News from South America
MercoPress South Atlantic News Agency
- Brazil revives naval industry through Petrobras-led investment drive
on January 21, 2026Petrobras, through its logistics subsidiary Transpetro, signed contracts worth R$2.8 billion (around US$570 million) on Tuesday for the construction of five gas carriers, 18 pushboats and 18 barges at shipyards in Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas and Santa Catarina, as part of a government-backed effort to revive Brazil’s shipbuilding industry and reduce […]
- Chile wildfires: death toll rises to 20 as authorities report widespread destruction and arrest a suspect
on January 21, 2026Wildfires burning across south-central Chile have pushed the confirmed death toll to 20, with authorities keeping red alerts, a state of catastrophe, and a night-time curfew in parts of the Biobío and Ñuble regions as crews continue to battle multiple active blazes.
- Uruguay to send 40 firefighters to Chile as Biobío and Ñuble wildfires leave at least 20 dead
on January 21, 2026Uruguay will deploy a contingent of around 40 firefighters to Chile to help battle the wildfires ravaging the country’s south-central regions—particularly Biobío and Ñuble—where Chilean authorities have reported at least 20 deaths and thousands of people affected.
- Macron warns Davos of a “world without rules” as Trump’s Greenland row intensifies
on January 20, 2026French President Emmanuel Macron told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that the world is drifting toward a “world without rules,” where the law of “the strongest” prevails—remarks delivered against the backdrop of a deepening transatlantic dispute over Donald Trump’s push to secure control of Greenland and his fresh tariff threats.
- Delcy Rodríguez promete subir 30% la producción de oro para captar divisas
on January 20, 2026Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez said her administration aims to raise gold production by 30% in 2026 to generate additional foreign-currency revenues, as the government seeks to shore up public finances and draw fresh investment into the mining sector, according to reports attributed to EFE.
- Trump links Greenland ambitions to Nobel snub ahead of Davos appearance
on January 20, 2026US President Donald Trump reignited tensions with European allies on Monday by linking his push for control of Greenland to the Nobel Peace Prize — arguing that, because he did not receive the award, he no longer feels “obliged to think only about peace.” In a message addressed to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre —later circulated to […]
- BYD ship reaches Argentina with record delivery of nearly 5,800 electric and hybrid vehicles
on January 20, 2026The BYD Changzhou car carrier docked on Monday at Terminal Zárate, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, and unloaded around 5,800 hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China—described by local coverage as the largest single import landing of its kind in the country.
- Argentina–Iran: diplomatic tensions after Quds Force is added to Argentina’s terrorism registry
on January 20, 2026Iran warned it would deliver an “appropriate response” after the Argentine government designated the Quds Force—an external-operations unit within Iran’s Revolutionary Guards—as a “terrorist organization” and added it, along with 13 linked individuals, to Argentina’s Public Registry of Persons and Entities Connected to Terrorism and its […]
- Trump’s obsession: why central bankers came out in support of Fed’s chair Powell
on January 19, 2026By John Hawkins (*) - Central bankers from around the world have issued a joint statement of support for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as he faces a criminal probe on top of mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump to resign early.
- A fairy penguin in Falklands, a long way from home in New Zealand
on January 19, 2026The Falkland Islands have recently been delighted to welcome a new visitor all the way from New Zealand!