The Rio Times

Brazil's government urged the Supreme Court to keep its online betting ban as sites went dark; Flutter sees a US$70 million revenue hit if it holds.

Mexico has suspended 2.2 million mobile lines that missed its phone registry deadline, and foreigners who live there, including Americans, face the same rule.

The World Bank cut Argentina's 2026 growth forecast to 2.1% from 3.6% on 6 October but still sees three straight years of growth.

President José Antonio Kast signed a law giving Chile's police 24 hours, up from 12, to arrest suspects caught in the act, and urged Congress to move faster.

Four Puno police officers in Peru got 15 years in prison for keeping 80 packages of cocaine they intercepted in 2024, plus phones and about US$230 in cash.

Peruvian lawmakers voted unanimously to call in Foreign Minister Carlos Espá over the Shield of the Americas, a US-led pact that also covers critical minerals.

The US maker of the F-16 is meeting Moroccan suppliers before the Marrakech Airshow to see which firms could join its supply chain.

Deputy Nikolas Ferreira vows an inquiry into Brazil pollsters after five of six major final polls had Lula ahead, while Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round.

US data show record imports from Mexico in August and a US$27.7 billion goods gap, the widest with any country, ahead of a 2027 trade pact review.

Keiko Fujimori wants to tour CECOT, where the US sent 252 Venezuelan deportees in 2025, and meet Nayib Bukele before a summit in Madrid.

Polymarket prices a 64.5% chance Machado enters Venezuela by 31 December, up 28.5 points in 24 hours.

No poll on Brazil’s 25 October runoff has appeared since the first round.

A joint report by Colombia's and Ecuador's human rights ombudsmen finds new gangs using drones to watch and extort migrants at the main border crossing.

President Abelardo de la Espriella says Colombia will help defend 17 former soldiers held in the US over the 2021 murder of Haiti's president.

A doctor sought for months over eight deaths after vitamin drips in Sonora, the Mexican state just south of Arizona, turned himself in on 5 October.

A Dominican court in Santiago must now decide whether 13 people and five companies face trial over phone scams that cost older Americans about US$5 million.

Peru wants about US$2.4 billion in extra 2026 spending, with US$169 million aimed directly at El Niño and more than half raised through new government bonds.

A US Coast Guard cutter saved 61 migrants off the Dominican Republic, while 10 people from an earlier wreck near Mona Island are still missing.

Trump told reporters at the White House that Flávio Bolsonaro’s first-round lead over Lula was a big victory and predicted a very close runoff on 25 October.

Deputies say a 46-year-old Brazilian wore an ICE costume at a Miami Dade College polling site to watch voters react.

POSCO opened its second Sal de Oro lithium plant in Argentina on Tuesday, a 23,000-tonne carbonate unit backed by US$207.9 million of approved RIGI investment.

Bryson DeChambeau makes his debut at Africa's Major in Sun City.

Brazil’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes moved Débora do Batom to the semi-open regime but kept her under house arrest, crediting 212 days.

The Irish dance show marks 30 years with eight shows in Pretoria and Cape Town next April.

Kenya's first BET-nominated act presents a nostalgia night at Masshouse in Nairobi.

Puerto Rican star Luis Fonsi brings his Mar Infinito World Tour to Santiago on 1 April 2027.

Breeze, United, Delta and Southwest add nonstop routes to San José and Liberia from five US cities.

Mexican forces arrested Iván Cazarín Molina, known as El Tanque, in Zapopan on 5 October.

The Berlin collective's &ME plays his first Santo Domingo show on a city beach on Halloween night.

On a provisional count, 15 of Peru's 25 regions face a governor runoff on Sunday 29 November.

Venezuela geopolitics after Maduro: how Washington runs the oil money, what China and Russia still hold, and where Europe, India and Türkiye stand.

Costa Rica culture in one guide: what pura vida means, who speaks which language, how faith is changing, the holiday calendar and the national symbols.

From Maido and Central to Susana Baca, Juan Diego Flórez and Kimberly García, the living figures and festivals who shape Peru culture in 2026.

Who runs Kenya's US$135 billion economy: the policy makers, Safaricom and its contested sale, the big banks, state companies and the old family fortunes.

Who runs Mexico in 2026: Claudia Sheinbaum, her cabinet, Morena and its allies, the split opposition, the elected Supreme Court and the 2027 midterm vote.

Fifteen dishes that define Guatemalan cooking, from heritage recados to Christmas tamales, with regions, US$ prices and where to eat each one.

Who defines Brazil culture now: Oscar and Grammy winners, the stars Americans know from Narcos and the NWSL, and the festivals worth a trip.

Who controls Egypt's money in 2026: Sisi's economic team, the central bank, army-owned firms, Gulf funds, CIB, TMG and US oil producer APA.

Brazil geopolitics explained: how Brasília balances Washington's 25% tariff, China's US$100 billion of purchases, Europe, Russia and BRICS.

A region-by-region Mexico food guide: 25 dishes, from Puebla's tacos árabes to Yucatán's cochinita pibil, with what to order and where.

Cabo Verde petrol and diesel cost about 12% more in October, while the state caps the rise in cooking gas at 5.73%.

Rio Times · Africa Intelligence Brief October 6, 2026 — Nigeria mourns a military plane crash that killed 32; Kenya reports its first Ebola death and traces 28 contacts; Abiy Ahmed is sworn in for a second term and repeats Ethiopia's Red Sea demand.

We rank six Argentine places for expats on rent, safety and residency rules, from Rosario at about US$455 to Bariloche at about US$875 a month.

Senegal’s growth is forecast to fall to 2.5% in 2026 from 6.7%, as a US$2.2 billion IMF deal and Eurobond talks decide its debt path.

São Paulo in October 2026: three BTS stadium nights, Iron Maiden, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the 50th Mostra film festival and Fashion Week.

Rio in October 2026: the Festival do Rio opens the month, a Leblon theatre starts five weeks of bossa nova, Tom Zé plays Circo Voador on the 9th and the big clássicos return.

Polymarket gives Uruguay a 95.1% chance against India in Kolkata on 6 October, kickoff 10:00 ET.

Euro Gold Refinery chief Benard Feni is out on police bond in Uganda in a probe of an alleged US$3.5 million gold fraud.

A Tanzania court has ordered the police chief and power utility Tanesco to pay about US$245,000 for equipment seized in 2006 and never fully returned.

Rio Carnival as an economy of contribution: what samba schools, blocos and an anthropology of generosity reveal about status, memory and belonging.