South America

EU will support peace negotiations in Colombia: Envoy

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AFP) — The European Union will support upcoming peace talks between the Colombian government and dissident factions of the disarmed FARC guerrillas, the bloc’s diplomacy chief said Wednesday. “I am impressed by what President (Gustavo) Petro wants to do with his ‘total peace’ project,” said Josep Borrell, who arrived in Colombia Tuesday. “The European Union will accompany this process in every way we can, politically and economically.” Petro has been pursuing negotiations in […]

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Brazil court suspends Telegram app in neo-Nazi probe

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered the countrywide suspension of messaging app Telegram after its parent company failed to provide data sought by authorities on neo-Nazis operating on the network, officials said. The move came after a spate of violent school attacks, at least one of them linked to exchanges on a group with anti-Semitic leanings. Justice Minister Flavio Dino said the court had fined Telegram a million reais […]

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Brazil may surpass US as world’s No. 1 corn exporter

by Morgann JEZEQUEL Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — On his farm in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil’s grain basket, Ilson Jose Redivo finished planting his corn crop a few weeks ago, acting quickly once he’d harvested the soybeans that he’d grown on the same fields. In this region of west-central Brazil, the fields stretch as far as the eye can see and the schedule is well established: The farmer plants the […]

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‘Join forces’ against sanctions ‘blackmail’ urges Russia’s Lavrov

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Tuesday for like-minded countries to “join forces” against Western sanctions “blackmail,” as the longtime diplomat continued his tour of Latin America. Discussing Russia’s war on Ukraine with Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil in Caracas, Lavrov referred to allies Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua as countries “that choose their own path.” All are, like Russia, the subject of damaging economic sanctions, he pointed out. “It is necessary to […]

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Under fire, Brazil’s Lula ‘condemns’ invasion of Ukraine

Brasília, Brazil (AFP) — Under fire for “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda,” Brazil’s President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday made clear his condemnation of Russia’s “violation of the territorial integrity” of Ukraine. The White House on Monday had criticized Lula’s remarks during a recent trip to China that Washington was “encouraging the war” in Ukraine and that Kyiv shared blame for the conflict. “Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all […]

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Brazil rejects US criticism, defends Russia ties

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil rejected US criticism that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda on the Ukraine war as he held talks with Moscow’s top diplomat on Monday. Lula’s meeting with Sergei Lavrov in Brasilia follows state visits to China and the Middle East, during which he said the United States should “stop encouraging war and start talking about peace” in Ukraine. He also claimed that Kyiv shares […]

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Russia’s Lavrov meets Lula as Brazil, US trade barbs on Ukraine war

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Russia’s foreign minister met in Brazil on Monday with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as Washington criticized the South American leader’s recent remarks on US defense support for Ukraine. Lula is fresh off a trip to China and the United Arab Emirates, during which he raised eyebrows in the West by accusing the United States of “encouraging the war” in Ukraine. He also said the United States and Europe “need […]

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White House says Brazil ‘parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda’ on Ukraine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Monday sharply criticized Brazil after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on a trip to China that the United States is encouraging war in Ukraine. “In this case, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Lula said Saturday during a visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, […]

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Lula says US should stop ‘encouraging’ war in Ukraine

Beijing, China | AFP | Saturday 4/15/2023  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday that the United States should stop “encouraging war” in Ukraine “and start talking about peace”. “The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace, the European Union needs to start talking about peace,” Lula told reporters in Beijing at the end of a visit where he met with President Xi Jinping. In that way, the […]

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Attackers slay five in new spate of violence in Ecuador

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AFP) — Armed attackers on Thursday killed three women guards outside a jail in southwestern Ecuador, while in a separate attack two people in a small boat were gunned down, authorities said. The massive prison complex in Ecuador’s biggest city, Guayaquil, is notorious for massacres committed by rival gangs vying for power within the penitentiary. Police said on Twitter that reinforcements “have been deployed in order to find those responsible for this criminal […]

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Ecuador authorities arrest three after gang shooting: president

QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Ecuadoran authorities arrested three people in connection to a gang-related shooting that left nine dead in the northern coastal city of Esmeraldas, President Guillermo Lasso said on Wednesday. Around 30 men on motorcycles and boats opened fire indiscriminately on a crowd at a fishing port in the city on Tuesday, CCTV images showed, with passers-by jumping into the water to escape the bullets. “There are three people in custody from the […]

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11 Latin American nations announce inflation battle plan

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The leaders of 11 Latin American nations, including its two biggest economies, Brazil and Mexico, announced on Wednesday a plan to work together to address rampant inflation. The initiative was unveiled after a virtual meeting convened by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He said the aim was to give people access to “food and basic products at better prices” through steps such as removing import tariffs and other trade […]

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