Latin America

Carnival Receives U.S. Permission To Operate Cruises To Cuba

10:28pm July 07, 2015

by Greg Allen

Carnival has received U.S. permission to begin operating cruises to Cuba. The cruises will be offered through the company's new fathom brand, a cruise line that specializes in what the company calls "social impact travel." Passengers will travel under the categories approved by the Treasury Department, allowing people to visit only if they engage in activities that support the Cuban people.

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Ecuador Is The First Stop On Pope Francis' South America Trip

1:50pm July 07, 2015

by John Otis

The Argentine pontiff has embarked on a nine-day swing through Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, some of the region's poorest countries. Francis is focusing on issues that affect the downtrodden.

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A fisherman cycles past the U.S. Interests Section building, behind right, in Havana in May.

A Reopened Embassy In Havana Could Be A Boon For U.S. Businesses

6:42pm July 06, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

When the U.S. reopens its embassy in Havana, it will increase its staff. That should mean more help for American businesses hoping to gain a foothold on the Communist island.

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A pregnant woman in Cuba with HIV would be referred to a policlinico, like the one above, for specialized care.

Cuba Is First To Earn WHO Seal For Ending Mother-Baby HIV Transmission

4:50pm July 06, 2015

by Susan Brink

The chances are now practically nil. How did Cuba do it? And how are other countries faring by comparison?

Standing in their backyard in Cochas Grande, Peru, Katya and Blanca Cantos, hold the fruit of their labor. The gourd at left shows scenes from a potato harvest. The just-started gourd at right will tell the story of an ancestor's epic trek.

Peruvian Sisters Can Turn A Gourd Into An $800 Objet D'Art

10:23pm July 03, 2015

by Marc Silver

They can spend up to two months on a single gourd, creating scenes that tell a story. Think of it as a graphic gourd novel.

Jose Manuel Mireles Valverde, spokesman for the Autodefensas, a militia organized against the Knights Templar mob.

Investigating The Drug Trade In 'Cartel Land'

5:37pm July 03, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

A new documentary tells a riveting story of the way power and violence intersect along the Arizona border and in embattled Michoacan, Mexico.

People throw potatoes into a pachamanca during the gastronomic fair Mistura in Lima in 2011.

Peru's Pitmasters Bury Their Meat In The Earth, Inca-Style

11:03am July 02, 2015

by Ina Yang

Step up your summer grilling game by re-creating the ancient Peruvian way of cooking meat underground in your own backyard. It's called pachamanca, and it yields incredibly moist and smoky morsels.

Salvadorean Children Hope To Reunite With Parents Under U.S. Program

6:23pm July 01, 2015

by Carrie Kahn

Under a new program started this year, children from Central America who fear for their lives in their home country and have a relative living legally in the U.S. can petition for refugee status. In part two of NPR's look at one family's attempt to reunite under the program, a story of two children in El Salvador who haven't seen their father in more than 16 years.

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U.S., Cuba To Reopen Embassies In Step Toward Normal Relations

6:22pm July 01, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

The White House announced Wednesday the opening of a U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, which is seen as a key step toward more normal diplomatic ties with the Cold War foe.

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Puerto Rico Says With Restructuring It Can Pay Off Debts

6:22pm July 01, 2015

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Luis Vega Ramos, representative of Puerto Rico, about the commonwealth's debt deadline Wednesday. The governor says the island's $73 billion debt is unpayable.

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