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☆ Ecuador Top Court Recognizes Right to Euthanasia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Alexandra ValenciaQUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's Constitutional Court on Wednesday approved a request from a terminally ill patient to decriminalize euthanasia and ordered the National Assembly to approve a law regulating the procedure within a year. Paola Roldan, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020, petitioned Ecuador's top court in August last year to recognize her right to euthanasia, given her deterioration and pain caused by the illness. The resolution is immediately applicable and Roldan can choose to be euthanized whenever she decides, her lawyers told journalists. Ecuador is the latest country in the region to authorize euthanasia, following Cuba - which gave it the green light in December - and neighboring Colombia, which allows euthanasia in certain instances. "This has been a very special moment for me," Roldan told journalists, adding she will now take time to assimilate what this means alongside her lawyers.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Paola Roldan, Ecuador's, Roldan, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, National Assembly, Ministry of Health Locations: Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia

☆ Colombia Government, ELN Rebels Are Yet to Agree Ceasefire Extension -ELN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA (Reuters) - The government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas have not yet agreed to extend their bilateral ceasefire for another six months, the rebel group said on Monday. The government of President Gustavo Petro restarted peace talks with the ELN in 2022 as part of a policy of 'total peace', to end Colombia's six-decade conflict, which has left more than 450,000 dead. An initial six-month ceasefire expired last week and was extended for five days, a measure that will end on Monday night. "Measures are being taken to resolve factors of crisis factors and add new elements of commitment to be fulfilled by both parties, with the purpose of agreeing on an extension of another six months of this temporary and national bilateral ceasefire," the ELN delegation said in a statement. The statement was released ahead of the close of a sixth cycle of talks between the rebel group and the government in Cuba's capital, Havana.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Franklin Paul Organizations: National Liberation Army Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Cuba's, Havana

☆ Colombia's Petro Denies Calling for Cabinet Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Colombian presidents frequently request mass, 'protocol' cabinet resignations in order to make changes to the government, though these are not guaranteed. The three government sources said had Petro asked for the resignations of his ministers during a meeting on Wednesday evening. Rather than the president demanding their resignations, ministers offered to resign, Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica said during a presentation near capital Bogota. Petro last called for ministers' resignations in April after a debate on a health reform was abandoned by the lower house of congress. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Jhenifer Mojica, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez, Ricardo Bonilla, Jose Antonio Ocampo, Luis Jaime Acosta, Carlos Vargas, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Locations: Bogota

☆ Ecuador to Begin Cutting Fuel Subsidies in Q2
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Noboa wants the measures to help finance his military offensive against criminal gangs, which he has designated as terrorist groups. "We agree with targeting subsidies," Noboa said in an interview with Ecuavisa, a local television channel. Subsidies will be removed gradually from gasoline, he said, adding that domestic gas and diesel will not be affected by the change. Last year Ecuador expected to allocate more than $2.6 billion of its budget to fuel subsidies. The government is looking for foreign investment to build a diesel refining system in Ecuador and improve the electrical grid to make eliminating the subsidies sustainable, Noboa said.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Daniel Noboa, Noboa, Ecuavisa, Oliver Griffin, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, National Assembly, ITT Locations: Ecuador

☆ Mexico Activists Protest Return of Bullfights to Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Animal rights defenders in Mexico City on Sunday marched to protest the return of the centuries-old spectacle of bullfighting to the capital after almost two years. "Torture is not art, it is not culture," demonstrators shouted near the Plaza Mexico bullring. Mexico's capital held its first bullfight in almost two years on Sunday, after the Supreme Court paved the way for the spectacle's return in December. Bullfights have been held in Mexico since the 16th century. While a ruling suspended bullfighting in 2022 as a precautionary measure amid a longer-running case, the Supreme Court struck that decision down.

Persons: Bullfights, Toya Sarno Jordan, Aida Pelaez, Fernandez, Oliver Griffin, Stephen Coates Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico Locations: MEXICO, Mexico City, Mexico

☆ Ecuador Police Destroy Over 20 Metric Tons of Cocaine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean Police on Thursday destroyed some 21.5 metric tons of cocaine which they seized over the weekend as part of a military offensive declared by the government to combat organized crime. The drugs were found on Sunday stored in hundreds of blocks in storage space built under a pig farm located in the city of Vinces, officials said. Authorities used a technique known as encapsulation to destroy the drug, pulverizing the seized blocks with waste before mixing the resulting fine powder with cement, sand and glass. The method prevents cocaine from contaminating the environment or being recovered, authorities say. (Reporting by Tito Correa and Karen Toro; Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Persons: Tito Correa, Karen Toro, Oliver Griffin, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Ecuadorean Police, Authorities Locations: QUITO, Vinces

