Past Articles by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
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C-Sections Deliver Cachet For Wealthy Brazilian Women Brazil's economic boom has driven the demand for births by caesarean section. Some 80 to 90 percent of women in private hospitals deliver this way. Proponents say it allows mothers and doctors to better organize their time. Critics say the procedure drives up costs and may cause complications. |
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C-Sections Deliver Cachet For Wealthy Brazilian Women Brazil's economic boom has driven the demand for births by caesarean section. Some 80 to 90 percent of women in private hospitals deliver this way. Proponents say it allows mothers and doctors to better organize their time. Critics say the procedure drives up costs and may cause complications. |
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C-Sections Deliver Cachet For Wealthy Brazilian Women Brazil's economic boom has driven the demand for births by caesarean section. Some 80 to 90 percent of women in private hospitals deliver this way. Proponents say it allows mothers and doctors to better organize their time. Critics say the procedure drives up costs and may cause complications. |
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As Youth Crime Spikes, Brazil Struggles For Answers A high-profile gang rape in Rio de Janeiro has put an uncomfortable spotlight on the sharp rise in crime committed by minors. Poverty, drugs and lack of resources are all seen as contributors to the problem. |
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As Youth Crime Spikes, Brazil Struggles For Answers A high-profile gang rape in Rio de Janeiro has put an uncomfortable spotlight on the sharp rise in crime committed by minors. Poverty, drugs and lack of resources are all seen as contributors to the problem. |
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Brazilians Keep World Cup Hopes In Check Amid Complications The country is preparing to host the 2014 World Cup by refurbishing its stadiums for soccer's biggest event. But some of the venues are behind schedule, and the preparations are costing taxpayers more than they expected. Some now wonder if all of the fanfare is worth the effort. |
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Brazilians Keep World Cup Hopes In Check Amid Complications The country is preparing to host the 2014 World Cup by refurbishing its stadiums for soccer's biggest event. But some of the venues are behind schedule, and the preparations are costing taxpayers more than they expected. Some now wonder if all of the fanfare is worth the effort. |
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Bolivia Tries To Regain Sea Access It Lost To Chile In 1904 Bolivia, a landlocked nation since 1904, is hoping to reach the sea once again by suing Chile at the International Court of Justice for the land it lost in the War of the Pacific. |
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In Gritty Sao Paulo, Artists Take To The Streets Brazil's largest city is more about business than art. But a new crop of creators — who work in media as different as crochet, graffiti and poetry — is trying to change that by sprucing up public spaces. |
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In Gritty Sao Paulo, Artists Take To The Streets Brazil's largest city is more about business than art. But a new crop of creators — who work in media as different as crochet, graffiti and poetry — is trying to change that by sprucing up public spaces. |
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In The Wake Of Brazil's Boom, Prices To Match Over the past few years, incomes in Brazil rose and unemployment plunged to record lows. But now — as the country prepares to host the World Cup and the Olympics — the numbers are changing. Growth is slowing and inflation is creeping up. Tourists and Brazilians alike are feeling the pinch. |
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In The Wake Of Brazil's Boom, Prices To Match Over the past few years, incomes in Brazil rose and unemployment plunged to record lows. But now — as the country prepares to host the World Cup and the Olympics — the numbers are changing. Growth is slowing and inflation is creeping up. Tourists and Brazilians alike are feeling the pinch. |
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In The Wake Of Brazil's Boom, Prices To Match Over the past few years, incomes in Brazil rose and unemployment plunged to record lows. But now — as the country prepares to host the World Cup and the Olympics — the numbers are changing. Growth is slowing and inflation is creeping up. Tourists and Brazilians alike are feeling the pinch. |
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Chilean Poet Neruda's Remains To Be Exhumed In Murder Probe Famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is to be exhumed Monday to see if he was poisoned. The official version stated he died of cancer. His former driver, however, told a Mexican magazine that he believes Neruda was murdered by the Pinochet regime as the poet was an avowed leftist. |
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'We Survived Iraq': An Iraqi Makes A New Home In North Carolina Ali Hamdani worked for NPR in Iraq and narrowly survived a 2008 car bomb attack. He's among a relatively small number of Iraqis who have been allowed to resettle in the U.S., and he considers himself lucky. |
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'We Survived Iraq': An Iraqi Makes A New Home In North Carolina Ali Hamdani worked for NPR in Iraq and narrowly survived a 2008 car bomb attack. He's among a relatively small number of Iraqis who have been allowed to resettle in the U.S., and he considers himself lucky. |
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A War Correspondent Takes On Her Toughest Assignment An NPR reporter covered some of the most convulsed places in the world for more than a decade. That turned out to be easy compared with taking care of a newborn. |
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Gaza's Future Looks Bleaker Even Than Its Past The Gaza Strip will be unlivable by 2020 if nothing is done to alleviate the situation there, a recent U.N. report found. By almost every indicator, Palestinians in Gaza today are worse off than they were in the 1990s - squeezed by a high birthrate, dwindling resources and trade and travel restrictions. |
