ENVIRONMENT Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro Yesterday 10:58 A heat wave stifling Brazil set new records on Sunday, with Rio de Janeiro's heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius, the highest in a decade.
Venezuela Elections 2024 'Stronger than ever,' Venezuelan opposition candidate refuses to yield 14-03-2024 15:05 María Corina Machado continues to campaign, despite significant challenges, to rally support for her presidential bid, emphasising resilience and determination against the regime's obstacles.
HUMAN RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA Buried clothes, bones and DNA help identify Colombia's missing 14-03-2024 12:42 Across Colombia, efforts have intensified to find, exhume, and identify those who have gone missing during the country's six decades of armed conflict.
BILATERAL ROW Venezuela closes airspace to Argentina as reprisal for plane seizure 12-03-2024 18:56 Venezuela announces it has closed its airspace to any aircraft coming from or going to Argentina as a reprisal for last month's handover of a seized cargo plane to US authorities.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW What we learned this week: March 1 to March 8 08-03-2024 13:40 A selection of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
MERCOSUR TENSIONS Mercosur tensions: Uruguay rage overshadows hope for EU deal 08-03-2024 11:43 Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou slams Argentina, Brazil governments for blocking his free-trade deal with China; Lula and Spanish PM Sánchez optimistic about long-trailed EU despite impasse.
#8M: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY Cecilia Palmeiro: ‘Feminism is a space of resistance and social transformation’ 08-03-2024 06:10 Professor, activist and founding member of Ni Una Menos movement reflects on challenges facing women in Argentina and her hopes for the future.
PROTESTS IN COLOMBIA ‘Out, Petro!’ Thousands march against Colombian president 08-03-2024 00:04 President Gustavo Petro's social reform initiatives and ongoing violence in Colombia spark demonstrations as discontent grows.
YPF nationalisation case Brazil backs Argentina in fight over US$16-billion US YPF judgment 05-03-2024 14:02 Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay file "friends of the court" brief to assist Argentina’s appeal against a US$16.1-billion US court judgement over the controversial 2012 nationalisation of oil company YPF SA.
FEATURE INTERVIEW Ian Bremmer: ‘No matter who wins, many Americans will not accept the legitimacy of the election’ 02-03-2024 06:53 Influential political analyst and founder of the Eurasia Group traces a panorama of the elections which will be dogged by the spectre of the assault on Capitol Hill and the possible conviction of Donald Trump. In a feature-length interview, he debates the new world order – and offers a few remarks on Javier Milei. by Cecilia Degl'Innocenti
Bloomberg US Treasury Secretary Yellen praises Chile’s policies in visit to lithium-rich ally 01-03-2024 16:42 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday lavished praise on Chile during a visit focused on critical minerals.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil economy grew 2.9% in 2023, says official data 01-03-2024 16:08 Brazil's economy expanded 2.9% in 2023 after a fourth quarter of zero growth, according to data released Friday by the IBGE national statistics agency.
WAR ON DRUGS Petro: US anti-drug policies caused Latin American 'genocide' 01-03-2024 15:47 "We have lived through a genocide of a million Latin Americans in the last half-century," declares Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who points the finger at the United States.
ESPIONAGE Mondino: 'Cuban and Venezuelan moles' are trying to destabilise government 01-03-2024 15:11 Without presenting evidence, Argentina's foreign minister claims there are "specialist and highty skilled" Cuban and Venezuelan moles active in the country that are trying to destabilise President Javier Milei's government.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW What we learned this week: February 22 to 29 01-03-2024 12:34 A selection of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
Business Billionaire Claure forges new empire after WeWork collapse 01-03-2024 07:22 Marcelo Claure is shaping his own investment empire after the pandemic dealt the final blow to the company WeWork, as the company kept losing billions
GEOPOLITICS & DIPLOMACY Brazil urges 'new globalisation' at G20 meet overshadowed by Ukraine 29-02-2024 11:20 Brazil called for a "new globalisation" to address poverty and climate change as finance ministers from the world's top economies met Wednesday, but the Ukraine and Gaza wars risked overshadowing the plea.
