Four Pacific-facing Latin American nations have committed to joining their marine reserves to form one interconnected area, creating one of the world’s richest pockets of ocean biodiversity. Panama, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica announced on Tuesday the creation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) initiative, which would both join and increase the size of their...
In meetings, Domingo Choc Che was quiet and reflective, speaking up only once others had said their piece. But he would come alive when he entered the jungles of Guatemala’s northern Petén department, sharing his knowledge of traditional medicines with anyone who wanted to learn. “He was more at ease with plants,” said Mónica Berger, a...
President Jair Bolsonaro’s decision to block a plan to distribute free sanitary pads and tampons to disadvantaged girls and women has been met with outrage in Brazil, where period poverty is estimated to keep one in four girls out of school. Bolsonaro vetoed part of a bill that would have given sanitary products at no charge to...
Just outside the Olivos metro station in Mexico City, there is a haunting reminder of the darkest day in the capital’s transit system: a gaping hole in the overhead track of Line 12. Thick electrical wires hang between the concrete support columns, daylight visible where the overpass once stood. Occasionally, pedestrians glance up and shudder...
A powerful earthquake has struck south-west Mexico near the beach resort of Acapulco, killing at least one man who was crushed by a falling post, and causing rock falls and damaging buildings. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said a 7.0 magnitude quake struck 11 miles (18km) north-east of the resort of Acapulco, Guerrero, in the early hours...
The death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August, levelling much of Les Cayes and the surrounding region. More than 2,200 deaths have been recorded so far, while at least 30,000 families have had to abandon their homes. Many were sleeping on the streets when Tropical...
At least 1,941 people are known to have died in Haiti in Saturday’s powerful earthquake – a rise of more than 500 on the previous figure, officials say. Rescue workers have managed to pull 34 people alive from the rubble but many are still missing after the 7.2-magnitude quake. The search for survivors has been...
Masked men claiming to represent Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel have taken the unusual step of circulating a video threatening to kill a national television news anchor for what they viewed as unfair coverage. The video circulated Monday showed masked and heavily armed men surrounding a man seated at a small desk who delivered a message...
Gen Mario Montoya was the star soldier who oversaw the defeat of Latin America’s most powerful insurgency, a US-trained professional hailed for turning around a demoralized army and masterminding a string of brutal strikes against Colombia’s leftist guerrillas. After taking command of the South American country’s army in 2006, he regularly appeared on television news,...
After a long and tense election process, Pedro Castillo has been sworn as Peru’s president. His victory has shaken the political and business elite in a deeply polarised country hit hard by the pandemic. Born in a tiny village in one of Peru’s poorest areas, Pedro Castillo grew up helping his illiterate parents with farm...