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LATEST NEWS
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How Bolivia’s answer to Rappi supports small-scale farmers
Mobile applications like Rappi have swept across Latin America to make food delivery more convenient, but Panal Fresh has a very different mission. The Bolivian app, which won Seedstars‘ Latin American pitch competition in 2018, not only boasts convenience, but also a loftier goal to reduce the financial disparity among those who grow what comes on Bolivian dinner plates. Panal Fresh allows small-scale farmers to sell and distribute their fruits and vegetables through an online marketplace. And the conscious consumers in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba that select their food from the online store not only receive a next-morning delivery to […]Read more...
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Bolsonaro blames NGOs for Amazon fires
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration agency (NASA) recently picked up satellite images of smoke across Brazil caused by forest fires in the Amazon region that have been ablaze for weeks, prompting a worldwide social media campaign to “save the Amazon rainforest.” São Paulo residents’ eyes were opened to the problem after the smoke-filled sky turned dark mid-afternoon on Monday, August 19, as smoke from the fires spread south from the Amazonas region — where a state of emergency has been declared — to Brazil’s most populous city. The air was so thick with smoke that even the city’s rain water […]Read more...
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Dengue fever cases have surged in the Americas this year, says international health agency
A report published this month by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) indicates a deadly surge in cases of dengue fever in the Americas since the start of the year. Research shows that over 2 million people in the region contracted the mosquito-borne disease, and a total of 723 deaths were reported from the start of 2019 up until the beginning of August. The international health agency outlines Brazil, Colombia, Honduras and Nicaragua as the four countries with the most reported cases of dengue in the Americas, all of which have declared national epidemiological alerts, except Brazil. Cases have also […]Read more...
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Holberton School Medellín: Training the next generation of software engineers
The Holberton School, first established in San Francisco in 2016, has recently opened a site in Medellín to grow and train a workforce of software development engineers, after the Colombian Ministry of Information Technology and Communications released data indicating a major deficit in the field at the end of 2018. This lack of trained professionals can be attributed to several factors, explains Jessica Mercedes, country manager of Colombia’s Holberton Schools — located in Bogota, Medellín and Cali — for software engineering. Whether it be of their own volition or due to pressure from parental figures, Colombian students still favor undergraduate […]Read more...
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A comprehensive guide to El Salvador’s anti-corruption commission
El Salvador’s nascent anti-corruption commission, the International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador (CICIES), is still far from completion unlike those in Honduras and Guatemala. Its creation was a key promise in the newly-elected Nayib Bukele’s presidential campaign, and those who watched him take office shouted “Down with the corrupt!” and “We want the CICIES!” On June 7, Vice President Félix Ulloa confirmed that the government was in “advanced conversations” with the OAS and the UN about the CICIES, but no formal plans have been released. Leonor Arteaga, program director at the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) highlighted that […]Read more...
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How the United States contributed to the crisis in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló has pledged to step down from his position on August 2 after weeks of protests, which concluded in the largest national strike in the island’s modern history and threats from the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment process. Rosselló’s resignation is the result of a culmination of various key factors. The country is in considerable debt, nearly half of its population lives in poverty, and civilians accuse Rosselló and government officials of corruption. This was exacerbated recently when the island’s Centre for Investigative Journalism published 889 pages of chats between Rosselló and members of […]Read more...
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Op-Ed: The silence of Latin America’s leaders
The situation in the United States southern border is critical as close to 50,000 people are currently being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers – also contentiously known as concentration camps. The claims that migrants, in particular children, are being detained under inhumane circumstances has drawn the ire of civil rights groups, human rights organizations, and a growing group of US legislators. In spite of this, there is a group of people who remain conspicuously silent – Latin American leaders. Their silence reflects a self-interested need to maintain good relations with the United States and a cold […]Read more...
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Why are people protesting in Puerto Rico?
Yesterday, July 22, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans took to the streets as part of a national strike – also being referred to as “the People’s March” – fueled by national grievances related to the island’s government, which they believe to be corrupt. Although protests took place across the whole island, estimates by national daily El Nuevo Día calculate that over half a million people ensured the blockage of a major highway in the capital San Juan, which leads to the residence of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Ammunition for the nationwide demonstrations stemmed from Rosselló’s recent refusal to step down […]Read more...
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Guaidó’s progress stagnates after six months despite international support
Today marks six months since Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January, but President Nicolas Maduro has still not stepped down despite rising international pressure. The two parties are in their third round of diplomatic talks, mediated by the Norwegian government, which are currently taking place in Barbados. A recent press release from the Norwegian Minister of Foreign affairs asked parties to exercise “utmost caution in their comments and statements about the process,” so detailed information about the talks has been scarce. Al Jazeera reported that if no concrete results are met, the European Union will prepare […]Read more...
