LATAM POLITICS TODAY -Police showdown stirs fears of election violence in Brazil

The order's expanded sanctions powers mark a new push by the Biden Administration to punish leftist strongman Ortega, who critics say is using increasingly authoritarian means to smother democracy. Ecuadorans seek vote to block mining in biodiversity hub QUITO - Residents of Ecuador's capital Quito delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures to the country's electoral court in a bid to ban mining in one of the Andean country's most biodiverse areas. The signatories, who come from rural areas in northwestern Quito, hope to block six gold-mining concessions in the Choco Andino forest, citing threats to water sources, nature and their local businesses.

The latest in Latin American politics today: Police showdown with Bolsonaro ally stirs fears of violence

RIO DE JANEIRO - A violent showdown between an ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and police over the weekend is stirring an already tense election campaign in Brazil, as deep political polarization bubbles over just days before a pivotal runoff vote. On Sunday, federal police went to the home of former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson to arrest him on court orders after he attacked a judge in comments online. When they arrived, Jefferson opened fire on their car, leaving two officers injured.

Jefferson's conduct poses a major headache for Bolsonaro, in his uphill bid to clinch re-election against leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an Oct. 30 runoff election. Meanwhile, a pair of new polls gave Lula a 6 to 7 point lead ahead of Sunday's decisive vote, even as many question the surveys' credibility after nearly all of them significantly underestimated Bolsonaro's support in the first-round vote.

U.S. mining sanctions take aim at Nicaragua's Ortega U.S. President Joe Biden's administration ratcheted up economic pressure on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega through a series of steps targeting the country's lucrative mining industry, especially gold mining.

Biden signed an executive order that includes banning U.S. companies from doing business in Nicaragua's gold industry, while the U.S. Treasury Department also designated Nicaragua's mining authority, the department said in a statement. The order's expanded sanctions powers mark a new push by the Biden Administration to punish leftist strongman Ortega, who critics say is using increasingly authoritarian means to smother democracy.

Ecuadorans seek vote to block mining in biodiversity hub QUITO - Residents of Ecuador's capital Quito delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures to the country's electoral court in a bid to ban mining in one of the Andean country's most biodiverse areas.

The signatories, who come from rural areas in northwestern Quito, hope to block six gold-mining concessions in the Choco Andino forest, citing threats to water sources, nature and their local businesses. The forest, which spans some 280,000 hectares (691,895 acres) and was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2018, boasts large numbers of bird, mammal and amphibian species.

It is also home to 12% of Ecuador's plant varieties and an important corridor for Andean bears, as well as a major water source for Quito. The effort to block the projects comes as center-right President Guillermo Lasso bets on the mining sector to boost the economy.

Mexico to talk lithium, cars with U.S. climate envoy Kerry MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will speak with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry about lithium, batteries and the automotive industry when Kerry visits the northwestern state of Sonora on Friday.

Lopez Obrador said he would speak with Kerry on the so-called Sonora Plan, an effort to turn the state with extensive mining and agricultural industries into a green energy hub that focuses on solar farms and lithium production. The leftist president, who has not shied away from promoting fossil fuels during his first four years in office, said the two men would meet in the city of Hermosillo. That marked a reversal from a previous suggestion to meet at a major solar plant under construction in the coastal city of Puerto Penasco, a rare government-backed renewable energy project under Lopez Obrador.

Colombia urged to push human rights in new Venezuela ties BOGOTA - Colombia could use its restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela to help curb human rights violations in its neighbor, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Colombia and Venezuela reopened a major crossing point to cargo transport between the two countries in late September in a major thawing after years of icy bilateral relations and heavily restricted economic ties. While rebuilding relations with the government of Venezuela's authoritarian socialist President Nicolas Maduro, Colombia's leftist administration should also remain focused on helping to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, the rights organization said. (Compiled by Steven Grattan, David Alire Garcia and Isabel Woodford Editing by Matthew Lewis)

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