Latin America

• Tuesday, November 7th 2023 - 09:52 UTC

  Panama Canal drought emergency, ships booking slots cut to 25 per day and to 18 next February

  

  Following on the driest October since at least 1950, the Panama Canal Authority has said it has been forced to cut the number of ships using the waterway. This will naturally have an impact on the cost of shipping goods across the world.

• Tuesday, November 7th 2023 - 09:40 UTC

  Seven Cubans defect during Pan American Games in Chile

  

  Seven Cuban athletes have left the Caribbean country’s delegation at the Santiago (Chile) Pan-American Games unwilling to return home, it was reported in the Chilean capital. According to international media covering the sporting event, six members of the women’s field hockey team and one hurdler were involved in the incident.

• Tuesday, November 7th 2023 - 09:12 UTC

  Chile: 14 killed in migrant settlement fire in Biobio

  

  At least 14 migrants were killed in a fire in the town of Coronel, some 530 kilometers south of Santiago, in the region of Biobio, it was reported Monday.

• Tuesday, November 7th 2023 - 09:07 UTC

  Colombian president Petro peace program with guerrillas in a blackout

  

  More trouble for embattled Colombian president Gustavo Petro and his ambitious peace program. The main dissident group of former guerrillas, which refused to disarm when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) accepted a peace deal in 2016, suspended peace talks with the Colombian government on Sunday.

• Saturday, November 4th 2023 - 11:00 UTC

  Biden pledges to boost regional trade before leaders of the Americas

  

  US President Joseph Biden pledged in Washington DC before a dozen leaders from Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay to boost economic ties while standing up to China and other global competitors seeking their slice of regional businesses.

• Saturday, November 4th 2023 - 11:00 UTC

  Football clubs of Brazil and Argentina agree on joint appeal against violence

  

  Directors of football clubs Fluminense of Brazil and Boca Juniors of Argentina launched an appeal against violence after brawls between fans in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the Libertadores Cup final to be played Saturday at the legendary Maracana Stadium, Agencia Brasil reported.

• Thursday, November 2nd 2023 - 08:15 UTC

  Winds are changing in Colombia: Petro the big loser in Sunday's governor and mayor elections

  

  Colombian president Gustavo Petro's allies lost by windfalls in municipal and provincial elections on Sunday, a clear sign of growing discontent with the left-leaning government and some of its promised reforms to the health system and labor bills.

• Wednesday, November 1st 2023 - 14:32 UTC

  Panama Canal further reduces ship crossings as more severe drought hits Lake Gatun

  

  Higher shipping costs as the Panama Canal, one of the world’s main maritime trade routes, will further reduce daily ship crossings in the coming months due to a severe drought, the authorities managing the canal.

• Wednesday, November 1st 2023 - 10:21 UTC

  Bolivia severs diplomatic ties with Israel

  

  Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani Machaca announced Tuesday that the South American country “condemns the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive being carried out in the Gaza Strip” and was thenceforth breaking diplomatic relations with Israel in “repudiation” of such acts. The Bolivian government made no mention of Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.

• Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:12 UTC

  Iguazú Falls closed to visitors as water levels rise above normal

  

  Due to recent heavy rains on the Brazilian side, the tourist attraction of the Iguazú Falls has been closed to visitors at least until Wednesday pending damage assessments given a water flow 16 times higher than usual, it was reported.