International

Petrobras notches $5.9 bn profit in Q3

AFP

Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras reported a hefty net profit of $5.9 billion for the third quarter Thursday, beating analysts’ expectations as oil prices continued to climb.

It was the fourth straight quarterly profit for the company, up from a loss of $236 million for the same period in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic had sent crude prices crashing.

Since then, Petrobras has rebounded on the back of soaring prices — so much so that far-right President Jair Bolsonaro said earlier on Thursday it was making too much profit.

“Petrobras needs to be a company that doesn’t post excessively high profits, as it has been doing,” he said in his weekly live address on social media.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

“It has to play a social role, in the good sense of the term.”

Bolsonaro made the remarks just before the company announced its profit for the July-September period, which followed a profit of $8.1 billion for April-June.

Petrobras said the boost had come largely from the rebound of Brent crude prices to an average of $73.47 a barrel in the third quarter, up 70.9 percent in a year.

The company has largely passed that increase on to customers at the pump, drawing the ire of consumers — and Bolsonaro — as fuel prices soar.

The president had also criticized Petrobras on Wednesday, saying, “It’s a state-run company that, with all due respect, is just giving me headaches.”

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

He said he was looking at putting the company “on the radar” to be privatized as part of his government’s massive sell-off of state-run firms.

Bolsonaro has not shied away from shaking things up at Petrobras in the past.

In February, he appointed army reserve general Joaquim Silva e Luna as chief executive of Petrobras, replacing respected CEO Roberto Castello Branco shortly after saying the firm should not be constantly “surprising people” with price increases.

International

Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation

Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of 10 people on Saturday in the central state of Zacatecas, a region that was heavily affected by organized crime violence just a few years ago.

The victims were found in different municipalities across the state, which experienced a surge in violence between 2021 and 2022 as rival criminal groups fought for control of key drug trafficking routes.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas state government, said on social media that the bodies were located in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco, and Sain Alto.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the causes of death or identified those responsible for the killings.

Reyes said security forces have launched a coordinated operation to locate those behind the crimes and strengthen the police presence in the affected areas as the investigation continues.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

International

U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists

The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.

Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.

Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.

The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.

The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.

Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.

Central America

Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute

The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.

In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”

Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.

“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.

The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.