Latin America

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:44 UTC

  Mexico to join the club of countries that decriminalize cannabis

  

  Mexico's lower house of Congress on Wednesday approved a bill that would decriminalize cannabis for recreational, medical and scientific uses, bringing it a step closer to creating one of the world's largest markets for the plant.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:30 UTC

  Honduran president accused of assisting to smuggle tons of cocaine into the US

  

  Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was accused on Tuesday of assisting a drug trafficker smuggle tons of cocaine into the US. Assistant US Attorney Jacob Gutwillig made the claim during his opening statement at the trial of accused drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:49 UTC

  International Women's Day was particularly defiant and even violent in Latin America

  

  Tens of thousands on Monday defied coronavirus restrictions, gathering worldwide on International Women's Day to denounce gender violence and inequalities.

• Tuesday, March 9th 2021 - 09:35 UTC

  Colombian fighting continues: 11,000 people have been terrorized and displaced in two months, ombudsman report

  

  REUTERS – Intra fighting continues among armed groups in Colombia and more than 11,000 people have been displaced from their homes so far in 2021 the country's human rights watchdog said on Monday.

• Monday, March 8th 2021 - 08:55 UTC

  Names of women victimized by violence painted on metal barriers protecting Mexico's National Palace

  

  Reuters – The names of women victimized by violence were painted late on Saturday on metal barriers erected around Mexico's national palace ahead of a major women's march as activists turned the fencing into a makeshift billboard for their movement.

• Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:35 UTC

  Norway's Equinor, YPF and Shell will operate a block in North Argentine basin

  

  Norway's Equinor and YPF have entered into an agreement with Shell to jointly farm-down 30% non-operated interests in the CAN 100 block in the North Argentine basin, offshore Argentina.

• Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:23 UTC

  Pandemic has pushed 20 million Latin Americans into poverty, UN report

  

  More than 20 million people were pushed into poverty during pandemic-plagued 2020 across Latin America and the Caribbean, the U.N. economic agency for the region announced this week.

• Friday, March 5th 2021 - 08:40 UTC

  Colombia and Peru want to centralize gold purchases to combat illegal extraction

  

  Colombia and Peru are studying the possibility of centralizing gold purchases, in an effort to combat illegal and informal extraction. Colombian President Ivan Duque said his government is considering the move to stymie the role illegal mining plays in fueling a decades-long internal conflict.

• Tuesday, March 2nd 2021 - 08:56 UTC

  After all Americans have been vaccinated, US willing to discuss the issue with Mexico

  

  Reuters – The Joe Biden administration downplayed the prospect of sharing coronavirus vaccines with Mexico, arguing it is focused on getting its own population protected against a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans.

• Monday, March 1st 2021 - 08:59 UTC

  The Biden administration has no immediate plans to review sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba

  

  The new administration of president Joe Biden is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, according to White House sources.