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AMIA attacks go unpunished 25 years later
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the explosion of the Mutual Argentina-Israel Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires, which left 85 people dead and 300 injured. In commemoration of the attacks, the Argentine government officially designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, freezing its assets in the country, according to Reuters. The Times of Israel also reported that the Argentine Lower House of Congress has voted to allow trials of individuals in absentia related to the AMIA case as part of the continued bid for the survivors of the attack to obtain justice. The attack in which a truck loaded with […]Read more...
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ELN expands to connect Colombia and Venezuela
The National Liberation Army (ELN) – Colombia’s last remaining guerrilla movement – is building a mobility corridor to facilitate control over the roads that connect the country’s Pacific coast to its eastern border with Venezuela, according to news outlet Verdad Abierta. Alerts from the Ombudsman’s Office of Colombia indicate that the new route would cross through the departments of Antioquia, Southern Bolívar, North Santander and Arauca. “It seems that the ELN are attempting to position themselves in zones that were previously controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),” the office has warned, adding that such expansion is likely […]Read more...
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A comprehensive guide to Honduras’ anti-corruption commission
Since the US-backed coup in 2009, Honduras’ citizens have taken to the streets to protest government policies and elections marred with accusations of fraud. According to Latin America expert Patricio Provitrina, Honduras is a “failing state” co-opted by corrupt elites that funnel public funds into programs that benefit them, rather than social programs that would aid Honduran citizens. As a result, “you don’t have a good education system,” he said. “You don’t have good health care systems. You don’t have local functional security forces that protect citizens – there’s no motivation to make them.” In 2013, then-President Porfirio Lobo Sosa […]Read more...
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How Trump’s new asylum rule puts migrants at risk
On July 15, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new law that requires migrants to claim asylum in a third country before being able to do so in the United States. The rule, which the U.S. government will implement on July 16, states that a migrant attempting to enter the United States across the southern border will not be granted asylum if they did not previously “apply for protection from persecution or torture where it was available in at least one third country outside the alien’s country of citizenship.” This new law follows Trump’s efforts to persuade Mexico and Guatemala […]Read more...
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JEP budget for 2020 to reduce by thirty percent
The budget for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) will be reduced by approximately 30 percent next year, the transitional justice mechanism’s president, Patricia Linares, told Blu Radio this week. Funding for the JEP will be slashed from the $90,000 million Colombian pesos it is receiving this year to $67,000 million. The cuts will also affect other transitional justice mechanisms such as the Search Unit for Missing Persons (UPBD) and the Truth Commission, Linares added. “We know there are budget restrictions in all public entities, but the truth is that we didn’t expect such a drastic reduction,” she told the […]Read more...
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A comprehensive guide to Guatemala’s anti-corruption commission
The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) was the first of its kind in the Northern Triangle, which consists of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and has been functioning in the country for over ten years. According to a 2018 report by international NGO Transparency International, Guatemala is 144th out of 180 countries for perceived levels of corruption, but corrupt practices have been synonymous with the country for decades. Guatemala has been struggling with soaring homicide rates and the existence of organized crime networks since the 1960s, when the country was engulfed in a 36-year long civil war between […]Read more...
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Protests in Honduras continue amid calls for president’s resignation
Hondurans have been protesting for over two months. In mid-June, the government deployed the army and military police onto the streets to repress growing crowds, and security forces have so far killed three people and injured dozens. Teachers and health workers triggered a wave of demonstrations in April as they articulated their opposition to government-imposed reforms to privatise the country’s health and education systems, but protests quickly grew into something much more universal. Violence, poverty and an administration dogged by corruption accusations have brought Hondurans together to demand one thing: the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernández. Demonstrations grew in force […]Read more...
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Opinion: The FARC share the blame for the peace agreement’s failure
It’s fair to say that the implementation of the landmark peace agreement that the Colombian government signed with the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is running on fumes. Much of the blame has fallen on the government and the governing party, who insist on making modifications to the agreement while they still have a lot to do on integral rural reform and protection of ex-combatants. The FARC, however, are also to blame. Their leadership has fallen short on its commitment to giving reparations to victims, surrendering to justice and abandoning drug trafficking entirely. We have heard over and […]Read more...
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Bolsonaro revokes hardline firearms decrees
Last week, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro revoked two decrees that would have eased restrictions on gun control, after they faced legal and political challenges. The decrees, published in May, presented an increase in the yearly purchase limit of ammunition rounds for common citizens or collectors from 50 to 5,000. The proposed laws would have also enabled these groups of people to buy up to five firearms. Besides this, the decrees would have enabled a range of professional groups to carry a gun without having to provide proof of why it was needed. These included truckers, hunters and journalists covering police […]Read more...
