Just two days after a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, Mexico kickstarted one of its largest international emergency deployments in recent years.

As relentless wildfires continue to devastate vast stretches of Canada — with more than 900 active blazes burning from British Columbia to the Northwest Territories — Mexico has once again proven what it means to be a steadfast ally.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed three proclamations on July 20 imposing additional 50-percent tariffs on certain goods from Canada, a move the White House described as “in response to Canada’s discriminatory treatment of American products.”

The U.S. State Department will sharply reduce the fee for renouncing American citizenship from US$2,350 to US$450, effective April 13. 

Cuba is reeling. Hardly a drop of oil has been delivered to the island in the last three months, its president has confirmed.

According to CNN, fuel prices have skyrocketed to US$9 a liter on the unofficial market, meaning it costs more than US$300 to fill a car’s gas tank — more than most Cubans earn in a year.

Currency fluctuations can be invisible to the average Joe Blow or Juan Perez. Investors, traders, exporters, importers, economists and politicians may pay close attention, but most of us generally only notice the value of our home currencies when we travel — and see that they buy more or less than before.