americas

FILE - A player moves his piece in poleana, a board game invented in prison, during a tournament in Mexico City, Nov. 17, 2024.

December 29, 2024

Mexican prison board game brings together people from all walks of life

The board symbolizes the confines of prison, and getting out before the others, winning freedom — even if just metaphorically — is the game's goal

FILE - Aerial image of an area of deforested Amazon rainforest covered in smoke from an illegal fire in the municipality of Cujubim, Rondonia State, northern Brazil, Aug. 20, 2024. Wildfires and drought ravaged large parts of the rainforest in 2024.

December 28, 2024

Drought, fire, deforestation ravaged Amazon rainforest in 2024

2024 marks the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005

This handout picture released by the Maranhao State Communication Department shows the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge that collapsed on Dec. 22, 2024, over the Tocantins River in Aguiarnopolis, Tocantins State, Brazil.

December 27, 2024

Death toll in Brazil bridge collapse rises to 10

Nearly a week after the collapse, rescuers continue to searching for those still missing

FILE - Migrants walk along the Huixtla highway in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, Oct. 22, 2024, hoping to reach the country's northern border and ultimately the United States.

December 27, 2024

Mexico tests cellphone app migrants can use to send alert if detained in US

Move is response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations after he takes office in January

Griselda Heredia, right, mother of Nahuel Gallo, an Argentine soldier arrested earlier this month in Venezuela, and Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich give a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 27, 2024.

December 27, 2024

Venezuela accuses Argentine officer of terrorism as relations deteriorate

Venezuelan attorney general says officer is part of a group who tried to commit 'destabilizing' acts; that's a 'lie,' says Argentine security minister

FILE - Migrants from Africa, Central America and Haiti wait to see if their numbers will be called to cross the border and apply for asylum in the United States, at the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sept. 13, 2019.

December 27, 2024

VOA Spanish: Mass deportation plan affects mental health of many immigrants, psychologists say

Riot police guard an entrance to the Legislative Assembly during a protest against the repeal of a law banning mining, in San Salvador, El Salvador, Dec. 23, 2024.

December 27, 2024

VOA Spanish: El Salvador faces challenges mining gold, silver under new law, expert says

FILE - A bulk carrier moves through the Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, April 19, 2023.

December 27, 2024

VOA Mandarin: Why does Trump want to 'take back' the Panama Canal?

People stand outside an auto shop of the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Co. Ltd. in east China's Shanghai on Dec. 27, 2024. A contractor for BYD denied on Dec. 26 there were 'slave-like conditions' in a Brazil factory,

December 27, 2024

Brazil views labor violations at BYD site as human 'trafficking'

December 27, 2024

What will US immigration look like under Trump?

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a key focus of his 2024 presidential campaign. His incoming administration is planning stricter enforcement. VOA’s Immigration Correspondent Aline Barros explains what these policies might mean.