South America

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The second of three ships loaded with gasoline from Iran approached fuel-starved Venezuela on Wednesday amid simmering social unrest over a lack of goods and services that’s sparked protests across the South American nation.

More than 100 street demonstrations have flared up in remote towns over the last week. Despite each being relatively small, they have raised concern among Venezuelan authorities, who have responded forcefully, sending in soldiers and local police, activists and residents told The Associated Press.

29 Sep 2020; MEMO: A tanker carrying fuel from Iran to Venezuela reached the South American nation’s waters yesterday, Refinitiv Eikondata cited by Reuters shows.

BRASILIA, Sept 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil reported 335 more deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 141,741.

According to the health ministry, tests in the same period detected 14,318 new cases of infection, taking the total caseload to 4,732,309.

Authorities in the southeast states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which have the highest death tolls in the country, were concerned that the crowds at beaches over the weekend would worsen the transmission of the virus.

MEDELLIN, Colombia (AP) — A key informant against one of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s closest aides has been accused of lying to his law enforcement handlers in a case involving millions of dollars transported on private jets in violation of U.S. sanctions, The Associated Press has learned.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A cloud of uncertainty that has hung over Rio de Janeiro throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been lifted, but gloom remains — the annual Carnival parade of flamboyant samba schools won’t be held in February.

And while the decision is being characterized as a postponement of the event, no new date has been set.

Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA, announced Thursday night that the spread of the coronavirus has made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades that are a cultural mainstay and, for many, a source of livelihood.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 23 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Four forest fires broke out yesterday in the central Argentine province of Cordoba, where some 400 firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, were working to put them out, the local government said.

The fires broke out in the cities of Villa Carlos Paz, Los Morteritos, Cuchi Corral and Unquillo.

Cordoba’s government said, gusts of up to 45 km per hour made it difficult to fight the flames “in affected areas that are difficult to access,” in addition to high temperatures.

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — He’s not recognized as a head of state by the country he’d be visiting. His diplomatic immunity is granted by the United Nations, not an unfriendly American administration that could decide to pick him up on drug-trafficking charges if he sets foot in the United States. Then there’s the $15 million U.S. bounty for information leading to his arrest.

BOGOTA, Sept 21 (NNN-TELESUR) — At least seven people were killed Sunday in a massacre in the municipality of Buenos Aires, department of Cauca, Colombia, the Red por la Vida de los Derechos Humanos de Cauca (Network of Life of Human Rights of Cauca) reported.

The Network says this is the ninth massacre to occur in Cauca department since the start of the year, bringing the total number of massacre victims to 35.

So far in September, there have been 11 massacres around Colombia.

BOGOTA, Sept 20 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Colombian President, Ivan Duque, announced the reopening of international flights yesterday, after five months of closure, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first post-closure Viva Air Colombia flight to Miami departed the Rafael Nunez International Airport in Cartagena yesterday, and before the flight, Duque, along with several other officials inspected the air terminal’s biosecurity protocols.

During the last five months, the airport served to carry out more than 90 humanitarian operations, repatriating around 3,000 people.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil’s former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, barred from elected office due to corruption convictions, said he is open to backing any candidate who can beat far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections.

“I am prepared to support any candidate who is committed to the working people of Brazil and against Bolsonaro,” Lula told Reuters on Friday in an interview via video conference.