Latin America

• Monday, August 1st 2016 - 12:58 UTC

  Argentina and Mexico pledge to reach “absolute integration and free trade”

  

  Argentina and Mexico agree on the need to reach absolute integration and free trade, as part of the closer bilateral relations confirmed with the visit to Buenos Aires of Mexican head of state Enrique Peña Nieto.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 07:47 UTC

  Olympics chief praises Rio and anticipates a “fantastic” Games

  

  The head of the International Olympic Committee played down problems with unfinished accommodation in Rio de Janeiro that have prompted some teams to abandon the Olympic village, saying he expected Brazil to host a “fantastic” games.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 05:39 UTC

  Mercosur limbo: Uruguay's presidency is over, who will hold the rotating chair ?

  

  Uruguay made public on Friday a letter sent to Mercosur fellow full members stating the finalization, this Saturday 30 July, of its six-month presidency of the group, which means the rotating chair “should be transferred to Venezuela”. The letter was accompanied by a 32 page report of its six-month as chair of the group, particularly intense because of the trade negotiations with the European Union.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 04:22 UTC

  Mercosur controversy: Brazil does not oppose Venezuela, but Caracas must first comply with agreed set of rules

  

  Brazilian interim president Michel Temer laid out the steps Venezuela must comply with before it is confirmed as full member of Mercosur, and following on that can effectively become chair of the group. Temer's Friday statement makes clear Brazil's position in the ongoing controversy regarding Venezuela's aspiration to succeed Uruguay in the rotating chair.

• Friday, July 29th 2016 - 13:40 UTC

  Kuczynski pledges to modernize Peru and a “social revolution” to fight poverty, racism and corruption

  

  Pedro Pablo Kuczynski took office as Peru's president on Thursday, asking the opposition-controlled Congress to help him fight income inequality and ensure all Peruvians have access to running water, health care and free primary education.

• Thursday, July 28th 2016 - 06:35 UTC

  “Gringo” president with pro-business cabinet and limited congressional support takes office in Peru

  

  Pedro Pablo Kuczynski takes office as Peru's presidency this Thursday with a Cabinet that shares his Ivy League, pro-business pedigree — a reliance on technocrats that could become a liability as he deals with an unfriendly congress, a resurgent left and environment aware peasants and indigenous peoples living on rich natural resources.

• Tuesday, July 26th 2016 - 21:38 UTC

  Olympics Brazilian security personnel have been trained by Israel Special Forces

  

  Next month's summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will take place under watchful eyes of 10,000 Brazilian soldiers and police officers and all have been highly trained for the job by Israelis, according to a report on the Israel NonStop website, based on details broadcast by Israeli Channel 2 television news reporter Nir Dvori.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2016 - 07:05 UTC

  Giant squid is back in the northern coast of Peru; fishermen relieved

  

  Fishing for giant squid (Dosidicus gigas) finally seems to be improving in northwest Peru, which has brought some peace to Paita and other northern ports that rely heavily on this product. The lack of the species has been of great concern to the people of the area, but since last week the cephalopod has slowly reappeared in this part of the Peruvian coast. Now they expect the improvement is sustained and not only a temporary relief.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2016 - 06:44 UTC

  Argentine Jewish community demand investigation of the “local connection” in the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack

  

  Argentine President Mauricio Macri, together with members of the government and civil organizations attended on Monday in Buenos Aires the main ceremony commemorating the attack on the headquarters of the AMIA Jewish community organization in 1994, a crime that so far has gone unpunished.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2016 - 06:40 UTC

  Uruguay could compete for another pulp mill, if it develops logistics infrastructure

  

  Finland´s UPM pulp conglomerate which already has a plant in Uruguay announced it will commence discussions with the Uruguayan government on the development of logistics infrastructure for a possible mounting of another mill. Discussions will include railroad and roads, which currently are a critical challenge to establish large scale industrial operation in the Uruguayan inland and to connect it to a deep sea port.