A Place In Patagonia To Survive During And After A Nuclear war

Next week is a happy/sad anniversary for the human race. Almost 80 years ago, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were incinerated by low-yield nuclear bombs. The good news is that it was the last time that nuclear weapons were used in a war. Let us hope such an event never happens again. Last week, I saw an article talking about the ten countries one could move to avoid the terror of a nuclear war. Let me give you my choice of shelter from a nuclear holocaust. It is the town of El Calafate (The Spanish translation is a place to take shelter from the wind.), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is deep in Patagonia. If you put it in Canada, it would be close to the Arctic Circle. One would expect frigid Arctic temperatures. The climate is quite similar to San Francisco, with some winter nights getting as cold as Houston. This charming town of 20,000 sits right on a huge freshwater lake. The countryside around the town is arid with scrub brush. One would never have a forest fire. There are no earthquakes. There are no volcanoes in the area. The town is full of charming restaurants and cafes. Let us see how Grok Artificial Intelligence graded my choice: How would the residents of El Calafate, Argentina, be affected by a nuclear war between Russia and the US? 23 / 23 A nuclear war between Russia and the United States would have profound global consequences, and while El Calafate, Argentina, is far from the primary conflict zones, its residents would still face significant indirect effects. Below is an analysis of how such a scenario could impact this small Patagonian town, based on available information and the likely global repercussions of such a conflict. Immediate Effects Direct Attack Unlikely: El Calafate, a remote town in Santa Cruz Province with a population of around 20,000, is not a strategic target for nuclear strikes. Major targets in a U.S.-Russia nuclear war would likely include military bases, industrial centers, and population hubs in the Northern Hemisphere, such as U.S. cities, Russian cities, and NATO countries. Argentina has no nuclear weapons and is not part of NATO or any military alliance likely to be targeted directly, so El Calafate would almost certainly avoid direct attack or immediate radioactive fallout from initial strikes.icanw.orghalcyonmaps.comnti.org Limited Initial Fallout: The Southern Hemisphere, including Argentina, would experience less immediate radioactive fallout due to its distance from likely detonation sites in the Northern Hemisphere. Atmospheric circulation patterns mean that most fallout would initially concentrate in the Northern Hemisphere. However, some fallout could eventually spread globally over weeks or months, depending on wind patterns and the scale of the conflict.reddit.com Medium- to Long-Term Effects Nuclear Winter and Climate Disruption: A full-scale nuclear war could inject massive amounts of soot into the stratosphere, causing a "nuclear winter." This would block sunlight, leading to global cooling and a significant drop in temperatures. Studies estimate a 90% reduction in global caloric production within 3–4 years in a worst-case U.S.-Russia nuclear war scenario, with mid- to high-latitude regions (like Patagonia) seeing crop yield reductions of 30–86%.nature.comcordis.europa.eu El Calafate’s cold, windy climate and reliance on agriculture (via regional production) would make it vulnerable to these changes. Local farming, already limited by the harsh Patagonian environment, could collapse, leading to food shortages. The town’s tourism-driven economy, heavily dependent on visitors to nearby Los Glaciares National Park, would also suffer as global travel would likely halt. Food Insecurity and Famine: A 2022 study in Nature Food suggests that a U.S.-Russia nuclear war could lead to over 5 billion deaths globally, primarily from famine due to reduced crop, livestock, and fishery production. Argentina, while a major agricultural producer (e.g., wheat, soy, beef), would face challenges:nature.comcordis.europa.eu Disrupted Exports and Imports: Argentina relies on global trade for fertilizers (95% of nitrogen and 75% of phosphate needs are imported, often from Russia or the U.S.). A nuclear war would disrupt these supply chains, crippling agricultural output.reddit.com Local Impact: El Calafate, dependent on regional food supplies, would face shortages as Argentina’s export-focused agriculture prioritizes global markets or urban centers like Buenos Aires. Residents might struggle to access staples, and prices would likely skyrocket. The study notes that even countries like Argentina, which grow resistant crops like wheat, would face mass food shortages, with adaptation measures (e.g., reducing food waste) offering limited relief.nature.com Economic Collapse: The global economy would crash due to the destruction of major economic centers in the U.S., Russia, and allied nations. El Calafate’s economy, heavily reliant on tourism, would be devastated as international travel ceases and global demand for Argentine exports (e.g., beef, grains) plummets.reddit.com Local businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and tour operators, would face closure, leading to unemployment and economic hardship for residents. The town’s isolation could exacerbate these issues, as resupplying goods (fuel, medicine, etc.) would become difficult. Environmental and Health Impacts: Over time, radioactive fallout could reach the Southern Hemisphere, contaminating soil, water, and food supplies. While not as severe as in the Northern Hemisphere, low-level radiation could increase cancer rates and other health issues in El Calafate.reddit.comicanw.org The collapse of global healthcare supply chains (e.g., for medicines or equipment) would strain Argentina’s healthcare system, leaving El Calafate’s medical facilities under-resourced to handle any increased disease burden. Social and Political Instability: A global crisis of this magnitude could destabilize governments worldwide, including Argentina’s. Resource scarcity (food, fuel, etc.) might lead to social unrest, particularly in urban centers, which could indirectly affect El Calafate through disrupted supply chains or government services.quora.com The town’s isolation might offer some protection from urban unrest, but its dependence on national infrastructure (e.g., power, transport) would make it vulnerable to breakdowns in governance. Potential Mitigating Factors Geographic Isolation: El Calafate’s remote location in Patagonia, near the Andes, could shield it from some fallout due to the rainshadow effect, which might reduce radioactive deposition. Its distance from major conflict zones makes it a relatively "safer" place compared to Northern Hemisphere cities.reddit.com Agricultural Potential: Argentina’s wheat production could help buffer food shortages if prioritized for domestic use, though distribution to remote areas like El Calafate would be a challenge.theweek.com Non-Nuclear Status: Argentina’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation (e.g., via the Treaty of Tlatelolco and the Non-Proliferation Treaty) ensures it is unlikely to be drawn into the conflict directly, reducing the risk of targeted strikes.nti.orgicanw.org Critical Perspective While some sources suggest Argentina could be among the "safest" places due to its Southern Hemisphere location and agricultural capacity, this view oversimplifies the global interconnectedness of economies and food systems. The notion of any place being truly "safe" ignores the cascading effects of nuclear winter, supply chain collapse, and societal disruption. El Calafate’s small size and isolation might delay some impacts, but its dependence on tourism and external supplies would make it highly vulnerable in the long term. theweek.comnewsweek.com Conclusion Residents of El Calafate would likely avoid immediate destruction from a U.S.-Russia nuclear war but would face severe challenges from nuclear winter, food insecurity, economic collapse, and potential long-term radiation exposure. The town’s isolation and Argentina’s agricultural capacity might mitigate some effects, but the global nature of the crisis would still bring significant hardship. Preventing such a conflict through global cooperation remains critical, as no region, including El Calafate, would be immune to the consequences.cordis.europa.eu Be careful out there! Stay "Far from the madding crowd."

Peru: Zelestra Turns On Largest Solar Plant In Peru

Energy giant switches on nation's largest solar plant set to power over 400,000 homes: 'Energy for years to come' By Drew Jones, 1 days ago A major step toward more affordable renewable energy recently occurred in Peru. Zelestra, a Spanish renewable energy company, has officially switched on the country's largest solar farm. The solar farm, dubbed the San Martín project, consists of 450,000 solar panels and will generate over 830 GWh of clean energy annually, powering more than 400,000 homes. To put it in perspective, a U.S. household uses roughly 10,500 kWh per year, or 0.0105 GWh. Located in the La Joya district of Arequipa, Peru, this plant is good news for everyday people because solar energy can help lower electricity bills in the long run and benefit the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, the sun's energy is free, so once the panels are built, the power they produce doesn't depend on buying expensive gas or coal. By adding substantial clean power to the grid, the San Martín project can help protect families from rising energy costs while also maintaining power during major storms. "By leveraging our global expertise in engineering, procurement, and construction, we can successfully co-build tailored solutions that bring projects to life on time and on budget," said Zelestra CEO Leo Moreno, per Renewable Energy Magazine. "We are proud to see the most ambitious solar project in Peru now fully operational, and we look forward to a long-term partnership with Kallpa in delivering clean, reliable energy for years to come." Building and running this solar farm has already created hundreds of local jobs, and it will continue to provide steady work for those who maintain and operate it. Additionally, replacing fossil-fuel energy with solar energy reduces pollution. Watch now: Does clean energy really cause blackouts? This project alone will prevent over 160,000 tons of carbon pollution from entering the air each year, according to the report. This means cleaner air and a healthier environment for the community. In short, Peru's sunshine just got a whole lot more powerful, and everyone's set to breathe a little easier because of it. Are you currently using solar power in your home? Heck yes No — but I would like to be No — I don't know much about it No — it's too expensive Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Peru Seizes 4-Ton Mercury Shipment In Fight Against Illegal Gold Mining

Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining By Steven Grattan, 3 days ago Peru Mercury Seizure Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Peruvian customs officials have seized a record-breaking shipment of illegal mercury, exposing a cross-border smuggling network that is fueling one of the Amazon’s most destructive criminal economies: illicit gold mining. The 4-ton haul — the largest mercury seizure ever made in an Amazon country and one of the world's largest — was discovered in June at the port of Callao, hidden inside gravel-filled bags on a cargo ship bound for Bolivia. Though labeled as crushed stone, the shipment was flagged by customs agents based on international intelligence sharing. “This crushed stone was laced with mercury,” said Jorge Gallo Alvarado, head of customs enforcement at SUNAT, Peru’s tax and customs agency. “It’s a restricted substance because it’s used in illegal alluvial mining.” The container, which originated in Mexico, was singled out for inspection by SUNAT’s risk analysis team. U.S. specialists later confirmed the presence of mercury embedded in the gravel — a tactic increasingly used to avoid detection at ports. The seized goods are valued at roughly $500,000, SUNAT said. High-value illicit trade Authorities say the bust marks a turning point in efforts to dismantle the supply chains behind the Amazon’s illicit gold trade. Mercury, a powerful neurotoxin banned or tightly restricted in many countries, remains essential to the process used by illegal miners across the rainforest to extract gold from river sediment. The method is simple but dangerous: miners mix mercury with gold particles to form an amalgam, then burn it off, releasing toxic vapor into the air. The leftover mercury often flows into rivers, where it transforms into methylmercury — its most dangerous form — and builds up in fish and aquatic life. “This is a very important seizure,” said Luis Fernandez, a research professor and mercury expert at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, who traveled to Lima to assess the find. “We don’t often see mercury seizures at this scale, especially not in transit through formal customs points," he said. Fernandez estimated the mercury could have been used to produce roughly 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) of gold — worth more than $172 million at current prices. “This isn’t subsistence mining,” he said. “It’s organized, high-value illicit trade with serious environmental and public health consequences.” A ‘gold-mercury-drug trifecta’ In Peru’s Madre de Dios region, an epicenter of illegal mining, mercury contamination has been detected in drinking water, fish and even breast milk. Long-term exposure to methylmercury can cause irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children and pregnant women. Indigenous and riverine communities that rely on fish for food are especially vulnerable. Peruvian authorities say much of the mercury entering the country is smuggled from Mexico, where it’s mined in central states such as Querétaro. Prices have surged in recent years due to booming global demand for gold, reaching as high as $330 per kilogram of mercury — and more than $3,500 per ounce of gold — earlier this year. Some of the mercury seized in June is believed to have originated in small, artisanal mines inside a UNESCO ‑protected biosphere reserve. While the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit watchdog that investigates environmental crime, has documented that at least 30 tons of mercury have been trafficked annually from Mexico to countries like Peru and Colombia by a single criminal network, the real volume is likely higher. Soaring gold prices and a 400% markup on mercury in the Amazon compared to Mexico have made smuggling increasingly lucrative. Seizures and monitoring suggest flows rose to an estimated 56 tons in 2024, with further increases expected this year. Colombia remains one of the highest per capita emitters of mercury worldwide, with total annual releases reaching up to 150 tons, much of it tied to illegal gold mining. EIA’s latest investigation, released in tandem with Peru's announcement, describes a growing “gold-mercury-drug trifecta” linking illegal mining to transnational crime and environmental degradation. The group’s investigators documented how organized criminal groups — including Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel — are now involved in mercury mining and trafficking. “Until mercury mines are no longer in operation, traffickers will leave no stone unturned to smuggle the metal,” the report states. Growing calls to close mercury mines Traffickers often disguise mercury shipments with false paperwork and front companies, allowing them to slip through customs. Once across the border, the metal is sold to illegal mining camps — often in protected forests or Indigenous territories — where it becomes almost impossible to trace. In Colombia, security sources say armed groups such as the National Liberation Army and the Gulf Clan play a central role in the mercury-for-gold trade. Similar dynamics have been reported in Brazil and Bolivia, where enforcement is weak and black-market demand is high. Although Peru ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013, enforcement has struggled to keep up with the pace and adaptability of trafficking networks. “These networks are agile,” Fernandez said. “As gold prices rise, they adapt quickly. Customs authorities need tools, training, and resources to keep pace.” Adam Dolezal, extractive industries campaigner at EIA, said the seizure shows what is possible when customs systems are properly resourced and coordinated — but warned that enforcement alone won’t stop the trade. “Unless mercury production is shut down at the source, this toxic trade will continue,” Dolezal said.

The World's Oldest Mummies Are In Chile

The world’s oldest mummies are in Chile. Egypt may be home to the world’s most famous mummies, but not the world’s oldest. That distinction belongs to Chile, where mummified remains predate their Egyptian counterparts by more than 2,000 years. Known as the Chinchorro mummies, these artificially preserved hunter-gatherers were first discovered just over a century ago in the Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert in the world. Their relatively recent discovery is explained by the fact that they were not buried in ostentatious pyramids but rather — after being skinned and refurbished with natural materials — wrapped in reeds and placed in shallow, modest graves. It’s estimated that the oldest Chinchorro mummies date back a full 7,000 years. Some are now in museums, while others remain underground in land currently threatened by climate change, as rising humidity levels alter the famously dry conditions of the desert. Throughout history, many cultures mummified their dead. Among the most notable are the Chinese, Inca, and the Guanche people of the Canary Islands. UNESCO added the Chinchorro mummies and the settlement where they were found to the World Heritage list in July 2021, and there’s a museum devoted to them in the northern port city of Arica.

Suriname's New President Has Her Work Cut Out For Herself

Getting the House in Order: Suriname’s New President Has Her Work Cut Out For Her Suriname This month, Suriname got its first female president, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, following an election in May, in which her party won by one seat. The doctor and former parliamentary speaker, who was elected leader by parliament on July 6, is now charged with steering the small South American nation of close to 650,000 people on the eve of a looming oil boom. She has a lot of work to do, say analysts. “Suriname is a country in which natural resource wealth, cultural diversity, political complexity, corruption, and danger form a tapestry of contradictions,” wrote the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  For the past 15 years, the former Dutch colony has been governed by three men who formed a plundering, corrupt triangle the country could not escape from – until now, say analysts. The country was run by a military ruler in the 1980s, dictator-cum-democrat Dési Bouterse of the National Development Party (NDP), who came to power in two different coups, in 1980 and 1990. He returned to power after elections in 2010 and 2015 even as he was wanted on national and international warrants for drug trafficking and murder. He died in December while a fugitive from justice. Another player in the triangle is former Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, Bouterse’s former bodyguard, who turned against him and became a guerrilla leader in the 1980s. Wanted by the Netherlands for cocaine trafficking, he has been leading a party he started for Maroon voters (the descendants of escaped African slaves). He joined a coalition with the NDP before changing allegiance to form a government with Chandrikapersad Santokhi of the Progressive Reform Party, a former police chief who prosecuted Bouterse before he himself was elected president in 2020. As a result of his dealmaking with Santokhi, Brunswijk, also a businessman with interests in timber and gold, was put in charge of the ministries that oversee forests and resources. Meanwhile, Santokhi, as president from 2020 to 2025, appointed his wife to the supervisory board of the national oil company. The problem, some analysts say, is the system. Suriname is one of the most diverse countries in the world, made up of Indians, Africans, Javanese, Indigenous groups, Chinese, Europeans, and others. Its system is designed to accommodate that diversity and promote consensus. However, some believe the fractured system has also allowed for corruption, nepotism, and the dominance of strongmen. As a result, its leadership often gets its hands dirty. Adding to the problem is Suriname’s status as a key drug-trafficking hub in the region. Almost all past presidents have been convicted of involvement with drugs. Bouterse’s son Dino is in prison in the United States for trafficking in drugs and arms – and attempting to help Lebanon’s Hezbollah set up a terrorist training camp. By way of stark contrast, Greelings-Simons is scandal-free, with a reputation for getting things done. Suriname needs that desperately, say analysts. That’s because things are about to change because of its natural resources. The Surinamese are now hoping to mimic neighboring Guyana, where the gross domestic product per capita increased 41 percent last year to almost $31,000 annually, more than four times greater than Suriname’s $7,600 per capita. The recent approval of the $12.2 billion, 1.4 million-acre GranMorgu project in Suriname with French oil company TotalEnergies is expected to deliver similar windfalls. By 2028, the project is expected to pump as much as 220,000 barrels per day from offshore fields containing 760 million barrels in total. Meanwhile, drillers have already generated more than $300 million a year for Suriname’s treasury for three years in a row – a previously unheard-of haul there. That could cause a problem for a country that is so steeped in criminality and corruption and with a bankrupt economy. Still, its population, mired in poverty, is determined to share in the wealth and have a say in how it is spent, wrote Global Americans. In this past election, voters told the Economist that they wanted something new, something more than the “men who only line their pockets,” and chose a woman as a change. They now hope she can deliver. To do that, Karel Eckhorst of the International Monetary Fund told the magazine that the country needs more than wealth: “Oil isn’t the magic bullet,” he said. “Good governance is.”  Share this story

Brasil's Eye-Opening Message To The American People Is Going Virile

BuzzFeed Brazil's President's Eye-Opening Message To The American People Is Going Super Viral Matt Stopera Mon, July 21, 2025 at 9:49 a.m. PDT·3 min read Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss with a coup plot. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. A person in a blue jacket holds a microphone, speaking with a concerned expression. The background is out of focus MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL / AFP via Getty Images Related: Hillary Clinton Just Hit On One Of Donald Trump's Biggest Insecurities With Three Words After Bolsonaro lost the election, his supporters stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace. People in sports attire break windows of a modern building with metal barriers TON MOLINA / AFP via Getty Images Sound familiar? Large crowd of people in Brazil jerseys gathered outside a modern government building, waving Brazilian flags SERGIO LIMA / AFP via Getty Images It's kind of like Brazil's version of Jan. 6. Protest near the U.S. Capitol featuring a wooden gallows, noose, and multiple flags, including a "Trump Make America Great Again" flag NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images Related: A Picture Of Donald Trump's Face Being Two Completely Different Colors Is Going Viral For Obvious Reasons Sooo, Brazil’s Supreme Court has raided Bolsonaro’s home, put him on an ankle monitor, and banned him from social media and foreign contacts. A person in a formal suit speaking at a public event with a serious expression Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images Meeeeeanwhile, Trump has been defending Bolsonaro on Truth Social, posting a letter saying, "I’ll be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely. The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It’s called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!" I don’t know who this is, but they appear to be a mature person in a suit and tie, outdoors, looking serious Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Related: JD Vance’s Old Epstein Tweets Are Coming Back To Haunt Him In A Big Way Trump also posted a letter to current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, threatening to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods and calling the trial of Bolsonaro a "Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!" Man in a suit and USA hat speaks at a table with presidential seal, flanked by U.S. flags, during a formal event Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Now that you have the backstory, Brazil's president was interviewed by CNN about all of this, and his message to the American people is going viral: CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 ADVERTISEMENT "I want to say something to the American people: If Trump was Brazilian and if he did what happened at Capitol Hill, he’d also be on trial in Brazil. And possibly he would have violated the Constitution. According to the justices, he would also be arrested if he had done that here in Brazil." CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 Related: “He Told People That?”: Jon Stewart Was Seriously Shocked By What A Report Is Saying Elon Musk Revealed To People Close To Him People in the replies are saying some sort of version of this: "America is not a serious country anymore." CNN news segment featuring Brazilian President discussing charges against Jair Bolsonaro and comparing events to the Capitol incident in the U.S CNN/Ty_GT_6/x.com This person commented, "We're a joke to the rest of the planet. We're like the parent in the grocery store who will never discipline their child who is screaming and throwing literal shit at other customers." Tweet criticizing parenting, likening it to Brazil. News headline: Brazil's president speaks on charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro CNN/dr_nocturnl/x.com Another person shared this picture: Top tweet: Cartoon character listening. Bottom: News segment shows a man discussing a quote about Trump, Brazil, and the Constitution trial CNN/canuck_chuck_/x.com And this person asked, "Can we deport trump to Brazil and put him in trial there instead?" Screenshot of a tweet discussing Donald Trump and Brazil, with an image from CNN of the Brazilian President addressing charges against Jair Bolsonaro CNN/rebeluvr/x.com Also in In the News: "My Generation Will Never Forgive You": 25 Of The Very Best And Very True Political Tweets From The Last Week Also in In the News: AOC Just Tweeted What So Many Are Thinking After Trump's Sudden 180 On The Epstein Files Also in In the News: People Are Howling At This New Portrait Of Donald Trump In The Colorado State Capitol After He Complained About The Old One Read it on BuzzFeed.com

