Andrei Netto

That irritating feeling that France was right Donald Trump’s America makes Gaullism respectable again

In the end, of course, it is France's fault, right?

But it would be more humble to admit that the French concept of strategic independence has been overlooked in Europe for decades, with countries opting to become military and economic colonies instead.

www.economist.com/europe/2026/...

Perhaps a bit excessive?

‘We’re in danger of extinction’: can Bolivia’s ‘water people’ survive a rising tide of salt and migration? The Uru Chipaya, one of South America’s most ancient civilisations, are battling drought, salinity and an exodus of their people as the climate crisis wreaks havoc on their land

‘We’re in danger of extinction’: can Bolivia’s ‘water people’ survive a rising tide of salt and migration?

Brutal, vibrant and creative: capturing the soul of Latin America in 100 photographs The journalist and historian Paulo Antonio Paranaguá uses images from the turbulent continent to weave a history of the region, covering colonisation, slavery and dictatorship

Brutal, vibrant and creative: capturing the soul of Latin America in 100 photographs

‘History will tell’: as US pressure grows, Cuba edges closer to collapse amid mass exodus Disillusioned with the revolution after 68 years of US sanctions and a shattered economy, one in four Cubans have left in four years. Can the regime, and country, survive the engulfing ‘polycrisis’?

Cuba is on the brink. After decades of US sanctions, the island is in its worst state since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with one in four Cubans having left within four years. As the humanitarian toll increases, the threat of state collapse becomes more imminent.

Here's my report from Havana.

‘We’ve begun oil spill response training’: Patagonia prepares for the largest crude oil export port in Argentina Wildlife experts warn huge facility on the Valdés peninsula in Patagonia could be devastating for ‘a treasure chest of wildlife’

Argentina is building its largest crude export port on Patagonia’s coast, near a UNESCO marine sanctuary home to whales, penguins & sea lions. Scientists warn spills could devastate wildlife. My report for @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/global-devel... @andreinetto.bsky.social

Families torn apart, charges of kidnap and theft: how plans for a giant mine have sown distrust and unrest in the hills of Jericó Activists who object to plans for Colombia’s biggest copper mine as a serious threat to the environment are fighting legal action initiated by AngloGold Ashanti. But some in the community say the vent...

In the lush mountains of Colombia, farmers and activists are taking on a mining colossus. Our latest @Guardian series investigates how AngloGold Ashanti's Quebradona project is stirring fears of environmental ruin — and why locals are pushing back.

Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done? In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sources

Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?

The fallout is multi-layered: wetlands dry up, cattle struggle and salt flats sink. As one community leader warns, their lands are "highly vulnerable to any changes". 5/5

Demand is surging: Chile supplies ~13% of global copper and ~80% of EU’s lithium. By 2034, mining water use is projected to rise another 20%. 4/5

While desalinated water now makes up ~30% of mining water, it's energy intensive and harmful to marine life due to brine discharge. Most desal plants rely on Chile's fossil-fuel grid – not yet a climate-friendly solution. 3/5

A 2021 court fined miners $47 million for over‑extracting groundwater, depleting aquifers by 25 cm and choking wetlands in Peine. 2/5

Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done? In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sources

In Chile’s Atacama – the driest desert on Earth – copper & lithium mining are pushing ecosystems to the brink. Companies like BHP, Albemarle & Zaldívar now pump desalinated seawater inland, but Indigenous communities say the harm is done. 1/5

‘We don’t want contact because you are bad’: loggers close in on uncontacted people in Peruvian Amazon Logging, drug trafficking and the climate crisis endanger the world’s largest isolated Indigenous group, on the border with Brazil

“We don’t want contact because you are bad” – Uncontacted peoples in the Peruvian Amazon are sounding the alarm as illegal loggers close in on their land.

A powerful report by @guardian from deep in the rainforest.

Yet, asbestos mining didn't necessarily bring economic development to Minaçu. Is rare earth mining just more of the same?

Brazil’s govt just launched a £670 m investment pool to fuel this shift — and Serra Verde (backed by Denham Capital) has started exporting tonnes already, eyeing 5,000 t/yr.

China currently controls ~90% of the global essential rare earth separation market. But Minaçu and Brazil hold the world’s second-largest reserves, and are ramping up production to challenge that dominance.

Brazil’s last asbestos miners are switching to rare earth minerals. Can they offer a brighter future? The small city of Minaçu is hoping to challenge China’s dominance in servicing the global appetite for minerals key to the green energy transition

In Minaçu, Brazil — historically home to the Americas’ last asbestos mine — miners are pivoting to something far more vital: rare earth minerals (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium) used in EV motors, wind turbines & defence tech.

