LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Brazil's Bolsonaro asks for U.S. tourist visa

Mexican president to meet with Citigroup's CEO Fraser MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he will meet with Citigroup's Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser as the U.S.-based bank attempts to sell its local retail unit Banamex, a sale that touches on sensitive political goals.

The latest in Latin American politics today: Brazilian ex-president applying for U.S. tourist visa

WASHINGTON - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has applied for a six-month tourist visa to remain in the United States, his lawyer said, despite calls for any U.S. visas held by Bolsonaro to be revoked following violent protests in Brasilia. The United States received his application late last week, according to his lawyer Felipe Alexandre, who added that the defeated far-right leader will remain in the United States while his application is pending.

"He would like to take some time off, clear his head, and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be," Alexandre said in an email response to Reuters. Massive copper mine in Peru may halt output over unrest

LIMA - The huge Chinese-owned Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, normally the supplier of 2% of the metal worldwide, could halt production this week due to protests and blockades that are starting to snarl output of the red metal amid already tight global supply. The Andean nation, the world's second-largest copper producer, has seen growing social unrest since early December, with key mines hit by road blockades and attacks by protesters, mainly impacting transportation of copper rather than production.

That may now change. China's MMG Ltd said its Las Bambas mine, located in Peru's mountainous south, may have to halt operations from Wednesday due to protests that were sparked by the ouster and arrest of leftist former President Pedro Castillo. Mexican president to meet with Citigroup's CEO Fraser

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he will meet with Citigroup's Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser as the U.S.-based bank attempts to sell its local retail unit Banamex, a sale that touches on sensitive political goals. Lopez Obrador has insisted he prefers a Mexican buyer, but did not reveal the date of the meeting or any details of the transaction during a regular news conference.

The firm's Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said earlier this month that the sale of Banamex is "well underway," although he did not say when the deal will be concluded. German Chancellor seeks critical minerals in South America

SANTIAGO - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lobbied this week for South America to prioritize cooperating with Germany in its commodities sector as Berlin joins the race for critical minerals, with lithium key for its auto industry. Europe's largest economy has fallen behind in the race for critical minerals, in part due to a distaste for the dirty business of mining as well as faith in the open market, German government officials say.

That has led to a reliance on China, which has invested widely in the mining sector in resource-rich South America. (Compiled by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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