Latin America

World News

Cuban Authorities Detain Dissidents Ahead Of Free Speech Rally

7:48am January 01, 2015

Cuban authorities detained several dissidents this week. The detensions come soon after President Obama began to normalize relations with Cuba. Steve Inskeep talks to journalist Marc Frank in Havana.

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Cuban-Americans Cautiously Optimistic About U.S. Relations

6:48pm December 31, 2014

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro speaks with writer Achy Obejas about Cuban-American response to changes in U.S.-Cuba relations.

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Cuban Dissidents Thwarted Before Havana Demonstration

6:30pm December 30, 2014

Artist Tania Bruguera had scheduled an open-mic protest on Tuesday but Cuban authorities denied permission for the event. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro talks to AP Cuba bureau chief Michael Weissenstein.

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Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is seen with members of the Tawil family on Dec. 23. Kirchner embraced their seventh son, Yair, as her godson in line with an Argentine tradition that offers presidential protection to the seventh son in

World News

Argentine President Takes On Godson — But Not To Keep Werewolf At Bay

8:06pm December 29, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The tradition, it now appears, is from czarist Russia and began during mass Russian migration to Argentina in the early 20th century.

World News

For Venezuela, Drop In Global Oil Prices Could Be Catastrophic

12:13pm December 29, 2014

by John Otis

The South American nation is home to the world's largest oil reserves and earns most of its foreign reserves from oil. It faced a deep economic crisis even before petroleum prices began their plunge.

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Argentinian Orangutan May Be Free To Enjoy Some Privacy

11:07am December 28, 2014

Sandra, a shy Orangutan in Argentina, has been granted some legal rights that will allow her some freedom. NPR's Linda Wertheimer tells us more.

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Cuba is 90 miles away from the southernmost point in the United States, in Key West, Fla. "There used to be a ferry that ran between the two islands every day," says 89-year-old Gregorio Garcia, who emigrated in 1958. "I hope they operate it again someday

For Cubans In Key West, A Longing To Fill In 'Gaps Of Who We Are'

11:10am December 27, 2014

by John Burnett

Some Cuban-American families are rejoicing at the possibility of visiting their homeland, but not everyone has embraced President Obama's new policy toward the island nation.

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World News

Body Of Catholic Priest Found In Southern Mexico

10:52am December 27, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Rev. Gregorio Lopez Gorostieta's body was recovered after his abduction earlier this week in the southern state of Guerrero, where 43 students disappeared in September.

Contractor Freed By Cuba Will Get $3.2M From U.S.

12:18pm December 24, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

A USAID official confirmed the payment to Alan Gross, who spent five years in a Cuban prison. It's part of a settlement with the Maryland-based company for which he worked at the time of his arrest.

A copper bedrail can kill germs on contact.

A Copper Bedrail Could Cut Back On Infections For Hospital Patients

11:05am December 24, 2014

by Hannah Bloch

Around the world, patients acquire new infections simply from spending time in a hospital. One way to fight back: replacing hospital bed rails with copper, a natural infection-killer.