Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro met Tuesday in Caracas with executives from the Spanish oil company Repsol to further discuss the details of Monday's agreement with the South American country's PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela) to reactivate operations as the United States temporarily lifted some sanctions previously imposed on the regime.
Amid escalating concerns about the Essequibo crisis with neighboring Venezuela, Guyana has been included in the list of greatest risk for maritime transport drafted by insurers Lloyd's Market Association for vessels visiting offshore facilities in the former British colony's Exclusive Economic Zone, beyond territorial waters.
The World Health Organization Tuesday (WHO) warned that in addition to COVID-19, other respiratory diseases such as influenza, RSV, and common childhood pneumonia were on the rise and advised people at risk to take precautionary steps.
British Minister for the Americas, Caribbean, and Overseas Territories David Rutley met Monday in Georgetown with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali to reaffirm the United Kingdom's support to the South American country in their controversy with Venezuela over the 160,000 km2 oil-rich Essequibo region.
Brazil's main financial and business publication, Valor Economico is forecasting that bilateral trade with Argentina is expected to fall in 2024, based on the recent measures announced by the government of president Javier Milei. In the eleven months of 2023, bilateral trade between Argentina and Brazil reached US$ 27 billion, with Brazilian exports totaling US$ 17bn, and Argentina US$ 11bn.
Paraguay's Liliana Elizabeth Alcaraz Recalde, who heads the South American country's Secretariat for the Prevention of Money and Asset Laundering (Seprelad), took over the pro tempore presidency of the Latin American Financial Action Task Force (Gafilat) for the period 2024 during the XLVIII Meeting held at the exclusive Uruguayan beach resort of Punta del Este between Dec. 11 and 15. Guatemala's Jorge Marroquín was appointed Vice-President.
Following the disruption caused by last weekend's storms to the country's grid, Argentina will import electricity from Brazil on a transitory basis, it was reported Sunday, in addition to other emergency measures adopted to face the crisis and restore supply in parts of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CAMA) and its Metropolitan Area (AMBA).
In what is considered a success for Brazilian diplomacy, Venezuela and Guyana pledged in a joint statement last Thursday, not to resort to force to settle a long-standing dispute over contested land and adjoining sea in an oil and gas-rich region known as the Essequibo.
Ecuadorian authorities confirmed Sunday the detection of the first case of the so-called Pirola variant (BA.2.86) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a woman in Quito, who has been reported to be stable and receiving outpatient treatment at home, according to a statement from the Health Ministry, which is carrying out an epidemiological follow-up and monitoring of the patient.
Guatemala the Central American country long linked to political instability and extreme violence in solving many of its domestic conflicts, is again a hotspot in the region since an elected president, who should be taking office in mid-January, has been facing growing supposedly 'legal' impediments to his legitimate right, supported by an overwhelming majority of voters who surprised the political establishment.