John Otis

John Otis appears in the following:

Chilean President Gabriel Boric faces his biggest political challenge yet

Friday, September 02, 2022

Gabriel Boric, Chile's youngest ever leader, has had a rocky first few months as president. Now, he faces his biggest political challenge yet — a referendum for a new constitution.

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Chile's new constitution is put to the test at a vote

Friday, September 02, 2022

Chile is debating a new constitution, to replace the one written during the country's 17-year-military dictatorship. Now it'll be ratified - or rejected - by voters in a September 4th referendum.

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Behind in polls, Brazil's Bolsonaro hopes evangelicals will carry him to reelection

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Jair Bolsonaro is relying on support from the country's quickly growing evangelical community to pull off an upset against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October.

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Evangelical Christian churches gain ground in majority Catholic Brazil

Monday, August 22, 2022

Brazil is the world's largest Catholic country. But evangelical Christian churches are popping up everywhere, even in the jungle, and now about one-third of Brazil's population is evangelical.

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Brazil's firearm ownership booms, and gun laws loosen, under President Bolsonaro

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has issued more than a dozen decrees in favor of Brazilians' right to bear arms. Sales have spiked and gun shops and shooting ranges have opened up all over Brazil.

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Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva went from jail to frontrunner

Sunday, August 07, 2022

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former Brazilian president and an icon of the Latin American left, is out of jail and leading Brazil's race for the presidency.

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Brazil's President Bolsonaro is trailing in his campaigning for reelection

Monday, July 25, 2022

Brazil's populist President Bolsonaro faces a tough fight for reelection, as he trails in the polls for the October vote.

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro kicks off his reelection campaign

Monday, July 25, 2022

President Bolsonaro is a far-right populist who likes to cast himself in the same mold as former U.S. President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro is facing a stiff challenge in October's election.

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Multiple people are dead after one of the deadliest police raids in a Brazilian city

Friday, July 22, 2022

A police raid in a Rio favela has ended in multiple deaths, in one of the deadliest operations in years.

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Colombia's tribunal exposes how troops kidnapped and killed thousands of civilians

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Colombian army officers kidnapped and executed over 6,400 civilians from 2002 to 2008 and falsely reported them as Marxist guerrillas killed in combat to boost body counts, a special tribunal found.

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After Colombia's election surprise, a populist TikTok star poses stiff competition

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

A 77-year-old populist who campaigns over TikTok and promises budget cuts and jail for corrupt officials is now neck and neck with his leftist opponent ahead of Sunday's runoff election.

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Colombia's presidential race heads to a runoff

Monday, May 30, 2022

Sunday's first round produced two top vote-getters from very different backgrounds. The June 19 runoff will be a contest between a left-wing former guerrilla and a populist real-estate mogul.

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Colombia goes into elections Sunday with a leftist looking to make history

Friday, May 27, 2022

Colombia's presidential election is Sunday, and for the first time, a leftist candidate is favored to come out ahead. Business elites are nervous.

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South America's traditional cowboys are still at home on the range in Colombia

Sunday, May 15, 2022

livestock in Colombia are raised on vast, open ranges. Overseeing the herds requires the special skills of Colombian cowboys who are known as llaneros — Spanish for "plainsmen."

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Colombia legalized abortions for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. A backlash ensued

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The Constitutional Court issued the ruling in February of this year. It's part of a so-called "green wave" of liberalizing abortion rights in some Latin America countries. And it's led to protests.

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Cowboys in Colombia are barefoot legends

Sunday, May 01, 2022

Cowboys in the South American country of Colombia have a storied history. To this day, they continue to ride the plains, keeping an eye on cattle. And usually, they do so barefoot.

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He's running to be Colombia's 1st left-wing president. Here's what he plans to do

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro sits down with NPR and talks about his time in a guerrilla group and proposals to tackle poverty and climate change.

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Colombia has approved more liberal abortion laws, sparking backlash

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Colombia approved some of the most liberal abortion laws in the Americas in February. The decision has provoked a backlash from anti-abortion groups.

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Cartagena's literary festival hopes to inspire a new generation of artists

Thursday, February 10, 2022

The literary festival in the Colombian port city aims to bridge the gap between the city's cosmopolitan center and the surrounding neighborhoods, where many of the poor never make it downtown.

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Why the kids of Venezuela aren't getting enough to eat

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Many are small for their age — a sign of a growing crisis of malnutrition. Government mismanagement is to blame, say political analysts. And there could be lifelong impacts for these children.

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