South America

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Thirteen people died in a stampede at a disco in Peru after a police raid to enforce the country’s lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Sunday.

The stampede happened at the Thomas disco in Lima, where about 120 people had gathered for a party on Saturday night, the Interior Ministry said.

People tried to escape through the only door of the second-floor disco, trampling one another and becoming trapped in the confined space, according to authorities.

After the stampede, police had to force open the door.

23 Aug 2020; MEMO: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday said it would be a “good idea” to look into buying missiles from Iran, a day after Colombia said Venezuela was considering such a plan amid growing ties between Caracas and Tehran, Reuters reports.

Iran in May supplied gasoline to Venezuela to ease chronic shortages, triggering alarm bells in Washington as the two countries expand trade relations amid efforts to undermine aggressive U.S. sanctions programs.

BOGOTA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Ivan Duque on Saturday condemned the recent violence that occurred in the country, with five young people killed on Aug. 11.

"They are not alone. We are here as a government, we are here to reject violence, and we have told you that we will be delivering results quickly to clarify these facts and for justice to be done," the president in a speech in the city of Cali.

BUENOS AIRES, 22 August. /TASS/: The Venezuelan government is in talks with the Russian side on participation in testing and production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado announced on Friday.

"We have offered 500 volunteers to participate in vaccine trials," the minister said during a video conference with President Nicolas Maduro, which was broadcast on Periscope.

Alvarado said Venezuela and Russia "also discussed the possibility of joint production" of the Sputnik V vaccine.

CARACAS, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The unity of countries that has ratified the OPEC+ Declaration of Cooperation will make it possible to overcome the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Venezuelan Minister of Petroleum Tareck El Aissami said on Wednesday.

"The OPEC+ Declaration of Cooperation has been an excellent mechanism that has guaranteed not only the stability of the oil market, but has also been the fundamental point for leveraging the world economy," El Aissami said via Twitter.

NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil (AP) — A year ago this month, the forest around the town of Novo Progresso erupted into flames — the first major blazes in the Brazilian Amazon’s dry season that ultimately saw more than 100,000 fires and spurred global outrage against the government’s inability or unwillingness to protect the rainforest.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — President Alberto Fernández, announced that Argentina together with Mexico, will produce for Latin America the coronavirus vaccine developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory in collaboration with the British University of Oxford.

“We hope as soon as possible to start the production process” Fernández said at a press conference, who minutes later contacted his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

CARACAS, Aug 12 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — A Venezuelan court sentenced two former US soldiers to 20 years in prison for their role in a failed incursion aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro in early May, chief prosecutor Tarek Saab said.

Former Green Berets Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, admitted to participating in the May 4 operation, Saab wrote on his Twitter account.

“Said gentlemen ADMITTED to having committed the crimes,” he wrote, adding that the trials were ongoing for dozens of others captured.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday angrily denied the existence of fires in the Amazon rainforest, calling it a “lie,” despite data produced by his own government showing that thousands of fires are surging across the region.

Bolsonaro last year similarly denied a spike in fires that provoked a global outcry, with the right-wing populist trading barbs with French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders.

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 9 (AP/PTI) Brazil surpassed a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday night, and five months after the first reported case the country has not shown signs of crushing the disease.

The nation of 210 million people has been reporting an average of more than 1,000 daily deaths from the pandemic since late May and reported 905 for the latest 24-hour period.