Stories for April 2015

Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 10:55 UTC
Castro and Obama make history: 'we have agreed we can disagree with respect and civility'

President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro sat down together on Saturday in the first formal meeting of the two country's leaders in over a half-century, pledging to reach for the kind of peaceful relationship that has eluded their nations for generations.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 10:48 UTC
Pope Francis appeals to Americas Summit for better distribution of riches

In a message addressed to the President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela, Pope Francis urged leaders attending the OAS Americas' Summit to strengthen efforts against inequality which he considered a “source for conflicts.”
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 10:29 UTC
Controversy over Argentine ambassador accounts, dismissed by US bank

Argentine ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Nilda Garre denied having accounts neither in the CNB Bank nor in the Felton Bank, saying the US-based entity had written proof that there were no accounts under her name there.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 08:55 UTC
Obama praised the 'new beginning' in the bilateral relation with Cuba

United States President Barack Obama addressed American leaders in the meeting currently taking place in the City of Panama praising the diplomatic rapprochement between Washington and Cuba which he called “a new beginning” in the bilateral relation.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 08:46 UTC
Castro calls for a 'civilized relationship'; apologizes to Obama and condemns ten previous US presidents

Cuban President Raul Castro was received with a standing ovation as he readied to address the VII Summit of the Americas, held in Panama City, in a historic presentation. The Caribbean leader stressed the importance of the rapprochement with the United States but questioned the US policy towards Venezuela.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 08:22 UTC
Falklands 'raided' by British Special Forces to test the garrison's security, says UK media

British Special forces have carried a raid on the Falkland Islands to test the garrison's security amid fears that Argentina may try to land commandos on the Islands, according to a piece published in the Sunday Express. Apparently such routine exercises are carried out in UK highly sensitive bases and defense compounds.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 08:06 UTC
Obama announces Brazilian president Rousseff visit to Washington on June 30

US President Barack Obama announced that Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff will visit Washington on June 30, almost two years after she cancelled a trip over a US spying scandal. Obama made the announcement during a bilateral meeting with Rousseff, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama City.
Sunday, April 12th 2015 - 07:36 UTC
Argentina's message to UK and US: “utterly ridiculous considering any regional country a threat.”

Addressing the Americas summit in Panama, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez strongly criticized United States policies towards the hemisphere, particularly Venezuela, and expressed 'surprise' at the parallelism between the Caracas/Washington current dispute and the latest round of Falklands' exchanges between London and her government. President Barack Obama was not present during the Argentine leader's speech on Saturday.
Saturday, April 11th 2015 - 14:27 UTC
Seizure of YPF faces litigation from two Spanish companies demanding compensation

Argentina has been sued in a US district court in New York in connection with its nationalization of oil giant YPF in 2012, according to court documents. The plaintiffs are two Spanish firms, and they are represented by a US law firm Burford Capital.
Saturday, April 11th 2015 - 13:12 UTC
Colombia's FARC reject submission to judicial processes as “common criminals”

Colombia's FARC rebels cannot be submitted to the same judicial processes as “common criminals” under a possible peace deal, the Marxist group said on Friday. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) made the comments after President Juan Manuel Santos said in an interview that the biggest hurdle to signing peace would be getting the group to agree to face justice after 50 years of war.