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UN report reveals systemic human rights violations in Venezuela
On July 4, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report detailing the grave human rights violations that are occurring in Venezuela, which include extrajudicial executions and torture. The report comes after UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet visited the country at the end of June, and much of it is based on first hand reports of these violations. It calls for “immediate measures” to stop systemic state-implemented human rights infractions in Venezuela. Death Squads In its investigation for the report, the OHCHR interviewed the families of 20 men who were killed by […]Read more...
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In photos: Medellín’s 22nd Pride March
Yesterday, June 30, 75,000 people took to the streets in Medellín to celebrate the pride of the city’s LGBTQI+ community, according to Antioquia’s LGBTI Social Alliance. This marks an increase of 28,000 in comparison to the organization’s headcount from the previous year. The 22nd edition of the march also coincided with the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a series of violent demonstrations in the United States involving the LGBTQI+ community, from which many gay rights foundations were born. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex and further identities, along with the heterosexual community, seized the opportunity to protest against discrimination and […]Read more...
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Colombian government denounces planting of anti-personnel landmines to protect coca crops
The National Liberation Army (ELN) and Clan del Golfo are resuming the plantation of anti-personnel landmines in Colombian territory, High Commissioner for Peace Miguel Ceballos denounced this week at the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly. The ELN, Colombia’s last remaining left-wing guerrilla movement, and Clan del Golfo – a right-wing paramilitary organization also known as the Urabeños or Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – are the primary criminal organizations in the country. Both are important actors in the illegal drugs trade. According to Ceballos, who spoke at an OAS press conference in Medellín last week, both groups have strategically […]Read more...
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How progressive is LGBTQ rights legislation in Latin America?
Earlier this month, Ecuador joined Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Uruguay in becoming the sixth Latin American country to legalize same sex-marriage, although each country varies in progressivity when it comes to the nuances of LGBTQ legislation. As this year’s pride month draws to a close, we take a look at the status of LGBTQ rights in these six countries. Despite traditionally being one of the most devout, Catholic and conservative regions of the world, Latin America is also home to some of the most progressive legislation with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. According to research (PDF) […]Read more...
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Female entrepreneurship in Latin America flourishes in the face of adversity
Every two weeks, a group of female entrepreneurs congregate at Flamingo coworking space in Santa Marta, Colombia. Luz Alexandra Moran, the head of a female entrepreneurship group called Mujer Samaria, uses the space to give workshops–the most recent one in June focused on startup management. She spoke to Latin America Reports over the phone about the problems women face when starting their own business. “Women always have barriers and obstacles when they try and open their own businesses because of the condition of being a woman and the roles expected of us,” Moran told Latin America Reports. “Sometimes even the […]Read more...
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Why are people protesting the advent of 5G in Uruguay?
In April, Uruguay became the first country in South America to launch commercial 5G internet connectivity, which the national government claims to be ten times faster than previous internet networks. State internet provider Antel, in collaboration with international phone company Nokia, set up 5G base stations in La Barra and Nueva Palmira in the states of Maldonaldo and Colonia respectively. The president of Antel, Andrés Tolosa, also stated at the launch ceremony that the company plans to extend 5G coverage to the rest of the country this year. Earlier this month, however, residents of the small seaside town La Barra […]Read more...
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Colombia to resume aerial spraying of coca crops
On June 8, Colombian Defence Minister Guillermo Botero told Blu Radio that helicopters will resume aerial fumigation of coca crops within 12-16 weeks. President Ivan Duque confirmed this on a recent visit to the UK, in a conversation with the The Guardian. Priority zones will be the departments of Nariño, Catatumbo and Putumayo, Botero said. According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report published last year, Nariño and the municipality of Tumaco are still home to the most concentrated cultivations of coca across the country, the raw material used to make cocaine. Speaking to the Colombian […]Read more...
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Reactions to The Intercept’s Operation Car Wash Exposés
On Sunday, June 9, the editorial staff at The Intercept broke the first part of one of the most significant scoops in Brazil’s recent political history. The investigative news outlet, which has a sister site in Portuguese, was presented with a large archive of files labeled “The Secret Messages of Operation Car Wash,” by an anonymous source. They have been gradually publishing its excerpts over the last ten days. Last year, former President Lula da Silva and a member of the Workers’ Party (PT), was sentenced to twelve years in prison as part of the Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash) […]Read more...
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How one power cut affected nearly 50 million people
At around 7 a.m. on Sunday, June 16, Argentina had a large-scale power outage that left the entire mainland without electricity for over 14 hours. The interconnected electrical grid system affected the whole of Uruguay, as well as some cities in Paraguay, Brazil and Chile. According to the New York Times, businesses in Buenos Aires didn’t open their doors and traffic slowed to a crawl as signal lights stopped functioning. AySA, the water provider in the capital, told inhabitants via Twitter to ration water, as the main water supply to the city relies partly on electrical pumps. Across Argentina, local […]Read more...