Why a professor of fascism left the US: ‘The lesson of 1933 is – you get out’ Marci Shore made news around the world when her family moved to Canada. She discusses Trump, teaching history and how terror atomises society

“The lesson of 1933 is – you get out sooner rather than later.”

Marci Shore — a professor of fascism at Yale — has moved to Canada, warning that recent U.S. moves by Trump echo early fascist signs. What a chilling reminder that any society can sink if we ignore history.

A map, a myth and a pre-Incan lagoon: the man who brought water back to a drought-ridden town When historian Galo Ramón uncovered a long-forgotten pre-Incan water system in Ecuador, he set about restoring it, and helped transform the landscape and livelihoods

Historian Galo Ramón revived a 1,000-year-old water system in Ecuador. A hand-drawn 1792 map sparked the restoration of ancient lagoons — now Catacocha thrives, crops flourish and drought-born hope returns.

Read more @theguardian.com

Attack dogs: how Europe supplies Israel with brutal canine weapons Military dogs involved in attacks on Palestinian civilians – including children – are likely to have been exported from European countries, investigation finds

Europe is reportedly supplying Israel’s canine unit with attack-trained dogs linked to horrific incidents, including a 3-year-old mauling, a pregnant woman’s miscarriage and over 146 documented attacks in Gaza/the West Bank. Human rights groups urge EU regulation.

Full story @theguardian.com

‘When the river swells, it forces them to run backwards’: rising waters push Colombia’s farmers into hunger and despair Communities in the Salaquí basin face deepening food insecurity, armed conflict and the collapse of a way of life – while government schemes ignore the real problem

In Colombia’s Chocó region, rising river levels and climate extremes have devastated plantain, cassava and fish populations — and, with them, food security. In Salaquí, hunger soared from 19% to over 36% in just one year.

Full story @theguardian.com

‘The language of authoritarianism’: how Trump and allies cast LA as a lawless city needing military intervention

“You create a sense of existential fear that social anarchy is spreading, that criminal gangs are taking over. This is the language of authoritarianism all over the world,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor.

‘Scratch the earth, there’s gold!’: Small miners, big firms and armed gangs fight over Peru’s mineral wealth As the price of the precious metal soars to record levels, underground gunfights have erupted in the Andean region of Pataz as the mines’ riches draw in brutal crime cartels

Deep in Peru's Andes, a deadly battle over gold is unfolding. As prices soar above $3,000/oz, small miners, major firms, and armed gangs clash in a labyrinth of 450 tunnels. Thirteen security guards were recently tortured and killed, prompting a state of emergency.

@theguardian.com

Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan among 380 writers and groups to call Gaza war ‘genocide’ Letter also signed by Hanif Kureishi and Russell T Davies urges ceasefire and unrestricted distribution of aid

What more needs to be said?

‘I photographed the world’: the art of Sebastião Salgado – in pictures As the photographer turns 80, we look back as some of his most striking images from around the world. A selection of his work can be seen at Flowers Gallery, Cork Street, London, 16 March to 15 April

Here's why he ranks among the greatest of all time.

Photographer Sebastião Salgado at 80: ‘They say I was an aesthete of misery’ The legendary photojournalist looks back on a life committed to documenting people and the planet, and explains why nature became his focus

Last year, I had the privilege of interviewing Sebastião Salgado on his 80th birthday. I am truly saddened by his passing today.

‘We are witnessing ecocide’: Santander accused of funding vast deforestation In 2024, Spanish bank provided more than $600m in financing to firms linked to beef, palm oil, soya and supply chains driving deforestation, says Global Witness

"Estamos siendo testigos de un ecocidio." Banco Santander es acusado de financiar una vasta deforestación en el Gran Chaco, vinculada al ganado y al colapso climático.

‘We are witnessing ecocide’: Santander accused of funding vast deforestation In 2024, Spanish bank provided more than $600m in financing to firms linked to beef, palm oil, soya and supply chains driving deforestation, says Global Witness

"We are witnessing ecocide." A new investigation reveals that Santander has financed companies linked to deforestation in the Gran Chaco, South America's second-largest forest, where Indigenous communities and biodiversity are under threat.

How memories of clean water, frogs and fresh air could help save Rio’s favelas from future climate disaster A new exhibition in the Brazilian city looks at how water, the environment and extreme weather is interwoven with personal stories from 10 marginalised communities

Nas favelas do Rio, as memórias de rios e córregos limpos e natureza abundante são uma ferramenta para estimular a resiliência climática de populações desfavorecidas. Uma mostra na favela da Maré demonstra como a memória comunitária pode estimular a justiça ambiental.