Brasil's Lawmakers Approve Controversial Environmental Bill Ahead of COP30

Brazil’s Lawmakers Approve Controversial Environmental Bill Ahead of COP30 Brazil Brazilian lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that significantly weakens environmental protections by loosening land licensing, a move environmentalists say is the most severe setback to Brazil’s environmental program in 40 years, the Guardian reported. The new law, which critics call the “devastation bill,” was passed by the lower house of the legislature on Thursday by 267 votes to 116. The Senate passed the bill in May. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva now has two weeks to sign the bill or veto it. If he does veto the bill, however, it’s likely the legislature will overturn it. Analysts say this would likely spark a legal battle in the Supreme Court over the law’s constitutionality. Proponents of the bill say the process needs to be reformed because it is agonizingly slow. At the same time, Brazilian business leaders see the environmental permitting process as a barrier to development. Analysts say the impetus behind the bill was the long wait by state-run oil firm Petrobras to get a permit to drill for oil in the state of Amapá, a region in the Amazon with a fragile ecosystem and one of the poorest in Brazil. Meanwhile, critics say the bill permits projects deemed to have “medium” polluting potential to secure environmental licenses through a self-declared online form, bypassing prior impact assessment or regulatory oversight. This fast-track process used to only be allowed for low-risk activities. Now, it will affect about 90 percent of licensing procedures in the country, including mining and most agricultural activities. Opponents add that it would lead to large-scale deforestation and increase the risk of human-caused climate disasters, according to Reuters. Legal experts have already said the law violates the Constitution and previous Supreme Court rulings. Brazil will host the United Nations COP30 climate conference in November in the Amazon region, with critics adding that the law undermines the credibility of Brazil when it comes to environmental safeguards.

Chile Now Has The Most Incredible Observatories On Earth

A new telescope will find billions of asteroids, galaxies and stars The Vera Rubin Observatory captures unprecedented detail The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Jun 23rd 2025 On april 15th, at 8pm local time, the Vera Rubin Observatory recorded its very first photons of starlight. At first, the images that filled the screens in the control room on Cerro Pachón, 2,500 metres high on the foothills of the Andes in northern Chile, looked like a field of snowy static on an old television. But, zoomed in, the spots soon resolved into an uncountable number of stars and galaxies floating between enormous, wispy clouds of dust, like tiny multicoloured flecks of paint spattered across a vast black wall. “There was this huge amount of cheering and screaming, people were getting teary-eyed,” recalls Alysha Shugart, an observing specialist at Rubin who watched the events unfold on the night. “Those little photons had no idea of the red carpet that was rolled out for their reception.” The arrival of those photons—many from ancient stars and galaxies and which had been travelling across the universe for billions of years—marked a neat moment of symmetry. It had been exactly ten years since work had started on Cerro Pachón to build the observatory; it also marked the start of a ten-year project—the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)—that will see Rubin’s telescope (pictured below) repeatedly take ultra-high-resolution pictures of the entire night sky of the southern hemisphere every three or four days. In the coming decade Rubin will see more detail about the cosmos, and unlock more of its unknowns, than any machine that has come before. It will collect so much information—trillions of data points on more than 40bn new stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects—so quickly that it will transform astronomy in its wake. For a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rubin Observatory, listen to our two-part podcast series and watch our video In its first year alone, it will double the amount of data collected so far by every other instrument in the history of optical astronomy. Every night, the telescope will gather 20 terabytes of raw images and, over the course of the LSST, the observatory and its scientists will produce more than 500 petabytes of images and analysis. For the first time astronomers will also have a decade-long time-lapse of the night sky. The Rubin Observatory with its dome open in April 2025 Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory That last part is what has scientists most expectant. Astronomical observatories until now have focused on taking detailed snapshots of tiny points in the night sky. But “the sky and the world aren’t static,” says Yusra AlSayyad, a researcher at Princeton University who oversees Rubin’s image-processing algorithms. “There are asteroids zipping by, supernovae exploding.” Many of those fast or transient objects can only be seen by big observatories if they happen to be pointed in exactly the right direction at exactly the right time. “Today we don’t really have a very full, wide and deep picture of the universe,” says Leanne Guy, a physicist at Rubin. The LSST will fix that gap. With its 1.7-metre-long, 3,200-megapixel camera—the biggest digital camera ever built—Rubin will have an enormous field of view, equivalent to an area of sky covered by 45 full Moons. One of the first pictures released by Rubin, just a tiny chunk of a full-size exposure, shows sections of the Virgo Cluster, a group of galaxies that are 55 million light years from Earth. Part of the Virgo cluster, a group of galaxies that are 55 million light years from Earth Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The camera will be fed starlight reflected off a primary mirror that is 8.4m wide and which took scientists at the University of Arizona seven years to grind into its unique shape. Despite their size, the mirrors, telescope and the giant silver dome that houses it can all move together extremely fast. The telescope will be able to take an image every 30 seconds and its “brain”—a piece of software known as the scheduler—will use machine-learning algorithms to automatically work out the best places to point the camera every night as it attempts to cover as much of the sky as possible while also avoiding obstructions, such as clouds or satellites streaking overhead. Over the course of a decade, each point in the sky will be photographed around 800 times. Celestial surveillance In an image released this week by the Rubin team, for example, stitching together ten hours of observations, astronomers identified more than 2,000 asteroids in the solar system that had never been seen before. For comparison, around 20,000 asteroids are discovered in total every year by all other ground and space-based observatories. During the LSST, Rubin will conduct the most detailed census yet of millions of as-yet-unknown objects in the solar system, finding around 70% of asteroids classed as “potentially hazardous”, ie, bigger than 140 metres wide and which might come near Earth. If, as some scientists reckon, there is a ninth planet hidden in the clouds of rocks somewhere far beyond Neptune, Rubin will find it. A view of the Virgo cluster, showing the depth of field of Rubin’s camera Video: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The census-taking will stretch far beyond the solar system. Because the LSST camera will keep coming back to the same point in the sky many times during its decade-long survey, astronomers will be able to combine many images of the same location. The fainter an object, the farther away and older it is likely to be and, therefore, hundreds of stacked images will eventually reveal the very earliest stars and galaxies. By recording details—such as the colours, shapes, positions and movements—of more than 17bn stars and 20bn galaxies, Rubin is expected to produce a catalogue of the night sky that cosmologists can then use to build their most detailed picture yet of the early universe and examine how it has evolved over time. That will be crucial for two of the prime goals of the observatory—understanding the nature of dark matter and of dark energy. It is this dark universe for which Rubin was first conceived in the late 1990s. The observatory’s namesake, Vera Rubin, was an American astronomer who, in the 1970s, made her name by showing that the stars at the edge of the nearby Andromeda galaxy were moving just as fast as those at the centre, impossible if only normal matter was present. Her discovery provided evidence of the existence of “dark” matter, which cannot be seen and interacts with normal matter only through gravity. Two decades later, scientists discovered an even bigger hole in the universe—a mysterious substance was found to be accelerating the rate at which space was expanding. Dark energy, as this phenomenon was called, made up 68% of the mass in the universe, with dark matter accounting for approximately 27% more. Only around 5% comes from the familiar “normal” matter that makes up stars, planets, dust and everything on Earth. Understanding how the invisible dark universe behaves depends on better observations of the visible one. One of the ways in which Rubin’s LSST will help is by measuring how the light from very distant galaxies is distorted by the gravitational force of the matter between them and Earth. These measurements will give astronomers details about how matter is arrayed in the universe and also how it is moving. Both are important clues to the nature of the dark universe. The southern night sky viewed through the Rubin observatory’s roof Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The study of dark energy, in particular, will get a boost. The phenomenon was discovered in the 1990s when scientists were studying the movements of the few dozen supernovae that they knew about at the time. Rubin will, according to the scientists working there, be a “supernova factory”, potentially discovering billions more of these exploding stars, providing cosmologists with a vastly bigger data set to study the way that dark energy behaves. To manage Rubin’s gargantuan amounts of data, scientists have built a bespoke intercontinental network of computers. Less than ten seconds after the LSST camera’s shutters close every day, dedicated optical fibres will transfer everything to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California (backups will go to data centres in France and Britain). At SLAC, algorithms will clean up the images and look for objects that have, say, appeared for the first time or significantly changed position or brightness since the previous night. These changes—there will probably be millions per night—will be winnowed down into a priority list which other astronomers (and members of the public) can follow up with more detailed direct observations of their own. All of this will happen autonomously. “There’s absolutely no way any human being could go through these alerts by eye,” says Dr Guy. “There’s no way.” The LSST will begin in October. Meanwhile, the instruments on Cerro Pachón will be tested and calibrated. Though Rubin’s primary mission is set, the scientists who have built the observatory know that what they ultimately have at their disposal is a discovery machine. “What I’m most excited about seeing from Rubin in the long term,” says Dr Guy, “are the things we’ve never even thought about.” Correction (June 24th 2025): In the original version of this story, we underestimated the number of supernovae that scientists knew about in the 1990s. This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “My God, it’s full of stars”

