Latin America

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained in Cuba, where he's receiving treatment for cancer, and was not present for his planned inauguration in Caracas on Thursday. However, thousands of supporters gathered outside the presidential palace to show their

World News

Hugo Chavez Misses Inauguration Day, But Supporters Fill The Streets

6:26pm January 10, 2013

by Juan Forero

The Venezuelan president remains in Cuba, receiving treatment for cancer. His supporters — with the backing of the Supreme Court — say that he can be sworn in at a later date.

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In Mexico City, Sara Martinez Franco holds a .38-caliber revolver that belonged to her grandfather. She traded in the weapon — which she says was used during the Mexican Revolution — under the buyback program.

World News

Buyback Program Gets Some Guns Off Mexican Streets

6:31pm January 09, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

In Mexico City, the government is offering cash, new bikes and computers for guns. The mayor says the buyback program is taking dangerous weapons out of commission. But mayors of some cities overrun by drug traffickers say law-abiding citizens need guns for protection.

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World News

Ill In Cuba, Chavez Likely To Miss His Swearing-In

9:10am January 09, 2013

by Juan Forero

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is scheduled to be sworn in for a fourth term on Thursday, but he remains in Cuba undergoing treatment for cancer. In a very loose interpretation of the constitution, the government is prepared to inaugurate him later. The opposition says the constitution is being violated.

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A member of Rio de Janeiro's Social Work Department speaks with crack addicts in a slum area known as "Crackland," during a police operation in the city in November.

World News

Brazil's Drug Epidemic: Welcome To 'Crackland'

2:19pm January 08, 2013

by Juan Forero

Crack has been in Brazil since the 1990s, but the drug has exploded in the past six years. The government has poured billions into a prevention and treatment program, but officials are still trying to figure out the best way to combat the epidemic.

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Katia Abreu, a senator and landholder who heads the powerful landowners bloc in Brazil's legislature, takes a look at the new plantations on her 12,000-acre farm.

A Strong Voice For Brazil's Powerful Farmers

7:56am January 07, 2013

by Juan Forero

Brazil is now a world power when it comes to food production. And a leading symbol of that might is Katia Abreu, a senator, landowner and head of the country's most powerful Big Agro association. But environmentalists say limits need to be placed on the farming industry in order to protect the forests of the Amazon.

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Policymakers Planning For A Venezuela After Chavez

7:02pm January 04, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Venezuelan officials say their president Hugo Chavez remains in a "delicate" condition in a Havana hospital following his fourth cancer surgery. If Chavez cannot be sworn in to a new presidential term on Jan. 10, a process of selecting a new president will begin. How well prepared is the U.S. government is for a post-Chavez Venezuela?

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Mexican Bakers Go Big To Celebrate 3 Kings Day

8:46am January 04, 2013

Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread with a Baby Jesus figurine baked inside. The version for Sunday will weigh 10 tons, and the cake's border will stretch nearly a mile. Tradition says the person who gets the slice with the plastic Jesus hosts a party.

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World News

Mexico's President Alters Tactics Against Drug Crimes

9:44am January 01, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

Mexico's new attorney general says there are now 60 to 80 drug cartels operating in the country, a sharp rise from the 10 that existed when outgoing President Calderon took office in 2006. President Enrique Pena Nieto says he wants to go after crime associated with drug trafficking instead of taking down crime bosses.

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A hilltop view of the 18-foot fence along the U.S.-Mexico border west of Nogales, Ariz.

Is The Border Secure Enough To Tackle The Immigration System?

8:10pm December 26, 2012

by Ted Robbins

"Secure the borders first" has been the cry from Republicans in Congress before they'd agree to comprehensive immigration reform. That stance seems to be changing, as some experts say demanding border security first is backward.

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Baruj Cano, 4, watches as his father and other men from Bello's Jewish community read from the Torah.

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'Lost Jews' Of Colombia Say They've Found Their Roots

12:38pm December 23, 2012

by Juan Forero

Raised as Christians, they say their ancestors were Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain more than 500 years ago; they now practice Orthodox Judaism. Similar cases have turned up in other countries in recent years.

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