Petro and Co. Ahead of his August 7 inauguration, Colombia’s President-elect Gustavo Petro has announced some of the major figures in his cabinet. From a seasoned finance minister to a “foreign minister of peace,” learn more about who's who in Petro's incoming administration.
 

Digital warfare. Starting in April, Costa Rica suffered from debilitating cyber attacks. For two months, education, health services, and trade in the country experienced severe disruptions.

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What’s coming up in Latin America? 

• July 28: Peru's President Pedro Castillo marks one year in office.
• August 5: Deadline for political parties in Brazil to formally select candidates for October’s election. Check our regularly updated poll tracker on the presidential contest.
• September 4: Chileans vote on a draft constitution.

THEY SAID WHAT?

• Panama’s president says he will lower gas prices by 24 percent, following eight days of protests. (BBC News)

• Uruguay announces talks of a bilateral free-trade agreement with China. (Voz de América)

• Inflation expectations for the Argentine peso increase to 90 percent by the end of the year. (Bloomberg)

• Deforestation in the Amazon reaches a six-year high, with almost 4,000 square kilometers destroyed between January and June. (The Washington Post)

• An IMF study says Latin America has some of the slowest roads in the world. (El País)

Mexico’s pledged contribution to border security over the next two years, which was announced following Mexican President López Obrador’s July 12 meeting with U.S. President Biden.


$3.4 billion

Amount earmarked by the United States for border improvements in the infrastructure bill passed last fall.

1,196 pounds

Fentanyl seized by the Mexican government at a warehouse in early July. The trafficking of the opioid has become a point of contention between the United States and Mexico.