3 Mexican men jailed for over 158 years for Australian, US surfer murders
Saturday, October 17,2026,03:39
A judge has sentenced three Mexican men to more than 158 years in prison each for the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend, a case that tarnished Mexico’s image by exposing the risks foreigners face when visiting the tourism-dependent country. Friday’s sentencing, which came a week after the men were found guilty, marked the end of a lengthy legal process over the killings of Australians Callum and Jake Robinson, and American Carter Redd Rhoad. Their bodies were... .. read more..
Paraguay’s tech minister defies Beijing sanctions, says Taiwan ties ‘not up f...
Friday, October 16,2026,21:43
Paraguay’s technology minister said on Thursday that sanctions imposed on him by Beijing over his country’s ties with Taiwan would only accelerate joint projects with the island. Gustavo Villate, who heads the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, wrote in a lengthy social media post that the relationship with Taipei would “never be on the negotiating table”. He also suggested that Beijing had acted to protect Chinese telecoms suppliers kept out of Paraguay’s networks. “This... .. read more..
China bought half of Brazil's oil exports as Iran war shut Hormuz, driving sa...
Thursday, October 15,2026,18:23
Trade between Brazil and China reached a record US$143 billion in the first nine months of the year, driven by Brazilian oil sales that surged after the war on Iran disrupted Gulf supply, according to a report by the Brazil-China Business Council. Brazilian exports to China rose 12 per cent to US$84.7 billion between January and September, while imports from China grew 9.9 per cent to US$58.6 billion, the council said in its quarterly analysis of government data. The resulting US$26.1 billion... .. read more..
China bought half of Brazil’s oil exports as Iran war shut Hormuz, driving sa...
Thursday, October 15,2026,18:23
Trade between Brazil and China reached a record US$143 billion in the first nine months of the year, driven by Brazilian oil sales that surged after the war on Iran disrupted Gulf supply, according to a report by the Brazil-China Business Council. Brazilian exports to China rose 12 per cent to US$84.7 billion between January and September, while imports from China grew 9.9 per cent to US$58.6 billion, the council said in its quarterly analysis of government data. The resulting US$26.1 billion... .. read more..
Venezuela’s Maduro says new US torture allegations are ‘false’
Thursday, October 15,2026,16:32
Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro insisted on Thursday during an appearance in a New York court that torture allegations in a rewritten drug-trafficking indictment against him and his wife were “false accusations”. Maduro, shackled at the ankles, was brought to court to face the new charges accusing the couple of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein entered a “not guilty” plea on behalf of... .. read more..
Shackled Maduro defies judge, calls US torture charges ‘false accusations’
Thursday, October 15,2026,16:32
Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro insisted in court on Thursday that newly unsealed torture allegations against him and his wife were “false accusations”. Maduro and Cilia Flores, both shackled at the ankles, were brought to court to face a rewritten indictment that expands from an initial set of drug trafficking charges to accuse them of leading a state-sponsored repression campaign that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans. Maduro twice defied a judge’s request that... .. read more..
Costa Rica latest to adopt Bukele blueprint with new mega-prison
Thursday, October 15,2026,03:53
Costa Rica, considered for decades a peaceful enclave in turbulent Central America, has now made fighting drug trafficking one of its main goals. And it is turning to one of its Central American neighbours for inspiration in its hardline crackdown. On Wednesday, President Laura Fernandez inaugurated a mega-prison that emulates the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) that has become a symbol of Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele’s security strategy. Bukele has managed to reduce murders to a... .. read more..
Peru governor touts Chinese interest in deep-water port pitched as Chancay al...
Tuesday, October 13,2026,20:10
A planned US$844 million port in southern Peru has drawn interest from several foreign investors, including Chinese companies, a regional governor said on Monday, as the government began promoting the project abroad. “Several companies have approached us. We have investors from the US, China and India who are very interested,” Rohel Sanchez, the governor of Arequipa, told reporters after signing an agreement with the state investment agency Proinversion. He said firms from Turkey and the... .. read more..
2 dead, 10 missing as hurricane and tropical storm hit Mexico
Monday, October 12,2026,22:23
At least two people have been killed and 10 are missing in Mexico as severe weather linked to a hurricane and a tropical storm battered parts of the country, authorities said on Monday. The incidents are linked to Hurricane Simon, which is moving along the Mexican Pacific coast, and Tropical Storm Rachel, which has reached the northwestern state of Baja California. Simon has weakened to a Category 2 storm, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed communities... .. read more..
Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel pummel Mexico, leaving 5 dead
Monday, October 12,2026,22:23
Rains and flooding along Mexico’s Pacific Coast from Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel have left five people dead, authorities said Monday. The El Nino phenomenon, characterised by rising water temperatures in the Pacific, is fuelling a more intense hurricanes this season in the region. Simon claimed the life of a 71-year-old man who “died when a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo” in the southern state of Guerrero, Governor Evelyn Salgado said during the daily presidential press... .. read more..
Panama rocked by 2 powerful earthquakes, multiple aftershocks
Friday, October 9,2026,22:10
Two powerful 7.7 and 6.6 magnitude earthquakes and a series of aftershocks struck Panama on Friday afternoon, collapsing buildings near the epicentre and prompting evacuations across the country, the US Geological Survey said. The earlier quake, felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia, was centred about 10km (six miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, the USGS said. It struck at a depth of 10km. The USGS initially reported the first... .. read more..
Flavio Bolsonaro says he would work with China and US as Brazil’s president
Thursday, October 8,2026,23:37
Flavio Bolsonaro said he would work with the US and China if he becomes Brazil’s president, after a surprise election performance left him poised to join a wave of conservative leaders pushing Latin America closer to Washington. “I’m not going to pick sides,” Bolsonaro said at an event in Brasilia on Thursday. “My side will be the Brazilian people, whether we’re dealing with China, Israel, the Middle East, Argentina or India. It doesn’t matter. That’s how I’m going to govern.” Bolsonaro finished... .. read more..
US hits Venezuela’s Maduro and wife with torture charges
Thursday, October 8,2026,20:10
US prosecutors on Thursday charged ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiring to torture political opponents and American citizens, adding to the drug trafficking case the couple already faced. Separately, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case, denied a request by Flores to be released from jail due to health concerns ahead of a trial scheduled for next year. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, were captured on January 3 in their... .. read more..
Maduro and wife to face new US charges over alleged torture of Americans
Wednesday, October 7,2026,20:58
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are expected to face new criminal charges in the United States over allegations that Americans detained in Venezuela were tortured, a US official said on Wednesday. The new charges could come as soon as Thursday, according to the official, who was briefed on the investigation. Maduro, who led Venezuela for 13 years, and Flores were captured by the US military from their home in Caracas on January 3 and brought to New York to... .. read more..
Chinese consortium to build Latin America’s longest cable-stayed bridge in Br...
Wednesday, October 7,2026,12:00
Chinese contractors will build Latin America’s longest cable-stayed bridge, a trans-bay span in Brazil, as their latest stamp on new infrastructure overseas. A consortium of Chinese companies is set to construct much of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge, which is due to become the region’s biggest cross-sea project supported by cables once completed in 2031, Chinese and Brazilian media said. They would contribute to a 46.8km (29-mile) project including 12.4km crossing the Bay of All Saints along the... .. read more..
Bogota mayor presses Chinese-led consortium for more metro workers as auditor...
Monday, October 5,2026,20:40
Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan has called on the Chinese-led consortium building the city’s first metro line to send more workers to its stations, after the country’s top auditor warned that delays in several parts of the project could push back its opening in March 2028. “We are entering a critical stage, which is the final stretch,” Galan said in an interview published by local news magazine Semana on Monday. “We have to ask Metro Linea 1 to get moving and put more staff in the... .. read more..
Brazil-China ties in focus as Bolsonaro gets election edge over Lula
Monday, October 5,2026,09:46
Brazil is set for a presidential run-off after right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro won a surprise first-round victory, threatening Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s grip on power in South America’s largest economy. Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, took 47 per cent of the ballots in Sunday’s election, beating out Lula on 45 per cent. Brazilians will vote again on October 25 as neither candidate got the 50 per cent share needed to claim outright victory. US-China... .. read more..
Brazil heads to run-off between Lula and pro-Trump Senator Flavio Bolsonaro
Sunday, October 4,2026,17:48
Brazil’s presidential election will go to a run-off on October 25 between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who has promised the Trump administration access to Brazil’s rare earths to cut US reliance on China. Asked about the vote on Thursday before boarding his helicopter, US President Donald Trump said he was following it “very closely”. “It’s a very important country. The people of Brazil are fantastic,” he said, without endorsing either candidate, something he... .. read more..
Lula and Bolsonaro clash in final scramble for Brazil presidency
Friday, October 2,2026,06:21
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his election rival Flavio Bolsonaro are leaving no controversy unturned in their last-ditch efforts to discredit each other and win over voters ahead of Sunday’s nail-biter election. A campaign dominated by scandals and insults has done little to ease the deep political polarisation in Latin America’s biggest economy, one of the last major leftist bastions in the region. The tight race pits Lula, 80, against the son of former far-right president... .. read more..
