Bolivia’s New Furry Friend
A new species of feline was discovered in the cloud forests of Bolivia last week, when DNA testing on one small cat that a resident described as “a weird house cat” when he dropped it in an animal shelter last year.
Scientists have dubbed the new species Leopardus tilcayo, also somewhat commonly called a Tigrillo by locals. The discovery inspired adoration and memes around the world, and a crowdfunding site maintained by the shelter had already raised more than $100,000 as of Sunday evening.
The news couldn't be more welcome in Bolivia, which is confronting simultaneous energy and economic crises. The embattled government of Rodrigo Paz just accepted a $1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meant to stall rising inflation and a spiraling national deficit.
The Paz administration cut diesel subsidies Friday in a move that is highly likely to inspire roadblocks and transportation unions and campesino organizations.
Even the overpowering cuteness of our newest jungle kitty friend is unlikely to improve prospects for an embattled government.
Haiti extradites Colombians accused of murdering president to the US
Eighteen suspects, principally Colombian citizens, who were arrested in the July 2021 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse are being extradited to the US, US officials announced Sunday evening.
The move by US officials marks the next step in a drawn out process that has yet to hold a trial for suspects who have been jailed in Haiti for 5 years.
The suspects will face justice in Florida, according to a public statement by Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
The US has also indicted 11 other suspects.
Several of the Colombians pled guilty during a preliminary trial, though they have since stated that they were beaten, denied food, threatened with execution, and forced to sign statements in a language they did not understand.
Delcy takes Manhattan, and will attend a UN Assembly
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet this Tuesday Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the White House announced on Friday.
The visit will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders, who have shared words of support and warmth in recent months.
This will also be the first meeting between a U.S. president and a Venezuelan leader in more than 11 years, since the brief meeting between Barack Obama and Nicolás Maduro during the 2015 Summit of the Americas, held in Panama.
Also this week, the US is set to take custody of over $400 million in Venezuelan gold, which was seized in the United Kingdom in 2019, when the country supported the bid of Juan Guaidó as interim president.
US officials have claimed the gold will be used to fund reconstruction in Venezuela after dual earthquakes devastated the country earlier this year.
The Other Big Headlines in LATAM
Millions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout. It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.
Laura Sarabia, Colombia’s former Foreign Minister, ex-chief of staff, and former ambassador to the UK under Petro, who resigned from all of those positions after scandals, has been charged for abuse of power for her role in “Nannygate”, in which she demanded police detain and interrogate her nanny after a large briefcase of cash went missing in her apartment.
Former Venezuelan Minister Alex Saab pled guilty to laundering $195 million for the Maduro government in US courts as part of a plea deal with US prosecutors. Saab was extradited to the US by the Rodriguez government in conjunction with the FBI.
An ICE agent shot Venezuelan citizen Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, in Austin on Sunday. His attorney said he was doing a DoorDash delivery when the shooting happened, and the man subsequently called his wife from inside the vehicle before being shot by migration officials. He was released from the hospital into federal custody.
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Hasta pronto, piratas!