U.S. Threatens High Tariffs If Bolsonaro Trial Continues

‘Witch Hunt’: US Threatens High Tariffs on Brazil if Bolsonaro’s Trial Continues Brazil Brazilian officials on Thursday said they were outraged by US interference in their affairs after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap the country with 50 percent tariffs for putting former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on trial, a move he called a “Witch Hunt,” CNN reported. “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote in a post on X. “Any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil’s Law of Economic Reciprocity.” The post was in response to one on Wednesday by Trump, who accused Lula of undertaking a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” Bolsonaro, who has often boasted of his close ties to Trump, is currently on trial for allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow Lula after losing the 2022 presidential election and to murder the current president and other top officials. He disputes the charges as politically motivated. Bolsonaro is already banned from running for office until 2030. Meanwhile, Brazil, which promised to fight back hard against the tariffs, is one of only a handful of countries to stand up to the United States’ threat of tariffs, analysts said. The reciprocity law allows trade, investment, and intellectual property agreements to be halted against countries that harm Brazil’s competitiveness, according to the Associated Press. Unlike many other countries facing US tariffs, the impact of Brazil imposing these levies would be felt more in the US: Last year, the US had a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil, and over the past 15 years, the US has had a cumulative trade surplus of more than $410 billion with the country. Other countries have complained that the US is weaponizing tariffs to interfere in domestic matters. Earlier this year, the US threatened 25 percent tariffs on Colombian exports, which increased to 50 percent when Colombia refused to accept deportees from the US – Colombia later accepted the deal and prevented the tariffs. Trump also slapped tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, blaming them for contributing to illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the US. Share this story

Paraguay Chases Crime Lords And Economic Growth

Paraguay Chases Crime Lords and Economic Growth Paraguay International criminal agencies are hunting for alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker and money launderer Sebastian Marset, who has strong ties to Paraguay and could have returned there after he disappeared a few years ago, according to InSight Crime. If he did, he won’t be safe there for long, analysts say. That’s because Paraguay is stepping up its fight against organized crime and the drugs the criminals trade in. Officials see it as key to increasing investment and growth. To that end, Paraguay recently showed off the purchase of six Tucano turboprop airplanes from Brazil to combat drug runners and other criminals in the landlocked South American country. The country also recently purchased radar sets from American aerospace giant Northrop Grumman that would help track planes transporting drugs and money, wrote Diálogo Américas, giving the Tucanos better eyes in the sky. In recent years, Paraguay has become a key country for the transit of cocaine then transported across the Atlantic in container ships: Cocaine produced mainly in Peru and Bolivia is moved through Paraguay to Brazil and Argentina, entering from neighboring Bolivia by land and air routes through the Chaco, the vast and sparsely populated region in the northwest of the country, where airstrips are being built for drug trafficking. The acquisition of radar will help Paraguay curb these criminal activities, Diálogo Américas added. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña said that the purchases signaled a crucial change of direction because of urgent priorities, and marked “the beginning of a new era in the fight against transnational organized crime and narcotrafficking.” “Today the Paraguayan State invests in defense and security, no longer to confront our neighbors. That remained in the past. Today we face different dangers. Organized crime, drug trafficking, transnational crimes know no borders, know no nationality, and this requires that States be increasingly organized,” Peña said in a recent speech as reported by Spanish news agency EFE. Peña’s comments were about more than law and order, however. The purchase of the planes reflected how the Paraguayan state was seeking to move on from one of the most stressful periods in its history since the end of the 35-year dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner in 1989. When the military regime ended, “many wounds” remained that were “eroding and deteriorating the capacity for response” of the military, which is why he considered it “fundamental” to strengthen it now, Peña added. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently called for Paraguay to strengthen measures against money laundering and violent crime, in order to create more opportunities and improve the economy, MercoPress noted. Fast-growing Paraguay has become South America’s star economy over the past two decades but has also failed to tackle one of the world’s most endemic organized crime problems. Even so, the financial institution recently praised Paraguay’s efforts to grow its economy after the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic and, even more damaging, a severe drought in early 2022. Climate change has made such droughts more frequent and extreme in recent years, too, added the Fitch Ratings agency at the time. With the help of almost $200 million in IMF financing, the country’s economy is now rebounding. Gross domestic product grew by almost 6 percent in the first quarter of the year, driven by a nearly 13 percent increase in construction sector activity, for example, reported bnamericas. The exploding interest in the country’s Paraguay-Paraná river system is also stoking economic growth, Americas Quarterly added. “Now, with a surge of infrastructure projects along its banks, the corridor is reemerging as a vital, contested axis for regional trade and security,” it wrote. “Both investment and foreign interest are ramping up: China and the US are maneuvering for influence along the corridor, as are transnational criminal organizations, for Andes-to-Atlantic drug trafficking and other illicit activity.” That’s part of the reason the country is heightening its fight against drug trafficking: It’s worried that it will dampen or even crowd out true economic development, investment, and growth. There are other critical issues beyond organized crime that Paraguay must tackle to promote growth, analysts say. “Paraguay’s institutional aspect is very weak,” Ramiro Blazquez of investment bank BancTrust told the Financial Times. “It’s a country with a lot of perceived corruption and crony capitalism, and many problems with judicial independence.”

Scientists Discover 3,500-Year-Old Lost City In Peru That Rivaled Ancient Egypt

Scientists discover 3,500-year-old lost city in Peru that rivalled Ancient Egypt By Vishwam Sankaran, 19 hours ago Ancient city of Penico unearthed in Peru Peru Ministry of Culture Archaeologists have unearthed a lost city in Peru that thrived 3,500 years ago, likely as a potential contemporary of early human societies such as the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations of the Middle East. The ancient city, named Peñico, emerged independently of these other early civilisations, and likely thrived as a trading hub, connecting coastal South America to the mountainous Andes regions through dense forests. "This urban centre was developed following the cultural tradition of Caral,” said archaeologist Ruth Shady, director of the Caral Archaeological Zone. Researchers uncovered a circular structure on a hillside in Peru’s northern Barranca province, including the remains of stone and mud buildings constructed at about 600m (1,970ft) above sea level around 1,800 and 1,500 BC. Ancient city of Penico unearthed in Peru (Peru Ministry of Culture) Scientists suspect the ancient city’s inhabitants were connected to the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, which developed 5,000 years ago. Drone footage revealed the presence of new human-made structures running parallel to previously uncovered buildings of the Caral–Supe pre-Columbian society. The height at which the structures were found suggests the ancient city’s settlers strategically chose the location likely to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, protect themselves from floods and landslides, or to promote interaction and exchange. "Peñico adds to the archaeological sites that can be visited under our management: the Sacred City of Caral, the fishing town of Áspero and the agricultural fishing city of Vichama. The public will also be able to get to know this city of integration," Dr Shady said. The city’s discovery is key to further understanding South American history, according to archaeologists, who suspect it emerged after the Caral civilisation was devastated by climate change. Peñico also likely acted as a node in the exchange network, linked to the extraction and circulation of Iron mineral hematite used to make a red pigment with a high symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. "They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle," Dr Shady told Reuters. So far, 18 constructions have been unearthed in the ancient city site, including larger and minor public buildings, and residential complexes, Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement. Ancient Peru 'City of Social Integration' Peñico (Peru Ministry of Culture) One structure labelled "B2" stands out for its sculptural reliefs, integrated into two other large public Buildings of the urban centre. The building was found to have remarkable designs of conch shell musical horns called pututus, and other instruments represented on the walls of a quadrangular room. Pututus were used in early Andean societies to transmit sound over long distances, such as to make announcements for meetings and important events, and were considered a symbol of social importance. They were considered an important ritual offering to deities, in gratitude for the benefits required and received. Researchers also found other significant artefacts in the building, including sculptures made of uncooked clay representing human-like and animal-like figures as well as ceremonial objects. They also unearthed necklaces with beads of various materials like rhodochrosite, chrysola, animal bone and clay at the building site. The presence of such artefacts indicates the building was likely one of the most important in the urban history of Peñico.

"Get Out Of Mexico!" Protests Against American Tourists Turn Violent

‘Get Out of Mexico’: Protests in Mexico Against American Tourists Turn Violent Mexico A peaceful protest against gentrification and mass tourism in Mexico City turned violent over the weekend after demonstrators smashed storefronts and harassed visitors in neighborhoods popular among tourists, the Associated Press reported. The protests against mass tourism, which have mostly been seen igniting in Europe, saw demonstrators complaining about the influx of American tourists who have poured into Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, in recent years. In 2020, US “digital nomads” began “escaping” to Mexico City to escape Covid-19 lockdowns and enjoy cheaper rents in the country where salaries are far lower than in the US. The average monthly salary in Mexico City is about $370. This phenomenon, say critics, has caused rent and other living costs to spike for locals, forcing them out of their neighborhoods, especially in areas like Condesa and Roma, now filled with restaurants and cafes. The protesters say it’s a new type of colonialism, according to the New York Times. The protesters also called on local lawmakers to regulate tourism levels and enact stricter housing laws. Then, masked protesters assaulted the areas of Condesa and Roma, where they broke into and looted luxury stores. Graffiti on shattered glass, broken by rocks, read sentences like “Get out of Mexico.” Some officials criticized the violent behavior of the protesters and what they described as the protesters’ nativist bent. Mexico City’s government secretary, César Cravioto, accused the protesters of “xenophobic” behavior and said that Mexico City “is a city of migrants,” insisting that the city’s administration doesn’t agree with “this type of demonstration.” While also condemning the violence, the governor of Mexico City, Carla Brugada, wrote on X that officials are aware of the issues facing local residents and said that her administration was working on providing more affordable housing. Similar protests against mass tourism have repeatedly broken out over the past few years in Europe, especially in Spain, France, and Italy.

