LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Colombia's Petro surprises with new finance minister in Cabinet reshuffle

The latest in Latin American politics today: Colombia's Petro surprises with new finance minister in Cabinet reshuffle BOGOTA - Colombian President Gustavo Petro named Ricardo Bonilla as finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle, replacing Jose Antonio Ocampo. Petro asked for resignations from all of his cabinet late on Tuesday after the lower house abandoned a debate on a health reform, prompting Petro to declare his congressional coalition fractured.

The latest in Latin American politics today:

Colombia's Petro surprises with new finance minister in Cabinet reshuffle BOGOTA - Colombian President Gustavo Petro named Ricardo Bonilla

as finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle, replacing Jose Antonio Ocampo.

Petro asked for resignations from all of his cabinet late on Tuesday after the lower house abandoned a debate on a health reform, prompting Petro to declare his congressional coalition fractured. The reshuffle prompted a fall in the peso, stock market and domestic Treasury bonds, but analysts said the coalition's end may mean less radical reforms and more stability for businesses.

Petro also replaced his health, interior, agriculture, science, technology and transport ministers. Ecuador opposition, lawyer for president duel at impeachment hearings

QUITO - A representative from Ecuador's opposition and a lawyer for President Guillermo Lasso gave dueling testimony

to a congressional committee tasked with recommending whether to remove the conservative leader from office. Lawmaker Viviana Veloz testified to the committee that Lasso did "nothing" when warned about irregularities in an oil shipping contract between public company Flopec and a private sector business.

Lasso has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyer Edgar Neira testified that there is no proof the conservative former banker was ever involved with Flopec contracts. Brazil Congress prepares for inquiry into Jan. 8 capital storming

BRASILIA - Brazil's Congress is preparing to open an inquiry

into the Jan. 8 storming of government buildings in the capital by demonstrators who denied the electoral victory of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula and allies in parliament have tried to avoid the inquiry, hoping to leave investigations to law enforcement. The right-wing opposition has pushed for an inquiry as a way to blame his new government for security failures in Brasilia that day.

Argentina govt to pay for Chinese imports in yuan rather than dollars BUENOS AIRES - Argentina will start to pay for Chinese imports in yuan rather than dollars,

the government announced , a measure that aims to relieve the country's dwindling dollar reserves.

The decision aims to ease the outflow of dollars and comes as the South American nation battles critical levels in its dollar reserves amid a sharp drop in agricultural exports caused by a historic drought, as well as political uncertainty ahead of elections this year. Brazil's Lula: 'Anything could be discussed' once Russia, Ukraine sit down to talk peace

MADRID - Brazilian President Lula called again for a "peace group" to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, saying anything could be discussed once the nations sat down to talk peace. "There are a lot of things to be discussed - Crimea, other territories, NATO," Lula said during a trip to Spain when asked about Crimea. He said it was not up to him to say who owned Crimea. "That is a discussion between Russia and Ukraine." (Compiled by Steven Grattan and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Leslie Adler)

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