LATAM POLITICS TODAY-US, Cuban officials discuss migration as COVID border restrictions set to end

Sanabria will be replaced by William Salamanca, a retired general who will rejoin the force. Iran oil minister visits Venezuela in relations boost CARACAS - Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji arrived in Venezuela on a visit meant to "strengthen energy relations," the South American country's foreign ministry said. The trip will include visits to the facilities of state oil company PDVSA, as well as meetings with Venezuelan authorities, the foreign ministry added in a statement.

The latest in Latin American politics today: US, Cuban officials discuss migration as COVID border restrictions set to end

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Cuban officials discussed migration issues as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the United States from Mexico. The high-level meeting in Washington followed one held in Havana in November and comes a year after the Democratic administration of U.S. President Joe Biden resumed migration talks after a long hiatus under former President Donald Trump, a Republican seeking reelection in 2024.

The U.S. State Department offered few details about the latest discussions. Ecuador security minister resigns after fishing port attack

QUITO - Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said that Security Secretary Diego Ordonez has resigned from the role, a day after nine people were killed during an attack on a small fishing port in the city of Esmeraldas. Ordonez assumed the role last August, when he pledged to take action amid rising violent murders and extortion. A replacement will be named in the coming days, Lasso said.

Brazil could suspend social media sites over school violence content Brazil could fine or suspend social media companies that do not effectively regulate content related to school violence, Justice Minister Flavio Dino said, after two separate attacks left five dead in recent weeks.

Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google have defended before Brazil's Supreme Court a contested 2014 law that rules internet companies are not responsible for user posts, unless they fail to comply with a court order to remove it. Brazil's government has looked to expand regulation, and Dino said the government will require companies to provide reports on the measures and protocols they adopt.

Colombia's Petro swaps out top cop in surprise decision BOGOTA - Colombian President Gustavo Petro has removed General Henry Armando Sanabria as head of the country's national police, he said in a message via Twitter.

Petro thanked Sanabria for his service, but the decision follows criticism leveled at the former top cop for making his conservative religious views public, as well as for comments in a recent interview in which he suggested high incidents of HIV in Colombia's police were linked to its large LGBTIQ community. Sanabria will be replaced by William Salamanca, a retired general who will rejoin the force.

Iran oil minister visits Venezuela in relations boost CARACAS - Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji arrived in Venezuela on a visit meant to "strengthen energy relations," the South American country's foreign ministry said.

The trip will include visits to the facilities of state oil company PDVSA, as well as meetings with Venezuelan authorities, the foreign ministry added in a statement. Owji has already met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Pedro Tellechea, who also heads PDVSA, a source at the firm told Reuters. He also plans to visit the El Palito refinery on Venezuela's north-central coast, the source added.

Tehran has strengthened ties with Caracas in recent years, providing crude and raw materials for Venezuela's aging refining network, as well as overseeing a project to modernize the largest refining complex in the country. Mexico launches anti-trafficking commission ahead of meeting with US, Canadian officials

MEXICO CITY - Mexico created a presidential commission to fight the trafficking of synthetic drugs, firearms and ammunition, a move that comes as officials travel to Washington to meet with their U.S. and Canadian counterparts to tackle the issue. The commission, headed largely by members of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's cabinet, is meant to battle trafficking in compliance with international agreements, according to a decree published in the federal gazette. (Compiled by Steven Grattan, Kylie Madry and Sarah Morland; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Diane Craft and Leslie Adler)

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