Ecuador Grants Asylum to Assange, Defying Britain

By WILLIAM NEUMAN and MAGGY AYALA

Sang Tan/Associated Press

British police officers arrest a protester in support of Julian Assange in front of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Britain has made it clear that it will not allow Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, to go to Ecuador, so he is likely to stay in the country’s London embassy.

Times Topic: Julian Assange

Years After Haiti Quake, Safe Housing Is a Dream for Many

By DEBORAH SONTAG

Two and a half years after the earthquake, the pressing need for safe, stable housing for all displaced people in Haiti remains unmet, despite billions of dollars in reconstruction aid.

Success Reported in Safeguarding a Butterfly Habitat

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Illegal logging has largely stopped in the western Mexican wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly, and officials hope to apply similar methods to other forestry conflicts.

Brazil: Transportation Plan Announced

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Dilma Rousseff announced a nearly $66 billion investment package on Wednesday to beef up the nation’s ailing road and rail systems.

Mexico: Confessions Are Reported in the Killing of 5 Journalists

By KARLA ZABLUDOVSKY

The Mexican authorities announced Wednesday that captured members of a criminal cell had confessed to the killing of five journalists in the state of Veracruz this year.

Ecuador to Let Assange Stay in Its Embassy

By WILLIAM NEUMAN and MAGGY AYALA

The government of Ecuador is letting Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, to remain indefinitely in its embassy in London as he seeks asylum.

Ecuador: President Denies Decision to Grant WikiLeaks Founder Asylum

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, denied on Tuesday a report on the Web site of The Guardian that he had decided to grant asylum to the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.

Mexico: Criminal Leader Found Dead

By KARLA ZABLUDOVSKY

The leader of a criminal syndicate operating in the volatile region of Chéran, in the state of Michoacán, was found slain on Tuesday, according to the state attorney’s office.

Cancún Journal

Trying to Protect a Reef With an Otherworldly Diversion

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

Nearly 500 statues in an underwater museum in Cancún, Mexico, serve as part of a conservation effort of the Mesoamerican Reef, the second-largest barrier reef system in the world.

Mexico: Suspect Linked to Veracruz Killings, Officials Say

By KARLA ZABLUDOVSKY

The Mexican Navy announced Monday that a suspected member of a drug gang was captured while carrying the identification cards of a recently slain newspaper employee in the state of Veracruz.

Recent Features on the Americas

South America Sees Drug Path to Legalization

By DAMIEN CAVE

Matilde Campodonico for The New York Times

Marijuana growing in a closet in Uruguay. Personal use has been decriminalized, but drug-related violence is an issue.

Leaders are considering more permissive policies, such as the legalization and regulation of drug use and even drug transport, as a way to fight the spread of drug-related violence.

Women and children around a fire used to help guard the streets of Cherán, Mexico, against armed loggers.

Reclaiming the Forests and the Right to Feel Safe

By KARLA ZABLUDOVSKY

The people of Cherán, Mexico, who say they have long been terrorized by an armed group of illegal loggers, rose up and took the law into their own hands.

Slide Show

The Saturday Profile

“When you can look at a mother and you can say, ‘O.K., we have found your son’s body,’ ” Dr. Lorente said, “that, for me, is huge.”

Putting Genetics to Work to Find Missing Children

By SUZANNE DALEY

Dr. José A. Lorente, an expert in forensic genetics, knew there had to be a way to reunite lost or stolen children with their families. So he began pushing for DNA databanks.

The Rev. Luis Gaspar says the land, buildings and financial resources of Pontifical Catholic University in Lima are the property of the Catholic Church and should be used for educational purposes in line with church doctrine.

Catholic Church and University in Peru Fight Over Name

By WILLIAM NEUMAN and ANDREA ZARATE

The Pontifical Catholic University has refused to change its name or to enact other changes that would give the church more control over its operations.

