Colombia's President Gustavo Petro criticised US President Donald Trump on Thursday for supporting hard-right presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer – and fervent Trump supporter – who made a fortune representing drug-trafficking paramilitaries, fraudsters and football stars.

Washington is pledging emergency aid to Bolivia and warning against attempts to topple President Rodrigo Paz as his government faces mounting protests aND worsening shortages. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that "the United States is watching", vowing continued support to Paz in the fight against "narco-terrorists" who profit "from death and destruction in our hemisphere".

The US on Thursday announced new economic sanctions against Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel, members of his immediate family, and members of the Castro family connected to the country's past two presidents. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on the island in recent months, even threatening to take the country over.