Stories for April 2009

Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 09:39 UTC
Summit “first step for a new regional order” says Cristina

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Friday that the Trinidad and Tobago summit “should be the first step for a new regional order” and recalled the previous summit in Argentina had signalled “an inflection point for the continent”.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 09:05 UTC
Obama pledges a “new beginning” with Latinamerica and Cuba

United States President Barack Obama pledged on Friday to seek a “new beginning” in ties with the Castro brothers ruled Cuba as part of a new era of US partnership and engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean. But he also pointed out he had come to speak about the future, not the past.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 08:56 UTC
“I want to be your friend” says Chavez and shakes hands with Obama

President Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez shared a friendly handshake at the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas Friday. The Venezuelan government called the handshake ''historic'' and hinted that it was the first step toward thawing chilly relations between the two nations.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 08:50 UTC
LAN unveils three year plan to invest 1.3 billion USD to expand fleet

Chile's flag air carrier LAN announced on Friday it will invest 1.3 billion US dollars between 2009 and 2011 to expand its fleet. LAN, which has operations across South America, will buy long- and short-haul planes as well as new-generation cargo aircraft, Chairman Jorge Awad said.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 08:03 UTC
Mexico inaugurates new IMF flexible credit line with record 47 billion USD

The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved a previously agreed 47 billion US dollars line of credit for Mexico, the first country to qualify for the new lending facility for strong-performing emerging economies. However Mexican authorities have stated they intend to treat the one-year arrangement as precautionary and do not intend to draw on the line.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 05:46 UTC
ALBA summit support Paraguay’s Itaipu dam claims

The ALBA group presidential summit, which has Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez as its main promoter, fully supported Paraguayan claims in its conflict with Brazil regarding the energy from Latinamerica’s largest hydroelectric dam Itaipú.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 05:34 UTC
Latinamerica looks to China to increase trade and investments

Latinamerica is hopeful that an increase in trade with China and investments from the Asian giant will help compensate lost business with the United States and the European Union because of the global crisis.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 05:32 UTC
Top economist says UK economy “could have started a recovery”

There are signs the British economy may already have started a recovery, according to economist David Miles. He is due to join the Bank of England's rate-setting body next June.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 04:19 UTC
Hillary Clinton admits failure of US policy towards Cuba

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday US policy toward Cuba has failed as she welcomed an ”overture'' from President Raul Castro to talk about “everything” including human rights and political prisoners.
Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 04:02 UTC
OAS Secretary General wants Cuba back again in the organization

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS Jose Miguel Insulza said Friday that he will ask its members to readmit Cuba almost half a century after the country was ousted for its “communist alignment”.