Inside The Secret Military Dialogue Between Britan and Argentina

The Americas | Game of southern cone Inside the secret military dialogue between Britain and Argentina A deal would counter China and please America. It requires deft diplomacy on the Falklands Save Share Give Illustration of a British lion with a face made of the Argentinian sun, facing away from China and towards a F-16 fighter jet Illustration: Ben Jones Jul 6th 2025 | MONTEVIDEO | 7 min read America’s 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. America’s top generals have visited Argentina’s deep south three times in the last two years. At first glance the United States is well positioned to manage any threat. President Javier Milei of Argentina is a hyper-willing ally. Britain has Typhoon fighter jets and the HMS Forth patrol vessel stationed in the Falkland Islands. But Argentina’s armed forces are in bad shape. Britain’s are focused on defending the Falklands (sovereignty over which Britain has and Argentina claims) from Argentina. As a legacy of the Falklands war, Britain has tight restrictions on weapons sales to Argentina. These have hamstrung the latter’s efforts to improve its armed forces and pushed it towards buying Chinese planes and weaponry, alarming the United States. Map: The Economist Now a mix of factors, including Mr Milei’s unusual perspective on the islands and American enthusiasm for Argentina’s military modernisation, have created an opening for a new strategic arrangement in the South Atlantic. Quietly, after a long hiatus, dialogue between the Argentine and British defence ministries has restarted. Argentina wants Britain to loosen its restrictions on arms purchases. Britain wants discreet acceptance of its role in the rest of the South Atlantic even while Argentina maintains its constitutional claim over the Falklands. Britain also wants Argentina to work with it on practical matters to improve life on the Falklands. The warming began in February 2024, a few months after Mr Milei took office. British defence attachés visited the ministry of defence in Argentina for the first time in three years. In September that year the British and Argentine foreign ministers met and arranged a visit by Argentines to the graves of family members on the Falklands. They also agreed to share fisheries data and to restart monthly direct flights to the Falklands from Argentina. Defence dialogue then ramped up. An Argentine delegation visited London in January. Next, a British one is expected to visit Buenos Aires. Mr Milei wants to modernise his country’s armed forces with the best NATO-compatible equipment. He is cutting government spending savagely, but raising the defence budget from 0.5% of GDP to 2% over the next seven years. Last year Argentina applied for NATO-partner status. Britain is interested in a deal, too, but cautious. It shares the American concerns about the South Atlantic. Argentina’s de facto acceptance of Britain’s relevance in the region would facilitate closer co-operation on everything from science to security, not just with Argentina but also with its neighbours, Chile and Uruguay. But while the Argentine families visited in December, Argentina has not yet shared fishing data or restarted flights, stepping stones to progress on arms policy. The islanders are wary. “We feel very secure,” says Leona Roberts of the Falklands’ Executive Council, “but we would probably not be wildly comfortable with the UK supplying military equipment to Argentina.” Britain has long blocked sales of military equipment with British components to Argentina, even by third countries. Given the strength of Britain’s arms industry this has been a serious constraint. In 2020 it blocked the sale of Korean fighter jets with some British parts. The stated policy is to block sales that could “enhance Argentine military capability”. Yet there is wriggle room. Britain may allow sales that “are not detrimental to the UK’s defence and security interests”. A first step could be to interpret that clause more flexibly. The shape of things to come There are several reasons to believe a new arrangement is possible. Few consider Argentina a real threat to the Falklands. “It’s militarily unthinkable…[Britain] would wipe us off the planet,” says Alejandro Corbacho, a military historian at the University of CEMA in Buenos Aires. Britain seems more willing to reconsider its restrictions if Argentina planned to make large purchases, as that would boost Britain’s defence industry. If so, that would suggest the embargo is more about politics than protecting the Falklands. Britain knows its restrictions are anyway losing bite as more countries make military kit. That the United States wants a new arrangement matters too. In public statements it has offered “steadfast” support for the modernisation of Argentina’s armed forces. In private, one American with knowledge of the matter calls Argentina “a huge partner” but says its military is “in very sore need of equipment and training”. But that equipment must be Western, not Chinese. Britain’s embargo makes that harder. Continued intransigence could end up bolstering those in a post-Milei government that believe Argentina’s future, in weaponry and politics, runs through China rather than the West. Argentina’s dalliance with American adversaries is real. Mr Milei likes trading with the Asian giant. In 2023, before he took office, a Chinese firm looked set to build a large port near the Argentine entrance to the Strait. That project collapsed amid intense objections both foreign and domestic, but China, which operates a space station in Patagonia, remains keenly interested in the region. Under the last administration Argentina was “gnat’s-ass close to buying Chinese fighter aircraft”, warns the American. In 2021, weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, the previous government signed a deal with the Russian ministry of defence allowing Argentine officers to travel to Russia for training. During Joe Biden’s presidency the United States pushed Britain to let Argentina buy modern F-16 fighter jets with a British-made ejector seat. Britain was reluctant and an alternative was found. Argentina bought older F-16s from Denmark with $40m of American money. These did not have British parts, so its approval was not required. However, the United States still sought to explain and justify it to Britain, which accepted it. That was progress. “The US government was also interested in whether the broader export controls could be ended,” says a former American official. A spokesperson for the British government says it has “no current plans to review the UK’s export-control policy for Argentina”. But it is easy to imagine Britain’s position shifting. The Trump administration is pushy, ignores orthodoxy and is close to Mr Milei, whose pro-Western stance probably helps Britain to be flexible. His conciliatory tone and taboo-breaking on the Falklands is crucial. He openly admires Margaret Thatcher, who led Britain during the Falklands war. He admits that the islands “are in the hands of the UK” and assures that Argentina will not try to retake them by force. Recently, he even seemed to imply that the islanders have a right to self-determination, Britain’s position. Domestic politics remain a formidable barrier in both countries. Argentina appointed a new foreign minister in October. Despite enthusiasm in other parts of government, better ties with Britain seem less of a priority for the new man. For its part, Britain worries about who comes after Mr Milei. Selling arms to a Milei-led Argentina may be okay, but he will leave office in 2027 or 2031. An attempt in 2016 to reset relations was torn up after the left-wing Peronists returned to power. It would be embarrassing to help Argentina modernise its armed forces only for that to happen again. In both countries the flag-waving opposition could paint an agreement as a concession and use it to whip up anger. In Britain, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is surging in the polls and could easily pressure the government over any new arrangement, framing it as a betrayal of the war dead, perhaps. In Argentina the Peronists have already attacked Mr Milei for his stance on the Falklands. With mid-term elections in October he and his team may prefer to steer clear of the issue for now. Yet the overriding logic of Mr Milei’s foreign policy is airtight alignment with the United States (notwithstanding trade with China). Britain has a similar, if less absolutist, tradition. The Trump administration is so exercised about Chinese influence in Latin America that it threatens to seize the Panama Canal. It is also clear about the threat in the South Atlantic. If it pushes harder its two allies may draw a similar conclusion—and act accordingly. ■ Sign up to El Boletín, our subscriber-only newsletter on Latin America, to understand the forces shaping a fascinating and complex region. Explore more Britain World Geopolitics The Americas Argentina

How Xi’s wife and a regional chief secretly plotted his escape

The Homecoming: For Those Migrants Returning To Honduras, Little Has Changed

The Homecoming: For Those Migrants Returning To Honduras, Little Has Changed Honduras Emerson Colindres, 19, and his family fled Honduras and applied unsuccessfully for asylum in the United States in 2014. Since then, they had been in the immigration system, waiting to receive a date to leave the US. Then, agents detained Colindres when he showed up for a routine immigration check this month in Ohio. Colindres, who has no criminal record and just graduated from high school, spent two weeks in the Butler County jail near Cincinnati before he was deported back to Honduras, the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote. “It was kind of more traumatizing because I haven’t been to my birth country in years,” Colindres told WCPO, a local television station. If his mother and sister leave Ohio to join him, as they say they will, they will join other Honduran immigrants who are opting to self-deport from the US under a new program called Project Homecoming, according to CNN. The US government initiative pays those in the US illegally $1,000 to leave the country. A group of 38 Hondurans who opted to self-deport recently landed at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in northeastern Honduras. This direction of traffic is a trickle compared with the number of Hondurans who have migrated to the US in recent years. Between 2000 and 2021, the Honduran migrant community in the US grew from 240,000 to 1.1 million, an increase of 374 percent, the Pew Research Center said. There are many reasons why Colindres’ family took him from the Central American country of around 10 million, namely the poverty, the violence, and the corruption in the narco-state. Things haven’t changed in the 11 years since they left. For example, late last year, a scandal erupted in the country over meetings between senior government officials associated with President Xiomara Castro and drug traffickers who donated to her campaign and paid bribes to Castro’s husband, former President Mel Zelaya, who went into exile following a 2009 coup, and Zelaya’s brother, explained the Wilson Center. Castro’s predecessor, ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández, is now serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US for trafficking in guns and drugs. The country lacks the civil society institutions, independent judiciary, and watchdog groups to combat this corruption, analysts say. In the past, American officials might have had more power to help Honduras foster democracy and law, the Christian Science Monitor noted. Now, however, as the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) lamented, the US has taken a more antagonistic stance toward Castro due to her left-wing views, including her ties with China and her support for the authoritarian regimes of Nicaragua and Venezuela. As a result, the US shuns the country: “During his tour of Central America in early February 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not include Honduras on his itinerary, sending a strong message,” WOLA wrote. In November, Hondurans will elect a new president who might change the direction of the country, the Associated Press reported. Candidates from Castro’s leftist LIBRE party and Hernández’s conservative National party will likely dominate the vote, which means little will change, analysts say. As a result, the reasons people like the Colindres family left the country won’t be solved anytime soon. Still, some are hopeful. “While electoral violence is a significant threat, and democratic degradation is indeed a concerning trend in the region, these challenges are by no means insurmountable,” wrote the US Institute of Peace. “Central American neighbor Guatemala rose from its contentious 2023 elections with a citizenry hopeful of a renewed democratic spring capable of strengthening justice while delivering social dividends for its society. Hondurans still have time to make next year’s elections their watershed moment towards building a stronger, more inclusive and responsive democracy.” Share this story