Mexico City Journal

A giant billboard made of confiscated firearms was erected in February in Ciudad Juárez near the border with the United States.

At a Nation’s Only Gun Shop, Looking North in Disbelief

By DAMIEN CAVE

When it comes to controlling firearms, Mexico and the United States are feuding neighbors, each with its own vastly different approach.

Mexico City Journal

Víctor Hugo Vásquez with jugs of water outside a small purification plant in Iztapalapa.

Bottled-Water Habit Keeps Tight Grip on Mexicans

By ELISABETH MALKIN

Despite efforts to improve the quality of tap water, Mexico is the world’s largest per capita consumer of bottled water, using it even for bathing babies.

Rise in Pill Abuse Forces New Look at U.S. Drug Fight

By DAMIEN CAVE and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

The shift toward painkillers is forcing policy makers to re-examine the expensive strategy of trying to stop illegal drugs from entering the United States.

Andres Guardado, left, Guillermo Ochoa, center, and Pablo Barrera practice in Mexico City Aug. 13.

In Mexico-U.S. Rivalry, the Edge Heads South

By JACK BELL

There was a recent perception that the United States had pulled even, if not ahead, in soccer. Coming off its Olympic gold and recent wins in the rivalry, Mexico has changed that.

A woman embraced a soldier as he gave her a ceremonial key and a contract to live in a furnished three-bedroom apartment built by the government.

Extreme Home Makeover: Chávez Edition

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

On a live national broadcast each week, President Hugo Chávez, who is running for re-election, presents new dwellings to down-on-their-luck Venezuelans.

A billboard near Caracol, Haiti, promises: “Opportunities lie ahead. Get ready to catch them.”

Earthquake Relief Where Haiti Wasn’t Broken

By DEBORAH SONTAG

As rebuilding lags, the showcase project of reconstruction is an industrial park in an undamaged area, a venture that risks benefiting foreign companies more than Haiti itself.

Slide Show | Video

The Saturday Profile

A Priest Stands Up for the Migrants Who Run Mexico’s Gantlet

By ELISABETH MALKIN

The Rev. Alejandro Solalinde has raised Mexicans’ awareness of the plight of Central and South American migrants who face extortion, rape, kidnapping and murder en route to the United States.

Enrique Peña Nieto greeted supporters on Sunday night.

Newly Elected Mexican Leader Pledges Transparency

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto began the transition to power on Monday, declaring that he would begin to name members of his cabinet, and pledging to defeat organized crime and improve the economy.

Videos: TimesCast | A Conversation with Peña Nieto (June 2011)

Pocketbook Issues Weigh Heavily as Mexicans Vote

By DAMIEN CAVE

With voters focused on the economy, Sunday’s presidential election in Mexico could offer rehabilitation to the Institutional Revolutionary Party, once dismissed as corrupt and authoritarian.

Slide Show: With Prosperity Elusive, Mexican Voters Focus on the Economy

Laborers at the Jirau site praying before their shift. Discord over wages and living conditions has caused delays and cost overruns.

Amid Brazil’s Rush to Develop, Workers Resist

By SIMON ROMERO

Brazil is a leader among South American nations rushing to build hydroelectric dams in the Amazon, but workers demanding better pay are disrupting the projects.

Video | Slide Show

On Location

During the yearlong renovation, about a third of the main house was gutted. A second story was added, as well as a 27-foot-long lap pool.

In Mexico, a Dateline Beckons

By RIMA SUQI

After spending a week on assignment in Mérida, the capital of Yucatán, two travel writers return to live there.

Series

Immigration Upended

Articles in this series explore the changing dynamics of migration in Mexico, Latin America and the United States.

Multimedia

Lens Blog

For an Exiled Cuban Photographer, Freedom Was in Color

By DAVID GONZALEZ

Omar Rodríguez Saludes called himself "a blind photographer," since he never saw prints of his work. His photos, which showed another side of Cuba, led to a prison sentence and his exile.