Inside the Americas

In Mexico, three weeks after an earthquake left almost 400 people dead, the country is learning painful lessons. During the quake, several buildings that didn't meet seismic codes or basic safety standards collapsed. At least four had illegally placed billboards on top. The revelation has put corruption in the urban planning sector in the spotlight once again. Also, as the list of women claiming movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them grows, it has emerged that at least eight women have previously reached settlements over his alleged misconduct. The revelations highlight once again the discrimination women often face in the movie industry.

And the Canadian governement says it's going to spend 800 million dollars to compensate the country's "stolen children". Between 1964 and 1985, thousands of Aboriginal children were removed from their families and placed in foster care or even adopted overseas.

As the United States reels from the deadliest mass shooting in recent history, the massacre in Las Vegas has renewed debate on gun laws. Democrats are pushing for expanded background checks, but the White House says it's premature to talk gun control. In a country where the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution, the latest debate seems unlikely to bring any real change. Also, Donald Trump has been to the US island of Puerto Rico, two weeks after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria. We take a look at how local people reacted to his visit.

Plus, as the 50th anniversary commemorations of the death of Che Guevara get underway, we look at how the controversial figure is remembered today.

In America, football players are idols for millions. It's unusual for them to take part in political protests, however. But all that changed when Donald Trump singled out players who refused to stand for the national anthem. The controversy went up a notch this week when Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and a known Trump supporter, knelt alongside his team ahead of the national anthem as a sign of solidarity with the rest of the NFL. Meanwhile, the latest attempt to overturn Obamacare failed this week after three Senate Republicans said they could not support it. That made what should have been a shoe-in for the Republican-controlled chamber a failure. That's infuriated the party's conservative flank and could lead to some major fallout in the US congressional elections next year.

And after English, French and Arabic, France 24 has launched its latest channel in Spanish! The editorial staff is based in the Colombian capital and the new channel's team comprises 35 journalists, 10 correspondents and a palette of nationalities.

Mexico was rocked by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake earlier this week – on the day 32 years after another earthquake killed almost 10,000 people there. The latest quake hit just two hours after nationwide earthquake drills had been held to mark the 1985 tremble. The tremors caused several buildings to collapse in Mexico City, including a school under which 20 children were crushed to death. We also go to Havana, Cuba, where 21 US embassy staff have come down with some strange health issues, with symptoms ranging from permanent hearing loss to concussion. The health scare has pushed the White House to rethink its recently reopened embassy in Havana.

And in the US, President Donald Trump continues to be the butt of jokes when it comes to Hollywood award ceremonies. It happened again this week during the annual Emmys. Everyone from host Stephen Colbert to Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Alec Baldwin got in a few jabs. But they were all surpassed by the surprise guest of the evening: Former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer.

As Hurricane Irma approached the coast of Florida, the skies above were filled with planes and passengers rushing to escape the storm. Yet one of those flights was actually heading straight into the eye of the storm. On board, US army pilots were collecting precious data. They are called "hurricane hunters". The focus on Hurricane Irma overshadowed a much deadlier disaster in Mexico this week. That country was hit with a massive earthquake, which killed nearly 100 people and flattened thousands of buildings in a matter of seconds.

We also head to the heart of the Amazonian rainforest. There you'll find gigantic geometric symbols dug into the earth similar to crop circles, but hundreds of years old. So far they've baffled archaeologists as to how and why they first came to be.

Amid increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula, the question being raised is the following: Exactly how far is North Korea prepared to go? Pyongyang carried out its sixth and biggest nuclear test last weekend, a move which led the United States to accuse the rogue state of "begging for war". We take a closer look at a conflict which dates back to the Korean War in the 1950s. But first, President Trump's administration has announced the scrapping of a programme giving work permits and the chance to study to people brought to the US illegally as children. Our reporters followed one so-called "Dreamer" who arrived in Florida aged just 10 years old. Like many others, his future is now far from certain.

And staying in the US, the country's fourth-largest city Houston is trying to come to terms with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey. Dozens died in the recent floods, sparked by the storm which destroyed thousands of homes and much of the city's infrastructure. But while inhabitants assess the extent of the damage, for some, Harvey will bring big gains.

In Brazil, a sleepy southern town is home to a fertility phenomenon: it holds the curious record for having the most twins in the world, ten times the global average. Theories abound as to why. Is it down to a genetic mutation reinforced over years of relative isolation? Or could something more sinister be afoot? Haxie Meyers-Belkin takes a look. Also on the show: since Hurricane Harvey first hit, a series of sensational images have gone viral. Catherine Bennett from our Observers desk helps us to separate the real from the fake. You can find out more in this article from the FRANCE 24 Observers team.

And a new political crisis hits Guatemala, as the president's attempt to kick a UN official out of the country sparks protests.

Since the beginning of the summer, an average of 500 Haitians have tried to cross the US-Canadian border every day. Once in Canada, they hope to be eligible for asylum. The exodus from the US comes after President Donald Trump announced plans to end a program that granted them temporary stay in the US following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Our correspondents François Rihouay and Philip Crowther report. Also on the show: One year since Rio de Janeiro hosted the Olympic Games, we discover a city that is desperate to find a solution to the bloody turf wars overwhelming its favelas.

And finally we report on a victory for pro-choice campaigners in Chili: The country has voted to overturn a complete ban on abortion, meaning there is now a small number of circumstances in which a Chilean women can be granted an abortion.

This week, we take some time to appreciate the beauty, history, and possibilities of the American Wild West! It's one of the USA's most romanticised tourist destinations, but its demographic make-up has changed drastically in recent decades. Once at the heart of Western ranch life, we'll first see how cow-boys are rapidly disappearing. But some do still manage to make ends meets, while others are turning their backs on livestock instead, selling the cowboy dream to the highest bidder. We also head to California, where the towering Sequoia trees are increasingly falling victim to the perils of climate change. But the huge amounts of carbon dioxide they consume could make them a key weapon in the fight against global warming.

And we take a look at the colours, canyons and crevisses that make the Grand Canyon such an enduring tourist destination.

In Venezuela, as the economic and political crisis worsens, a growing number of women is heading to neighbouring Colombia to give birth. They try to flee the shortage of medecine and food back home, as well as violence. This as giving birth in Venezuela has become a matter of life and death. Under-equipped hospitals make the risk of dying whilst giving birth greater. But first, we take a look at the White House staff's turnover rate. Donald Trump has been shaking up his administration with a series of high-profile staff changes.

And there is a lot of excitement in the US in the lead up to August 21st's solar eclipse. The sun will be completely blocked out for two minutes over a 110 kilometer-wide area, with millions of people expected to look up at the sky.