Mystery Kidney Disease in Central America

Across Central America, large numbers of men are dying from kidney disease. The cause is unknown, but a growing body of evidence suggests that hard manual labor — especially in the region’s sugarcane fields — is partly to blame.

Protecting Migrants in Mexico from Drug Violence

New efforts are underway in Mexico to protect migrants from becoming the targets of drug cartels and other criminals.

Beneath Guatemala sinkhole

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with geo-scientist Timothy Bechtel, about the massive sinkhole that swallowed an intersection and a three-story factory in Guatemala as the country was hit by Tropical Storm Agatha.

Video: Giant Guatemala City sinkhole

Hondurans hope election will help economy

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The political unrest in Honduras has scared away tourists and foreign investors and it’s driven up unemployment. Hondurans are set to choose a new president on Sunday. Many of them hope the election will defuse the crisis and get the country’s economy back on track. Correspondent John Otis reports from Tegucigalpa. Download MP3

Honduras vote

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President Manuel Zelaya (pictured) was ousted in a coup five months ago. On Sunday, Hondurans will go to the polls to elect Zelaya’s successor. Many Latin American countries have refused to recognize the elections, organized by the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti. Yet some Hondurans consider choosing a new president a first step toward ending the country’s political crisis. From Tegucigalpa, John Otis reports. Download MP3

• FAQ Honduras crisis
• William Troop on Zelaya’s return to Honduras in September

Electricity for rural Nicaragua

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Correspondent Eliza Barclay reports from Nicaragua how two American brothers tried a technological fix to alleviate poverty in that Central American country, and our Science Forum invites you discuss aid projects online with environmental engineer Anu Ramaswami of the University of Colorado in Denver. Download MP3

• Discuss technological aid projects in our Science forum
• More in our latest Science podcast
• blueEngergy Group
• Eliza Barclay’s photos from Nicaragua
• Eliza Barclay’s blog

Honduras rivals end deadlock

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Ousted Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya and his political opponents have signed off on an agreement that will allow him to return to office and create a power-sharing government. Zelaya has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Honduras for weeks during the impasse. Katy Clark finds out more from someone who’s also been in the embassy, Andres Conteris, of the US-based group “Democracy Now en Espanol.” Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• FAQ Honduras crisis
• The World’s William Troop on Zelaya’s return to Honduras in September

Honduras standoff

Honduras’ interim president said talks may begin Saturday to address the political crisis enveloping the country since the military deposed the country’s sitting president two weeks ago. Anchor Jeb Sharp gets the latest from Jennifer McCoy, director of the Americas Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Listen

US stance on political crisis in Honduras

The Obama Administration has condemned this week’s coup in Honduras. That puts the US in the unusual position of siding with traditional foes Venezuela and Cuba. The World’s Katy Clark reports.
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Honduras under international pressure

The new leaders of Honduras are under intense pressure from the United States and other nations a day after a military coup. But the country’s new president says the move was legal. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Frances Robles of the Miami Herald who is in the capital Tegucigalpa.Listen