Climate Change Indigenous Colombians fret as sacred mountain glaciers melt 28-02-2024 11:50 The inhabitants of the Sierra Nevada range in north Colombia share fears about changing climate as record heat waves melt glacial peaks and ruin crops.
Extortion in Peru Pay up, or else: Latin America cowed by lucrative extortion 26-02-2024 13:50 Extortion, a business more lucrative than drug trafficking thanks to its high profits, has become the bane of citizens' existence from Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Brazil and Wall Street Lula pulls off rare trick twice, wooing Wall Street and the poor 26-02-2024 11:09 In his first year back in power, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has again managed to keep both low-income voters and Wall Street investors happy
FOCUS ON VENEZUELA Venezuela calls in oil debt it once traded away for literal beans 26-02-2024 10:56 Impoverished and desperate for cash, Venezuela is trying to collect old debts from the Petrocaribe oil exchange programme.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW Stories that caught our eye: February 16 to 23 23-02-2024 11:33 A selection of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
EU trade agreement EU study admits that trade agreements would boost competition 22-02-2024 16:33 A study by the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, has admitted that trade agreements recently entered into or still being negotiated would result in “greater competition” for certain agricultural sectors.
G20 SUMMIT Brazil condemns 'paralysis' on Gaza, Ukraine at tense G20 meeting 22-02-2024 14:40 Outlook bleak for progress on the thorny agenda of conflicts and crises gripping the planet as foreign ministers from the world's biggest economies gather in Rio de Janeiro for the Group of 20's first high-level meeting of the year.
G20 Summit Gaza, Ukraine loom large as G20 foreign ministers meet 21-02-2024 11:37 G20 foreign ministers begin meeting in Brazil on Wednesday, with bleak outlook as focus remains Gaza and Ukraine wars
HUMAN RIGHTS Paraguay policeman gets 30-year sentence for dictatorship torture 20-02-2024 16:02 A Paraguayan court has sentenced an 87-year-old former policeman to 30 years in jail for brutal torture carried out during the country's military dictatorship.
Death of Pablo Neruda Chile to reopen probe into mystery death of poet Pablo Neruda 20-02-2024 15:32 An appeals court in Santiago ordered the reopening of the investigation into the death of Neruda, who many believe was poisoned by the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
G20 SUMMIT Government sends top officials to G20 in Brazil to appease Lula 20-02-2024 14:37 The context behind a trip to a forum with a different approach from the one sought by President Javier Milei.
Blinken in Brazil Blinken heads to Brazil after Lula's Israel denunciation 20-02-2024 13:33 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken goes to Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro for the Group of 20 summit; trip seen as an opportunity to build ties with two key leaders
EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL Argentina criticises EU as Mercosur trade talks bog down again 20-02-2024 09:29 President Javier Milei’s top diplomat, Diana Mondino, offers grim assessment of Mercosur-European Union free-trade deal, revealing that treaty may be broken up into parts.
DIPLOMACY Brazil-Israel row escalates as Lula declared 'persona non grata' 19-02-2024 21:14 Brazil recalls its ambassador from Israel, which declares Lula "persona non grata" after controversial remarks.
CRIME & INSECURITY Milei considers deploying Armed Forces against organised crime 19-02-2024 16:59 While President Javier Milei and Defence minister Luis Petri assess modifying legislation governing role of the Armed Forces on Argentina territory, in Brazil and Paraguay armies are joining forces in the battle against organised crime.
Agriculture Natural pesticides gain ground in 'agri-tox' capital Brazil 19-02-2024 14:14 Agricultural powerhouse Brazil may be the world leader in chemical pesticide use, but there is a growing trend of farmers turning to natural products known as "biopesticides."
MARKETS Latin America’s quasi-sovereign companies attract bond investors 19-02-2024 14:09 State-owned companies across Latin America face falling output, cash woes and expensive investment plans. Yet bondholders can’t get enough.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil’s economic activity caps 2023 with better-than expected growth 19-02-2024 14:05 Brazil’s economy grew more than expected in December, indicating activity is still showing some resilience to high interest rates as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva readies higher government spending.
ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT Five Argentine tourists killed in Mexico road crash 19-02-2024 11:37 Five Argentine tourists and a Mexican citizen died in the tourist state of Quintana Roo in southeastern Mexico Sunday in a road-traffic accident.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW Stories that caught our eye: February 9 to 16 16-02-2024 14:37 A selection of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
Foreign relations & diplomacy Blinken to make first trips to Brazil, Argentina as Lula leads G20 16-02-2024 13:03 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to make first official visits to Brazil and Argentina while in region for G20 meeting of foreign ministers.
Detained Plane Row Maduro slams Milei after US seizes Venezuelan plane 16-02-2024 10:39 Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro slams Javier Milei, branding him a "bandit" who allowed the United States to seize an Emtrasur plane.
HUMAN RIGHTS Venezuela suspends UN rights office, expels staff 15-02-2024 16:27 Two days after the United Nations agency expressed "deep concern" over the detention of a prominent rights activist, Venezuela's Foreign Minister ordered staff at the rights office to leave within 72 hours.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Biden’s top Latin America adviser Juan Gonzalez to step down 14-02-2024 21:29 Juan Gonzalez, special assistant to US President Joe Biden and the National Security Council’s senior director for the Western Hemisphere, will depart his post in mid-March.
FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY Paraguay’s Peña advises president to look for ‘political consensus’ 14-02-2024 17:10 Paraguayan head of state visits Argentina’s leader at the Casa Rosada for talks; Peña advises Milei it will be “difficult” to govern without political support.
CRIME & SECURITY Peruvian woman accused of cutting off sleeping partner's penis 14-02-2024 12:47 Peruvian authorities said Tuesday they were investigating a woman accused of cutting off her partner's penis with a kitchen knife as he slept.
Detained Activist US 'concerned' as detained Venezuela activist accused of treason 14-02-2024 12:37 The US warns Venezuelan government about silencing opposition parties after a human rights activist was detained for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
Archaeology Roads, farming threaten Ecuador 'lost city' complex 14-02-2024 06:37 The remains of a massive 2,500-year-old network of Ecuadorean cities are being threatened by road and farm encroachment just as its long-held secrets are being revealed.
DETAINED PLANE ROW After 20 months at Ezeiza, US seizes Venezuela’s ‘Iranian’ plane 13-02-2024 17:42 Maduro government condemns “brazen theft” of Emtrasur aircraft that was detained at Argentina’s Ezeiza airport for close to two years; United States finally seizes plane, which Washington says was part of an irregular transfer with Iran.
FOOTBALL Buenos Aires to host Copa Libertadores 2024 final 13-02-2024 15:13 AFA confirms that final of Copa Libertadores 2024 will be played in Buenos Aires, though association doesn't confirm which stadium will host event.
Columbia Colombian armed groups forcibly recruited nearly 190 kids in 2023: report 13-02-2024 13:20 Nearly 190 children as young as nine were forcibly recruited by armed groups in Colombia last year, the country's rights ombudsman said Monday.
Environment Polluted paradise: Chile town waits for clean-up as coal shuts off 12-02-2024 13:28 Coal-fired plants and factories bellow noxious fumes into the air in a small town, but Chile has embarked on a whirlwind energy transition
FOOTBALL Argentina U23s knock Brazil out of Paris Olympics qualifying 11-02-2024 23:52 Argentina's U23 side defeat arch continental rivals Brazil on final day of the South American pre-Olympic tournament in Venezuela.
INFLATION WOES Latin America’s inflation progress tempered by soaring food price pressures 08-02-2024 14:28 Consumer price readings underscore challenges facing Latin American policymakers as they calibrate future interest rate cuts. Most of the region’s major inflation-targeting central banks have already begun reducing borrowing costs
BRAZILIAN COURTS Bolsonaro to surrender passport as Brazil probes 'coup' 08-02-2024 12:33 Probe into Bolsonaro supporters' invasion of the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in January 2023 continues.
