Latin America
Indigenous Farmworker Leader Bids for Guatemala Presidency
An Indigenous female farmworker leader hopes to become Guatemala’s next president. But Thelma Cabrera faces an uphill fight after the country’s Electoral Tribunal refused to allow her to register her candidacy.
‘Suavemente’: The Merengue War (A Latino USA Podcast)
Reporter Ezequiel Rodríguez Andino tells the story of merengue’s rise in Puerto Rico, the ripple effects of this “musical war,” and what it all tells us about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the people from its sister island, the Dominican Republic.
Haitian Women Make Soccer History
Now that Haiti’s national women’s soccer team has qualified for the Women’s World Cup, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Brenda Elsey, a professor at Hofstra University, to discuss and celebrate this exciting moment in Haitian sports history.
Honduras’ First Woman President Legalizes Morning-After Pill For All
After a 13-year total ban, on Wednesday, International Women’s day, Honduras’ first woman president, Xiomara Castro, legalized the use and distribution of the emergency contraceptive pill, also known as the morning-after pill —or PAE, in Honduras— for everyone in the country.
Women Enlist in Colombia’s Army for First Time in 25 Years
After a 25-year ban, the Colombian army is once again allowing women to join its ranks through voluntary military service, which is a requirement for men.
Brazil Hit With Devastating Floods as Support for Former President Washes Away
With thousands of Bolsonaro supporters either in jail or under investigation for plotting against democracy in Brazil, the nation’s attention has shifted to the defense of the Amazon rainforest and its Indigenous peoples and the policy shifts under President Lula.
Gunmen Threaten Messi, Shoot Up Family-Owned Supermarket
Gunmen threatened Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi in a written message left Thursday when they opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina, police said.
Haiti Qualifies for Women’s World Cup in Historic First
For the first time in its history, the Haitian women’s soccer team has qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Chile 2-1 on Tuesday.
At Least 12 Confirmed Dead After Mudslides in Peru
Residents of five small gold-mining villages in southern Peru’s Arequipa region struggled to salvage belongings Tuesday after landslides caused by strong rains killed at least 12 people and dragged mud, water and rocks that turned precarious homes and other buildings into rubble.
Police Shooting Death of Activist in Atlanta Reignites Push for Land Defense
Manuel “Tortuguita” Páez Terán was shot and killed by a Georgia State Patrol officer on January 18 during a multi-agency sweep to remove land defenders from the Weelaunee Forest in southeast Atlanta—one more in a long legacy of murdered land defenders around the world.
In ‘Sorcery,’ Chilean Writer-Director Christopher Murray Takes On Colonialism (INTERVIEW)
Latino Rebels speaks with Chilean filmmaker Christopher Murray, co-writer and director of ‘Sorcery,’ which is set on Chile’s Chiloé Island in 1880 and follows a 13-year-old Huilliche girl, Rosa, as she seeks revenge after a white man kills her father.
Jamaica Ready to Send Soldiers, Police to Quell Haiti Chaos
Jamaica’s prime minister said his government is willing to send soldiers and police officers to Haiti as part of a proposed multinational security assistance deployment. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and U.N. special envoy for Haiti Helen La Lime have backed the idea.
Peru Congress Agrees to Debate Measure on Earlier Elections
Pressed by Peru’s embattled president to take action in response to weeks of deadly protests, Congress narrowly agreed on Monday to reconsider a proposal to move the 2026 national elections up to this October.
Peru Protests: What to Know About Indigenous-Led Movement Shaking the Crisis-Hit Country
Peru is in the midst of a political and civil crisis. Triggered by the recent removal from power of former leader Pedro Castillo, the protests have exposed deep divisions within the country and are being encouraged by a confluence of internal factors and external agitators.
Peru Closes Machu Picchu as Anti-Government Protests Grow
Peru indefinitely closed its famed ancient ruins of Machu Picchu on Saturday in the latest sign that anti-government protests that began last month are increasingly engulfing the South American country.
Peru’s Failed Democratic Transition
As Peru faces another political crisis following the impeachment of former president Pedro Castillo last month, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Peruvian professor Roger Merino to discuss how the right wing is playing a dangerous democratic game that has led to the deaths of several protesters.
Brownlisted: Putting the ‘Con’ in ‘Congressman’
A wrap-up of the most important and interesting Latino news items from the past week
Ex-Fox Execs on Trial in Soccer TV Rights Bribery Case
Two former Fox executives went on trial Tuesday, accused of bribing South American soccer officials for TV rights to one of the continent’s biggest annual tournaments and using information gathered in the process to help the network’s winning World Cup broadcast bid.
Brownlisted: Who Wants a Mazapán?
A roundup of the week’s top Latino news from around the world, written by Latino Rebels senior editor Hector Luis Alamo.
Peru Anti-Government Protests Spread, Clashes in Cusco
Protests against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte’s government that have left 48 people dead since they began a month ago spread through the south of the Andean country on Wednesday with new clashes reported in the tourist city of Cusco.
‘Children of Las Brisas’ Shows Complicated Nature of Venezuela Crisis (INTERVIEW)
In 2009, Venezuelan filmmaker Marianela Maldonado set out to tell an inspirational story of her country’s famed music program, known simply as El Sistema, or “The System.” After 10 years of filming, her documentary ‘Children of Las Brisas’ tells quite a different tale.