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Gaza's Future Looks Even Bleaker Than Its Past The Gaza Strip will be unlivable by 2020 if nothing is done to alleviate the situation there, a recent U.N. report found. By almost every indicator, Palestinians in Gaza today are worse off than they were in the 1990s - squeezed by a high birthrate, dwindling resources and trade and travel restrictions. |
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Tensions Run High Between Israel And U.S. Over Iran Relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama have been strained over Israel's call for a "red line" regarding Iran, beyond which military action directed at Iran's nuclear facilities would become inevitable. |
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Israel Finds Itself A Partisan Election Issue In U.S. The country has featured prominently in past campaigns, but observers say it's different this time. The shift is partially attributed to the GOP's aggressive courting of the Jewish vote and the Israeli government's perceived taking of sides, a charge it denies. |
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Sneaking A Bite During Ramadan's Long, Hot Days The daytime fast during Ramadan is never easy. It's particularly tough when the holy month falls during the hottest days of summer. This appears to be causing some Muslims to forgo the fast this year - though they would prefer that their family and friends don't know. |
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Palestinians Fear New Israeli Moves In West Bank A 1993 interim peace accord divided the West Bank into three areas. The largest, known as Area C, is under full Israeli control. Israel continues to build Jewish settlements there and has issued orders to demolish Palestinian homes. |
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Israel Wary Of Egypt's Calls To Alter Peace Treaty Israel is welcoming Egypt's military efforts to stamp out Islamist militants in the Sinai following a deadly border attack. But calls in Egypt to modify the military provisions of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty - to strengthen its security in the Sinai - has led to concern in Israel. |
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Israel Monitors Egypt's Call To Modify Treaty Israel is welcoming Egypt's military efforts to stamp out Islamist militants in the Sinai following a deadly border attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. The Jewish state has long been concerned over the situation in the Sinai where there's been an upsurge in violence. But calls in Egypt to strengthen its security in the Sinai has led to concern in Israel. |
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Sinai Attack Dashes Hopes For Closer Gaza-Egypt Ties The attack near the Rafah border crossing that left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead is having repercussions in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the militant Islamist group Hamas. Its leaders hoped Egypt's new Islamist president would help Gaza break out of its isolation. Now, those efforts have suffered a major setback. |
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Latest Target For Palestinians' Protest? Their Leader A longtime proponent of a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is feeling the heat from Palestinians frustrated with the lack of progress in Mideast talks. Opponents also say the 77-year-old leader isn't addressing dire economic problems. |
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Kadima Party Pulls Out Of Israeli Government Israel's ruling coalition collapsed Tuesday as the Kadima Party withdrew from the government in a dispute over extending the military draft to members of ultra-orthodox community. The move by Kadima is expected to lead to early elections, perhaps next January. |
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Report: Violence Against West Bank Palestinians Is Up Israeli-Palestinian violence has been at a comparatively low level in recent years. But violence by Jewish settlers against West Bank Palestinians is up sharply, according to the report by U.N. agencies and Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups. |
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GOP Courts Republicans Living In Israel Republicans are canvassing for votes in Israel. There are 150-thousand eligible voters living in the Jewish state. And unlike their U.S. based cousins, American Jews living in Israel are overwhelmingly Republican - making this fertile ground. |
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Walls Of Palestinian Homes Come Tumbling Down Israel's razing of homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem left 1,100 Palestinians homeless last year. Israelis say the homes were built without the proper permits. Palestinians say their applications are almost always rejected because Israel wants them to leave these areas. |
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Proposed Changes To Military Service Roils Israel The Israeli government may extend mandatory conscription to include the previously exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab citizens of Israel. But Arab Israelis, who say they are treated as second-class citizens, are furious about the proposed change, which many say is a loyalty test. |
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Who Should Serve? Proposed Draft Roils Arab Israelis The Israeli government may extend mandatory conscription to include previously exempt ultra-religious Jews and Palestinians of Israeli nationality. But Arab Israelis, who say they are treated as second-class citizens, are furious about the proposed change, which many say is a loyalty test. |
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Medical Marijuana Use Sprouting In Israel Since 2005, medical marijuana use in Israel has grown from a few hundred government-licensed users to more than 10,000. The demand for cannabis, prescribed to treat ailments such as cancer and chronic pain, has created a smoking new market. But the new venture is not without its critics. |
