Topic: El Salvador

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Roe v. Wade anniversary: Study says 'unsafe' abortions on rise

Roe v. Wade, the landmark legislation legalizing abortion in the United States, marks its 39th year this week. As Americans debate abortion rights in the midst of an election year, a new study indicates abortion rates are steadying worldwide, though the frequency of dangerous abortions is rising. Here are the answers to five questions related to abortion laws globally, and their effects on women.
In Pictures: Obama in Latin America
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 03/18
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 02/27
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 07/14

All Content

Latin America Monitor
El Salvador sees drop in murders but rise in disappearances

An 8 percent rise in disappearances could undermine the achievements of a gang truce, which has seen murders in El Salvador drop by nearly 60 percent since March, writes a guest blogger.
Latin America Monitor
Child drug traffickers: What can be done?

Between 5,000 and 14,000 children are recruited as soldiers in Colombia, writes a guest blogger, and the recruitment of minors by gangs is increasingly a problem across Latin America.
Obama decision on gay marriage ripples through Latin America (+video)

Gay marriage is legal in parts of Latin America, but is still controversial with much of the population. Obama's statement may reignite debate.
Latin America Monitor
Nicaragua divided over death of revolutionary leader

Tomás Borge was the last living founder of Nicaragua’s Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN).
Latin America Monitor
Why everyone wants to be like Brazil

Across the Americas candidates promise to follow the footsteps of Brazil's former President Lula. But 'Brazil envy' makes it possible to gloss over the country's shortcomings, writes a guest blogger.
Secret Service scandal: 'Party's over, boys'

The Secret Service scandal involving prostitutes in Colombia has brought new orders about personal behavior – no more carousing. On some trips, agents will even have chaperones.
Secret Service now investigating El Salvador trip

The agency is concerned that agents may have hired strippers and prostitutes there as well when the President visited last year.
Latin America Monitor
With US money, El Salvador to begin wiretapping to stop organized crime

The US has given a $5 million grant to make the wiretapping possible, writes a guest blogger.
Latin America Monitor
Building on success: How El Salvador is trying to keep gang violence down

El Salvador has proposed a program to train tens of thousands of former gang members for the workforce. But some are questioning why criminals should get special help, writes a guest blogger.
Arizona immigration law: Mexico gets involved in US Supreme Court case

The Arizona immigration law threatens Mexico-US relations, says a brief submitted on behalf of Mexico and 16 other countries ahead of Wednesday’s oral argument at the Supreme Court.
Latin America Monitor
Coast Guard siezes 'narco-sub' in Caribbean

Some 80 percent of cocaine leaving South America goes by sea, highlighting the importance of maritime routes to traffickers, writes a guest blogger.
Latin America Monitor
El Salvador's first 'murder free' day in three years: The first of many?

The Salvadorian government allegedly made a truce with gang leaders. Giving criminals impunity for reduced violence may weaken the legitimacy of the state, but it's saving lives, writes a blogger.
Bigger scandal in Latin America than US secret service: US drug hunger

The secret service prostitution scandal overshadows renewed calls at the Summit of the Americas for the US to stanch its drug consumption. A viral 'Drug Violence 2012' video (think 'Kony 2012') would help young Americans connect US drug use to violence in Central and South America.
Global News Blog
Soccer player defects from Cuba, requests asylum in US

Soccer player defects: A Cuban national soccer player disappeared while his team was playing in an Olympic soccer tournament in Tennessee.
Latin America Monitor
Report: US should minimize military aid to Central America, strengthen courts, police

A new Council on Foreign Relations report examines criminal violence in Central America.
Why the pope wants stronger ties with Mexico and Cuba

While the Catholic church is bolstering the faithful in Mexico and Cuba, it is also seeking closer ties with national governments during Pope Benedict XVI's first visit to these countries.
Latin America Monitor
Is El Salvador negotiating with criminal street gangs?

A deal with El Salvador's two biggest street gangs may signal a less militaristic security strategy, writes guest blogger Geoffrey Ramsey.
Latin America Monitor
Street gangs on the rise in South America: Are Central America's 'Maras' among them?

South American street gangs may not be as notorious as the violent 'maras,' but they pose a significant threat to security, writes guest blogger Geoffrey Ramsey.
Keep Calm
When US troops leave Afghanistan, an American university will remain

US military withdrawal from Afghanistan won't necessarily spell the end of US commitments to Afghanistan, says president of American University of Afghanistan.
Latin America Monitor
Exporting Nicaragua's citizen security model

Nicaragua could be a citizen security model for other Central American countries to imitate, but some elements are harder to transfer than others, writes guest blogger Hannah Stone.
If you build it, they won't come? US bases in Caribbean target drug trafficking.

With resources stretched thin, the US is now teaming up with small Central American and Caribbean nations to build military bases to combat drug trafficking.
Latin America Monitor
El Salvador elections: Another test for Latin America's left

Sunday's National Congress and mayoral elections in El Salvador are seen as a litmus test for President Mauricio Funes of the left-leaning Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN).
Biden in Honduras: US drug policy under scrutiny

Even staunch US allies in the Americas are urging a debate on drug policy – including legalization – amid spiraling violence in their countries.
Stefan Karlsson
Currency: Will Iceland go Loonie?

Iceland is considering adopting the Canadian dollar as its national currency. It's an odd choice, but it could be an improvement.
Climate change may have caused Mayan civilization's collapse

For unknown reasons, the ancient Mayan civilization then disintegrated more than a millennium ago. The number of people declined catastrophically to a fraction of the empire's former size, and the ruins of its great cities are now largely overgrown by jungle.