☀ Domingo Brief — Ecuador Chooses a Leader

Welcome back to the Domingo Brief! This week, we’re following Peru’s first gender bond issuance, Costa Rica’s Marco Rubio talks, and more.

Trivia of the Week 🎯

Just under half of you (47%) correctly guessed Haiti as the first Latin American country to abolish slavery. In response to the conditions for slaves, the ideals espoused in the French Revolution, and the disproportionate number of enslaved people, Haiti became the site of a major slave revolt that eventually transformed into the Haitian Revolution. The former colony formally abolished slavery on January 1st, 1804, when it declared independence from France. Led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the Haitian Revolution marked the first successful slave revolt in global history, making made Haiti the second independent country in the Americas after the United States.

Each week, tune back in for the answer to the previous week’s trivia question. No cheating!

🇨🇴 President Gustavo Petro has ordered Colombia’s national oil company to cancel an $880M joint venture with an American company over environmental concerns. The deal between Ecopetrol and U.S.-owned Occidental Petroleum was expected to produce over 90K barrels of oil per day, but their intended fracking extraction techniques drew criticism from environmental groups. Petro has called for the joint venture’s funds to be invested in clean energy projects in the country, declaring Colombia’s refusal to approve any fracking initiatives in its territory.

🇨🇷 Costa Rica obtained guarantees of foreign assistance from the United States to combat “blackmail” from Chinese companies seeking business opportunities in the country. The guarantee was announced by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his recent meeting with President Rodrigo Chaves in San José. In 2023, Chaves banned Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from bidding for Costa Rica’s 5G network rollout due to a refusal to sign an international cybercrime agreement.

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