LatinNews Daily - 11 October 2019

On 10 October Waldo Albarracín, the rector of Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) and former human rights ombudsman (2003-2008), called for civil disobedience in the event of a victory by Bolivia's President Evo Morales in the 20 October general election.... Read More

* Ecuador’s ministry of energy and non-renewable natural resources has reported that operations in its trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline system (Sote) are currently paralysed due to low volumes of crude oil.... Read More

On 10 October, Venezuela’s state-run oil firm Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) rejected as “tendentious” the “unfounded accusations” that the oil currently polluting Brazil’s northeast coastline is of Venezuelan origin. ... Read More

* Brazil’s national oil & gas regulator (ANP) has celebrated the record outcome of its 16th round of bidding for maritime oil exploration concessions, which collected R$8.9bn (US$2.16bn) in signing bonuses.... Read More

On 10 October Guatemala’s 158-member unicameral national legislature approved a proposal submitted by President Jimmy Morales to extend the state of siege which affects 22 municipalities in the provinces of Izabal, Alta Verapaz, Zacapa, El Progreso, Baja Verapaz, and Péten.... Read More

* The Panama Canal authority (ACP) has announced that the Panama Canal has ended the 2019 fiscal year with a record tonnage of 469m Panama Canal/ Universal Measurement System tonnes (PC/UMSt).... Read More

On 10 October the head of the financial intelligence unit (UIF) at Mexico’s federal finance ministry, Santiago Nieto, denied that the UIF had exerted any pressure on former supreme court justice (SCJN) justice Eduardo Medina Mora to resign.... Read More

* The World Bank has reduced its 2019 GDP growth forecast for Mexico to 0.6%, down from 1.7% previously.... Read More

On 10 October Argentina’s presidential frontrunner Alberto Fernández of the radical Peronist Frente de Todos coalition clashed with the justice minister, Germán Garavano, on the issue of corruption after two businessmen linked to Kirchnerismo were released from preventive detention earlier this week.... Read More

* Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera has announced a new national roundtable to address the problems of drought afflicting the country.... Read More