☆ Ecuador Police Capture Leader of Colombian Dissident Rebel Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's police on Monday said they have captured the leader of Colombian armed group Oliver Sinisterra and that Ecuadorean authorities will return him to Colombia. News of the capture comes amid a military offensive launched by Ecuador's government to combat criminal gangs. "An immigration hearing will be held so that he can be expelled from Ecuador and sent to Colombia," Ecuador police commander Cesar Zapata told reporters. Oliver Sinisterra is a faction of the Segunda Marquetalia group of dissident rebels of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) which abandoned a 2016 peace deal with the state. The Oliver Sinisterra front operates in Colombia's Narino province and Ecuador's Esmeraldas province.

Persons: Oliver Sinisterra, Daniel Noboa, Carlos L, El Gringo, Cesar Zapata, Zapata, Alexandra Valencia, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Colombian, Segunda Marquetalia, Revolutionary Forces of Locations: QUITO, Colombian, Colombia, Imbabura, Ecuador, San Lorenzo, Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, Colombia's Narino, Ecuador's Esmeraldas

☆ New Ecuador president Noboa pledges reforms to reduce violence, create jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa signs first decrees to appoint ministers, at the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet) on the day of his swearing-in ceremony, in Quito, Ecuador November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro Acquire Licensing RightsQUITO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Business heir and former legislator Daniel Noboa was sworn in as Ecuador's new president on Thursday, pledging to reduce violence and create jobs via urgent legislative reforms. Noboa will serve as president for just 17 months, finishing predecessor Guillermo Lasso's term after Lasso brought forward elections to avoid likely impeachment. DEBT AND SECURITYThough most of Noboa's cabinet was sworn in later on Thursday, the young president did not appoint a minister of economy and finance, leaving the position vacant. Noboa is the son of Alvaro Noboa, a powerful banana baron billionaire who repeatedly failed to win Ecuador's presidency.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Karen Toro, Fernando Villavicencio, Noboa, Guillermo Lasso's, Lasso, Sariha Moya, Rafael Correa, Alvaro Noboa, Lavinia Valbonesi, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Carondelet, REUTERS, Rights, National Assembly, El, Social Christian Party, Citizens, Ecuador's, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, American, Noboa, Europe

☆ Ecuador legislature begins new session, Noboa joins leftists for majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Members of Ecuador's National Assembly take part in a session, the first since President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the assembly, to elect a new head of the legislature, in Quito, Ecuador November 17, 2023. The legislature was dissolved in May by outgoing President Guillermo Lasso to avoid his own likely impeachment, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 2025. Analysts say the coalition could help Noboa ensure he is able to govern - unlike his predecessor Lasso - during his truncated term. Noboa, who won a runoff election in October to beat Correa's protégé Luisa Gonzalez, will be sworn in next week. Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Guillermo Lasso, Karen Toro, Daniel Noboa, Rafael Correa, Henry Kronfle, Noboa, ADN, Alfredo Espinosa, Fernando Villavicencio, Correa, Correa's protégé Luisa Gonzalez, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Richard Chang Organizations: Ecuador's National, REUTERS, Rights, National, Social Christian Party, PSC, Noboa's National Democratic, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO

☆ Colombia creates biodiversity fund aiming to manage nearly $1 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view of the Amazon river, before the signing of a document by Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos that will allow for the conservation of the Tarapoto wetland complex in Amazonas, Colombia January 18, 2018. Colombia is one of the world's most biodiverse countries where swathes of Amazon rainforest and other jungles are deforested each year. Scientists say protecting rainforests like the Amazon is vital to curbing the effects of climate change. "We hope to mobilize resources and actors to achieve interventions that respond to the needs of ecosystems and communities (in rural areas) and generate sustainable changes over time," Muhamad said. ($1 = 4,077.44 Colombian pesos)Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Juan Manuel Santos, Jaime Saldarriaga, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, for Life, Thomson Locations: Amazonas, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA

☆ Cocaine still Colombia drug gangs' top export despite fentanyl's ascendancy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rocketing consumption of synthetic drug fentanyl in the U.S. has led some - including Colombia's President Gustavo Petro - to forecast declines in cocaine production in the Andean country, the world's leading producer. Coca production is taking place in new areas and fresh trafficking routes are opening up, Zapata said. Ecuador's incoming president, Daniel Noboa, who takes office this month, has promised to confront rising crime in the country, where violence linked to drug trafficking has increased sharply. Colombia hopes to destroy 200 square kilometers of coca crops by the end of the year and seize a record 834 tons of cocaine. "Drug trafficking is changing.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Gustavo Petro, We're, Nicolas Zapata, Petro, Zapata, Daniel Noboa, we've, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Colombian, United Nations Office, Drugs, Thomson Locations: Putumayo, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, U.S, Europe, Ecuador

Mendoza, a former fighter for the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, dragged her children back inside the house. In interviews with Reuters, those people recounted how the attacks left conservation projects adrift, with conservationists withdrawing from environmental protection works because of fear of more violence. Municipal data from local environmental authorities and the Colombian Institute of Meteorology (IDEAM) also showed that in the year after each killing, deforestation at a local level was worse than national trends. Santofimio's killing brought his hard-fought conservation project to a halt. In the tree nursery, which stopped work after Santofimio's killing, saplings bask in the dappled sunlight beneath protective nets.

Persons: Duberney Lopez, Jorge Santofimio, PUERTO, Leidy Mendoza, Mendoza, Jorge !, they'd, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Colombia's, –, Armando Aroca, Santofimio, Lopez, Kevin Murakami, Comuccom, Aroca, Javier Franciso Parra, Francisco couldn't, Andres Felipe Garcia, Cormacarena, Parra, Garcia, Luisz Martinez, Martinez, La, KfW, Roberto Gomez, Gonzalo Cardona, Sara Ines Lara, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Katy Daigle, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Revolutionary Armed Forces, Colombian, Villagers, Reuters, Environment Ministry, Global, Colombian Institute of Meteorology, Comuccom, International Narcotics, Law, Affairs, U.S, National Liberation Army, UN, Programme, Meta, UNDP, Progress, World Wildlife Fund, Security, USAID, Thomson Locations: Colombia, PUERTO GUZMAN, Putumayo, Bogota, La, Meta, La Macarena, Amazonia, Puerto Guzman

BOGOTA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas on Thursday freed the father of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, after taking him hostage in the country's north nearly two weeks ago, the government said. Diaz was named in the Liverpool's starting lineup later on Thursday as the English team faces France's Toulouse in the Europa League. [1/5]Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Liverpool player Luis Diaz, waves after he was freed by Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN), in Valledupar, Colombia November 9, 2023. Esteban Vanegas/Mision ONU (UNVMC)/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights"The current process with the ELN has advanced like no other until today. The government is trying to conduct negotiations with various armed groups, but discussions with the ELN are the most advanced.

Persons: Luis Diaz, Luis Manuel Diaz, Diaz, France's, Luis Diaz's father's, ELN, Liverpool, Esteban Vanegas, Mision, Cilenis Marulanda, Luis Jaime Acosta, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Toby Davis Organizations: National Liberation Army, Liverpool, Luton Town, Sunday, France's Toulouse, Europa League, Colombia's National Liberation Army, REUTERS Acquire, Catholic Church, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Liverpool, Colombia's, Local, Valledupar, Colombia's Cesar, Colombia, La Guajira, Marulanda

BOGOTA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas on Thursday freed the father of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, after taking him hostage nearly two weeks ago, the government said. The elder Luis Diaz was snatched on Oct. 28 in Barrancas, a rural municipality where he lives in the northern province of La Guajira. Thank you all, much love to you all," the soccer star's father said after arriving at his home. "CRITICAL SITUATION"[1/5]Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Liverpool player Luis Diaz, waves after he was freed by Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN), in Valledupar, Colombia November 9, 2023. The ELN said a week ago it would free Diaz, and its top commander said the kidnapping was a mistake.

Persons: Luis Diaz, Luis Manuel Diaz, Player Diaz, Diaz, Luis Diaz's father's, Liverpool, Esteban Vanegas, Mision, ELN, Cilenis Marulanda, Luis Jaime Acosta, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Toby Davis, Grant McCool Organizations: National Liberation Army, Liverpool, Libertad, Liverpool's Premier League, Luton Town, Europa League, Toulouse, Colombia's National Liberation Army, REUTERS Acquire, Catholic Church, United Nations, Guerrilla, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Liverpool, Colombia's, Barrancas, La Guajira, Colombia, England, Papa, France, Valledupar

☆ Colombia eyes raising $499 mln in cell service auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Flags flutter on the facade of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies building in Bogota, Colombia, November 8, 2023. Colombia hopes to improve connectivity as it joins its Latin American neighbors, including Argentina and Mexico, which already have 5G services. "We're going to award up to four blocks of 100 megahertz in the 3,500 frequency," Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Mauricio Lizcano, said in an interview. "Whoever pays the most wins the spectrum, ... it's impossible for there to be a defect in the procedure," Lizcano said. Colombia had 80.8 million cellphone subscribers at the end of 2022, spread among operators including Claro, Movistar, Tigo and WOM.

