Good news!
Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Monday, October 05, 2026
Brazil Right Wing Secures Senate and Chamber of Deputies in Best Election Performance in 40 Years
Good news!
ICJ Press Release: Colombia withdraws its Declaration of intervention in the proceedings - Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) - Question of Palestine
Good news! What a frivolous and absurd case anyway!
Again sloppy journalism: The article does not say how many countries are parties to this case!
Credits: Colombia Withdraws From South Africa’s ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel at the International Court of Justice "A triumph for Israeli diplomacy."
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Hopefully Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will lose the election in Brazil
I don't know whether the son of a former president is really a better choice, but reelecting this leftist fossil from a bygone era to a fourth term is too much!
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Eine Kurzbiografie von Antonio de Montesinos (1475-1540)
Empfehlenswert!
"Im Dezember 1511 predigte auf Hispaniola ein Dominikanerbruder gegen die Kolonialherren der Insel, und in der Kirche saßen genau jene spanischen Beamten und Grundbesitzer, die er meinte. Antonio de Montesinos (1475-1540) hielt ihnen vor, dass sie im Stand der Todsünde lebten, und fragte, mit welchem Recht sie die Ureinwohner in Sklaverei hielten und mit welcher Autorität sie Krieg gegen Menschen führten, die friedlich auf ihrem eigenen Land wohnten: Sind sie keine Menschen, haben sie keine Vernunft und keine Seele? ..."
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Saturday, September 05, 2026
Tether: a secretive $200 billion crypto currency company
Food for thought! The transition to digital currencies is not easy! Digital currencies provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to privatize money!
Why not privacy for a private company if it so chooses? Just because the company is large by some measure and executes significant transactions does not automatically impose or require more disclosure (as e.g. some journalists may wish).
Does the company break any criminal laws? Often banking and money transactions are more successful and best done discreetly!
"About Tether
Tether was founded by a group of Bitcoin enthusiasts and early adopters, passionate about facilitating the use of fiat currencies in a digital manner.
In 2014, the company launched Tether.to, a blockchain-enabled platform aimed at disrupting the conventional financial system with a more modern approach to money."
"Tether Operations, S.A. de C.V. is an El Salvador-based entity and part of the group of companies that issues and manages the USD₮ stablecoin." (Google Search)
"Tether, which mints the world’s most widely used crypto token, is likely one of the most valuable private companies on earth, with an estimated value of $200 billion, exceeding the total share value of McDonald’s.
The company’s token, known as USDT, is a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar that has become the backbone of a parallel banking system pervading parts of the world.
The token has also become a key tool for money launderers for industrial-scale scam centers, which operate out of grim office complexes across Southeast Asia. Tether’s assistance in law enforcement investigations has become highly sought-after by agencies around the world struggling to address surging crypto crime. ...
But who owns this powerful and controversial firm? The company has never given a full picture publicly. ..."
Friday, September 04, 2026
Latin American/Ukrainian Infantry Unit Defeats Russians in Battlefield Assault
Given how many countries are involved in the Russo-Ukrainian War it is fair to say it is a World War III. Here is another example.
This is a reminder of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) that preceded World War II. Volunteers from many countries were fighting on the side of the the side of the Republican Government against General Francisco Franco.
"A Ukrainian combat infantry unit mostly recruited from Colombian and Brazilian volunteers overran Russian positions in the northeastern Kharkiv region in recent fighting, Thursday statements from the unit and its chain of command said. ...
Most of the 23rd Regiment’s soldiers and junior officers are volunteers recruited from Latin America. Colombians, followed by Brazilians predominate in the reportedly 500-personnel unit, but Mexicans, Argentines, Chileans and Paraguayans are also in the ranks, along with an Old-World contingent from Spain, Portugal and Italy. Each fighter is paid the standard AFU salary for a combat infantry soldier. ..."
A Colombian member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine visit the makeshift memorial commemorating Ukrainian and foreign fighters on “Defenders Day”, at the Independence Square in Kyiv, on Oct. 1, 2024.
