Peru F-16 Crisis: Chancellor and Defence Minister Resign, US Ambassador Threatens Reprisals, MEF Pays $462M Anyway — Brazil Expands Minha Casa Minha Vida to R$600,000, Middle Class Enters Housing Programme — Argentina: Milei Bans All 60 Journalists from Casa Rosada, Hosts Peter Thiel Same Day, Approval Crashes to 14th of 18 LATAM Leaders — Peru […]

The post Latin American Pulse for Saturday, April 25, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Punta del Este is being positioned as Latin America’s dominant luxury wealth hub, anchored by the US$500 million Cipriani Ocean Resort Club Residences & Casino opening its first phase in 2026. —Luxury beachfront homes trade at US$7 million to US$20 million; prime condo prices reach US$7,000–US$10,000 per square metre. Real estate sales in […]

The post Uruguay Punta del Este: US$1.17B in Luxury Real Estate Sales in H1 2025 appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Chile’s Kast government committed on April 23 to keep the 12.5% first-category corporate tax rate on small and medium enterprises (PyMEs) permanent, after a two-hour La Moneda meeting with sector leaders. —The commitment reverses the Reconstrucción Nacional bill’s schedule, which had the PyME rate rising to 23% in 2029 — matching Kast’s planned […]

The post Chile Small Business Tax: Kast Keeps 12.5% Rate Permanent appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Mercado Libre raised US$300 million on April 21 via a Fondo Común de Inversión Cerrado de Créditos — the largest closed FCI in Argentine capital markets history. —The fund was issued at 411.17 billion pesos, at the Tamar reference rate (currently 24.96% TEA) plus a 4.25% spread, with a 15-month term and an […]

The post Mercado Libre Argentina Raises US$300M in Record Closed Fund appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Moody’s Ratings downgraded Ecopetrol’s global credit rating from Ba1 to Ba2 on Thursday, April 24, citing a weaker assessment of government support from Colombia (Baa3 stable). —The agency flagged higher risk of government interference, lower predictability of support mechanisms, and specific delays in Fuel Price Stabilization Fund (FEPC) payments. Outlook shifted from negative […]

The post Ecopetrol Rating Cut: Moody’s Drops Colombia Oil Giant to Ba2 appeared first on The Rio Times.

The criminal case against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in a Federal Court of New York has entered a critical phase.

The post Venezuela-USA: Maduro & Flores with Public Defenders appeared first on Havana Times.

Today we feature Brazilian artist Oda Cairu with the song “Espelho” released on April 18, 2026.  

The post Oda Cairu – Song of the Day appeared first on Havana Times.

Key Points —Colombia’s banana exports reached a record US$1.309 billion in 2025, up 21.6% from 2024, with 133 million 20-kilogram boxes shipped from 52,943 cultivated hectares. —The performance made Colombia the world’s fourth-largest banana exporter behind Ecuador, Guatemala and the Philippines, and the third-largest in Latin America — overtaking Costa Rica. —The European Union absorbed […]

The post Colombia’s Banana Exports Hit a Record US$1.3 Billion in 2025 — and Are Already Projected to Fall in 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy will issue a resolution adding a national surcharge of 8 pesos per kilowatt-hour on upper-class households (strata 4, 5 and 6) and on commercial and industrial users. —The surcharge is designed to raise around 235 billion pesos (roughly US$66 million) in its first year and flow entirely […]

The post The Caribbean Coast Is Running Out of Power. Colombia Wants All of Its Upper-Class Households to Pay to Fix It appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Bolivia’s long-distance bus transport is operating at just 20% capacity because of diesel shortages, and the national drivers’ confederation has declared a state of emergency with a possible indefinite strike on the table. —YPFB president Claudia Cronenbold resigned on April 22 after less than a month in office, warning the state oil company […]

The post Bolivia’s Soy, Corn and Sorghum Harvest Is Stuck Because the State Oil Company Can’t Buy Diesel appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Interim president José María Balcázar swore in Carlos Pareja Ríos, a 75-year-old career diplomat and former ambassador to the United States, as Peru’s new foreign minister on the evening of April 23. —Hours before his appointment, Pareja publicly criticised Balcázar on Canal N, warning that the postponement of the F-16 contract had the […]

The post Peru’s New Foreign Minister Publicly Criticised the President Hours Before Being Sworn In appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —Peru’s foreign and defence ministers resigned on April 22 after accusing interim president José María Balcázar of lying to the country about whether the US$3.5 billion F-16 contract had been signed. —The first contract phase — twelve F-16 Block 70 aircraft worth US$1.54 billion — had already been signed at Base Aérea Las […]

The post Peru’s Cabinet Signed a US$3.5 Billion American Warplane Contract Over Its Own President’s Head appeared first on The Rio Times.