China backs Cuba, Beijing’s Panama threat, new UN chief: 7 Latin America rela...
Thursday, October 1,2026,14:00
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China pledges to ‘firmly support’ Cuba as US escalates pressure on Havana China will stand by Cuba in defending its sovereignty and resisting outside interference, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said as Washington stepped up its campaign to force political change in Havana. Read... .. read more..
China pledges to ‘firmly support’ Cuba as US escalates pressure on Havana
Monday, September 28,2026,21:21
China will stand by Cuba in defending its sovereignty and resisting outside interference, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday as Washington stepped up its campaign to force political change in Havana. Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing on the 66th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. “No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will firmly support Cuba in exploring the socialist development path suited to its... .. read more..
US revokes visas of Latin American officials and others
Monday, September 28,2026,20:50
The Trump administration is revoking the visas of 27 Latin American officials, former officials and their families, including Bolivia’s attorney general, over accusations of corruption. The officials and their families come from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – all nations with right-leaning leaders friendly with President Donald Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru this month, pledging US support for their efforts to combat drug and human... .. read more..
Mexico could see life-threatening floods due to Hurricane Polo
Monday, September 28,2026,15:53
Residents of Mexico’s Baja California Sur state boarded up homes and workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up embankments as Hurricane Polo bore down on the peninsula on Monday, threatening high winds, floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edged away from the state. In Mexico’s Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people, some feared high tides and pounding waves from Polo could breach barriers and... .. read more..
Venezuelans take to streets demanding free elections, opposition leader’s return
Sunday, September 27,2026,23:45
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the country’s streets on Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela. The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech. In Caracas, hundreds of activists in sky blue shirts – the colour of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party – rode motorcycles and drove through the city’s main avenues, honking... .. read more..
What Donald Trump and Xi Jinping revealed in the body language with their wives
Friday, September 25,2026,23:29
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their three-day state visit on Friday, a stark contrast in the two presidential couples’ hand-holding dynamics was on display, body language experts said. The exchanges between Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, and Trump and first lady Melania Trump, were closely followed on the trip, with the couples’ activities together on Friday culminating in an outing at the National Archives Museum in Washington. The couples’ divergent... .. read more..
China set to decide if Costa Rican or Guyanese diplomat becomes first woman U...
Friday, September 25,2026,17:09
China is poised to decide which of two Latin American women becomes the first to lead the United Nations, after three rounds of informal voting in the Security Council failed to produce a favourite. Several UN delegations that spoke to the South China Morning Post over the past three days said Beijing was weighing Rebeca Grynspan, the Costa Rican economist who heads UN Trade and Development, and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the UN. The same delegations said China had ruled... .. read more..
Costa Rica’s foreign minister fired for attending Trump meeting
Thursday, September 24,2026,21:18
Costa Rica’s President Laura Fernandez on Thursday fired her foreign minister for attending a meeting on Latin America’s security led by US President Donald Trump without telling her. Fernandez said she should have been the one to attend the meeting of Trump’s anti-cartel “Shield of the Americas” alliance in New York, and that Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar’s failure to consult her caused “great strategic damage”. The meeting took place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General... .. read more..
Milei renews Argentina’s Falklands claim, rails against ‘useless’ UN
Thursday, September 24,2026,05:11
Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the islands known to Britain as the Falklands and to Argentines as the Malvinas, calling it a key issue for his nation and urging the parties to find a “peaceful solution” as tensions with London over the disputed archipelago grow. “The Malvinas for us is a national cause,” Milei, a strong ally of US President Donald Trump, said Wednesday while addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. Milei accused the... .. read more..
At UN, Venezuela’s acting president promises elections without setting date
Thursday, September 24,2026,02:29
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that the country would hold elections as part of a transition to “full democracy”, but did not give a specific date for the vote. “I want to make this very clear at this General Assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela,” said Rodriguez, who came to power after American forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid. Rodriguez said the government had initiated talks with the... .. read more..
US restricts visas for birth tourism ahead of Xi Jinping’s summit with Trump
Wednesday, September 23,2026,21:50
Hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the US for a high-stakes summit, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio moved to restrict visas for those who “engage in or facilitate” birth tourism, a practice the Trump administration has increasingly accused China of. “By restricting visa issuance of those who both engage in and profit from this fraud, we are sending a clear message: the United States will not allow foreigners to exploit our immigration system and violate the sanctity of US... .. read more..
Donald Trump built a US$5 million White House helipad. Don’t expect Xi Jinpin...