Persons: Luis Jaime Acosta, Mauricio Lizcano, Lizcano, Oliver Griffin, Diane Craft Organizations: Colombian Ministry of Information, Communications Technologies, REUTERS, Rights, Information, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Argentina, Mexico, Claro, Movistar

The United Nations 28th meeting on climate, known as COP28, takes places from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai. Latin American countries will arrive ready to push for common goals thanks to regional meetings earlier this year, Muhamad told Reuters. As well as pushing for help adapting to climate change, Latin American countries will call for the region to be covered by early warning systems to save lives amid disasters due to climate change, she said. "The north's position is that there will always be hydrocarbons and that if we can reduce emissions this will be sufficient (to solve) climate change. Last year Colombia cut deforestation by 29.1% to just over 1,235 square kilometers (477 square miles).

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Diane Craft Organizations: UN, country's, United Nations, Reuters, El, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Dubai ., America

☆ Colombia, Neighbors to Jointly Push Six Key Points in COP28 -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Oliver Griffin BOGOTA, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Diane Craft Organizations: UN, country's, United Nations, Reuters, El Locations: Colombia, Dubai ., America

☆ Bolivia severs ties with Israel, others recall envoys over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Palestinians conduct search and rescue operations at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential building, in the central Gaza Strip October 31, 2023. The three South American nations lambasted Israel's attacks on Gaza and condemned the deaths of Palestinian citizens. "What we have now is the insanity of Israel's prime minister, who wants to wipe out the Gaza Strip," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday. Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009 under the government of leftist President Evo Morales, also in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say that 8,525 people, including 3,542 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

Persons: Ahmed Zakot, LA, Freddy Mamani, Israel, Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales, Jeanine Anez, Arce, U.N, Daniel Ramos, Gabriel Araujo, Lucinda Elliott, Oliver Griffin, Peter Frontini, Brendan O'Boyle, Kylie Madry, Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, LA PAZ, Israel, Bolivian, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Bolivia, Israel, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Palestinian, Iran

☆ Colombia rescues kidnapped mother of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Europa League - Group E - Liverpool v Toulouse - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 26, 2023 Liverpool's Luis Diaz during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Molly Darlington Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday said the mother of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz had been rescued after being kidnapped in northern Colombia, but officials were still searching for his missing father. The Colombian attorney general's office earlier said that it assembled a team of investigators to search for the couple in Barrancas, a municipality in Colombia's northern La Guajira province. The National Police confirmed the rescue of Diaz's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, and said she spoke with Director William Rene Salamanca. Premier League club Liverpool signed Colombia winger Diaz in a multi-million dollar deal in January 2022. Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Liverpool's Luis Diaz, Molly Darlington, Gustavo Petro, Luis Diaz, general's, Cilenis Marulanda, William Rene Salamanca, Diaz, Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta, Daina Beth Solomon, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Soccer Football, Europa League, Liverpool, Toulouse, Rights, Saturday, The National Police, Premier League club Liverpool, Colombia, Thomson Locations: Anfield, Liverpool, Britain, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia, Colombian, Colombia's, La Guajira

The opposition and the primary's winner Maria Corina Machado have insisted repeatedly it was transparent and fair. The U.S. State Department is aware of the accusations and called for an investigation, a spokesperson said, adding the primary was "an important milestone" for Venezuela. The investigation, requested by lawmaker Jose Brito, will center on accusations of electoral violations, financial crimes and conspiracy, Saab said during a press conference. The electoral violations stem from the primary being organized without the National Electoral Council, Saab said. Voter rolls for the primary included 2 million people who neither registered nor participated, Saab said, and financing for the primary has not been made public.

