Philip Reeves

"Churches are taking over the leadership role which was supposed to be in the hands of the political powers," says a Catholic youth group member in the Brazilian town of Central do Maranhão.

NPR sat down with Jair Bolsonaro, who is in the lead ahead of other (eligible) candidates for the Brazilian presidency.

Marília Mendonça has reclaimed Brazil's traditional genre sertanejo and created "feminejo," providing women with a voice in a traditionally macho society.

Bereft of hope and opportunity, youth in Brazil's poorer regions are part of a growing multitude in traditionally Catholic Latin America who are turning either to the evangelical Church, or to bars.

Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, has become a hub for black-owned businesses. A startup accelerator there supports companies based on their potential for social and economic impact.

Brazil's northern city of Manaus has become a sprawling city of some 2 million people. The city is also in the frontline of Latin America's war on drug trafficking — a conflict involving police, traffickers and their rivals.

The Brazilian soccer player is the focus of an onslaught of mockery for his habit of hurling himself to the ground and rolling to cry foul. But some Brazilians have come to his defense.

A strike by truckers in Brazil has brought Latin America's largest economy to a halt. The strike has been going on for more than a week.

Despite widespread hunger, deepening crime, nearly nonexistent health care, hyperinflation and a surge of people fleeing the country, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro won re-election.

Venezuela held a presidential election on Sunday as the country struggles with inflation and food shortages. Preliminary results indicate President Maduro has won a second term.

Voters go to the polls Sunday in Venezuela, where there's runaway inflation and shortages of food and medicine. The opposition is boycotting the vote and President Maduro is expected to win.

Deep economic crisis and distrust of the government seem to have corroded many Venezuelans' faith in politics. Main opposition parties are even boycotting Sunday's vote.

Venezuelans head to the polls this weekend for a presidential election some call a sham. The opposition is boycotting the vote, and President Nicolas Maduro is expected to win.

Venezuela's economic and social meltdown is fueling an exodus. Tens of thousands of people have made their way to Brazil, some to the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Life is very difficult, but despite the hardships Venezuelan migrants say it's still better than back home.

As Brazil reacts to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's 12-year jail term for corruption, Lula claims it's a political maneuver to keep him from being re-elected.

In Brazil, an extraordinary scene is underway. The country's former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is defying a judge's order to turn himself in and start a prison sentence for corruption.

Brazil's supreme court ruled ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may be sent to prison while he appeals his corruption conviction. He leads in opinion polls ahead of October's presidential vote.

On Easter Friday, Christian worshippers in Brazil will carry a plastic effigy of the crucified Christ and hum not hymns, but their favorite songs by a pop superstar Roberto "The King" Carlos.

A fire at a police station in Venezuela has killed at least 68 people, according to officials there. Anguished family members are waiting to hear the news about their loved one.

The U.N. has called for an investigation into the assassination of black activist Marielle Franco. Her death in Rio de Janeiro two weeks ago prompted huge demonstrations demanding an end to the bloodshed.