rapidly.

Queue Listen Now

Pay up, or the bird gets it. (A hoatzin perches on a branch in Yasuni National Park.)

'Give Me The Money Or I'll Shoot The Trees'

3:07pm February 07, 2013

by David Kestenbaum

A pristine rainforest in Ecuador sits on top of the equivalent of millions of barrels of oil. Ecuador has offered a deal to the rich countries of the world: Pay us billions of dollars, and we'll leave the rainforest untouched.

Queue Listen Now

The Sans-Souci Palace, or "Palace Without Worry," in Milot is one of the sites Haitian tourism officials hope will attract visitors. Former slaves built Sans-Souci in the early 1800s, soon after they overthrew the island's French colonial rulers.

World News

For Your Next Caribbean Vacation, Haiti ... Maybe?

2:29pm February 04, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Haiti is trying to sell itself as an international vacation hub in a bid to revive its once-vibrant tourism industry. Officials say tourism could be a major driver of economic growth and help lift Haitians out of poverty.

Queue Listen Now

Armando Tenorio at his home in Mexico last December. Tenorio spends most of the year working on a blueberry farm in Canada, on a temporary work permit, to support his family in Mexico.

The Mexico-Canada Guest-Worker Program: A Model For The U.S.?

1:29pm February 01, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

Mexico has sent guest workers to Canada for nearly four decades, filling agriculture jobs that Canadians don't want, with Mexicans who do. Some say the U.S. should consider this model as it looks at overhauling the immigration system.

Queue Listen Now

Brazilian federal police patrol the Mamore River, which separates Brazil from Bolivia. The river is used by traffickers to ferry cocaine from Bolivia into Brazil, where cocaine consumption is rising rapidly.

World News

As U.S. Consumes Less Cocaine, Brazil Uses More

7:55pm January 31, 2013

by Juan Forero

The cocaine market in the Americas is changing among both producers and consumers. The old model was Colombian cocaine going to the U.S. Now, it's increasingly common for Bolivian cocaine to be headed to Brazil.

Queue Listen Now