Latin America

A former U.S. ambassador is charged with being an agent for Cuba

7:27am December 05, 2023

Victor Manuel Rocha, a longtime U.S. diplomat who served as ambassador to Bolivia, has been arrested and charged with being a clandestine agent for the Cuban government. How was he finally caught?

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A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel on Oct. 10. Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel started Oct. 7. A senior Hamas official told NPR that its planning was kept a close secret.

World News

These were NPR.org's biggest international stories in 2023

5:08am December 05, 2023

by John Helton

Hamas' attack in Israel and the war that followed and the stalemate in Ukraine were our biggest international stories in 2023, but we also found some wonder around the world.

Morning news brief

5:03am December 05, 2023

A ex-U.S. ambassador is accused of working as a secret agent for Cuba. After Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, fears of a wider Middle East conflict grow. It's been 10 years since Nelson Mandela died.

National

Migrants drawn to Colo. mountain towns find work is plentiful but shelter is limited

5:03am December 05, 2023

by Halle Zander

A small bedroom community for Colorado ski resorts recently discovered dozens of Venezuelan migrants living in cars under a bridge. Helping them is straining local resources.

Messi's World Cup jerseys bring in millions at auction

5:38pm December 04, 2023

The six jerseys Lionel Messi wore in the first half of each game in last year's World Cup are now garnering millions of dollars in bids at an auction at Sotheby's in New York.

Venezuelan voters approve referendum that would take over disputed area with Guyana

5:04am December 04, 2023

by John Otis

Venezuela's election board says voters on Sunday approved a referendum called for by the government to claim sovereignty over an oil- and mineral-rich piece of neighboring Guyana.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro leaves after giving a speech during the closing campaign on Venezuela Referendum on dispute territory with Guyana in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

World News

Venezuelans approve referendum to claim territory in neighboring Guyana

11:21pm December 03, 2023

by The Associated Press

The 61,600-square-mile territory accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and borders Brazil, which says it has "intensified its defense actions" and boosted its military presence because of the dispute.

World News

Venezuela to hold referendum upholding its claim on what Guyana says is its territory

8:30am December 03, 2023

by John Otis

Venezuela and neighboring Guyana are at loggerheads over Venezuela staking a claim on more than half of Guyana's oil-rich territory. On Sunday, Venezuela will hold a referendum to uphold its claim.

More than 30 rivers flow in and around the city of Santa Marta from the snowy caps of the Sierra Nevada, one of the highest coastal ranges in the world.

Health & Safety

Waiting for water: It's everywhere in this Colombian city — except in the pipes

7:32am December 03, 2023

by Ben de la Cruz

The country is rich in water resources. Yet many people in the city of Santa Marta struggle to get enough to meet daily needs. They improvise, strategize — and rely on a tangle of 1-inch pipes.

Achuar people ply the Rio Wichimi in a solar canoe. The nonprofit Kara Solar has helped fund a fleet of six sun-powered craft in hopes of benefitting the Indigenous Achuar while reducing pressure to build roads in the rainforest.

Why solar-powered canoes could be good for the future of the rainforest

7:37am December 02, 2023

by Peter Yeung

The Indigenous Achuar people in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest sail in six solar-powered canoes. And it's not just to save money on fuel — the trees of the rainforest will benefit too.