Latin America

• Suriname: first woman president faces challenges 10 July 2025
  Jennifer Geerlings-Simons has made history as Suriname’s first female president, elected amid political and economic turmoil. The 71-year-old physician and lawmaker was backed by a two-thirds parliamentary vote after inconclusive May elections and growing dissatisfaction with outgoing president Chandrikapersad Santokhi’s austerity measures; his administration has also faced corruption allegations. Geerlings-Simons,…
• Colombia: reversing the migration trend 3 July 2025
  In the coastal town of Necocli, migrant families are now returning south after failed attempts to enter the USA, marking a reversal of a once-dominant northward migration trend. Harsh immigration policies under Donald Trump, including the withdrawal of the asylum app and increased military presence along the border, have left…
• Colombia: 57 soldiers kidnapped in rebel area 26 June 2025
  57 Colombian soldiers have been seized by civilians and armed rebels in the Micay Canyon area, a vital cocaine-producing area in the southwest. The first group was captured on 21 June during an army operation in El Tambo; then another platoon was surrounded by roughly 200 residents near El Plateado.…
• Brazil: offshore oil exploration auctions test Lula’s climate pledges 20 June 2025
  In a northern region of Brazil known as the Equatorial Margin, where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic, a major environmental and political debate is unfolding. After researching the possibility of offshore oil reserves, the government decided to hold auctions to sell exploration rights in this area. President Lula da…
• Argentina: supreme court upholds prison sentence for former president 12 June 2025
  Argentina’s supreme court has upheld a six-year prison sentence for former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on corruption charges, barring her permanently from public office. The ruling sparked protests in Buenos Aires, where her supporters accused the court of serving the nation’s economic elite. Fernández de Kirchner, who led Argentina…