Cuba Is Hanging On ,Barely. As The US Turns The Screws

In the Vice: Cuba Is Hanging On, Barely, As the US Turns the Screws Cuba Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío recently sat down with Democracy Now! to talk about the US government’s toughening stance on the communist-run island 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Re-designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, resuming the American economic embargo on Cuba, banning travel from the island to the US, targeting Cuban immigrants for deportation, and sending immigrants detained in the US to the American military base in Guantánamo Bay were narrow-minded policies that were “not relevant to the interests of most Americans,” said Fernández de Cossío. As Cossío spoke, students at the Caribbean country’s universities were taking to the streets to protest the 800-percent increases in Internet fees, reported United Press International, adding that the hikes had undercut academic work, research, and public health services. The two developments reflect how Cuba faces threats, old and new, even as it reaches breaking point. Young Cubans who have lived with frequent power outages, water shortages, transportation failures, and skyrocketing food prices said that pricey wi-fi was the last straw. Cuba’s state-owned communications company, ETECSA, which enjoys a monopoly as the country’s Internet provider, unilaterally raised the price, saying it was short of foreign currency. However, the new prices, based on average use, are double the monthly base salary of government employees. Still, students said the real outrage was also that Cuba’s communist government is increasing its reliance on the US dollar. In recent months, state supermarkets have opened across Cuba that only accept hard currencies. Gasoline stations are switching away from the peso. Many believe electricity is next. Already, numerous companies offer foreign packages that encourage Cubans to ask their relatives abroad to pay. “(The anger) reflects a growing sense on the island that the government is moving away from its socialist principles, while not liberalizing the economy enough to allow people to earn the money now needed to live,” the Guardian wrote. Regardless, the price spikes for the Internet are one of many examples of the economy’s problems. Outlets that track the island, like CiberCuba, wrote that inflation is up and food scarcity is widespread. Poor seniors, for example, are consuming coffee and banana peels to stave off hunger. Products like milk are uncommon now. When families are lucky enough to find food, they cook over charcoal due to natural gas shortages. The US has arguably contributed to these troubles, analysts say. Restrictions on remissions to islanders from immigrant Cubans and Cuban Americans in the US have dramatically reduced income, for instance, as the state-owned Cuban News Agency described. Also, doing business with a Cuban entity is illegal and subject to sanctions. Citing the Cuban government’s abysmal human rights record and resistance to American power projection in the region, the chief of mission in the US Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer, said the US was already planning to impose a new round of sanctions on the country. “This administration is determined to sanction repressors,” Hammer told Reuters and other reporters recently in Miami. “There will be consequences for their actions.” The Cuban economy – and thus the communist government – are on the brink of collapse amid these pressures, argued Gerold Schmidt, an expert at the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, a German think tank. “The socialist country is currently facing what is likely the worst economic crisis since the 1959 revolution,” he wrote. “It will be difficult for Cuba’s political leadership to find a way out of the crisis in the foreseeable future. On the one hand, it does not want to give up the gains made by the revolution… But the country lacks the necessary funds for investing in vital sectors and cannot obtain further loans due to US sanctions and its already high levels of foreign debt. In the short term, the focus will have to be on how the country’s economy can survive without overstretching the population’s patience.” Share this story

Chilean Right Buoyed By Rise In Crime and Scandals On The Left

Chilean Right Buoyed by Rise in Crime, Scandals on Left Chile Outgoing Chilean President Gabriel Boric is lobbying hard in the capital of Santiago for progressive legislation that would expand abortion rights and permit euthanasia. The bills are vital to Boric’s legacy because he has failed to fulfill other left-wing pledges he made when he assumed office three years ago, including liberal tax reforms that never passed, pension reforms that did not eliminate private pension fund administrators as promised, and a proposed liberal constitution that voters rejected in a 2022 referendum, according to Reuters. The abortion bill would decriminalize the procedures for as long as 14 weeks after conception. The euthanasia bill would permit euthanasia and assisted suicide for citizens older than 18, the Associated Press reported. Boric’s urgency highlights his tough political position. Unable to run for a consecutive, four-year term under the Chilean constitution, Boric won’t be on the ballot in the upcoming election in November. Now, unless he shows that he can deliver on his campaign promises, Boric’s successors are likely to be conservatives who try to erase any influence he has had on the South American country. Boric’s approval ratings stand at around 22 percent, United Press International wrote, despite enacting some leftist policies like limiting the workweek to 40 hours and increasing the minimum wage. Still, Chileans are far more worried about spiking levels of crime and political scandals involving his administration, analysts said. Frontrunners in the presidential race, meanwhile, are all on the right. Leading the pack is conservative economist Evelyn Matthei, 71, the daughter of a general who served under dictator Augusto Pinochet, who ruled the country for 17 years, World Politics Review explained. She had campaigned to allow Pinochet to remain in power and to defeat efforts to bring perpetrators of crimes against humanity during his regime to justice. She has pledged to crack down on immigration but also supports gay marriage and abortion. She compares herself to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a noted pragmatist. A close contender is far-right candidate, José Antonio Kast, 59, the son of a Nazi émigré to Chile and who lost to Boric in the last election. A long-serving congressman for the south side of Santiago, his late brother served as a minister under Pinochet, whose regime Kast has defended. He is rising in the polls. Another candidate is Axel Kaiser, 43, a libertarian who styles himself after Argentine President Javier Milei, who has slashed government programs and criticized left-wing policies. Kast and Kaiser have pledged to crack down on immigration, too. “I worked as a laborer, as a waiter, as a bond salesman, I’ve done a thousand different things,” Kaiser told America Quarterly. “(Boric) was a student activist, entered Congress, and became president. He’s never worked a day in his life.” All three want to put an end to Boric’s policies, added the American Conservative, and the public is receptive: “Boric, once the shining star of the young Latin American left, is now an exhausted political figure, as the region’s youth turn rightwards in concert with much of the world.”

Bolsinaro Goes On Trial

Down and Out in Brazil: Former Brazilian Leader Goes On Trial For Attempted Coup Brazil Former Brazilian Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio de Freitas recently testified on behalf of his one-time boss, Jair Bolsonaro, the ex-president of Brazil, who is currently on trial for allegedly organizing an attempted coup to remain in office and plotting to murder the current president and a supreme court justice. “During the period I was with the president during the final stretch (of his term)…he never touched on that subject, never mentioned any attempt at constitutional disruption,” said Freitas, who is the current governor of the state of São Paulo. A conservative and populist, Bolsonaro faces 40 years in prison if he’s found guilty of seeking to seize control of the government after he lost his reelection bid to current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, a leftist, in late 2022, reported Agence France-Presse. He would also be banned permanently from holding office. Soon after the election, his supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace in the capital of Brasília, the Buenos Aires Herald explained. Bolsonaro claims the prosecution is politically motivated and aims to prevent him from running for office again in 2026, the BBC noted. The case against him, meanwhile, appears strong, analysts add, pointing to a mountain of evidence, including testimony by some of his own supporters. In mid-May, Gen. Marco Antônio Freire Gomes, a former army commander under Bolsonaro, took the stand in a pre-trial hearing and told the court that he met with Bolsonaro ahead of the inauguration of Lula in early 2023 to discuss a “state of siege” as a possible way to overturn Bolsonaro’s election defeat, according to Agence France-Presse. Another military official under Bolsonaro, Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior, told the court he also took part in meetings in which Bolsonaro discussed “the hypothetical possibility of using legal instruments” to overturn the election results and justify military intervention. Both Gomes and Júnior said they refused to comply. Gomes said that he warned Bolsonaro of the judicial implications of declaring a state of siege and even threatened to have him arrested if he followed through with the plan. More than 80 witnesses, including senior military officers, former government ministers, and officials from the police and intelligence services, are testifying in this preliminary trial phase. Among them is Bolsonaro’s former personal assistant, Lt. Col. Mauro Cid, who has made a plea deal. Still, British-Canadian writer Gwynne Dyer saw holes in the prosecution’s case. Writing in the Bangkok Post, he argued that the civilians who vandalized government buildings were incompetent and half-hearted in their attempt at regime change. Soldiers never left their barracks. And Bolsonaro was “on vacation” in Florida. Meanwhile, it’s not clear a judge would imprison the former president if he is found guilty. Bolsonaro, 70, is recovering from his sixth operation for intestinal damage related to a 2018 assassination attempt. Pain and discomfort have impeded his campaign efforts for his party in next year’s presidential election, the Associated Press wrote. Bolsonaro’s downfall represents an especially remarkable reversal of fortunes in contrast to the comeback of his arch-nemesis, Lula. Lula left office in 2010 after serving two terms as a popular president. His handpicked successor, former President Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and ousted in 2016. Then, a year later, prosecutors convicted Lula in a bribery and corruption scandal, imprisoning him for almost two years. In 2021, the country’s Supreme Court annulled his conviction, letting him run for office again. Holding on to power is a long game in Brazilian politics, analysts say. Bolsonaro is already banned from holding office until 2030 for abuse of power and for making unfounded claims that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud. Despite the ban, he said he plans to run again in the 2026 presidential election. After all, Lula became president again in spite of his conviction, observers add. “One of the strange paradoxes in politics is that populists gain from anger at the political system no matter how much they contributed to the system’s failures,” wrote World Politics Review. “Brazil’s prosecution (of) Bolsonaro for the attempted coup he plotted is salutary. But that does not guarantee the country won’t fall into this same trap.” Share this story

Brasil Is On Track To Become The #1 Cattle Producer in the World!

