Latin America

Migrants from Latin American countries have once again resorted to illegal freight train hopping in an attempt to evade measures aimed at curbing illegal migration deployed by the Mexican government. The government measures have already proven their effectiveness, significantly complicating travel by other means of transport.

The Venezuelan government has declared an open season on power grid saboteurs.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Members of a US activist group are willing to risk arrest to protect the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from being taken over by officials from opposition leader Juan Guaido’s so-called government, group member Kevin Zeese told Sputnik.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Mexico, along with the governments of its northern states, will present the United States with a report on the economic losses it has incurred due to the long delays at the border between the two countries, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - The number of people, who were killed in a landslide that hit the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca has risen to 20, the country's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) said.

Brazil's Petrobras oil company reported an oil spill from its offshore oil pipeline in the Albacora field Monday, according to Reuters report.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Caracas introduced on Monday a shortened workday and school day until Wednesday in light of the renovation work on the country's power grids to fortify them against further attacks, Jorge Rodriguez, the Venezuelan minister of communications and information, said.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - The Mexican mafia has started threatening Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, saying that it will resort to violence if the presdient does not end a special operation against the mafia in the central state of Guanajuato, local media reported on Sunday.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - The death toll from the collapse of two illegally built residential buildings in a favela in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has increased to 22 from the earlier figure of 18, local media outlets have reported.

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - A Peruvian judge ruled to hold former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in pre-trial detention for three years in a money laundering case involving the infamous Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, the country's Supreme Court has said.

Last week, a bunch of media outlets published a photo of Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno chilling in bed with a big lobster platter, speculating that the pic’s leak could have triggered the withdrawal of Julian Assange’s asylum status by Quito on 11 April.

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – An Ecuadorian judge has ordered former Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, known to be a supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, to be held in pre-trial detained and has requested Interpol to detain him, El Comercio news outlet has reported, noting that the ex-official has fled the country.

BUENOS ARIES (Sputnik) - Former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, whom the authorities suspect of connections to the recently arrested WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, has left Ecuador, local media reported.

YALTA (Crimea) (Sputnik) - The Mexican economy suffers heavy losses over the flow of migrants who aspire to cross into the United States, with the border city of Ciudad Juarez alone losing over $1.5 million daily, a member of the lower chamber of the Mexican parliament, Francisco Pasaret, said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will oppose the new illegitimate restrictions imposed by the United States on Venezuela and Cuba, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik Thursday.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that new US sanctions, which are restricting the ability of Caracas to handle international financial transactions, will give the country even more strength.

CARACAS (Sputnik) – The second batch of humanitarian aid from Russia as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) support programs arrived in Venezuela, a high-ranked informed source in Caracas told Sputnik.

CARACAS (Sputnik) – Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) planned to ship aid to Venezuela every two to three weeks.

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - The Argentinian government has implemented a set of measures to support the country's citizens and businesses amid high inflation, including freezing tariffs and prices for 60 food items, the Argentinian presidential administration told Sputnik on Wednesday.

CARACAS (Sputnik) - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Wednesday voiced the belief that US and Colombian engagement in the situation in his country was, in fact, an attempt to divert attention from their failure to fight drug trafficking from Latin America.