Stories for 2026

Friday, April 10th 2026 - 02:18 UTC
Venezuelan parliament passes law opening mining sector to private capital amid rapprochement with US

Venezuela's National Assembly unanimously approved on Thursday a new 131-article Organic Mining Law that opens the door to private and foreign investment in the mining sector, on a day also marked by police repression of thousands of workers who marched to demand an increase in the minimum wage, frozen since 2022.
Friday, April 10th 2026 - 02:09 UTC
Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's GDP growth in 2025, generating $2.04 billion in exports

Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's gross domestic product growth in 2025 and represented 6.2% of the country's economic activity, according to the first monitor produced by the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism together with the Center for the Study of Economic and Social Reality (Ceres), presented on Thursday in Punta del Este.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 23:57 UTC
Argentina approves glacier law reform, opens previously protected areas to mining

Argentina's Chamber of Deputies passed a reform of the National Glacier Law in the early hours of Thursday, an initiative pushed by President Javier Milei's government that reduces the scope of environmental protections in the Andean cordillera and opens previously restricted areas to mining. The vote was 137 in favor, 111 against and 3 abstentions, after more than eleven hours of debate in a special session. The bill had already been approved by the Senate.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 21:53 UTC
Scottish cameraman Doug Allan dies in Nepal during trek to Annapurna base camp

Wildlife cameraman and photographer Doug Allan died on Wednesday at a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, after suffering a brain hemorrhage during a trek to Annapurna base camp, the world's tenth highest mountain. He was 74.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 21:36 UTC
Chilean Air Force conducts first-ever aerial refueling of US F-35 fighters

The Chilean Air Force (FACh) completed for the first time an aerial refueling operation involving two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters, in a milestone that demonstrates growing interoperability between the two countries and the level of modernization achieved by Chile's military aviation.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 07:40 UTC
Uruguay considers relocating HIF Global's green hydrogen megaplant to ease tensions with Argentina

Uruguay's government is considering relocating within the department of Paysandú the synthetic fuels plant planned by multinational HIF Global, in an effort to simultaneously defuse diplomatic tensions with Argentina and advance what would be the largest private investment in the country's history, estimated at $5.385 billion in its final phase.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 07:31 UTC
Falklands launches consultation on proposed National Nature Reserves

The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) has launched a public consultation to seek views on its proposal to designate or expand National Nature Reserves. The proposal seeks to designate 10 new National Nature Reserves and expand 5 existing National Nature Reserves.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 07:13 UTC
FAO food commodities prices up in March; concern with energy and fertilizer costs

World food commodity prices rose in March for the second month in a row, due largely to higher energy prices linked to the conflict escalation in the Near East, according to the latest benchmark measure released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 01:13 UTC
Latin America faces fertilizer vulnerability; IICA and TFI agree joint plan amid Hormuz crisis

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the U.S.-based Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced a partnership to secure fertilizer supply across the Americas, amid logistical disruptions and price volatility worsened by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 01:08 UTC
Brazilian judge suspends 12% crude oil export tax for five international oil companies

A federal judge in Rio de Janeiro issued a preliminary injunction suspending the 12% crude oil export tax for five international companies operating in Brazil: Shell, TotalEnergies, Equinor, Repsol Sinopec and Petrogal. The ruling represents an initial court victory for the oil companies in their dispute with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government over a levy they consider unconstitutional.