he Americas | Cash cows Brazilian supercows are taking over the world What a bovine beauty pageant says about the future of the world’s beef supply A stockman watches over the Nelore cow known as Viatina-19 at a farm in Uberaba, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Dear Dairy, today I had my pedicurePhotograph: AP May 14th 2025|Uberaba Save Share Give Listen to this story The master of ceremonies at ExpoZebu, a cow gala in the state of Minas Gerais in south-east Brazil, could see the dilemma. One animal had “elliptical eyes” and an “excellent mammary apparatus”. The other had a delicate neck and a curvaceous rump. The judges faced “a difficult decision”. When he finally announced the winner of the contest (they plumped for the rump), cowhands shed tears of joy and the crowd erupted with a riotous “yeehaw”. ExpoZebu is the world’s largest fair of zebu, an Indian strain of cattle whose distinguishing features are a humped back and sagging dewlaps. Brought to Brazil in the 19th century, it proved more resistant to heat and parasites than European breeds. Today zebus make up 80% of Brazil’s 239m-strong herd of cattle. Their proliferation has helped to transform Brazil from a country where hunger was common to the world’s largest net exporter of food. Brazil’s agricultural revolution began in the 1970s, when a series of military governments poured money into rural credit and created Embrapa, the state-owned agricultural-research firm. Its scientists developed crops well adapted to tropical weather, in particular a tall, drought-resistant grass from Africa called brachiaria. This opened the country’s vast interior up to farming and cattle ranching (at the cost of massive deforestation). Breeding programmes then began beefing the zebus up. The average weight of a slaughtered cow in Brazil has gone up by 16% since 1997. In a country of tropical supercows, crowning bovine beauty queens is a big deal. Buyers flock to ExpoZebu from as far afield as Angola and India to see the finest creatures. They then bid in auctions to buy elite genes from champion cows and bulls. The wealthiest ranchers compete for shares in the cows themselves. This year’s fair attracted 400,000 visitors. Its auctions raised $35m. The ultimate prize is a cow like Viatina-19 (pictured below), a zebu that fetched $4m in 2023 to become the most expensive ruminant ever sold at auction. She weighs 1,100kg (2,400 pounds), more than twice the average of less distinguished counterparts. In an auction in November her crown was stolen by Carina, another Brazilian beauty. Each animal has three owners, each with the right to harvest eggs from their cow for four months of the year, for sale to keen breeders. The cows have been cloned to insure their genes. Famous country singers and powerful politicians roam ExpoZebu, but the cows are the stars (with names like “Genghis Khan” and “Lady Gaga”). Champions seem aware of their celebrity. When photographed, Viatina appears to straighten her legs, lift her head and peer thoughtfully into the distance. Picture taken, she returns to munching her feed. Lorrany Martins, a vet whose family co-owns Viatina, says the cow is given daily baths with a clarifying shampoo to keep her hair gleaming white. Her horns are moisturised with sunflower oil and she receives regular pedicures. She is watched over by surveillance cameras and travels in her own lorry while her brethren cram into pickup trucks. The improvements that Viatina embodies have allowed Brazil to account for almost a quarter of the world’s beef exports. That share is set to expand. The World Organisation for Animal Health, based in Paris, is expected soon to declare Brazil free of foot-and-mouth disease. The move “will totally change Brazil’s image”, says Luiz Josakhian of the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders. Protectionist countries may find it harder to refuse cheap Brazilian beef imports on sanitary grounds. Indeed, exports to the United States are soaring despite President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Beside the road out of Uberaba, an advertisement featuring muscular cows boldly declares Brazil’s mission: “Better cows for a better world.” ■ Sign up to El Boletín, our subscriber-only newsletter on Latin America, to understand the forces shaping a fascinating and complex region. Explore more World The Americas Agriculture Brazil

Nazi War Criminals Allegedly Paid $200 Million In Bribes To THe Peron Government in Argentina

Nazi criminals allegedly paid $200M in bribes to Perón government By Macarena Hermosilla, 6 hours ago ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, May 23 (UPI) -- Recently declassified files suggest that Nazi criminals may have paid $200 million in gold bribes to Argentine authorities to secure refuge in the country after World War II. Then U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaks near a portrait of former Argentinean President Juan Domingo Peron and his wife Eva Duarte de Peron, during a visit to the Bicentenary Museum at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2011. File photo by Leo La Valle/EPA-EFE The files indicate German submarines transported the gold to Argentina's southern coast, where it was delivered to Eva Duarte, wife of then-President Juan Domingo Perón. The money was reportedly later handled by German bankers Richard von Frente, Ricardo Stauch and Rodolf Freude. The released material includes 1,850 documents compiled into seven files dating from 1950 to 1980. The records confirm that Third Reich fugitives arrived in Argentina beginning in 1945 with the protection of Perón, and that their arrival was not isolated but part of a larger effort. Nazi ideology had gained notable support in Argentina as early as the 1930s. On April 10, 1938, nearly 10,000 people attended a rally organized by the German embassy at Luna Park stadium in Buenos Aires. Perón was reportedly an admirer of fascist aspects of Nazi Germany. "The German government encouraged that sympathy by promising major trade concessions after the war. Argentina was full of Nazi spies. Argentine officers and diplomats held important posts in Axis Europe," said Christopher Minster, a Latin American history and literature expert, in an interview with ThoughtCo. Among the most prominent Nazis who found refuge in Argentina were Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death," Adolf Eichmann, one of the main architects of the Holocaust and leader of the so-called "Final Solution," and Josef Schwammberger, who commanded the Krakow concentration camp from 1942 to 1944. Mengele evaded capture for years, living under a false identity in Argentina and Paraguay. He drowned off a Brazilian beach in 1979 and was buried under the name Wolfgang Gerhard. Eichmann was captured by Mossad in a covert operation and brought to Israel, where he was tried and executed by hanging on June 1, 1962. He had entered Argentina under the alias Ricardo Klement. Schwammberger was arrested in 1987 and extradited to Germany, where he was sentenced to life in prison.

Argentina: Protests For Higher Pensions Escalate As Pensions Hike Fails

Protests for Higher Pensions Escalate as Pensions Hike Fails Argentina Dozens of people were injured in clashes with police this week in Buenos Aires after protests broke out in front of Argentina’s Congress following a failure by lawmakers to approve higher pensions, the Associated Press reported. Earlier this week, Argentine lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on various bills, including pension increases and other benefits for the retired. The administration of President Javier Milei, which has been focused on rescuing the economy and tackling high inflation while cutting public spending, opposed the proposals. Protests for pension increases have become common in Argentina after Milei implemented austerity measures over the past year. During these demonstrations, retirees are often joined by other groups, such as unions or soccer fans. The government says that austerity measures are necessary to bring down inflation, and promote investment and economic growth. Economists and business folks say the tough medicine of Milei, the self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” who rode to power in 2023 promising to “blow up” the central bank, punish elites, axe a bloated government, and defeat sky-high inflation, is working. And he is being rewarded for these moves, too. Milei’s right-wing party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), in an election upset, took first place with more than 30 percent of the vote in local elections in Buenos Aires on Sunday, traditionally considered the stronghold of the center-right Propuesta Republicana (PRO), which placed third, according to Euronews. The party also beat the left-leaning Peronist party, which governed Argentina for most of the past 20 years and came in second in the elections.

Forged In Blood: The Friendship Between President Pinochet and a Nazi War Criminal

Culture | Forged in blood The friendship of a Chilean dictator and a Nazi war criminal Philippe Sands traces the connections between Augusto Pinochet and Walter Rauff in his new book Augusto Pinochet signing a decree naming new ministers, Santiago, Chile, 1983 Sitting, not in the dockPhotograph: Getty Images May 8th 2025 Save Share Give Listen to this story 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia. By Philippe Sands. Knopf; 480 pages; $35. W&N; £25 THE TWO men had a lot in common. They shared an affinity for German culture and a disdain for communism; they also both committed mass murder, only on different continents, decades apart. One was Augusto Pinochet (pictured), a Chilean dictator from 1973-90 who murdered thousands of people. The other was Walter Rauff, an SS officer who developed the mobile gas chambers that killed some 100,000 people in the second world war. In “38 Londres Street”, a gripping new book, Philippe Sands shows that the long-rumoured connection between the men was real. After fleeing an Italian prison camp at the end of the war, Rauff ended up in South America. In Quito, Ecuador, in the 1950s, he befriended Pinochet, who encouraged Rauff to move to Chile. Rauff settled in Punta Arenas, a city in the country’s south, where he carved out a new life as the manager of a king-crab cannery. Years later, when Mr Sands visits, many residents recall fond memories of Rauff (and of Pinochet’s dictatorship). A woman who worked at the factory says Rauff “seemed like a good person”. A magazine feature from the time includes a glowing endorsement from the mayor: Rauff “creates no problems for anyone”. Was that really true? Mr Sands sets out to verify another rumour: that the former Nazi helped Pinochet’s secret police torture and disappear people. (The book’s title refers to a building in Santiago that became a detention centre.) Mr Sands’s investigative work leads him to survivors and perpetrators, many of whom claim to remember Rauff. The author leaves it up to the reader to decide whether their testimonies are reliable. “38 Londres Street” is the third book in Mr Sands’s loose trilogy about Nazis, justice and impunity. “East West Street” (2016) chronicled the work of two Jewish lawyers from Lviv, in Ukraine, in defining the legal concepts of crimes against humanity and genocide which were used at the Nuremberg trials. “The Ratline” (2020) retraced the steps of a Nazi fugitive as he tried to flee to South America. As in those books, Mr Sands weaves together travelogue, detective story and legal drama. Walter Rauff leaves the Supreme Court after being taken into custody in Punta Arenas at the request of the West German Government, in Santiago, Chile, December 6th 1962 Photograph: Alamy The author finds he has a personal connection to the events and characters. Some of his Jewish relatives probably died in Rauff’s gas vans; during his research he learns that he is related by marriage to one of Pinochet’s victims, a United Nations diplomat tortured and killed in 1976. Yet his response to the material he uncovers is often fascination rather than horror. He is a curious scholar, not a justice warrior. In 1998 Mr Sands, who is a practising barrister, played a minor role in the efforts to extradite Pinochet from London, where he had been arrested while seeking medical treatment, to Spain, where he had been indicted. Pinochet’s arrest was the first time a former head of state was apprehended abroad under the doctrine of “universal jurisdiction” for large-scale human-rights abuses. A legal battle ensued: the prosecution wanted Pinochet extradited and the defence argued that he had immunity as a former head of state. Mr Sands interviews nearly every lawyer, judge and diplomat involved in the 17-month saga. In the end, Rauff and Pinochet shared another experience: they never faced justice. Pinochet was spared from extradition on flimsy medical grounds. He returned to Chile in a wheelchair, then abandoned it on the tarmac once he reached home soil. He faced prosecution in Chile in his final years, but died in 2006 without standing trial. Rauff also survived extradition attempts and died in Santiago in 1984. Mr Sands concedes that “justice has been limited”, but shows that the law works in indirect ways. Pinochet’s case helped persuade Chile’s Supreme Court to exclude human-rights abuses from a sweeping amnesty law that Pinochet himself signed in 1978, allowing hundreds of cases to be brought against officials in the army or secret police. Rauff and Pinochet may have enjoyed impunity, but some of those complicit in their crimes have died, or will die, behind bars. ■ For more on the latest books, films, TV shows, albums and controversies, sign up to Plot Twist, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter Explore more Culture This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Forged in blood”

