September
Peru’s Fujimori, divisive head of a political dynasty, dies age 86
During his decade in power, he revived the economy and crushed two leftist insurgencies. But he was forced out in a corruption scandal and later imprisoned.
- Marco Aquino
August
Strike at BHP-owned mine ends as workers win $48,000 bonus
BHP had previously offered a $US28,900 bonus per worker, compared with the union’s demand of 1 per cent of shareholder dividends from the mine.
- Updated
- Fabian Cambero
Strike hits BHP’s biggest copper mine
Workers walked off the job at the Escondida mine in Chile that produces about 5 per cent of the world’s mined copper.
- James Attwood
- Analysis
- Inside China
Bad news for Australia: China’s steel crisis is set to deepen
Prices are tumbling, profits are dwindling, and there’s little relief on offer from a government focused on retooling China’s economy for the long term.
- Updated
- Hallie Gu
- Opinion
- Lithium
Albemarle sounds warning on critical minerals processing
The US-based firm’s decision to reduce output from its lithium hydroxide plant and write down much of its investment demonstrates the flaws in Australia’s plan for greater domestic processing of critical minerals.
- Jennifer Hewett
July
Protests erupt in Venezuela as nations denounce election result
The US and countries around the world denounced the official results of Sunday’s vote, which did not appear to match statistical estimates based on partial counts.
- Frances Robles, Jack Nicas and Alejandro Cegarra
CSL wins global avian flu vaccine contracts
Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL is to supply up to 45 million shots of its avian flu vaccine to Europe and the US as health authorities prepare for possible human infection from the dangerous H5 strain.
- Tom Burton
June
- Opinion
- East Asia Forum
History will judge the new era of US protectionism harshly
The unseemly contest by Joe Biden and Donald Trump to outdo each other in trade protectionism will make the world become less prosperous and more unpredictable.
- Gary Hufbauer
May
- Opinion
- Mining
Why BHP’s pursuit of hot copper went cold
The red metal is the new black. A rebuffed BHP has gone back to the drawing board to plot its next move after Anglo American rejected its request for more time.
- Jennifer Hewett
South African politics complicates BHP’s Anglo American discussions
As they try to seal a $75 billion deal on the same day as the South African election, the two miners remain split on the costs Pretoria will impose on any deal.
- Peter Ker
BHP gets green light for improved Anglo bid
Two prominent Australian investors say they support BHP making an improved bid for Anglo American so long as discipline is not completely abandoned.
- Peter Ker
April
Chinese general uses naval gathering to restate hard line on Taiwan
‘We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation,’ said the vice chairman of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.
- Ng Han Guan
March
Blast hits Australian UN observer patrolling in Lebanon
Israel denied responsibility for the shell that exploded, injuring the UN observers and their interpreter, who were patrolling the southern Lebanese border.
- Bassem Mroue and Kareem Chehayeb
- Opinion
- Critical minerals
In WA, a lesson in the tough reality of processing lithium
Albemarle’s emerging plant is a living example that reality is much harder than Australia’s rhetoric about more downstream processing in lithium hydroxide.
- Jennifer Hewett
US eyes ‘substantial’ lithium imports from Chile
Janet Yellen travelled to Chile to strengthen ties with an ally rich in a metal that’s essential to the Biden administration’s electric vehicle vision.
- Viktoria Dendrinou
Deep-sea robot finds walking fish among 100 new species
The discovery off the coast of Chile has intensified calls to protect submarine mountains in international waters.
- Dino Grandoni
February
Chile’s fires sweep into urban areas killing scores
Firefighters are struggling to contain forest fires in the centre and south of the country caused by El Niño weather patterns.
- Alexandre Plaza and Patricia Luna
January
Traders line up for ‘once-in-a-generation’ bet on emerging markets
Optimism is sweeping through domestic bond markets as investors wager that the Fed will soon start lowering rates.
- Carolina Wilson and Zijia Song
Eight of the best foodie travel destinations in 2024
From up-and-comer San Salvador to established Geneva, there’s a whole world of tastebud tantalisation to explore.
December 2023
Chileans reject constitution overhaul for second time
The latest vote highlighted the deep division in the South American country and the inability of political sectors to address people’s demands for change.
- Maria Verza and Patricia Luna