OBITUARY Piñera: the ‘locomotora’ that return the right to power in Chile 08-02-2024 01:02 Former president and businessman, who led Chile for two terms (2010-2014, 2018-2022), was nation’s first right-wing leader of post-Pinochet democratic era.
CHILE Details of Sebastián Piñera’s death emerge ahead of state funeral 08-02-2024 00:48 Three days of mourning and state funeral for conservative billionaire, who died Tuesday in a tragic helicopter crash; Funeral set for Friday.
DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT Chile mourns Sebastián Piñera as remains flown to lie in state 07-02-2024 13:24 Three days of mourning and ceremonies got underway Wednesday for Chile's ex-president Sebastián Piñera, who died a day earlier in a helicopter crash; Funeral set for Friday.
Human rights Rio carnival group pays tribute to wronged hero of black history 07-02-2024 11:25 Paraíso do Tuiuti's carnival song is a tribute to João Candido, a sailor in the Brazilian navy who led a revolt against slave-like conditions on ships.
HELICOPTER TRAGEDY Shock in Chile as ex-president Pinera dies in helicopter crash 06-02-2024 20:27 The crash took place in Lago Ranco, a lake district some 920 kilometres south of Santiago, where Piñera often spent vacations with his children and grandchildren.
CRIME & SECURITY Patricia Bullrich: ‘We’d like to adapt the Bukele model' to Argentina 06-02-2024 17:14 President Javier Milei's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich reacts warmly to El Salvador president's declaration that he would be keen to “cooperate” with Argentina on crime and security.
ENVIRONMENT Chile wildfire death toll rises to 131 06-02-2024 16:46 Death toll from weekend inferno that razed hilltop neighbourhoods in coastal region of Chile rises to 131.
Breaking News Former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera dies in a helicopter accident 06-02-2024 16:22 Former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera dies in a helicopter crash in south of country.
EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL Germany's Scholz stresses importance of EU-Mercosur agreement 05-02-2024 20:16 Germany is one of the most fervent supporters of an agreement between the European Union and Mercosur nations. France, however, is starkly opposed.
ENVIRONMENT Death toll reaches 110 as wildfires scorch central Chile 05-02-2024 11:50 Forest fires in Chile continue to rage, destroying neighborhoods and inciting a death toll that reached at least 112 as of Sunday.
El Salvador Elections Next hurdle for El Salvador's Bukele: the economy 05-02-2024 11:35 With high public debt, nearly a third of the population living in poverty and fast-rising consumer prices, Salvadorans are increasingly starting to think of what comes next.
El Salvador Elections El Salvador's Bukele claims 'record' re-election victory 05-02-2024 11:30 Fireworks erupted in El Salvador's capital Sunday as President Nayib Bukele claimed to have won more than 85 percent of the presidential vote.
El Salvador Elections El Salvador goes to polls with gang-busting Bukele miles ahead 02-02-2024 12:32 El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is all but guaranteed a resounding victory in elections Sunday, with his no-holds-barred war on gangs having earned him approval ratings hovering around 90 percent
THE WEEK IN REVIEW Stories that caught our eye: January 27 to February 2 02-02-2024 12:31 A selection of stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
DECADE ON FROM DEATH Chávez legacy looms large, and divides Venezuela, 25 years on 02-02-2024 12:21 Charismatic revolutionary Hugo Chávez, who became the symbolic leader of the left in Latin America, died in 2013, but his 'Chavismo' political movement lives on.
TRAVEL & TOURISM Latin American travel firm Despegar eyes takeovers, robust growth 31-01-2024 19:59 Argentine travel booking firm Despegar.com plans to boost revenue and scout for takeover targets across Latin America.
EU-Mercosur Deal France: EU-Mercosur trade deal 'won't be signed as is' 31-01-2024 14:39 Protesting European farmers fear the deal would further depress produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.
IN FOCUS How El Salvador's Bukele became Latin America's most popular leader 31-01-2024 10:43 Despite accusations of human rights abuses and constitutional overstepping, Nayib Bukele's crackdown on drug gangs has won him approval ratings around 90%, according to numerous polls.