Suriname Tries To Put Its Past Aside

New Dawn: Suriname Tries To Put Its Past Aside Suriname Dési Bouterse, the former leader of Suriname, died recently. But analysts say his shadow will haunt the country for years to come. The 79-year-old became president after leading the army’s coup in the former Dutch colony in 1980. Seven years later, he stepped down after coming under international fire for inciting political violence, reported Agence France-Presse. In 1990, he returned to power in a bloodless coup but resigned a year later. In 2010, voters elected him president, a position he held for a decade, transforming himself into a dictator while becoming the subject of national and international arrest warrants for murder and drug-trafficking. As some in the South American country continue to mourn Bouterse, others say Suriname is trying to put its past in the rearview mirror. “Now that Bouterse has passed away, it might be worth investigating whether it makes sense to start a process of truth-finding, as happened in South Africa after the apartheid regime fell,” wrote Suriname’s local newspaper, de Ware Tijd, referring to the political murders of hundreds of people under the Bouterse regime. “Suriname’s development will be able to proceed more quickly if there is a certain degree of unity among the population.”  The country of almost 700,000 people, one of the most diverse in the world, is now hoping to see the fruits of exploiting a treasured resource that lies off its Atlantic shores. As OilPrice.com reported, leaders in Suriname are now hoping to mimic neighboring Guyana, where the gross domestic product per capita increased 41 percent last year to almost $31,000 annually, more than four times greater than Suriname’s $7,600 per capita. The recent approval of the $12.2 billion, 1.4 million-acre GranMorgu project in Suriname is expected to deliver similar windfalls. By 2028, the project is expected to pump as much as 220,000 barrels per day from offshore fields containing 760 million barrels in total, added Offshore Energy. GranMorgu, incidentally, is a word for a massive grouper fish but also has a double meaning – “great morning” or “new dawn” in the local Sranan Tongo language, said French oil company TotalEnergies in a statement. Meanwhile, drillers have already generated more than $300 million a year for Suriname’s treasury for three years in a row – a previously unheard-of haul there, noted Radio Jamaica News. Surinamese hope to have a say in how the country spends the money. As BNamericas wrote, politicians and activists are calling for greater transparency and public oversight of the oil industry. Campaigns for the general election on May 25 already include demands for the government to dole out larger tranches of oil revenues to communities and interest groups. Held under new rules that will foster new political parties to enter parliament, the election is still a battle between President Chan Santokhi’s Progressive Reform Party and the late Bouterse’s National Democratic Party, the Center for Strategic and International Studies explained. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the country in April before the vote was a sign of how powerbrokers in the Western Hemisphere also see the country’s potential. “Energy security in the Caribbean region,” was a major talking point during Rubio’s meeting with Santokhi. Meanwhile, the country is struggling with its economy, left bankrupt by the former president, corruption, and balancing its relations with China with new interest from the US, wrote Global Americans. Regardless, Suriname can expect big changes in the coming years. How they manage these changes is the tricky part, say analysts. Suriname has seen similar promises of economic growth through oil exploration for a decade now,” wrote Semafor. “People are still waiting.”

Brasil's Top Court Starts Bolsonaro's Coup Trial

Brazil’s Top Court Starts Bolsonaro’s Coup Trial Brazil Brazil’s Supreme Court this week began hearing key witnesses in the prosecution of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting a coup to retain power after narrowly losing the election in 2022, France 24 reported. Gen. Marco Antônio Freire Gomes, a former army commander under Bolsonaro, took the stand on Monday and said that he met with Bolsonaro between the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his inauguration in early 2023 to discuss a “state of siege” as a possible way to overturn Bolsonaro’s election defeat, according to Agence France-Presse. Another military official under Bolsonaro, Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior, told the court he also took part in meetings in which Bolsonaro discussed “the hypothetical possibility of using legal instruments” to overturn the election results and justify military intervention. Both Gomes and Júnior said they refused to comply. Gomes said that he warned Bolsonaro of the judicial implications of declaring a state of siege and even threatened to have him arrested if he followed through with the plan. More than 80 witnesses, including senior military officers, former government ministers, and officials from the police and intelligence services, are expected to testify in this preliminary trial phase, which is expected to continue for at least two weeks. Bolsonaro, who joined the hearing wearing the yellow Brazilian football jersey in a symbol of solidarity with his right-wing voters, faces allegations of plotting to retain power despite his 2022 election loss, a plot that prosecutors say includes plotting to murder the current president and a supreme court justice, the BBC noted. If found guilty, he faces up to 40 years in jail and would also be banned from holding office. Bolsonaro is already facing a ban from holding office until 2030 after alleging that the Brazilian electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud. Despite the ban, he said he plans to run again in the 2026 presidential election.

Is France Building A New Devil's Island In South America?

France to Export Drug Traffickers, Extremists to Guiana France France said it will build a high-security prison in its overseas territory of French Guiana in South America to hold drug traffickers and radical Islamists currently serving sentences in France, the BBC reported. The prison is to be built in the Amazon rainforest, in the northwestern region of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, near the border with Suriname. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin visited the area over the weekend, according to France 24. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, Darmanin said that the project, which is costing over $450 million and should open by 2029, will specifically target organized crime “at all levels” of the drug supply chain. He added that the prison would be run with a “strict” regime to “incapacitate the most dangerous drug traffickers.” French officials say the goal of the prison is to stop individuals early on in the drug trade, as well as serve as a definitive tool for dismantling the leadership of the drug trafficking organizations in mainland France. At least 20 percent of the cocaine in the French mainland comes from Guiana. French officials hope the new prison, with its deep isolation, will make it more difficult for drug lords to connect with their criminal networks because it will allow for more effective signal jamming. The prison will be able to hold up to 500 prisoners and feature an ultra-secure section for 60 dangerous inmates. It will also include an area for Islamists and prisoners considered dangerous to state security. Some in Guiana criticized the project, saying that France is shipping them criminals too dangerous to remain in France, as if French Guiana were “France’s ‘rubbish’ bin.” Local lawmakers, meanwhile, were taken aback by the proposal, saying they were not informed in advance. However, Darmanin countered that the new prison will hold local offenders, too, as there are an “enormous number” of murderers and drug traffickers in French Guiana. The new prison will be France’s third high-security prison – the other two are located in mainland France – and follows a series of recent attacks linked to criminal gangs who attacked prisons and staff across France. Share this story

Argentina Markets Bask In Milei's Local Election Win Glow

Argentina markets bask in Milei's local election win glow By Walter BianchiJuan Carlos Bustamante, 8 hours ago By Walter Bianchi and Juan Carlos Bustamante BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina's markets enjoyed the glow on Monday of a mood-boosting local election win by the party of investor-friendly libertarian President Javier Milei, which analysts said put him in good stead ahead of more important ballots later this year. Milei's party won the most votes in legislative elections in wealthy capital Buenos Aires, beating pollsters' forecasts. The win gives Milei just a few more seats in the city's legislature, but is symbolic of his rising fortunes. "The bulk of the support was all to do with Milei," said Buenos Aires-based political consultant Shila Vilker with Trespuntozero, adding it was a "resounding win" for Milei's brash brand of austerity and deregulation. "It's a confirmation of the course they're on." While Milei is divisive, he has kept voters on his side by bringing down what was triple-digit inflation via tough spending cuts and reducing monetary emissions, moves that have won him plaudits from investors and the International Monetary Fund. The latest vote suggests his political footing remains firm, which markets have cheered - even if the real-life impact of the vote is limited, with his party still holding a minority in the city's legislature after the victory. On Monday, bonds edged up around half a percent, while the S&P Merval stock index was up nearly 2%. "Milei's list wasn't expected to come first, and that has two implications," said Graham Stock, emerging markets strategist at RBC Global Asset Management, adding it gave Milei leverage with his more moderate conservative allies. "It suggests that they're going to do better than expected in the midterms in October, but even before that, it creates more momentum behind a deal (with center-right party PRO)." Argentina will renew half of the seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies and a third of those in the Senate in the midterm vote. Milei, an economist and acid-tongued former pundit, came to office in December 2023 after a shock election win. The country still faces a major challenge to build up depleted foreign currency reserves, which it needs to hit targets under a new $20 billion IMF deal, while the recent lifting of capital controls has made the peso more volatile. And not everyone was convinced that it was a win for Milei, with voters split - and many not turning up at all. "My interpretation is that no political party won," said Buenos Aires lawyer Juan Pablo Mares, citing one of the lowest-ever voter turnouts with many people apathetic and struggling under still-high inflation and cuts to public services. "If the political leaders don't look at that, read it, and learn from it, they will continue to be divorced from the reality we all face." (Reporting by Walter Bianchi and Juan Bustamante; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Writing by Adam