Latin America

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's new film is called I'm So Excited.

World News

'I'm So Excited': Pedro Almodovar's Spanish Metaphor

8:29am June 23, 2013

by Jasmine Garsd

The legendary film director's new film is about a group of passengers stuck on an airplane. It's a comedy: In between panicking, the passengers find time to fall in love, make love — and come out of the closet. It's also a return to the filmmaker's Spanish roots.

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World News

Brazil Protests Continue

10:59am June 22, 2013

Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with Brazil Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota about the mass protests taking place in that country over corruption and the rising cost of living.

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Enrique Lima is a co-founder of Publish 88, a Mexican startup that develops software for publishing companies.

World News

Mexico's Tech Startups Look To Overcome Barriers To Growth

6:18pm June 18, 2013

by Mónica Ortiz Uribe

In the past decade, Mexico's tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average. Most of that growth has been fueled by demand from the United States. But as Mexico's startups strive to make it in foreign markets, they say they need more engineers and ways to finance their growth.

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The small, hillside community of Babilonia, situated above the Leme and Copacabana neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, has ocean views.

World News

Once Unsafe, Rio's Shantytowns See Rapid Gentrification

5:38pm June 10, 2013

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

First came the day trips for foreigner tourists to the shantytowns. Now, young Westerners are living in formerly no-go areas — with yoga classes and sushi restaurants following. Business is booming in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, but some residents complain they're being priced out of the market.

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Extortion Common For Latin American Businesses

1:16pm June 10, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

High crime rates are holding back economic development in Latin America. One element of the crime is extortion, which cuts into the bottom line for local businesses and ordinary citizens.

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German Garcia-Velutini, a banker, was kidnapped in Caracas and held for 11 months in 2009. Now, he says, he is imprisoned by his bodyguards and feels free only when he is out of the country.

World News

For Venezuelans, Kidnappings Are Simply Business As Usual

8:18pm June 06, 2013

by Steve Inskeep

Latin American cities rank as the most violent in the world. The region suffers from sky-high homicide rates, drug wars and gang violence. NPR is examining the region's turmoil in a series of reports, beginning with a look at the rampant kidnapping problem in Venezuela.

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Rio's Operations Center brings together more than 30 agencies and allows them to coordinate on daily issues such as traffic, as well as on emergencies such as the frequent flash floods in hillside slums.

World News

Rio Goes High-Tech, With An Eye Toward Olympics, World Cup

10:27am June 03, 2013

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

New technology is changing the way cities are run, with cutting-edge urban innovations around the globe. Sprawling, chaotic Rio de Janeiro has built a state-of-the-art operations center as it gears up for two major events.

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World News

Years Of Combat Experience, And Just Turning 20

9:36am May 30, 2013

by Juan Forero

Colombia's FARC rebels are engaged in peace talks with the government, but the group is also stepping up recruitment of child soldiers. Thousands of children may have become rebels in recent years, and efforts are underway to rehabilitate some of them.

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Cassia Mendes, who has worked as a housekeeper for more than 20 years, cleans a house in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Feb. 19, 2012. Brazil enacted on April 2 a constitutional amendment to grant domestic workers health insurance and other benefits.

World News

'We Are Not Valued': Brazil's Domestic Workers Seek Rights

4:57pm May 27, 2013

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Brazil has more household workers per capita than any other country. A new law in the South American nation expanded the rights of domestic workers. But despite the law being on the books now for almost two months, there is still a long way to go in changing the social dynamic in Brazil.

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World News

Life In Argentina's 'Little School' Prison Camp

2:04pm May 20, 2013

During Argentina's so-called Dirty War, thousands were abducted and taken to secret prisons like a place known as "the little school," where many were tortured and killed. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to a former prisoner, Alicia Partnoy, about her disappearance and her time there.

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