LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Lula advantage over Bolsonaro narrows slightly ahead of Brazil's election

Meeting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei, Bucaro said that Guatemala and Taiwan were "like-minded countries" united by a "democratic alliance". Over 300 Panamanian artifacts returned from Netherlands - ministry PANAMA CITY - The Netherlands has returned a collection of 343 pre-Hispanic era ceramics to Panama in response to a drive in the Central American country to protect its cultural heritage, authorities in Panama City have said. "This is the largest repatriation of archaeological pieces in the history of Central America," Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes said in a government statement.

The latest in Latin American politics today: Lula advantage over Bolsonaro narrows slightly ahead of Brazil's election

SAO PAULO - Leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's lead over far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro for Brazil's October election has narrowed slightly, according to a new CNT/MDA poll. Lula has 42.3% of voter support against 34.1% for Bolsonaro in first round voting, compared to the previous CNT/MDA survey in May when Lula had 40.6% to Bolsonaro's 32%.

Lula would win an expected second-round runoff against Bolsonaro by 50.1% of votes versus 38.8%, a narrower 11.3% advantage than his 14-point lead in May, the poll showed. Brazil orders new arrest of German consul charged with husband's death

RIO DE JANEIRO - A Brazilian judge has ordered the arrest of a German diplomat charged with murdering his Belgian husband in Rio de Janeiro and asked Interpol to add his name to their wanted list amid reports he had left the country. Consul Uwe Herbert Hahn had been on preemptive arrest since Aug. 7 following the death of his husband, Walter Biot, but was freed on Friday after a local court decided that prosecutors had missed the initial deadline to press charges against him.

COVAX to send Mexico 10 mln COVID shots by Sept. 30, says official MEXICO CITY - The United Nations-backed COVAX vaccine program will send 10 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 shots for children to Mexico by the end of September, a senior Mexican official has announced.

The confirmed dates for the shots' delivery comes a week after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would complain to the United Nations about the delayed shipment of vaccines the government had requested. Guatemala pledges support for Taiwan, China accuses island of 'political manipulation'

TAIPEI/BEIJING - Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro has said that the Central American country will "always support" Taiwan, after China conducted its largest-ever military drills around the self-ruled island earlier this month. Meeting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei, Bucaro said that Guatemala and Taiwan were "like-minded countries" united by a "democratic alliance".

Over 300 Panamanian artifacts returned from Netherlands - ministry PANAMA CITY - The Netherlands has returned a collection of 343 pre-Hispanic era ceramics to Panama in response to a drive in the Central American country to protect its cultural heritage, authorities in Panama City have said.

"This is the largest repatriation of archaeological pieces in the history of Central America," Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes said in a government statement. The Foreign Ministry said another repatriation of ancient artifacts would come from Italy. It gave no further details. (Compiled by Steven Grattan; editing by Jonathan Oatis)