Venezuela has faced numerous crises in the last months, including repeated blackouts, water shortages, and continued hyperinflation. Leading the country through these events has not been the President, Nicolas Maduro, but US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. Guaido recently declared himself interim President, saying Maduro’s presidency is illegitimate. The United States agrees with Guaido, with Vice President Mike Pence asking the… Read more »
A Venezuelan opposition envoy has addressed the Organization of the American States (OAS) from the South American country’s seat, the first time it has happened in two decades. Gustavo Tarre delivered a speech during a session held by the OAS’s Permanent Council on Tuesday, three months after opposition leader Juan Guaidodeclared himself an interim leader on the basis that President Nicolas Maduro’s… Read more »
At least 17 people have died in Colombia following a landslide triggered by heavy rains. The early morning landslide hit at least eight homes on Easter Sunday and blocked a stretch of the Pan-American Highway in the community of Rosas, roughly 630 kilometres southwest of Bogota. A stretch of the Pan-American Highway that links Ecuador’s capital Quito to the Colombian city of… Read more »
Caracas, Venezuela – US Vice President Mike Pence asked the United Nations on Wednesday to revoke the UN credentials of the government of Nicolas Maduro and recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela‘s legitimate president. “The time has come for the United Nations to recognise interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body,”… Read more »
Brazil‘s second-highest court has reduced the sentence of imprisoned former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, opening the possibility he could be moved to house arrest later this year. The Superior Court of Justice reduced Lula’s sentence from 12 years and one month to eight years and 10 months on Tuesday. “The vote of the rapporteur is in favour to reduce the… Read more »
This was my first time (other than the guns & butter) doing a simulation! Many of my classmates are more comfortable with simulations after previously doing Model UN or something similar. I did not do much speaking in front of the class throughout the simulation, so I tried to participate during our smaller negotiations. I worked closely (as a member… Read more »
In Lima, the capital city of Peru, a double-decker bus caught fire while illegally transporting fuel, killing seventeen passengers. The bus caught fire at a bus terminal that had recently been closed, since it is located next to a store that sells fuel illegally. Of the seventeen dead, four were children. In addition to the sale of illegal fuel, there… Read more »
Seventeen people have been killed and eight more injured after a double-decker bus caught fire at an illegal transport terminal in the Peruvian capital Lima, a spokesman for the country’s firefighters said. Witnesses said the fire on Sunday started in the bus’s motor at the rear of the vehicle and quickly spread to its interior, spokesman Lewis Mejia told reporters,… Read more »
Keeping up the pressure for political change in Venezuela, a bipartisan group of 15 US senators introduced legislation on Wednesday to provide $400m in new aid, encourage other countries to impose sanctions on President Nicolas Maduro’s administration and ease penalties on officials who recognise a new government. The introduction of the Venezuelan Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development (VERDAD) Act comes… Read more »
Argentine unions, small business owners and activists took to the rain-drenched streets of Buenos Aires on Thursday to protest against austerity measures under President Mauricio Macri, which they blame for amplifying worker hardships and sapping growth. Thousands of protesters marched along roads near the city centre carrying colourful banners with slogans asking for “decent work” and “better salaries”. One, alluding to… Read more »
