All Americas
Confronting Haiti's housing woesHaiti's cash-strapped government has been criticized for both the size and location of new housing units, built to resolve the lack of post-earthquake permanent housing there.
FocusBrazil's affirmative action law offers a huge hand upPublic universities in Brazil will reserve half their seats to provide racial, income, and ethnic diversity 鈥� a law that goes the furthest in the Americas in attempting race-based equality. It will most greatly affect the large Afro-Brazilian population.
FocusAfrican heritage in Latin AmericaAfro-descendants in Latin America have had a different experience from those in the US, experts say. Despite this, social, economic, and cultural discrimination has been historically very strong.
Pope Benedict XVI retires: Will the next pope come from the 'global south?'Latin America is home to 40 percent of the world鈥檚 1 billion Roman Catholics, but there has never been a non-European pope in the modern era.
Is Haiti's musician turned president cracking down on carnival songs?In a country where past carnival songs have predicted the fate of governments, lyrics are viewed as the social and political pulse of Haiti. Some bands behind controversial tunes say they were disinvited from this year's carnival.
Where's the most expensive McDonald's Big Mac in the world?Clue: It's also homeplace of the聽world's cheapest gas.
Argentina fights inflation by freezing prices. Will it work?Argentina has made an agreement with major supermarkets and appliance stores to freeze prices until April. Price freezes are the sledgehammer of economic policy tools, says a guest blogger.- In Ontario, abuse of 'hillbilly heroin' being replaced by real thingHeroin use is booming in the Canadian province, almost a year after the regional government tightened access to OxyContin, sometimes called 'hillbilly heroin,' to stem abuse.
Will blast at Mexico oil company shift opinions on privatization?Official information on the Pemex blast last week is still scant, but the explosion may have shifted perceptions on whether the state-owned oil company should open up to private investment.- El Salvador's military to withdraw from 'peace zones'The Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs agreed to hand over weapons and stop homicides, kidnapping, and extortion in four 'peace zone' municipalities as part of El Salvador's national gang truce.
Legal piracy? Antigua gets OK to start selling copies of US hit movies, songsThe World Trade Organization ruled that the tiny island nation is entitled to suspend American intellectual property rights due to an ongoing trade dispute with the US.
Mexico explosion: How will the Pemex blast affect the country's race for oil?In Mexico City, a powerful explosion rocked the headquarters of state oil giant Pemex, killing at least 25 and injuring 100 others. 聽聽
Why Argentina is reaching out to IranArgentina announced it would work with Iran to resolve a deadly 1994 anti-Semitic attack in Buenos Aires. Trade considerations underlie the deal.
Guatemala's Rios Montt to stand trial for genocide and crimes against humanityA judge in Guatemala ordered former military leader Efrain Rios Montt to stand trial. He is the first ex-president charged with genocide by a Latin American court.
Mixed feelings south of the border on Senate immigration planAn activist for Mexican migrants wonders if the proposal would encourage more to illegally go to the US, setting back a revival in rural Mexico.
In aftermath of nightclub fire, some Brazilians question 'culture of impunity'Safety consultants say the lack of sprinklers, adequate illumination, smoke detectors, and fire exits is tragically common in Brazil.聽
Venezuela's fourth prison riot in two years raises questionsVenezuela's Uribana jail riot highlights the need for proper training of security forces assigned to prisons and addressing overcrowding by bringing prisoners to trial, writes WOLA.
Could Brazil's nightclub fire spur more regional accountability?The deadly nightclub fire is not unique in a region plagued by multiple tragedies that are often the result of lax safety standards, poor oversight, and overcrowded conditions.
In reversal, Spain woos investment from Latin AmericaEuropean leaders spent the weekend in Chile meeting their Latin American counterparts 鈥� and talking up possibilities for investment on the old continent.聽- Trickling down: Latin America's glacier problemA new study shows glaciers in the tropical Andes have shrunk 30-50 percent in the past four decades, affecting water sources in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and Argentina.
