Latin America

• Brazil: Bolsonaro in surprise lead against incumbent Lula 8 October 2026
  In a surprise turnaround, right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro narrowly led incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s first-round vote. Official results gave Bolsonaro 47.03% of valid votes and Lula 45.16%, ahead of a run-off election scheduled for 25 October. Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, outperformed…
• Venezuela: political prisoners freed after talks between government and opposition 1 October 2026
  Thirty-nine political prisoners have been released in Venezuela following a second round of US-backed talks between the interim government and opposition representatives. A human rights organisation has said those freed included eight women accused of ‘narco-terrorism’ in 2021 and six people accused of involvement with the USA in a 2020…
• Colombia: major wildfire threatens historic tourist town 24 September 2026
  A major wildfire in central Colombia is threatening the historic town of Villa de Leyva. whose colonial architecture and cobblestone streets attract more than a million visitors each year. Flames have engulfed the San Marcos hillside above the town, burning about forty hectares of native forest and sending large smoke…
• Venezuela: energy deal with USA approved despite criticisms 3 September 2026
  US energy secretary Chris Wright is expected to visit Venezuela as Washington advances a controversial agreement giving the USA extensive access to the country’s oil reserves. Venezuela’s national assembly has approved the deal, although some opposition lawmakers abstained and demanded publication of its full terms. Reports indicate that the arrangement…
• Brazil: Lula celebrates offshore discovery of oil 21 August 2026
  Brazil’s president, Luiz Lula da Silva, has welcomed the discovery of oil near the mouth of the Amazon, describing it as a potential ‘passport to the country’s future’. State-run Petrobras found oil during exploratory drilling about a hundred miles offshore, although the field’s size and commercial viability remain unknown. Environmentalists…