All Americas
First LookCosta Rica's farmers harvest the rain to counter droughtsTo offset unpredictable weather patterns Costa Rican farmers are searching for a solutions to water thirsty livestock and crops. One developing technology captures and stores rainwater for up to four months but it is expensive to install and rainwater regulations loom.
As inflation devastates Venezuela, artists make purses and paintings out of billsEconomic crises like Venezuela's upturn lives, but that doesn't mean creativity disappears. Some Venezuelan artists are making a point 鈥� and art 鈥� out of the country's now near-worthless currency.
Debate amid Nicaragua unrest: Was the revolution fulfilled, or betrayed?As antigovernment protests have swept the country in recent weeks, young Nicaraguans are divided over what it means to preserve the principles their parents and grandparents fought for in the 1979 revolution.聽
First LookMigrant caravan leaders reconsider media attention in asylum casesAs hundreds of Central American migrants wait on the US-Mexico border to apply for asylum, the organization that has facilitated the traveling caravan weighs the effects of the trip's concentrated media focus.聽
Ahead of Mexico's election, a push for voters 鈥� outside MexicoMexicans will elect a new president on July 1. Thanks to recent reforms, voters may include more expatriates than ever before, as Mexicans living abroad embrace their potential political influence.
First LookCosta Rica's president elect promises zero-carbon transportThe first-of-its-kind pledge from a Costa Rican leader to remove gas and diesel from the country's聽transportation faces significant challenges. A plan to achieve that goal will most likely be ready by 2021.聽
How Nicaragua protests snapped Ortega's power grabMore than a week of rare nationwide protests in Nicaragua have forced President Daniel Ortega onto the defensive after a decade of increasing authoritarianism. Church leaders are mediating talks with civil society.聽
First LookAs economic crisis worsens, schools empty in VenezuelaNearly 3 million children are missing classes in Venezuela as a result of the deepening economic crisis.聽Along with hospitals and other flagship welfare projects, the education sector is in crisis and experts fear a stunted聽generation.
What's in a name? Why a Castro-less Cuba may not mean a changed one.Former President Ra煤l Castro, brother of revolutionary leader Fidel, handed over the presidency Thursday to Miguel D铆az-Canel. His first task will be getting the economy back on track, but just how radical an approach he can take is uncertain 鈥� as is whether he wants one.
Mourning 'Marielle,' Brazilian women push to carry on slain activist's legacyMany Brazilians had never heard of politician Marielle Franco before her death. But her murder has come to symbolize the impunity, violence, racism 鈥� and desire for opportunity and change 鈥� that have enveloped South America鈥檚 largest nation.聽
First LookCubans await transition of power away from ruling revolutionariesCuban President Ra煤l Castro is expected to hand the presidency over to Vice President Miguel D铆az-Canel, marking the beginning of a broad transfer of power from elderly rulers to the middle-aged leaders of Cuba's so-called 'lost generation.'
First LookColombian municipality seeks local self-determination to protect miningThe Vetas municipality will soon hold the country's first-ever local vote to enshrine the right to mine. Locals聽say these referendums are not intended to benefit the multinational mining companies, but rather to establish municipal control over mining.聽
In Brazil, support for anti-corruption drive 鈥� and the president it convictedTwo-term former President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva, or 'Lula,' surrendered to police Saturday to begin a 12-year sentence for corruption. But in a country where kickbacks are seen as ubiquitous, that hasn't dimmed many voters' appreciation.
First LookLarge caravan of Central American migrants crosses into MexicoHundreds of migrants that had been traveling through southern Mexico stopped on Monday to rest and speak with local officials about filing for asylum. Despite concerns from President Trump, most of the group is ill-equipped to travel to the US border.聽
First LookUS, Mexico forge partnership to combat maritime drug tradeAs the land border between the US and Mexico becomes increasingly fortified, drug trafficking, and efforts to stop it, have taken to the sea. The two countries will now collaborate in an international agreement to intercede shipments of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean.
First LookBrazil works to accommodate indigenous migrants from VenezuelaAs Venezuela's economic crisis drives refugees out, members of the Warao indigenous group have found shelter in Brazil. The community faces widespread discrimination, and Brazilian officials have sought to protect them even as their numbers swell.聽
As Venezuelans flee, Colombia's welcome walks a 'very fine line'Colombia, which borders Venezuela, has borne the brunt of Venezuelan migration amid the Maduro government's economic crisis. Bogot谩 has taken steps to toughen the border, but also to better integrate many migrants who have already arrived.
First LookDesperate Venezuelans flood northern BrazilTens of聽thousands of聽Venezuelans are fleeing their country's financial crises and seeking refuge and work in Brazil. Their presence places intense pressure on the already strained聽public health system, jails, and volunteer organizations.
Serving time with Mom in prison: cruel sentence, or a child's right?Roughly half the world's countries allow incarcerated women to live with their young children, although specifics vary. The goal is often to protect children's rights 鈥� but it聽raises tough questions about safety, justice, and sacrifice.聽
Bullets across the border: Trial of US Border Patrol agent raises legal, foreign-policy issuesThe case of an agent who is accused of murdering a teenager in Mexico has important legal and national security ramifications as well as implications for the future of US-Mexican relations.