Wednesday, September 23,2026,20:07
US President Donald Trump has been very eager to show off to Chinese leader Xi Jinping his new US$5 million White House helipad, his latest bid to stamp his image on Washington. While Xi might act impressed and compliment the US president on his latest building project – part of Trump’s bid to match Xi’s splendour-filled hosting four months ago in Beijing and show the Chinese that Americans can build infrastructure too – do not count on Xi actually trying it out with a chopper ride this week... .. read more..
Paraguay’s president urges UN to let Taiwan in, calls island’s exclusion ‘a s...
Wednesday, September 23,2026,19:01
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that his country “is not neutral” on the Taiwan Strait, pledging support for the self-ruled island and calling for its “full and meaningful participation” in the UN system. Casting a conflict in the strait as a potentially far greater threat than the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Pena warned of “ominous clouds gathering over the Indo-Pacific” and of a conflict that would hit Japan, the rest of East and... .. read more..
Exiled opposition leader tries to enter Venezuela as Rodriguez meets Trump in US
Wednesday, September 23,2026,04:45
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried three times in the past 24 hours to return home but was unable to complete the journey. Machado sought to travel from Panama to Venezuela by different routes, according to a person with direct knowledge of her plans. The attempts came as acting President Delcy Rodriguez visited New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where she met with US President Donald Trump. The efforts included plans to travel by boat and to fly to the... .. read more..
Brazil’s Lula backs China peace push at UN, tells US his nation is ‘no one’s ...
Tuesday, September 22,2026,17:54
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva renewed his backing on Tuesday for a peace initiative he launched with China to end the war in Ukraine, using his opening speech at the UN General Assembly to take thinly veiled aim at the United States over tariffs, military pressure and access to critical minerals. Speaking in New York just days before Brazilians vote in a tight presidential race, Lula described the war between Russia and Ukraine as a five-year humanitarian drama that “continues to... .. read more..
Nicaragua govt responsible for at least 8 deaths in custody since 2018: UN
Tuesday, September 22,2026,12:14
The Nicaraguan government is responsible for at least eight deaths in custody since it began its crackdown on dissent and assault of democratic institutions in 2018, UN experts said Tuesday. The report from the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua was the latest condemnation of the government of married co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, which has crushed dissent since 2018 mass protests and recently cancelled elections. “A State that resorts to enforced disappearance and... .. read more..
Brazilian serial killer suspect nicknamed ‘Mosquito’ dressed as a woman
Tuesday, September 22,2026,02:25
A man accused of killing 16 people in a remote part of Brazil avoided capture by hiding in the woods, the police investigator responsible for his arrest said on Monday. Douglas Garcia, the investigator who led the two-day pursuit for 33-year-old Jorlan Lopes da Silva that ended on September 13, told Associated Press that the suspect used to hide in the thick bush in his own makeshift camps. The killings linked to da Silva occurred within the last three months in the isolated region of Mulungu in... .. read more..
World leaders meet at UN as planet grapples with climate change, wars, runawa...
Monday, September 21,2026,13:54
Under a global cloud of wars and bitter divisions, world leaders meet at the United Nations in New York this week facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity even as climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people. The annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly will also be consumed with major wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and a persisting question: can the leaders... .. read more..
18 suspects in 2021 Haiti president’s killing sent to US for trial
Sunday, September 20,2026,23:52
Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise have been transported to Florida to stand trial, US officials said Sunday. Moise, 53, was gunned down on July 7, 2021, at his private residence by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombian mercenaries. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. “Today’s multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBI’s continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice,” FBI... .. read more..
New cat species identified in Bolivia, first in over a century
Thursday, September 17,2026,17:12
A diminutive wild cat that inhabits Bolivia’s cloud forest has been identified as a previously unknown species, marking the first time a new living cat species has been formally named and described in more than a century. The cat, called Tilcayo by local communities, is part of a group called tiger cats found across much of South America. It was found in Bolivia’s lush Yungas forest, a mountainous region where forests are often covered by clouds and surrounded by high humidity, according to... .. read more..
Mild-mannered Canada shows the world how to take the fight to Trump
Sunday, September 13,2026,08:30
For anyone who has spent time living in Canada, the country’s default posture towards its southern neighbour has long felt almost hard-coded: polite, deferential, almost allergic to confrontation. I saw this first-hand as a visiting scholar in the country in the early 1980s, when I met locals who embodied the national stereotype of moderation in all things. Canadians preferred compromise even when they had a right to push back, treating their far larger ally as a partner to be accommodated, not... .. read more..
J.D. Vance group courted Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro over anti-China rare earth...