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Biggest Oil Deal in World History: U.S. Secures Majority Control of 65 Billion Barrels in Venezuela
Update of 8/30/2026: "President Trump spent months declaring his ouster of Venezuela’s leader had secured the country’s oil for the U.S. When American energy companies resisted investing at the speed and scale he wanted, his administration devised an extraordinary solution to turn his vision into reality: make the U.S. government itself an investor." (Source)
This was one of the hottest news items of the past week!
Could history see this event to be similar to the Louisiana or Alaska Purchase?
Caveat I am not familiar with the details of the deal.
"... Structure: The arrangement sets up a joint venture between the U.S. government and a private operator, granting a long-term concession (initially reported as a 100-year framework spanning 25 to 100 years for specific operations) across 17 strategic oil fields.U.S.
Stake: The U.S. secures a 55% effective output share—including equity and the right to buy oil at cost—with acquired crude directed toward the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the military. ...
Goals: Proponents state the arrangement will draw billions in private investment to rebuild Venezuela's degraded petroleum sector ..." (Google Search)
"... Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez welcomed the deal, which is expected to bring about $209bn to the state’s treasury. ...
For Venezuela, Rubio said the deal would bring nearly $100bn in private investment, support thousands of high-paying jobs and help rebuild the country’s economy.
..."
"... Rodriguez, who is Maduro's former vice-president and who the US backed following his capture, said on Saturday that the energy agreement with the US would remain in force for 25 years.
She said it would target an increase in crude output to 1.5 million barrels per day and preserve the country's sovereignty over its natural resources. ...
It apparently grants the US direct governance over a foreign country's sovereign national resources and appears to be wider in scope than the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority's control over Iraq's oil revenues after Saddam Hussein was ousted in an American-led invasion in 2003. ..."
"In a bombshell announcement, President Trump declared that the United States has entered into the biggest oil deal in world history. At his direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — working with Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez and through a partnership with private business — secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela at no cost to the American taxpayer. The deal more than doubles American oil reserves, greatly increases domestic oil supply, and is projected to substantially lower gas prices for Americans long into the future, while setting Venezuela on a course toward prosperity. The administration called it a Historic Transaction that strengthens the growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States. ..."
Trump announces ‘biggest oil deal in world history’ with Venezuela "US president says deal secures majority US control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela."
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez welcomed the deal
Friday, August 28, 2026
In a global first, Mexico approves use of RNA-based fungicide (for mildew on grapes)
Good news!
Apparently, Belgium has already approved another, similar product by the same company in May of 2026 (see company news release).
"Grape growers in Mexico have a new tool to fight powdery mildew, a common fungal disease, after the country became the first in the world to approve the commercial sale of an RNA-based biofungicide.
Oifirax, developed by the U.S. company GreenLight Biosciences, uses RNA molecules to silence a gene essential for the survival of the disease-causing fungus Erysiphe necator. The Mexican government announced the product’s commercial approval on 12 August, following a 9-month regulatory process involving the country’s health, agricultural, and environmental authorities. ..."
Participation of the Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, during the event “Mexico, leader in biotechnology” (official news release, original in Spanish)
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Graffiti: A tool of resistance | Inside Latin America
Recommendable! It has a little bit of a leftist bias.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Milei's Latest Gamble to Save Argentina's Economy by opening up Argentina to mining and more federalism
Recommendable! Is it a gamble? I don't think so! It makes a lot of business sense!
The video points out e.g. that neighboring Chile has a lot more mining activity than Argentina although Argentina has plenty of natural resources as well to be mined.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Meet Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection who is the counterpart for the US in fighting cross border crime
Good news!
"Omar García Harfuch has become Washington’s most important security counterpart in Mexico by doing the unglamorous thing: producing results.
For years, Washington has asked the same question about Mexico: Can we count on our southern neighbor as a serious security partner? Increasingly, the answer appears to be yes.
Much of the change runs through Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection. Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, Harfuch has emerged as one of the most important officials in Mexico — and perhaps the Mexican official who matters most to American security. ..."
Omar García Harfuch (Source)
Monday, August 17, 2026
Argentina is transforming from an energy importer into a growing energy exporter since 2024
Good news!
