Although some ten hours later than scheduled, Bernardo Arévalo de León was eventually sworn in early Monday as Guatemala's new president for the period 2024-2028. After his inauguration, he was to offer his first speech as constitutional head of state. Before Arévalo's turn, 160 deputies took their oaths of office, thus extending the ceremony in time beyond projections.
A brutal clash erupted on Sunday afternoon within an occupied area in the Buenos Aires town of González Catán, La Matanza, resulting in a massacre: five dead and five injured, two of them critically.
Argentine President Javier Milei is departing Monday to Davos, Switzerland, on regular airline flights with stopovers in Frankfurt and Zurich to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF). According to Casa Rosada sources quoted by local media in Buenos Aires, he is also to have a one-on-one meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
A delegation from Sierra Leone headed by Mrs. Princess Dugba, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources together with Ms Harriet Mathews, Director General Africa and the Americas at the Foreign and Development Office are currently in the Falkland Islands as part of a program to share fisheries, environment and conservation policies experiences.
The British Ministry of Defense, responsible for the Falkland Islands security, has announced that on January 23 and 24, the Roulement Infantry Company, RIC, will be involved in exercises on Mount Kent and Stanley Common, specifically Mount William and Sapper Hill.
Ecuador's forces retook control of all the country's prisons and freed some 150 corrections officers who were being held hostage by the rioting inmates, it was reported this past weekend. However, one guard was killed during a shootout in the operation.
At least eleven people died and many others needed to be evacuated this weekend after heavy rains hit Rio de Janeiro causing severe flooding and damage to numerous houses that were left under water. The Federal Government decreed a maximum alert. The risk of further flooding and landslides remains very high, it was also explained.
Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino met Friday with Chinese Ambassador Wang Wei. During the encounter, both diplomats agreed on the importance of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed between the two countries ten years ago, and reaffirmed the principle of one China in reference to Taiwan's separatism. However, there was no mention of the currency swap worth US$ 6.5 billion Argentina was expecting to receive.
Palestine's Embassy in Montevideo criticized the Uruguayan government of President Luis Lacalle Pou for a recent beef export agreement with Israel and suggested there was some sort of political alliance with Tel Aviv.
Argentine-born Pope Francis will have a private meeting at the Vatican on Feb. 11 with Javier Milei, the president of his native country, after the latter spoke ill of the Catholic leader during his election campaign, it was reported in Buenos Aires.