Colombia’s new president and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean

Colombia's President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella arrives with his family for his inauguration in Cali, Colombia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella arrives with his family for his inauguration in Cali, Colombia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

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Aug. 7 - 13, 2026

A conservative former criminal defense lawyer with no previous political experience was sworn in as president in Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali, less than 72 hours before a 7.4 earthquake toppled buildings there and across the country’s far-flung provinces.

The former president and brother of Fidel Castro, 95-year-old Raúl Castro, made an unusual public appearance during a tribute at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, commemorating his brother’s 100th birth date.

Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Noemi Marrero, left, who lost her children Mathias and Wilker, stands with her sister close to the urns with their ashes and other relatives members during a prayer for relatives of the victims of the June 24 earthquakes, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Noemi Marrero, left, who lost her children Mathias and Wilker, stands with her sister close to the urns with their ashes and other relatives members during a prayer for relatives of the victims of the June 24 earthquakes, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A worker paints to remove protest graffiti on a wall of the U.S. Embassy in Brasília, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A worker paints to remove protest graffiti on a wall of the U.S. Embassy in Brasília, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Cuban leader Raul Castro speaks during a gala commemorating the 100th anniversary of his brother Fidel Castro’s birth at the Karl Marx theater in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cuban leader Raul Castro speaks during a gala commemorating the 100th anniversary of his brother Fidel Castro’s birth at the Karl Marx theater in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

An lone elephant seal lies on Pocitos Beach in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

An lone elephant seal lies on Pocitos Beach in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Judith Naidorf, a researcher with Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council, poses for a photo while waiting to ride the subway to a protest demanding increased funding for science in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Judith Naidorf, a researcher with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council, poses for a photo while waiting to ride the subway to a protest demanding increased funding for science in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Military personnel train to board boats during a U.S.-sponsored multinational military exercise in Panama City, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Military personnel train to board boats during a U.S.-sponsored multinational military exercise in Panama City, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A girl rests at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A girl rests at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Deforestation from illegal mining is visible in the Tambopata National Reserve in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Deforestation from illegal mining is visible in the Tambopata National Reserve in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

An Indigenous youth holds a candle during a protest calling for the protection of Indigenous land rights and demarcations outside the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

An Indigenous youth holds a candle during a protest calling for the protection of Indigenous land rights and demarcations outside the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

One of the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Brazil’s capital was vandalized as tensions between the countries remained high. The messages against the U.S. government sprayed on the wall of its Brasilia embassy come as President Donald Trump places high tariffs on some Brazilian goods and revokes the Brazilian ambassador’s visa to Washington.

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This gallery was curated by photojournalist Ariana Cubillos based in Caracas.