Michael Fox is a Latin America-based audio producer and media maker.
Guatemala's new president, Bernardo Arévalo, took office in January with a promise of battling corruption. This week, he introduced his anti-corruption team that's going to lead the charge. But it is not an easy road ahead. The expectations are high and there are many challenges.
Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an interest in astronomy.
Costa Rica is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with a state religion. The religion is Catholicism. But what happens when a president is elected promising to lift evangelical voices to the fore?
Costa Rica sells its image as a “green paradise,” with ample nature reserves and no standing military. But many say this reputation is more myth than reality as violence, poverty and unemployment is on the rise.
The tiny Central American country of Costa Rica is known as a green paradise. But climate change is hitting the country in a multitude of ways, including increasing its risk from storms and natural disasters. Nowhere is the shifting planet being felt more than in some of the country’s most iconic parks and reserves, where ecosystems are changing rapidly.
A year and a half into her administration, many say Xiomara Castro has yet to live up to expectations. But as Honduras’ first female president, those expectations are higher than usual. Much of the criticism against Castro comes from machismo and gender discrimination. She’s just one of two female heads of state of a Latin American country.
The tiny South American country of Uruguay has faced a historic drought over the last three years. Freshwater reserves are now running dangerously low. In an effort to overcome the water shortage, authorities are now supplementing public drinking water from new saltier reservoirs. And it is causing an uproar.
A bill making its way through the Legislature in Brazil could limit Indigenous land claims in the country, and potentially call into question large swaths of land already demarcated for Indian reservations.
Brazil ranks third in the world for the most social media usage, following India and Indonesia. Now, a controversial, 3-year-old bill is weaving its way through Congress. It could regulate social media platforms in the same way as TV and radio. The “Fake News Bill” has staunch supporters, but some also accuse it of being a form of censorship.
The El Fuego volcano in Guatemala spewed lava and ash over part of the country last week. Thousands evacuated the area, and many more were exposed to dangerous ash.
President Nayib Bukele has enjoyed a sky-high approval rating of 91% for his crackdown on crime. But thousands of families say their sons and husbands have been unjustly imprisoned under his recent suspension of civil liberties.