South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina could take an unprecedented turn Sunday as frustrated voters weigh handing the presidency to an anti-establishment, right-wing populist who has shaken up the political system and pledges to drastically overhaul the state.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans get a chance Sunday to pick who they think can end the decade-long crisis-ridden presidency of Nicolás Maduro.

They will cast ballots in a primary election independently organized by the country’s opposition despite government repression and other obstacles.

The contest is in itself an exercise in democracy because it required the deeply fractured opposition to work together to give the South American country its first presidential primary since 2012. But it could prove an exercise in futility if Maduro’s government wishes.

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 20 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentine health authorities approved a booster Covid-19 vaccine fully developed in the South American country, it was announced in Buenos Aires. The “ARVAC Cecilia Grierson” drug is said to be effective against the latest versions of the disease for patients over 18 years of age.

BOGOTA, Oct 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Thursday that his country will open an embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.

Petro issued the statement after meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Raouf Al-Maliki.

“I have expressed my position to achieve an international peace conference that opens the way for two independent and free states,” the President said on X following the meeting.

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Argentina may be about to leap into the political unknown.

The South American country, the region's No.2 economy after Brazil, will vote in presidential elections on Sunday with a radical outsider, libertarian Javier Milei, in pole position to win, though he will likely face a second round run-off.

The wild-haired, chainsaw-wielding economist - who has risen from relative obscurity over the last year - came top in an August open primary and leads all opinion polls ahead of economy minister Sergio Massa and conservative Patricia Bullrich.

BOGOTÁ, Oct 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel, one of the main providers of arms to Colombia’s military, said Sunday it was “halting security exports” to the South American country after taking umbrage at its president’s remarks on the war with Hamas.

Since the militant group’s vicious attack on Israel a week ago, President Gustavo Petro has posted numerous comments on X, formerly Twitter, supporting the people of Gaza.

In one post, Colombia’s first-ever leftist president compared Israel’s retaliatory targeting of Gaza to the Nazi persecution of Jews.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Daniel Noboa has managed to do what his father failed at five times: Get elected as Ecuador’s president.

And he did it Sunday on his first attempt, winning a runoff in a special election against a leftist lawyer on the strength of his resume as a 35-year-old member of Ecuador’s elite, which has meant some schooling in the U.S., some entrepreneurial work, some dabbling in politics.

Now he must meet the universal demand of voters to make the South American country safe again, following a surge in unprecedented violence tied to drug trafficking.

16 October 2023; MEMO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro yesterday announced his intention to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from a harsh siege as a result of the Israeli aggression.

Petro denounced “the genocide” carried out by Israeli occupation aircraft in Gaza, demanding the protection of health sector workers. He went on to stress that systematic attacks on civilians and genocide must be stopped and international law adhered to.

QUITO, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuadorans vote for a new president Sunday in the midst of a bloody drug war and a rash of political assassinations that cut short the bid of a popular candidate.

The remaining finalists – lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, 45, and banana empire heir Daniel Noboa, 35 – campaigned in bullet-proof vests as a climate of fear grips the once-peaceful country.

Both have vowed to prioritise the escalating violence.

MONTEVIDEO, Oct 15 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — For the first time in many years Uruguayan rice farmers are not complaining about the cereal’s price or asking for some form of government support.

On the contrary the Association of Rice Farmers have admitted to have sold overseas all of this year-s crop an estimated 1,26 million tons out of a total harvest of 1.4 million tons. Uruguay usually consumes 10% of its rice production and the rest is exported.