Latin America

• Tuesday, April 24th 2018 - 23:21 UTC

  Falklands: “Commercial and cultural office” in Stanley to promote Argentina, suggests ex diplomat

  

  The Falklands population is crucial for any solution to the Argentine claim over the Islands given their overwhelming support from British public opinion (and political system), and its full integration with the 53-nation Commonwealth, according to Argentine ex diplomat Jorge Lidio Viñuela, considered an expert and militant on the issue of South Atlantic insular claims.

• Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 09:52 UTC

  Ruling party wins election in Paraguay, but with surprise performance of the opposition

  

  Paraguay's Mario Abdo Benitez, “Marito”, who represents the country's long-dominant Colorado Party, was elected as president on Sunday, landing the top job in the country with the smallest economy in Mercosur. The US-educated son of a senior aide to the country's late dictator, Abdo Benitez won slightly more than 46% of the vote, with his centrist opponent Efrain Alegre taking almost 43% in a race that was far closer than expected.

• Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 09:49 UTC

  Nicaragua's Ortega cancels social security reform following riots and death of 26 killed by police

  

  Nicaragua's president on Sunday withdrew changes to the social security system that had triggered several days of deadly protests and looting. President Daniel Ortega said in a message to the nation late Sunday that the National Social Security Institute's board of directors had canceled the changes that were implemented April 16.

• Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 09:08 UTC

  EU and Mexico reach new trade agreement: tariff cuts for European cheese and pork

  

  The European Union and Mexico reached an agreement on Saturday on a new free trade deal, a coup for both parties in the face of increased protectionism from the United States under President Donald Trump. Since its plans for a trade alliance with the United States were frozen after Trump's election victory, the EU has focused instead on trying to champion open markets and seal accords with other like-minded countries.

• Saturday, April 21st 2018 - 06:31 UTC

  Unasur under pressure: six nations, including Brazil and Argentina, suspend their memberships

  

  Half of the nations belonging to Unasur, a South American bloc set up a decade ago to counter U.S. sway in the region, have decided to suspend their membership, a Brazilian official announced on Friday.

• Friday, April 20th 2018 - 09:27 UTC

  Mexico bans government institutions from doing business with Odebrecht

  

  Mexico has banned federal institutions and state governments from doing business with Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht for the next 2-1/2 years, and fined the company around US$ 60 million, the government said.

• Friday, April 20th 2018 - 09:24 UTC

  Lopez Obrador closer to the Mexican presidency: 22 percentage points ahead of his closest rival

  

  Mexico’s frontrunner has just clocked a new milestone in his race toward the presidency, distancing himself from his rivals by 22 percentage points in a new poll ahead of the July 1 election.

• Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 22:24 UTC

  Miguel Díaz-Canel becomes the new president of Cuba: there is no chance of a Trojan horse

  

  Miguel Díaz-Canel has been ratified on Thursday by the National Assembly of Cuba as the new president of the Council of State, the country's first leader in practice. The parliament ratified the former vice president with 99.83% of the votes of the deputies present. Diaz-Canel replaces the General Raúl Castro, who retires from power after 12 years at the head of the country. However, the new president clarified that Raúl Castro “will lead the most important decisions” for the country.

• Wednesday, April 18th 2018 - 07:50 UTC

  OAS mission will observe the Mexican elections of July first

  

  The Organization of American States (OAS) and Mexico signed an agreement on the privileges and immunities of the Mission of Foreign Visitors that will observe the July first federal and local elections.

• Wednesday, April 18th 2018 - 07:45 UTC

  UK welcomes Guatemala's referendum decision to take Belize's dispute to the ICJ

  

  The United Kingdom has welcomed the result of April 15 referendum on taking Guatemala’s territorial, maritime and insular dispute with Belize to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.