South America controls about 70% of the world’s reserves of lithium, the metal used in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles, but none of the infrastructure needed to put it to work.
Beyond an unsustainable pension system Brazil is working to fix, there’s a vast web of smaller bureaucratic hindrances holding back Latin America’s largest economy.
Tropical Storm Dorian is strengthening as it swirls toward the Caribbean island of Barbados, potentially reaching near hurricane strength by Tuesday, while a second system struggles to get organized in the waters off Florida.
The die-off is highlighting questions about the ocean of pesticides used in the country’s agriculture and whether chemicals are washing through the human food supply — even as the government considers permitting more.
The crisis facing Guatemala’s coffee growers, suffering from rock-bottom commodity prices and depressed incomes, could turn into a nightmare as Trump threatens tariffs against the country.