MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[The main land crossing between Argentina and Chile passes its winter closure record]]> The corridor was closed as a precaution on July 14 in anticipation of the forecasts The Cristo Redentor international crossing, which links the Argentine province of Mendoza with Chile's Valparaíso Region through the Andes, has now been closed for close to a month because of a snow and wind storm, surpassing the winter closure record set in 2023. Authorities on both sides estimate it could reopen next week, depending on weather conditions.

]]> Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[Colombia asks for supplies but not foreign rescue personnel after the earthquake]]> The Colombian government issued a diplomatic note on Tuesday requesting support from the international community with specific requirements Colombia's government has requested international aid in the form of supplies for those affected by Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but has not called for foreign rescue teams, despite offers from at least six countries and multilateral bodies.

]]> Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:05:00 GMT <![CDATA[At least 132 dead in the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia]]> Pereira and its metropolitan area account for most of the dead At least 132 people were killed and 570 injured by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western and central Colombia on Monday, according to the latest report submitted by the Colombian Association of Capital Cities at 7:00 p.m. local time. Authorities warned the figure is preliminary and that rescue work is continuing.

]]> Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:51:00 GMT <![CDATA[Colombia and Venezuela quakes are unconnected despite similar magnitude, experts say]]> “The Venezuelan earthquakes are shallower and involve a different mechanism, a strike-slip mechanism. This one is deeper, a subduction earthquake,” a seismologist stressed The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western and central Colombia on Monday has a different tectonic origin from the earthquakes recorded in Venezuela in June, despite comparable magnitudes, said Viviana Dionisio, a seismologist with Colombia's National Seismological Network.

]]> Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:11:00 GMT <![CDATA[De la Espriella gives the first earthquake toll and entrusts Colombia to Jesus Christ]]> The toll, as of 12:30 local time, is preliminary Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella reported 111 dead and 87 injured on Monday from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the west and center of the country, in an address containing extensive religious references. "I entrust our country to the Lord Jesus Christ," he said after chairing a meeting of the unified command post set up at the National Disaster Risk Management Unit.

]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:16:00 GMT <![CDATA[Colombia records its strongest earthquake in a decade, geological service says]]> The quake struck at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT), with its epicenter about five kilometers east of the municipality of San José del Palmar, in Chocó department, some 240 kilometers west of Bogotá A magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook western and central Colombia on Monday, causing damage in several cities and affecting six airports. It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in the past decade, according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC). No official casualty figures have been released so far.

]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:29:00 GMT <![CDATA[Reform UK in talks with El Salvador over sending foreign prisoners to Bukele's jails]]> The precedent invoked by Reform UK is the arrangement reached by Donald Trump's administration with El Salvador Britain's Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has opened contacts with the government of El Salvador to transfer foreign prisoners to jails in that country should it win the next United Kingdom general election, which must be held by 2029 at the latest. The report was published on Monday by the newspaper The Sun and has not been confirmed by San Salvador.

]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[De la Espriella sets ten armed group leaders as his target for his first 90 days]]> The first results came over the weekend Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has pledged to capture or kill ten leaders of illegal armed groups during the first 90 days of his term, which began on Friday in Cali. The commitment, made during his campaign, is the centerpiece of the "shock plan" with which the new president seeks to reverse the negotiation policy of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.

]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:32:00 GMT <![CDATA[Keiko Fujimori starts her term in Peru with 60% approval, Datum poll finds]]> The poll is the first national measurement since Fujimori took office on July 28, after winning the June 7 runoff by one of the narrowest margins in Peruvian electoral history Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori has begun her five-year term with a 60% approval rating, against 24% disapproval and 16% who gave no opinion, according to a Datum Internacional survey published on Sunday by the newspaper El Comercio.

]]> Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Bolivia records its first same-sex civil marriage after a court ruling]]> The couple, Fabiana Banzer and Scarlett Rocha, formally applied for a civil marriage on October 12, 2022 Bolivia has recorded its first civil marriage between two people of the same sex, held on Friday, August 7, in Santa Cruz, the country's most populous city, following a legal process that lasted three years and ten months.

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