"... Oil production from the Vaca Muerta shale formation is up 28 percent from a year ago, and crude oil became the country’s largest export product during the first half of 2026."
"... Shale now represents 71% of Argentina’s total production of both oil and gas, and crude has overtaken corn and soy to become its top export; Buenos Aires had a record energy surplus of $7.8 billion last year, after becoming a net exporter in 2024. ..."
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Colombia formally joins President Trump’s war on the transnational drug cartels and illegal immigration
Good news!
It appears Canada has not yet joined the A3CC!
"Colombia has formally joined President Trump’s regional counter-cartel coalition, a major shift in U.S.-Colombian security cooperation that could clear the way for joint military operations against terrorist and drug-trafficking organizations inside the country.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Colombia’s entry into the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, also known as A3C or the Shield of the Americas initiative, during a two-day gathering of member countries in Panama.
Hegseth and newly installed Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Mora signed the agreement during the meeting, bringing Colombia into the 19-member coalition only days after conservative President Abelardo De la Espriella took office. ..."
"Launched in March by President Donald J. Trump, the coalition — sometimes called "Shield of the Americas" — is a U.S.-led multinational security and political alliance formed to combat transnational drug cartels, reduce illegal migration across the Western Hemisphere and limit foreign geopolitical interference. ..."
Hegseth Touts Americas Counter Cartel Coalition During Panama Visit "In Panama today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told members of the recently established Americas Counter Cartel Coalition that the U.S. is firmly committed to working alongside them to dismantle dangerous transnational criminal drug cartels."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno and Colombia's Minister of National Defense Jorge Mora pose with signed copies of an agreement bringing Colombia into the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition in Panama City, Aug. 12, 2026.
Map of the states that joined the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (Source)
Sunday, August 09, 2026
How Olinia Turns Mexico’s EV Ambition Into Reality at a price of $8,500
Recommendable!
Government run businesses is rarely a good idea and many fail.
"The EV market in Mexico has exploded in the last three years, with the vast majority of cars sold there being manufactured in China—90 percent in 2025. However, Mexico is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of cars and car parts, and policymakers want to capture a piece of the action.
That’s why the Mexican government launched Olinia, a federally backed effort to develop a homegrown EV brand with engineers and researchers from the country’s public universities and research institutions. Its first vehicle, the Olinia 1, is designed around the needs of the average Mexican driver. Mass production of the Olinia 1 is expected to begin in early 2027 at an assembly plant slated for construction in the state of Puebla later this year. ...
[Chinese] Carmakers like BYD and Geely thus dropped their prices and started marketing aggressively in emerging markets like Mexico. ...
The government plans to replace many taxis [???] in urban areas with the EV. ...
Olinia is one of the signature projects of Plan México, the Sheinbaum administration’s strategy to strengthen domestic manufacturing and technological capabilities. The initiative aims to cultivate domestic expertise in batteries, power electronics, vehicle integration, and advanced manufacturing—areas that policymakers view as critical to Mexico’s long-term industrial competitiveness. The administration hopes the plan attracts $100 billion in annual foreign direct investment by 2030. ..."
The U.S. pledged $1 billion in security aid to Colombia as the new President vowed to defeat narco-terrorism and guerilla
Good news!
"The U.S. pledged $1 billion in security aid to Colombia as new President Abelardo de la Espriella vowed to defeat narco-terrorism and abandon peace talks with guerrillas."
"The United States pledged $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia after its new right-wing [???] president took office.
Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer with a taste for spectacle [???], took office Friday for his four-year term after a campaign focused on anger and fears about security. ..."
Diego Cadena and Abelardo de la Espriella. Both lawyers of former President Álvaro Uribe. (Source)
Friday, August 07, 2026
Mexico Sends 1,500 Troops To Its Avocado Heartland After US Halts Imports
Very recommendable!
Incredible, organized crime in Mexico has also infiltrated the Avocado business of Mexico. Will the current President Sheinbaum do more to fight organized crime in Mexico?
Saturday, August 01, 2026
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