
United States top brass worries about the South Atlantic. It is a jumping-off point for Antarctica, where Russia and China boast 15 bases between them, scrambling to lock down resources. It is linked to the Pacific by the Strait of Magellan, the only safe maritime route between the two oceans other than the drought-hit Panama Canal. Traffic through the Strait is surging, as is illegal Chinese fishing on either side. China is pushing infrastructure projects across the region. US top generals have visited Argentina’s Deep South three times in the last two years.

US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of at least 25% on most goods imported from 14 nations, including Japan and South Korea, effective August 1. These tariffs are part of his “Make America Wealthy Again” initiative, aimed at reducing trade deficits and boosting domestic manufacturing.

According to a list released Monday by the Office of Brazil's Prosecutor-General, the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has convicted 643 people in connection with the Jan. 8, 2023, riots in Brasília, which were deemed an attempted coup d'état.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with US President Donald Trump at the White House, expressing optimism for peace in Gaza and a nuclear deal with Iran. It was Netanyahu's third visit since the Republican leader returned to power on Jan. 20.

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo human rights organization announced Monday the finding of the 140th grandchild, born to people kidnapped and disappeared under Argentina's military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983.

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, a 71-year-old physician and congresswoman, has been elected as Suriname's first female president by the country's National Assembly on Sunday. She ran unopposed and will be inaugurated on July 16.

The 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) is underway in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from July 6-8. The summit focuses on critical issues for the region, including security, trade, climate change, and economic integration.

The 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro issued Sunday a new declaration advocating for a two-state solution, one Palestinian and one Israeli, like on previous occasions.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Sunday criticized the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) because they represent “a reverse Marshall Plan, in which emerging and developing economies finance the more developed world.”

The Justicialist (Peronist) Party (PJ) in the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires agreed on a unified strategy vis-à-vis the Sept. 7 mid-term provincial elections in a convention attended by 691 representatives and chaired by Fernando Espinoza. The conclave agreed on appointing a commission to form this new front.