South America

QUITO, Nov 27 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Ecuador’s President, Daniel Noboa, unveiled his ministerial cabinet yesterday, with the first official photo of his work team, three days after assuming power for a short 18-month term.

The cabinet “is mostly made up of women and young people, who head strategic departments of the State,” said a press release issued by the General Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency.

PARACAS (Ica region, Peru), Nov 26 (NNN-ANDINA) — The Port of Paracas has announced that, as of Nov 26, the Maersk shipping company will begin a direct transport service from the aforementioned port to Europe, plus routes to the United States and Asia.

PARACAS (Ica region, Peru), Nov 26 (NNN-ANDINA) — The Port of Paracas has announced that, as of Nov 26, the Maersk shipping company will begin a direct transport service from the aforementioned port to Europe, plus routes to the United States and Asia.

LA PAZ, Nov 26 (NNN-TELESUR) — France on Friday dispatched a team of specialists in wildfire combat to the Santa Cruz department, one of the areas most affected by the fires in the Bolivian Amazon.

Forty firefighters and rescue professionals will join local efforts, the French Foreign Affairs Ministry said, adding that the French team will operate in two protected areas.

French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the request for assistance from Bolivian authorities. On Thursday, Bolivia received a donation of 53 firefighter helmets through the French cooperation.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Less than 48 hours into his term, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa on Friday repealed controversial guidelines established by the country’s left a decade ago that eliminated penalties for people found carrying illegal drugs under certain amounts.

Noboa’s decision fulfilled a campaign promise to fight drug trafficking. Consequences of the illegal trade, particularly cocaine, have kept Ecuadorians on edge as killings, kidnappings, robberies, extortion and other crimes reached unprecedented levels.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As war and winter collide, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged during a recent visit to Washington that the days ahead “will be tough” as his country battles Russia while U.S. support from Congress hangs in the balance.

President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs sits idle in Congress, neither approved nor rejected, but subjected to new political demands from Republicans who are insisting on U.S.-Mexico border policy changes to halt the flow of migrants.

LIMA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Peruvian Andes’ mountaintop ice, which represents most of the world’s tropical glaciers, has lost more than half of its area due to climate change, the Ministry of Environment said Thursday.

To wit, the glaciers have receded by 1,348 square kilometers since 1962, according to the latest measurements, the National Institute of Glacier and Ecosystem Research reported.

LA PAZ, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bolivia is struggling to cope with forest fires, which have burned about 3 million hectares of forest land and killed more than 10 people since the beginning of the year.

Forest fires breaking out in Bolivia have caused many schools to temporarily close, while many flights were canceled due to smoke rising from the fires. From crops, vegetation, coffee plantations or banana plantations… all were severely damaged by the fires. 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has told Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei that he plans to travel to the South American country so the two can meet, Milei’s office said Thursday.

The office did not give a date for when Trump intends to be in Buenos Aires. The inauguration of Milei, a right-wing populist who has expressed admiration for Trump, is scheduled for Dec. 10.