Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Latin America & Caribbean

Hard Numbers: Big Biz funds Net Zero, ANC on the ropes in South Africa, Brazil COVID deaths drop, Asia’s mega-trade deal

Hard Numbers: Big Biz funds Net Zero, ANC on the ropes in South Africa, Brazil COVID deaths drop, Asia’s mega-trade deal
Paige Fusco
Make us preferred on Google

130 trillion: A group of the world's top banks, insurance companies, and asset managers will raise an astounding $130 trillion worth of private capital to help the world achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The initiative, launched at COP26 by former Bank of England boss Mark Carney and known by its somewhat odd acronym Gfanz, bans its members from funding any fossil fuel projects.


50: With three-quarters of votes counted, South Africa's ruling ANC party looks set to win less than 50 percent in Monday's local elections for the first time since the end of apartheid. The final result has been delayed due to power outages that the government promised to fix before the vote.

2,188: Brazil's weekly COVID death toll has fallen to 2,188, the lowest figure since the start of the pandemic. Latin America's largest nation has now fully vaccinated more than half the population, and a higher percentage of Brazilians have gotten a first shot than Americans.

53: Australia and New Zealand have ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which will become the world's largest trade agreement — covering 53 percent of global exports — when it goes into effect next year. The RCEP also includes China, Japan, South Korea, and the 10 ASEAN member countries.

More For You

​US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacts during President Trump's press conference after the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

EMMI KORHONEN/LEHTIKUVA/Sipa USA
Meet the Viceroy of Venezuela According to a detailed New York Times exposé, Venezuela is effectively run by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who controls the country’s finances, greenlights government appointments, and implements (or waives) sanctions. He even reviews the social media posts of president Delcy Rodríguez, whom the US installed [...]
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo at the National Palace in Mexico City, on June 25, 2026.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo during the welcoming ceremony for Felipe VI of Spain at the National Palace in Mexico City, on June 25, 2026.

Carlos Santiago/Alto Press via ZUMA Press
Sheinbaum’s bind gets tougherAt least a dozen Mexican lawmakers – including members of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party – have reportedly offered to be informants to the United States as part of Washington’s investigations into elected officials’ alleged collusion with cartels. Sheinbaum has denounced the investigations, using them as a [...]
​People search for casualties under the rubble of a collapsed building in Caracas following earthquakes in Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

People search for casualties under the rubble of a collapsed building in the aftermath of earthquakes, in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
Will the earthquake shake Venezuela’s government?The death toll from the Venezuelan earthquakes continues to rise, nearing 600 by Friday morning. The US believes that figure could rise to a staggering 10,000 once all the dead are located under the rubble. The human and economic toll are immense. But as is often the case with natural disasters of [...]
A building damaged by earthquakes that hit the country, in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

A view of the remains of a building damaged by earthquakes that hit the country, in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

REUTERS/Fausto Torrealba
Deadly earthquakes hit Venezuela At least 164 people were killed and nearly 1,000 were left injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening. The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were the strongest to hit the country in nearly six decades. A number of buildings collapsed, Caracas’ international airport was damaged, and [...]