Saturday, September 12,2026,22:55
A campaign document belonging to Flavio Bolsonaro, the right-wing front-runner in the presidential election to be held in Brazil next month, offered Washington a rare earths supply chain designed to weaken China’s grip, local news site Amado Mundo reported on Saturday. Written in English and dated March 19, the 22-page presentation was drafted by Andre Marinho, a close Bolsonaro ally who presented the plan to the Rockbridge Network, a group of wealthy conservative donors founded by J.D. Vance in... .. read more..
Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro under investigation over alleged corruption
Friday, September 11,2026,15:45
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the leading right-wing challenger to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in next month’s election, is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering tied to failed lender Banco Master, according to court documents unsealed on Friday. The probe into the senator, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was opened in July by Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee who has recently been hailed as a hero by many on... .. read more..
Maduro’s wife seeks release from US jail, citing worsening heart condition
Thursday, September 10,2026,22:03
Venezuela’s former first lady wants to be let out of jail while she and her husband await trial on US drug-trafficking charges. Cilia Flores, the wife of ex-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, “deserves the opportunity to await her trial while on home confinement” while dealing with a heart condition that has only got worse since she has been in jail, her lawyers wrote in court papers filed on Wednesday. The lawyers, Mark Donnelly and Andres Sanchez, asked a judge to allow her to leave a... .. read more..
China rebuts top US diplomat Marco Rubio over ‘Communist Party-backed project...
Thursday, September 10,2026,21:40
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Peru on Thursday on countering Beijing’s growing footprint around the strategic Chancay megaport, drawing a sharp response from China’s embassy in Lima, which defended its investments and took aim at Washington’s strict visa rules. Rubio met President Keiko Fujimori at the Government Palace, where she confirmed Peru would join the Shield of the Americas, a US-led coalition against organised crime. The Peruvian capital was the last stop of a... .. read more..
Rubio defends US strikes on boats, warns of drug cartel ‘cancer’
Thursday, September 10,2026,02:40
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended controversial strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats during a visit to Ecuador on Wednesday, arguing Latin American cartels would “eat these countries alive” if left unchecked. Hailing a new generation of conservative leaders emerging across the region who are allied with President Donald Trump, Rubio said Washington was finding partners willing to be “very aggressive” against criminal groups. Since Trump returned to power, the United States has... .. read more..
Brazil scraps tax on small parcels as Chinese platforms lose US and EU access
Wednesday, September 9,2026,21:26
Brazil on Wednesday eliminated its federal import tax on small overseas parcels, moving in the opposite direction from US and European Union efforts to close a loophole that saw such Chinese retail giants as Shein and Temu expand rapidly. The elimination will hurt the country’s tax base, but the levy on lower value shirts, electronics, toys and kitchen gadgets ultimately proved too unpopular among Brazilians ahead of the October 4 presidential election, forcing Brasilia to back down. In an... .. read more..
Young Argentines’ mounting debt struggles test support for Milei
Wednesday, September 9,2026,11:30
At 18, Martin Taborda began studying law at Argentina’s prestigious University of Buenos Aires, hoping to become the first in his family to graduate. Just two years later, that dream has slipped out of reach. Unemployed and US$1,300 in debt, he can no longer afford the bus fare from his suburb or the books he needs to keep studying – even at a tuition-free university that has helped generations of Argentines climb into the middle class. He’s not alone. Nearly half of Argentina’s 45 million... .. read more..
Nicaragua hands gold concession to sister firm of US-sanctioned Chinese miner
Tuesday, September 8,2026,21:40
Nicaragua has granted a Chinese-owned company linked to one sanctioned by Washington the right to prospect and dig for gold across 262 sq km (101 sq miles) of rainforest, about a quarter the size of Hong Kong. The 25-year concession over the block, named Jade, went to Linze Excelente Mineria, a company that appeared in Nicaragua’s mining registry only last year. The block is in a corner of the country where prospectors first struck gold in 1880. Corporate filings list Lijun Dong as legal... .. read more..
Trump’s Venezuela oil deal: why China can wait and watch
Tuesday, September 8,2026,21:30
When US President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the United States had secured majority control over some 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil through a private company, the North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), he called it “the biggest oil deal in history”. The White House fact sheet provided the details: NABEP’s 100-year concessions on 17 oilfields with 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, a 35 per cent Pentagon stake, a 20 per cent State Department offtake at cost with... .. read more..
Thousands of Ecuadorians flee their homes as gang violence worsens
Tuesday, September 8,2026,12:15
For one grandmother, it was when bullets began hitting the rooftops of her neighbourhood that she decided she would have to leave the housing development where she had lived for nearly 20 years. A sharp rise in fighting between gang factions in Ecuador has prompted thousands of families to flee and abandon their homes to the gangs, who strip the houses for drug money or use them to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police. One of the areas that has been the site of the... .. read more..