All Americas
First LookWith the election of Donald Trump, Canada braces for surge of asylum-seekers fleeing USCanadian police are preparing for a large number of asylum-seekers crossing the border between official ports of entry. When Donald Trump first came to power in 2017, thousands crossed into Canada to file refugee claims.
First LookBrazil’s president promised to protect the Amazon. This year, deforestation fell 31%.After years of agribusiness expansion under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right government, the Amazon’s deforestation rate plummeted this year. Current President Lula da Silva has prioritized environmental protections.
First LookMexico City sees potential soccer fields. But garden farmers fight to preserve a legacy.Mexico City’s chinampas, artificial islands first built by the Aztecs, are under threat from spreading urbanization. But a small collection of farmers on the islands are banding together to protect ancient farming practices.
Immigration is not just a US challenge. But on eve of election, it feels that way.The issue of immigration in the U.S. is tumultuous. But underneath the noise, a sea change has occurred that receives far less attention.
First LookPeru’s former president accepted $35 million in bribes. Now he will serve 20 years.Peru’s national court sentenced former President Alejandro Toledo to more than 20 years for accepting $35 million in bribes from a Brazilian construction company. He will spend it at a prison outside Lima built specifically for former Peruvian presidents.
First LookExtended power outage sparked protests in Cuba. Then Hurricane Oscar made landfall.“We haven’t had electricity for three nights,” said one Cuban protestor, amid widespread blackouts. Authorities said the outage stemmed from increased demand but residents say this is just the latest issue in a series of problems with electricity.
Canada-India relations are at a new low. Why China could be the winner.The breakdown in India-Canada ties could force western allies into a difficult balancing act in Asia.
First Look‘India has made a monumental mistake’: Canada expels India’s diplomats in growing riftCanada expelled India’s top diplomat and five others over the assassination of a Sikh activist as the latest salvo in an escalating conflict since the 2023 crime. India adamantly denies it was involved, and said it will expel six Canadian diplomats.
Reframing a dictatorship: Argentine human rights museum under fireIn Argentina, decades of well-documented crimes and court hearings are being questioned by the nation’s new populist, libertarian leadership.
Brazil has struggled to elect women to political office. Upcoming elections could change that.Many Latin American countries have reached gender parity in politics, but Brazil still lags far behind.
First LookClaudia Sheinbaum takes the presidential oath in Mexico. Now the hard work begins.Claudia Sheinbaum will become the first female president of Mexico when she takes her oath of office on Oct. 1. She promises to continue the social policies and constitutional reforms of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, but faces many crises.
First LookWhy are three of Brazil’s mega dams in the Amazon on the brink of failure?Brazil’s mega dams rank among the most powerful in the world, but droughts driven by climate change have decreased the dams’ output to as low as 3% of their potential. Hydropower accounts for around half the energy Brazilians use.
Ten years after 43 students disappeared, Mexican parents still seek the truthProtests usually express opposition. But in Mexico, where parents of disappeared students have marched for 10 years, grief is stronger than dissent.
First LookMexico’s beloved Obrador prepares to say goodbye. What is his presidential legacy?President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who leaves office Sept. 30, is admired for his social programs and breaking down barriers between government and voters. However, he also attacked media, granted military more power, and eliminated regulatory agencies.
Once ‘extinct’ in Canada, the Sinixt people are reclaiming their ancestral homeWhen a country recognizes the rights of peoples to use their ancestral territory but they live in a different country, it raises tricky questions around access and sovereignty. That’s just what’s happening in Canada with the Sinixt Confederacy.
Latin America’s populist prototype: Peru’s Fujimori leaves divisive legacyFormer President Alberto Fujimori had been out of office for more than two decades when he died. But his legacy still divides Peru today.
Tango for all? How Argentine artists are upending stereotypes.Tango may conjure up images of tight suits and stiletto heels, but an alternative approach to Argentina’s national cultural icon could change that.
First LookWith protestors at the door, Mexico’s Senate says judges must stand for electionMexico’s Senate voted on Sept. 10 to have all judges elected by popular vote, a change critics fear will threaten democracy. Hundreds of protestors pushed their way into the chamber, yelling, “The judiciary isn’t going to fall.”
First LookMaduro retains two-decades-long rule as opposition leader flees to SpainEdmundo González, considered by several foreign governments to be the winner of the July presidential election, landed in Madrid Sept. 8. There, he joins at least four former presidential hopefuls who are victims of Nicolás Maduro’s brutal rule.
Human smuggling is on the rise. International collaboration is key to halting it.Despite efforts to crack down on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, human smugglers adapt quickly to new laws and regulations in how they market their “services” to desperate migrants. Human trafficking is on the rise. International collaboration is key to halting it.
