Latin America Archives

The science that is helping researchers find the ‘disappeared’ in Latin America

Jamie Pringle, Keele University; Alejandra Baena, Universidad Antonio Nariño; Carlos Martín Molina, Universidad Antonio Nariño; Kristopher Wisniewski, Keele University, and Vivienne Heaton, Keele University In most Latin American countries where there has been a high level of civil conflict over the past few decades, there are still huge numbers of missing people due to forced disappearances. In Colombia alone this …

China is financing infrastructure projects around the world – many could harm nature and Indigenous communities

Chinese engineers pose after welding the first seamless rails for the China-Laos railway in Vientiane, Laos, June 18, 2020. Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua via Getty Images Blake Alexander Simmons, Boston University; Kevin P. Gallagher, Boston University, and Rebecca Ray, Boston University China is shaping the future of economic development through its Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious multi-billion-dollar international push to better …

How palm oil became the world’s most hated, most used fat source

Oil palm fruit in North Aceh, Indonesia. Fachrul Reza / Barcroft Media via Getty Images Jonathan E. Robins, Michigan Technological University Palm oil is everywhere today: in food, soap, lipstick, even newspaper ink. It’s been called the world’s most hated crop because of its association with deforestation in Southeast Asia. But despite boycott campaigns, the world uses more palm oil …

Australia, fighting Facebook, is the latest country to struggle against foreign influence on journalism

The New York Times Facebook site on Feb. 18, 2021 as seen in Melbourne, Australia: Empty. Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Vanessa Freije, University of Washington Facebook has barred Australians from finding or sharing news on its platform, in response to an Australian government proposal to require social media networks to pay journalism organizations for their content. The move is already reducing …