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Who are the two remaining presidential candidates in Guatemala?
Two candidates remain after the first round of voting in Guatemala on Sunday, June 16. Social democrat Sandra Torres took the top spot with 25 percent of the vote, and conservative Alejandro Giammattei came second with 14 percent. According to the Supreme Electoral Tribune, overall voting turnout rate was low at 53 percent, and over 13 percent of votes were blank or spoiled. Because no candidate received a majority, a second and final vote between Torres and Giammattei will take place Sunday, August 11, and the chosen president will take office in January 2020. Read More: Guatemala’s voters weigh […]Read more...
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Guatemala’s voters weigh in on 2019 election
The first round of Guatemala’s elections on Sunday has the country in a state of flux. The country’s Supreme Court disqualified two of the most popular presidential candidates, Zury Ríos and ex-Attorney General Thelma Aldana, from the race in May and there have been two more disqualifications for corruption. One of these candidates, Mario Estrada, was arrested in Miami for conspiring with the Sinaloa cartel in April. Although there are almost twenty candidates, former first lady Sandra Torres is the current front runner. She has also been accused of criminal association in the illicit financing of her 2015 presidential bid […]Read more...
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Nicaragua grants amnesty for all actors in anti-government protests
A total of 106 political prisoners have now been freed in Nicaragua after a controversial amnesty law was passed by Congress on June 8, granting freedom to those who participated in last year’s anti-government protests, including both demonstrators and police. The law, backed by President Daniel Ortega’s government, has provoked heavy criticism from U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has publicly stated that it could “impede the processing of potentially responsible persons for grave violations of human rights.” Likewise, Human Rights Watch has also called for the United States to impose sanctions against senior Nicaraguan government officials […]Read more...
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Mexico’s National Guard will be used to reduce immigration after negotiations with the U.S.
Six thousand National Guard troops will be sent to the country’s border with Guatemala in order to curb immigration, reported the BBC. This is the result of marathon negotiations with the United States to avoid being hit with tariffs that could reach up to 25 percent. The agreement which was signed on Friday, June 7, also requires the Mexican government to expand the initiative to return asylum seekers from the U.S. border to Mexico while they wait for their claims to be processed. And earlier this week, Ebrard announced that the government had already started deploying some of the six […]Read more...
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Q&A with “Que Sea Ley” director about Argentina’s fight for legal abortion
The phrase, “In Argentina, one woman dies every week because of an illegal abortion,” flashes up on the screen, in white capital letters against a black background. The sound of drums crescendos almost unbearably before the screen cuts to footage of one of the many marches for legal abortion in Argentina in 2018, in which women dressed in green stamp their feet and beat their drums in unison. The message is clear: they are loud, they are united, and they are not giving up. In 2018, the bill for legal abortion was presented before the Argentine government for the seventh […]Read more...
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Why are inmates still dying in Brazil’s violent prisons?
Brazil exercises a hard-line approach to petty crime and violence. Because of the country’s pre-trial detention policy, those who commit even the smallest of crimes are automatically detained before they are put on trial. According to a 2014 study by the Center for Studies in Criminology and Citizenship, around 40% of Brazil’s prison population finds itself in this position. As a result, overcrowding in Brazil’s prisons is placing a heavy strain on the system. From 2014 to 2016 the country’s prison population increased by 20.7 percent, said a report published last year by the Brazilian Forum on Public Security (FBSP). […]Read more...
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What is the future for renewable energy in Latin America?
Coming in as Latin America’s second largest country, just falling short of Brazil, Mexico is the fourteenth largest country on the globe with a land mass of 1,964,375 area sq.km. A flight from, for instance, Tijuana on the Pacific Coast to the tourist hotspot of Cancun in the Gulf of Mexico can take over four hours flight time and a journey by land can take days. Within Mexico, the abundances of climates are divided by the Tropic of Cancer and offer anything from tropical and Mediterranean, to arid and dry landscapes. Winters are mild and summers can become staggeringly hot, and most […]Read more...
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In photos: Brazil’s second round of education protests
Yesterday afternoon, Brazil’s Ministry of Education released a statement communicating that no public education institution had the right to encourage students, teachers, other staff, public officials or parents to take part in demonstrations during school hours, nor incentivize political movements. A few hours earlier, protests had already begun. Photojournalist Ana Carolina Fernandes documented the protests that took place in Rio de Janeiro, which were the second round of demonstrations to take place against President Jair Bolsonaro’s recently-announced cuts to the national education budget, supported by Education Minister Abraham Weintraub. The states of Bahia, São Paulo, Brasília, Porto Alegre, Maranhão, Ceará, […]Read more...