Persons: Tarek Saab, Maria Corina Machado, Machado, Nicolas Maduro's, Nicolas Maduro, Jose Brito, Saab, Jesus Maria Casal, Mildred Camero, Roberto Abdul, Hadi, Vivian Sequera, Mayela Armas, Julia Symmes Cobb, Natalia Siniawski, Oliver Griffin, Helen Popper, Marguerita Choy, Rod Nickel Organizations: Venezuela's, Washington, U.S . State Department, Electoral Council, Saab, Voters, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Washington, Maduro, Barbados, U.S, Venezuela, Sumate

[1/4] Maria Corina Machado, candidate of the Vente Venezuela party for the opposition primaries and Freddy Superlano, leader of the Voluntad Popular party, raise their arms as they pose for pictures after a press conference, in Caracas, Venezuela October 13, 2023. The primary is the first held by Venezuela's opposition in over a decade. Favorite Maria Corina Machado is barred from holding public office, in a move criticized by the opposition and the U.S alike, and it is not clear what will happen if she wins the primary. Two other candidates - former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and ex-lawmaker Freddy Superlano - have already withdrawn their candidacies because of similar disqualifications. The U.S. government has conveyed to Maduro bans must be lifted for all opposition presidential candidates by the end of November in exchange for sanction relief, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Persons: Maria Corina Machado, Freddy Superlano, Leonardo Fernandez, Nicolas Maduro, Henrique Capriles, MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Machado, CARLOS PROSPERI Prosperi, Prosperi, Solorzano, Deisy Buitrago, Vivian Sequera, Mayela Armas, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, U.S, World Bank, Inter, American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Accion Democratica, Criminal Court, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, CARACAS, U.S, Guarico

Maria Corina Machado, candidate of the Vente Venezuela party for the opposition primaries, meets with her supporters after a press conference, in Caracas, Venezuela September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCARACAS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition will hold a primary on Sunday to pick its candidate for 2024 presidential elections, despite the front-runner being barred from holding office. The primary is the first the opposition has held in 11 years. It has not backed a presidential candidate in a general election since 2013. Officials who are found guilty of corruption are banned from holding public office for up to 15 years.

Persons: Maria Corina Machado, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Nicolas Maduro, Juan Guaido, Machado, Vivian Sequera, Oliver Griffin, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Electoral, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, Rights CARACAS, U.S, Washington

☆ US slams Colombia president's remarks on Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during an event with peace negotiators of Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Vannessa Jimenez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday criticised remarks made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro in which he compared Israeli government comments to those made by Nazis, and called on him to condemn Hamas. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant drew international condemnation by announcing on Monday a "total blockade" to stop food and fuel reaching Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. Public broadcaster Kan said the Israeli death toll from the attack had risen to more than 1,300. Lipstadt, a historian, successfully defeated a libel case brought by British author David Irving after she labeled him a Holocaust denier.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Vannessa Jimenez, Petro, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Israel, Deborah Lipstadt, Kan, David Irving, Oliver Griffin, Mark Porter Organizations: National Liberation Army, REUTERS, Rights, Colombian, Hamas, Israeli, Democratic, U.S ., Public, Nazi, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, United States, Gaza, Warsaw, British

☆ Ecuador Banana Heir Daniel Noboa Hopes to Fulfill Father's Presidential Dreams
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Gonzalez won an August first round with 34%, while Noboa came a surprising second with 23%. Noboa has also promised job creation, particularly for young people, and spent significant time campaigning at universities. He would boost employment through investment in strategic sectors and vocational training for job hunters, Noboa has pledged. Noboa resigned from a management position at his family's corporation to enter politics, winning a legislature seat in 2021. Noboa, a married father of two, frequently appears in videos on social media dancing and singing or DJ-ing music at his political rallies.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Daniel Noboa, Alvaro Noboa's, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Noboa, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Janeth Tayo, Oliver Griffin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO Locations: Ecuador, Guayaquil, Sangolqui, Quito

☆ Former Colombia President Uribe says witness tampering case to go to trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe speaks to the media after his meeting with President-elect Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Colombia June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe said his long-running witness tampering case will go to trial, citing a news magazine ahead of an expected formal decision from a Bogota court on Friday. Uribe and several allies have been investigated over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to right-wing paramilitaries. I have ardently defended my reputation but I don't know anything about bribing witnesses or misleading the court," Uribe told journalists on Thursday night. But in 2018 the Supreme Court said Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries.

Persons: Alvaro Uribe, Gustavo Petro, Luisa Gonzalez, Uribe, Uribe's, Ivan Cepeda, Cepeda, Oliver Griffin, Nick Macfie 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Supreme Court Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA

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