After years of the gap narrowing, better economic equality is no longer a reliable trend in many countries. What can be done? This might be a man-bites-dog moment for Latin America. For about a decade, researchers and policymakers have been saying that the key lesson from the worlds most unequal region is that inequality can and in fact did decline. This is supported by a rigorous set of data...
A south Texas sheriffs department with dwindling resources struggles to cope with a growing immigration crisis. Part four of Beyond the Border, a series from The Texas Observer and the Guardian Continue reading... ...
Record weight was 1,230lbs or 560kg Official says Uribe moved to hospital by crane A Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human being died Monday, at the age of 48. Manuel Uribe had slimmed down to about 867lbs (394kg), well below his then-record peak weight of 1,230lbs (560kg), which was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record. Continue reading... ...
Southside Presbyterian Church hosts man for fourth day Daniel Noyoy Ruiz tells Guardian: 'We are grateful' A Presbyterian church in Arizona has given sanctuary to an undocumented migrant facing deportation, triggering a stand-off with immigration authorities. Officials at the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson hosted Daniel Noyoy Ruiz for a fourth consecutive day on Friday, and said he could...
A year on from his controversial win at Cannes, Amat Escalante says the furore over Heli's violence took no account of the Mexican reality he was reflecting A year ago, the Cannes film festival was in shock they had just seen Heli . Which means they'd just seen puppies having their necks snapped, men being beaten senseless and a group of bored children setting fire to someone's penis. Fresh from the...
DNA recovered from 12,000-year-old skeleton help to dispel claims that first Americans came from Australia, Asia or Europe The remains of a small, delicate teenage girl who fell to her death in an underground cave system in Mexico 12,000 years ago have thrown fresh light on the origins of the first Americans. Continue reading... ...
Top detective among latest of around 80 people killed since April in Tamaulipas state, after new crackdown on criminal groups A spate of extreme violence in Mexico's north-eastern Tamaulipas state has ended the relative calm in the region where the country's drug wars began. Officials say around 80 people have been killed in street battles that have broken out almost daily since April. This week the...
Office workers flee into streets as quake strikes south-west of Mexico City and is felt as far away as Acapulco A strong earthquake on the Pacific coast of Mexico shook the capital on Thursday, sending frightened office workers streaming into the streets away from high-rise buildings. The 6.4-magnitude temblor in southern Guerrero state had an epicentre about 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of Tecpan...
A new show of Josef Albers' rare photographs of Mexican ruins proves that modern artists can't escape the lure of the ancient Blurred lines: Josef Albers' rare black and white drawings in pictures The most advanced art of the 20th and 21st centuries has one eye constantly looking back at the earliest and most primal human creations. A new exhibition about Josef Albers , the Bauhaus teacher and master...
Severe weather will make avocados, tomatoes and peppers harder to grow and much more expensive in coming years This year, food and drink-based Cinco de Mayo celebrations will be affected by the skyrocketing prices of limes. The hit to margaritas and guacamole are nothing compared to next year, though, when the California drought and resultant crop shortages are expected to ripple across the Cinco...
Since 1994, more than 1,400 women in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, have been murdered in the 'feminocidio'. Artist Brian Maguire set out to paint portraits of some of the victims Bertha Alicia contemplates the portrait of her murdered daughter, Brenda Berenice, at first with little expression on her face. Then she nods approvingly, turns to the wall of her little home in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and...
Carlos Arnoldo Lobo, who the US government says trafficked multi-tonne loads of cocaine, will be extradited next week Honduras said it will extradite to the US a drug trafficker who worked for Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel , making his the first such case since the country changed the law to allow the process two years ago. Carlos Arnoldo Lobo, who the US government says trafficked multi-tonne...
John Vidal travels to Manila, one of the top three most polluted cities in the world to see (and smell) the scale of the problem. Plus, Sam Jones reports on Mexico City's programme to improve air quality Listen to the podcast HM: Hugh Muir SB: Simon Birkett Continue reading... ...
Oscar-winning film-maker poses 10 questions to president on controversial energy policy in ads in Mexican newspapers The film-maker Alfonso Cuarón, riding high after winning this year's best director Oscar , has launched into political activism in his Mexican homeland by throwing down the gauntlet to the president. Continue reading... ...
Basketball has given the impoverished Triqui people a renewed sense of purpose after community club wins national plaudits Froylán Martínez's bare feet pounded the concrete court without a sound as he steamed past his opponents, but the spectacular show of speed ended with a disappointing shot at the hoop high above his head. Undeterred, the diminutive 10-year-old a rising star of Mexican...
Green roofs sprouting across Mexican capital not only purify the air but aid recovery of hospital patients, says environment chief The global battle for clean air podcast In a sheltered corner of one of the greatest megacities on Earth, there is a place where lizards careen around tree trunks, butterflies drink nectar from vermillion flowers and hummingbirds whisk the heavy air with their wings. Stand...
John Vidal travels to Manila, one of the top three most polluted cities in the world to see (and smell) the scale of the problem. Plus, Sam Jones reports on Mexico City's programme to improve air quality Can Mexico City's roof gardens help shrug off smog? Continue reading... ...
He has tried to go both ways on immigration. But ask immigrants up close, and you'll see that all 'border removals' destroy lives When it comes to immigration, President Obama wants to be seen two ways by two different audiences. For Americans resistant to immigration reform, he presents himself as a stalwart enforcer of the law. For those in favor of reform, he casts himself as a humane administrator...
Despite concerns about who would turn up, nearly all countries were represented and discussions were interesting and relevant The first High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) drew to a conclusion last week in Mexico. Many coming into the meeting were somewhat confused about how it would play out. The chairman of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation...
Presidents of Mexico and Colombia lead tributes to author, with paper yellow butterflies launched at Bellas Artes Palace A flurry of paper yellow butterflies rounded off a simple but moving memorial ceremony to celebrate the life and work of Latin American literary giant Gabriel García Márquez who died in his home in Mexico City last Thursday at the age of 87. The ceremony inside the...