Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Men freed from El Salvador mega-prison endured ‘state-sanctioned torture’, lawyers say
Venezuelans that the Trump administration expelled to El Salvador’s most notorious megaprison endured “state-sanctioned torture”, lawyers for some of the men have said, as more stories emerge about the horrors they faced during capacity. When José...

Smart Infrastructure: El Salvador Is Building a New Future.
From Stalled Projects to National Symbols El Salvador is undergoing a visible transformation through a wave of smart, large-scale infrastructure projects. With strategic public investment and international partnerships, the country is modernizing...

Gay makeup artist deported from US describes sexual and physical abuse in El Salvador prison
Content warning: mentions of sexual and physical abuse and torture. A gay makeup artist who spent 125 days in a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador has spoken about the alleged sexual and physical abuse he experienced while detained. Andry...

'We lived through hell,' say Venezuelans released from mega-prison in El Salvador
Gustavo OcandoReporting for BBC Mundo from Maracaibo, Venezuela ShareSave Mervin Yamarte says his tattoos led to him being mistaken in the US for a gang member and deported to El Salvador "We lived through hell," says 29-year-old Mervin Yamarte as...

Book Review | Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan
Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan. By Frank Sobchak. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2024. ISBN: 978168247133. Maps. Photographs. Glossary. Notes. Sources cited. Index. Pp. 1-352....

El Salvador's new wave of political exiles say history is repeating itself
The fiercest voices of dissent against President Nayib Bukele have long feared a widespread crackdown. They weathered police raids on their homes, watched their friends being thrown into jail and jumped between safe houses so they can stay in El...

World-Class Boxing Event to Be Hosted in El Salvador.
El Salvador continues to position itself as a global destination for major sporting events. Mauricio Sulaimán, @wbcmoro President of the World Boxing Council (WBC), officially announced the staging of a world-class boxing card to take place in the...

How El Salvador Became One of the Safest Countries in the Western Hemisphere.
170 Days Without Homicides in 2025: A Milestone in Western Hemisphere Public Safety According to El Salvador’s Ministry of Security, the country has reached 170 days without a single homicide in 2025, as of July. This achievement marks a historic...

‘Hell on earth.’ A Venezuelan deportee describes abuse in El Salvador prison
CARACAS, Venezeula — When Jerce Reyes Barrios and other Venezuelan deportees entered a maximum security prison in El Salvador this spring, he said guards greeted them with taunts. “Welcome to El Salvador, you sons of bitches,” Reyes Barrios said...

Man deported by Donald Trump to 'worst prison on Earth' in El Salvador speaks out about experience inside
A man who was deported to the 'worst prison on Earth' has recalled the horrifying conditions of the maximum security prison in El Salvador. In an attempt to crack down on gang violence, the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) officially...

Makeup artist Andry Hernández Romero describes horrific sexual & physical abuse at CECOT in El Salvador
After 125 days in silence, detained inside an El Salvador concrete fortress built to disappear people, gay makeup artist Andry Hernández Romero is finally home in Venezuela, alleging he was tortured, sexually abused, and denied food while detained...

Andry Hernández Romero, gay asylum seeker, released from notorious prison in El Salvador
Andry Hernandez Romero, who was held for months in an El Salvador prison after the US alleged he was a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, talks with friends at his home following his release, in Tachira, Venezuela July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos...

10 new albums that'll tell you more than watching the news
Do you think there’s no good protest music these days? So did I, until I started looking for it. Every month, I listen to it all, then select the best that relates to that month’s political news. Here’s the round-up for July 2025. 1. PUBLIC ENEMY...

The Quickest Route to a Plum Judicial Appointment
Emil Bove has had a busy six months at the Department of Justice. Appointed to a leadership role by President Donald Trump almost immediately after the inauguration, Bove quickly set about establishing himself as a feared enforcer of presidential...

Venezuelans deported by Trump to El Salvador describe ‘horror movie’ mega-prison
Venezuelan men who were deported by the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process are speaking out about treatment they described as “hell” and like a “horror movie”, after arriving back home. A total of 252 Venezuelan nationals...

Migrant deported to notorious El Salvador prison demands $1.3M from Trump administration after savage beatings, vile conditions and 24-hour confinement
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Gay makeup artist Andry Hernández Romero describes horrific sexual & physical abuse at CECOT in El Salvador
After 125 days in silence, detained inside an El Salvador concrete fortress built to disappear people, Andry Hernández Romero is finally home in Venezuela, alleging he was tortured, sexually abused, and denied food while detained under a Trump...

Venezuelan Rappers Escape El Salvador’s Hell and Turn Their Trauma into Music
Handcuffed, heads shaved, and chained at the waist, Ángel Blanco and Joen Suárez were thrown into one of Latin America’s most feared prisons. Four months later, they’re free—and rapping their way out of the silence. From a Microphone in Queens to...

Tsunami warnings across Pacific as first waves hit Hawaii after earthquake off Russia | First Thing
Good morning. One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded triggered a series of tsunami warnings and evacuation orders stretching across Japan, the US west coast and much of the Pacific, after the shallow quake hit off eastern Russia, with...

Gay makeup artist tearfully reunited with family after release from notorious El Salvador prison
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A gay makeup artist who was deported to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador under a wartime law by the Trump administration has been reunited with his family in Venezuela. Andry Jose Hernandez Romero had tears as he was...