Americas
Portugal’s president says country should apologize, 'assume responsibility' for slave trade
This week, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal should formally apologize for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese were responsible for selling nearly 6 million people into slavery — mostly in Brazil. Some activists and scholars say an apology is just a start and there's still a long way to go.
Vatican rejects Doctrine of Discovery after years of pressure from Indigenous activists
Former Taiwanese president makes historic visit to China
UNESCO adds an ancient Peruvian solar observatory to its World Heritage Sites
'Spirit Run': A new memoir details one man's journey to reconnect with nature and his Indigenous heritage
Black Lives Matter protests renew parallel debates in Brazil, Colombia
Across the Americas, police violence disproportionately targets young black men. The protests sparked by George Floyd's death in Minneapolis have shined a new light on police brutality in South America.
Experts concerned Mexico not taking enough COVID-19 precautions
Mexico’s approach is much less stringent than those of its Central American neighbors, which have virtually closed their borders despite reporting only a handful of cases.
An LGBTQ rights advocate looks back on the 2010s and ahead to a new decade
Lucas Mendes, a Senior Research Officer at ILGA World, discusses with Marco Werman the wins and losses of the last decade for the worldwide LGBTQ community.
Haiti protests summon spirit of the Haitian Revolution to condemn a president tainted by scandal
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the black Haitian revolutionary who defeated the French to free Haiti from colonial rule in 1804, has emerged as a new icon of protest in Haiti.
Brazilian biologist discovers 4 new spider species and names them after heavy metal icons
Musicians from Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Def Leppard and the Brazilian band Angra got spider species named after them.
Teenage activist Greta Thunberg takes protest to climate-change denier Trump
A demonstration across the street from the White House Friday marked the first high-profile event of Greta Thunberg's six-day visit to Washington, intended to pressure the Trump administration ahead of a United Nations Climate Summit.
Former FARC leaders announce new armed offensive in Colombia
A group of former rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced it will launch a new armed offensive.
Mexico wants to run a tourist train through its Mayan heartland — should it?
Cancun, on the Yucatan peninsula, is one of Mexico's most visited cities, while nearby Mayan villages struggle with poverty and lack of economic opportunities. A newly proposed train line could help fix that, but at what cost to the people and ecosystem?
Guatemalan elections: Corruption, violence — and hope
Maya candidate Thelma Cabrera's unprecedented campaign for president was unsuccessful, but hope has not been dashed. Her run suggests that Guatemala's grassroots opposition is slowly gaining ground.
A family split between the US and Haiti dreads looming loss of legal status
The loss of Temporary Protected Status could be devastating for Haitians in the US and their loved ones back home, who are still struggling to recover almost 10 years after a massive earthquake.