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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.
Chinaís President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening ceremony of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Beijing on May 13. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Letters | China’s Latin America policy paper speaks language of multipolarity

Readers discuss why Beijing’s outreach to the region should not be seen as a challenge to Washington, the HK$2 subsidised transport fare for the elderly, and Hong Kong’s New Year countdown.

Guatemala

Bus crash kills 15 in Guatemala, government declares 3 days of national mourning

Open Questions series

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

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Brazil

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

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro leaves the DF Star hospital in Brasilia on September 14. Photo: AFP
Honduras

Trump-backed Asfura declared winner of Honduras presidential election

The vote count took weeks, fuelling international concern and doubts about the Latin American country’s fragile electoral system.

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-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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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his end-of-year press conference at the State Department on Friday. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

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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The US Southern Command released video of a boat moving through water before there was an explosion. Photo: US Southern Command via X
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.

The bill provoked protests in cities across Brazil on Sunday. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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.

Jose Antonio Kast after winning the presidential run-off election. Photo: Reuters
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.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum waves to supporters in the Zocalo main square on her inauguration day. Photo: AP
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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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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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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The tanker as it was being seized by US forces off the coast of Venezuela this week. Photo: US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s X account via Reuters
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.

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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Armed individuals in camouflage outside the ship’s bridge with weapons raised. Photo: US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s X account via AFP
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.

Employees work at a steel bar factory in Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon state, Mexico, in November. Photo: AFP
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.

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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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.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, in August 2024. Photo: AP
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.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasilia, Brazil on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
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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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.

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