South America

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s presidential election Sunday is being contested by 11 candidates but only two stand a chance of reaching a runoff: former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

Both are political titans, and eight of 10 Brazilians will vote for one of them, according to pollster Datafolha. That leaves little space for challengers and means that in lieu of fresh proposals and detailed programs, the two frontrunners have mostly harped on their experience and railed against each other.

CARACAS, Sept 26 (NNN-TELESUR) — The Venezuelan Government of Nicolás Maduro subscribed to the negotiating table formulated by Mexico to put an end to tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a conflict that has been active for seven months since Feb 24.

The Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Rafael Faría Tortosa, assured that his country adheres to the peace proposal designed by the Government of Mexico and which was presented on Sept 23 before the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

BOGOTA, Sept 23 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has apologized to Haiti for the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse committed by 18 mercenaries from his country who are awaiting trial on the Caribbean island.

“Today I asked forgiveness to Haiti for the assassination of its president committed by Colombian mercenaries,” wrote Petro on Twitter as the South American country’s first ever leftwing administration takes a new stance regarding the issue.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A fire at an oil refinery in southwestern Argentina killed at least three people early Thursday, according to local authorities.

Firefighters worked throughout the morning to extinguish the blaze that started at a storage tank at the New American Oil refinery, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the provincial capital of Neuquen, .

The fire quickly spread throughout the refinery and local media outlets published video showing a massive explosion followed by dark clouds of smoke rising from the facility.

CARACAS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sanctions imposed by the United States are driving more Venezuelans to emigrate to neighboring countries, Venezuelan Labor Minister Francisco Torrealba told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

The official made the remarks while presenting a Venezuelan report on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, in Geneva.

Venezuela's migratory flow is atypical, extraordinary and induced, the minister stressed, saying U.S. sanctions were to blame.

Sept 20 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on Latin American countries to join forces to end the war on drugs during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, has long derided the global war on drugs as a failure, even using his inauguration speech in August to call for a new international strategy to fight drug trafficking. 

CARACAS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The memorandum issued on Thursday accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries."

The memorandum is of an "interfering nature" and has no legal status, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

17 Sep 2022; MEMO: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has summoned Chile's ambassador to rebuke him after Chilean President Gabriel Boric cancelled the credential ceremony for the new Israeli ambassador to Santiago, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Chilean Foreign Ministry scheduled for September 30 the acceptance of Israeli Ambassador's credentials, days after a diplomatic tussle was seen in the South American country.

The dispute began on Thursday when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola informed newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli that Chilean President Gabriel Boric was postponing a meeting to accept his credentials until October. 

16 Sep 2022; MEMO: Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, yesterday refused to accept the credentials of new Israeli Ambassador, Gil Artzyeli, due to Israel's killing of Palestinians.

Artzyeli had been scheduled to present his credentials to Boric as a formality, but the Chilean government informed him that the ceremony had been cancelled, before he was instructed to leave.