Haiti: the end of Hotel Oloffson
On 6 July, Haiti's iconic Hotel Oloffson was completely destroyed in a fire probably set by one of the gangs that control Port-au-Prince. Like many foreign correspondents, LAB'S Nick Caistor used to stay there. He explains its significance.
Mexico: murder of a photo-journalist
Alberto Amaro Jordán is a journalist from Atexcatzingo, just east of Mexico City. He founded La Prensa de Tlaxcala in 2018. He has been attacked, threatened and arrested by police officers and intimidated by members of organized crime groups. He told Amnesty International about the worsening situation for press freedom.
Alejandra Parra’s Zero Waste battle in southern Chile
Environmental defender Alejandra Parra continues to oppose a waste-to-energy incinerator in the south of Chile, despite rising danger for activists.
Lautaro has all the makings...
El Salvador’s president believes he’s at war
In El Salvador, prominent human rights defenders and journalists are being targeted, while individuals and organizations in receipt of foreign funding are being required to register and pay a 30 per cent tax on all funds received from abroad. Fear and self-censorship are on the increase.
Neighbours come together to defend urban trees in Caracas, Venezuela
The indiscriminate felling of three rubber trees in the capital of Venezuela reveals the challenges facing a city that must embrace its green areas...
The Threat to Brazil’s Supreme Court
Florida-based influencer Pablo Figueiredo, a close ally of the Bolsonaros, is helping the push for the US to sanction Alexandre de Moraes and other justices of the Brazilian Supreme Court.
Despite global repression, Indigenous-led environmental movements fight on
Under the guise of national security and economic growth, governments and corporations worldwide are escalating legal strategies to suppress Indigenous activists and organizers.
According...
Is Mexico finally ready to confront its crisis of enforced disappearances?
In April 2025, Mexico City unveiled a comprehensive 20-point strategy to address the crisis of forced disappearance. Developed in collaboration with families of the...
Mexico: murdered live on-screen
In a country with one of the highest rates of murder of journalists, content-creators and influencers are also becoming targets, especially if they criticise the bosses of organized crime.
Will COP 30 fiddle while the Amazon burns?
The new destructive and retrograde PL2159 Law being debated in Brazil's Congress, if it is approved before COP 30, will make a mockery of Brazil’s ambition to be a leader in environmental questions. By accelerating the destruction of the world’s largest and most biodiverse tropical forest, it will contribute to the climate crisis, not only in Brazil but on the planet.
