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Americas and the Caribbean

Americas and the Caribbean
Americas and the Caribbean
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Americas and the Caribbean. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Henry Wong
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Political scientist Ivan Krastev on Europe’s ‘China shock’, US snub

China’s challenge to Europe’s industrial might and the end of coalition with US has plunged continent into crisis. Can it recover, asks Bulgarian expert Ivan Krastev.

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Brazil

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

Honduras

Trump-backed Asfura declared winner of Honduras presidential election

Venezuela

Venezuela slams ‘international piracy’ after US seizes another vessel

Trump has ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers in and out of the area, but the ship is reportedly not one of those blacklisted.

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US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted footage of the operation on social media on Saturday. Image: X/Sec_Noem
US-China relations

Rubio swaps hawk for diplomat in year-end pivot on China

Top US envoy eschews ‘pacing threat’ label, stressing cooperation and Western hemisphere priorities for 2026.

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Donald Trump

Trump’s Venezuela ‘blockade’ raises legal questions as US masses forces

With an unusually large US military presence near Venezuela, observers warn of tactics that stretch the bounds of international law.

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Brazil

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

Protesters rally against the sentence-reduction bill in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. Photo: EPA
United States

US forces strike another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4

The attack brought the total number of known boat strikes to 26, while at least 99 people have been killed.

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Brazil

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

Venezuela

Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela

Venezuelan government condemns blockade as ‘irrational’ after the US president demands it ‘return’ oil, land and assets to the US.

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The crude oil tanker Skipper, which was seized by the US military off the coast of Venezuela last week. Photo Vantor via AP
United States

US military boat strikes kill 8, adding to drug war death toll

The US military said it targeted ‘designated terrorist organisations’, and posted video of an operation in the eastern Pacific.

One of the three boats hit by the latest US strikes in the eastern Pacific. Photo: US Southern Command via X
Chile

Chile takes hard-right turn as Kast scores landslide election victory

Jose Antonio Kast declares Chile ‘wanted change’ as the South American nation chooses its most right-wing president in decades.

Mexico

How Mexico’s Sheinbaum weaves generations of tradition into her signature style

The colourful embroidered dresses and blouses have become a wardrobe staple for Mexico’s ‘most stylish’ president.

War and conflict

As I see it | Would the world be safer if the military were in charge of the US?

Capricious political leaders like Donald Trump and his defence chief may be more dangerous than responsible and battle-tested generals.

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US President Donald Trump speaks alongside his defence secretary Pete Hegseth in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 2. Photo: AFP
Venezuela

Tensions rise as US prepares to seize more tankers with Venezuelan oil

Seizure off Venezuela signals a crackdown on a shadow fleet of tankers and financially squeezing the Maduro government.

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A satellite image shows the Skipper tanker and another vessel off Port Jose, Venezuela, on November 18, 2025. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via Reuters
Venezuela

Tanker seized off Venezuela to be taken to US port, as threat of war grows

White House justifies targeting ‘black-market oil’ as Russia expresses support for its ally, Nicolas Maduro.

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Venezuela

Explainer | US-Venezuela tensions: how far will Trump go?

As tensions escalate in the Caribbean, the world waits for Washington’s next move.

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Nobel Prize

Fugitive Nobel laureate Machado details secret US help to reach Norway

Nobel laureate breaks silence on months in hiding, detailing essential US support for her clandestine exit to Oslo to receive Peace Prize.

Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado addresses a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Venezuela

‘We keep it’: Trump says US seized oil tanker off Venezuela coast

Venezuela accuses the US of ‘blatant theft’ and ‘international piracy’ after US forces stormed a sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean.

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Mexico

Mexico lawmakers approve tariff increase on Chinese and other Asian imports

The move, which still requires Senate approval, would affect goods like cars, clothes and steel from China, India, South Korea and elsewhere.

Honduras

Honduras president alleges ‘electoral coup’ amid chaotic vote count

Fraud allegations, claims of US interference and disputed tally sheets mar vote count following Honduras’ November 30 presidential election.

Security personnel stand guard outside facilities where electoral kits are stored, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

At a Senate hearing, officials described Chinese money brokers as key to laundering cartel funds and fuelling the illicit fentanyl trade.

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US Customs and Border Protection display plastic bags of fentanyl after being seized at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. US lawmakers say Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and trafficking. Photo: Reuters
Nobel Prize

Venezuela’s Machado will not receive Nobel Peace Prize in person

The Venezuelan opposition figure, who has been in hiding for over a year, will have her daughter accept the award in Norway.

Brazil

Bolsonaro’s son says he could drop his Brazil presidency bid ‘for a price’

Flavio Bolsonaro’s announcement comes as his allies push for amnesty for his father, the jailed former president.

United States

Hegseth defends killing boat survivors, likens drug gangs to al-Qaeda

Washington’s policy of sinking boats and killing alleged drug-runners has led to serious debate in Congress.

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth speaks during the Reagan National Defence Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Nobel Prize

Venezuela’s Machado defies warning, vows to attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Caracas has said Maria Corina Machado will be considered a ‘fugitive’ if she travels to Norway to accept the prize.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures as she addresses her supporters during a protest on January 9. Machado lives in hiding in her country. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Trump’s national security blueprint aims to combat China’s rise in Latin America

Framework pledges to stop competitors from threatening the stability and political alignment of neighbouring countries in the region.

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Honduras

Trump favourite edges ahead in Honduras vote as opponent calls foul

Salvador Nasralla claimed ‘an algorithm changed the data’ after losing a lead held since Tuesday.

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