WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will hold multiple joint military drills in Paraguay over the next two years including a regional crisis response exercise, US President Donald Trump and Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez said in a joint statement after their meeting at the White House.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Security Contractor Erik Prince held a private meeting with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas to discuss security matters, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the situation.

Assault charges leveled against journalist Max Blumenthal have been dropped, weeks after his arrest and multi-day imprisonment, but even though litigation is no longer a concern for him, the issue of the American government overstepping its bounds both at home and in Latin America has persisted.

In early November, Bolivia's then-president Evo Morales stepped down and fled to Mexico after his re-election to a fourth term prompted protests. Besides Bolivia, another Latin American country, Venezuela, has been struck by mass protests since January following the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro.

The amended US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) updates the rules for members' access to the domestic markets of the three nations, tariffs and some norms of labor legislation.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Close to 10 million pilgrims arrived at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Tepeyac hill in Mexico City to revere the 488th anniversary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the most worshiped shrine in Latin America, David Leon Romero, national coordinator of Civil Protection of Mexico, said on Thursday.

On Monday, a Chilean military aircraft heading to Antarctica disappeared from radar. The plane was carrying 38 people on board - 17 crew members and 21 passengers.

Earlier this month, Morales stayed in Mexico where he was granted asylum after the collapse of his government in November following a disputed election.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – The Peruvian authorities said they had detained a semi-submersible vessel with 2 tonnes of cocaine on board as well as apprehended four crew members 180 miles from the country’s coast.

Chilean officials announced Wednesday afternoon they had located debris from a Chilean Air Force C-130 transport that disappeared the previous day while bound for Antarctica.

A recent report on forthcoming government data revealed that at least 300 dead bodies of individuals believed to be US-bound immigrants were found along the country’s southern border with Mexico.

On 10 December, Alberto Fernandez was sworn in as the new president of Argentina. Gonzalo Fiore Viani, a lawyer and political analyst, outlines the major economic and foreign policy challenges faced by the new "Peronist" government.

The young man who arrived at the inauguration of the Argentine President Alberto Fernández with a rainbow-coloured handkerchief in the lapel of his suit is Estanislao Fernandez, the President’s son.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Mexico’s former top federal public security official Genaro Garcia Luna has been arrested and charged with receiving millions of dollars from the Sinaloa drugs cartel, led by Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as "El Chapo," the US Department of Justice said in a press release on Tuesday.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – The government of Peru has exceeded its target plan of 2019 for the eradication of illegal coca plantations, destroying over 25,500 hectares of the crops, Interior Minister Carlos Moran has announced.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Officials from Mexico, Canada, and the United States signed on Tuesday a document on fresh amendments to the regional trade pact, which allow to initiate the parliamentary ratification of the agreement.

After garnering international headlines for accusing Leonardo DiCaprio of having started the Amazon fires, the right-wing Brazilian leader has taken aim at the Hollywood star's acquaintance, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The teenager has angered Jair Bolsonaro with her claims about the killings of indigenous people in Brazil.

According to the Chilean Air Force, the plane was heading to Antarctica to conduct logistical work. A state of alert has been declared, and rescue teams have been activated by the authorities.

Liposuction procedures are one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the world, but can still lead to some dangerous – even lethal – consequences.

Donald Trump's announcement of the restoration of steel and aluminium tariffs for Brazil and Argentina has once again demonstrated that the White House has no friends but only interests, says Brazilian academic Fabio Sobral, outlining the reasons for Trump's sudden move.