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Arab-Jewish Tensions Creep Into 'Peace Village' Arab and Jewish families have shared the Israeli village of Neve Shalom for decades, despite violence in surrounding areas. But a recent episode of vandalism has shown that not even this oasis is immune from Middle East strife. |
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Putin Visits Israel During Middle East Uncertainty Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a rare visit to Israel, with an entourage of some 300 officials and businessmen. The war in Syria and Iran's suspect nuclear program will figure prominently in Putin's talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. |
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Netanyahu Promises 300 New Homes In West Bank A bill to legalize Israeli settlements built on privately-owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank was narrowly defeated on Wednesday. The vote could have repercussions for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister opposed the bill but many of his coalition partners, including cabinet ministers, voted for it. |
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Israel Presents Itself As Haven For Gay Community Israel's government is backing a public-relations campaign styling the country as a haven for the gay community. Israel offers many legal protections to gays in a region that is typically hostile to them. But activists say the progress came in spite of - not because of - the government |
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Palestinians Tout Non-Violent Resistance Palestinian prisoners ended a mass hunger strike aimed at improving their conditions in Israel prisons after striking a deal with Israeli authorities this week. Meanwhile, Israel points to continued attempted Palestinian terror attacks against civilians as proof nothing has changed. |
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After Palestinian Prison Deal, A Push For Nonviolence Palestinian prisoners ended a mass hunger strike aimed at improving conditions in Israeli prisons after reaching a deal with Israeli authorities this week. The success has some Palestinians calling for a greater emphasis on nonviolence in their opposition to Israeli policies. |
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Palestinian Prisoners End Mass Hunger Strike At least 1,200 Palestinians in Israeli jails have agreed to end a mass hunger strike in a deal mediated by Egypt. Israeli officials have promised to ease prison conditions in exchange for the end to the fast. |
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Israel Plans September Vote That Favors Netanyahu Israel's prime minister has called for parliamentary elections more than a year ahead of Israel's next scheduled vote. Netanyahu and his Likud party are running strong in the polls, but issues such as Iran, the Israeli economy and the role of the ultra-Orthodox will factor into the campaign. |
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Israels Weighs Action On A Controversial Settlement The latest political battle brewing in Israel is over yet another illegal settlement outpost - this time one in Beit El. The Ulpana ) development is slated for demolition on May 1st, and the government is trying now, in the face of Israeli court decrees, to legalize it retroactively. Ministers in the government here are threatening to pull out of the coalition over the issue, a threat they have made over other settlements. |
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West Bank Outpost Ignites Political Battle Israel's highest court has ruled that Ulpana, a Jewish settlement outpost in the West Bank, was built on Palestinian land and should be torn down. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is now looking for a way to keep it in place. The issue could threaten the survival of Netanyahu's government. |
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Israel Sounds Alarm As Iran Engages In Nuclear Talks Last weekend's meeting on Iran's controversial nuclear program didn't produce any breakthroughs, but the envoys from six world powers and Iran suggested that the talks in Istanbul began a process that could lead to an eventual compromise. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports that Israel was not happy with the results from Istanbul. |
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'One-State' Idea Gains Support Of Some Palestinians As hopes for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians diminish, a "one-state solution" is among the ideas being discussed. In its broadest definition, it would mean absorbing the West Bank and perhaps even the Gaza Strip and all of its Palestinian population into a greater Israel. But it's an idea many Israelis view with dismay. |
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Despite Restrictions, Gaza Finds A Way To Build The Palestinian territory is in the midst of a construction boom, more than three years after a major Israeli assault that left much of the territory in ruins. Since building materials haven't been allowed in legally since 2007, items like cement have been smuggled in through tunnels from Egypt. |
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In Gaza, Calls For Change Put Hamas At A Crossroads The Islamist group, which controls the Gaza Strip, is undergoing "fundamental change," according to analysts and the statements of its senior leaders. Hamas leaders say there are divisions among the ranks as they try to grapple with where to push the movement. |
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Israel: Rocket Shield Is Deflecting Gaza Attacks The Israelis and Palestinians are once again trading fire across the borders of the Gaza Strip. But Israel says there's something different this time: The Iron Dome defense system is blocking some 90 percent of the Palestinian rockets. |
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Christians Provide Free Labor On Jewish Settlements Many evangelical Christians believe it is their duty to help Jews expand the Jewish state. They have provided money to help the settlements grow, and now they are coming to labor in the vineyards, which they see as fulfilling biblical scripture. |
