South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A fire at an oil refinery in southwestern Argentina killed at least three people early Thursday, according to local authorities.

Firefighters worked throughout the morning to extinguish the blaze that started at a storage tank at the New American Oil refinery, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the provincial capital of Neuquen, .

The fire quickly spread throughout the refinery and local media outlets published video showing a massive explosion followed by dark clouds of smoke rising from the facility.

CARACAS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sanctions imposed by the United States are driving more Venezuelans to emigrate to neighboring countries, Venezuelan Labor Minister Francisco Torrealba told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

The official made the remarks while presenting a Venezuelan report on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, in Geneva.

Venezuela's migratory flow is atypical, extraordinary and induced, the minister stressed, saying U.S. sanctions were to blame.

Sept 20 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on Latin American countries to join forces to end the war on drugs during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, has long derided the global war on drugs as a failure, even using his inauguration speech in August to call for a new international strategy to fight drug trafficking. 

CARACAS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The memorandum issued on Thursday accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries."

The memorandum is of an "interfering nature" and has no legal status, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

17 Sep 2022; MEMO: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has summoned Chile's ambassador to rebuke him after Chilean President Gabriel Boric cancelled the credential ceremony for the new Israeli ambassador to Santiago, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Chilean Foreign Ministry scheduled for September 30 the acceptance of Israeli Ambassador's credentials, days after a diplomatic tussle was seen in the South American country.

The dispute began on Thursday when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola informed newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli that Chilean President Gabriel Boric was postponing a meeting to accept his credentials until October. 

16 Sep 2022; MEMO: Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, yesterday refused to accept the credentials of new Israeli Ambassador, Gil Artzyeli, due to Israel's killing of Palestinians.

Artzyeli had been scheduled to present his credentials to Boric as a formality, but the Chilean government informed him that the ceremony had been cancelled, before he was instructed to leave.

CARACAS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al-Ghais, on Wednesday said the bloc and its allies remain "alert" to any possible changes in the global oil and gas market during his visit to Venezuela.

The OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting is "ready to convene as soon as needed to agree on any changes in market conditions, if necessary," Al-Ghais said.

LA PAZ, Sept 11 (NNN-TELOESUR) — The Bolivian Government announced the creation of the General Directorate for the Protection of Indigenous Nations and Peoples (DIGEPIO) following the enactment of Supreme Decree 4793.

Bolivian Minister of Justice and Institutional Transparency, Iván Lima, said the objective of the DIGEPIO will be to address the needs of populations in vulnerable situations, noting that it will be part of the judicial structure.

CARACAS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday announced the joint reopening on Sept. 26 of the border between his country and neighboring Colombia.

"I am very happy to announce that as of #26Sep we will jointly open the borders between Venezuela and Colombia," the Venezuelan president shared on Twitter.

Flights from the capital Caracas and the northern city of Valencia to Colombia's capital Bogota will also resume, he added.