Latin America

• Monday, August 17th 2015 - 07:54 UTC

  Ecuador hits back at the UK over the Assange asylum case in London

  

  Ecuador has hit back at the UK government over who is to blame for the deadlock in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The 44-year-old Australian has been living in Ecuador's embassy in London for more than three years to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations.

• Monday, August 17th 2015 - 06:52 UTC

  Suriname leader Bouterse takes office for another five-year term

  

  Suriname former military ruler Desi Bouterse officially began a second consecutive five-year term in office after being sworn in, promising to diversify the country’s economy and make the country less dependent on bauxite, gold and oil exports.

• Saturday, August 15th 2015 - 08:50 UTC

  Uruguay says Brazil rejects idea of leaving Mercosur, but agrees that deep changes are urgent

  

  Uruguay's foreign minister said on Friday that “nobody” supports the proposal from the Brazilian Senate president Renan Calheiros to put an end to the Mercosur customs union. However he did point out that he proposal exposed that the block effectively is 'not working' and needs to have its foundations reviewed.

• Saturday, August 15th 2015 - 08:33 UTC

  Kerry calls for a new era in relations with Cuba, but also urged political change

  

  US Secretary of State John Kerry declared a new era in relations as he celebrated restored diplomatic ties in Havana on Friday, but he also urged political change in Cuba, telling Cubans they should be free to choose their own leaders.

• Friday, August 14th 2015 - 09:23 UTC

  Political ally who can save Rousseff from impeachment wants Brazil out of Mercosur

  

  Renan Calheiros, president of the Brazilian Senate, and the man who could help President Dilma Rousseff avoid impeachment in Congress, has proposed a package of measures to rescue Brazil from its current stagflation, but among his demands is “an end to the customs union of Mercosur”.

• Friday, August 14th 2015 - 08:32 UTC

  UK to protest to Ecuador for harboring Assange; policing the embassy has cost 18.8m dollars

  

  The UK is to make a formal protest to the government of Ecuador over the country's decision to “harbor” Julian Assange, the Foreign Office has said. The Wikileaks co-founder sought asylum at London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.

• Wednesday, August 12th 2015 - 09:10 UTC

  CARICOM tells Venezuela it supports Guyana's integrity in territorial dispute

  

  Venezuela’s vice-president Jorge Arreaza recently heard directly from CARICOM chairman, Barbados’ Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, that the regional grouping is backing Guyana in the territorial dispute between the two South American neighbors. Stuart met last Friday with Arreaza who was visiting the island as part of a regional tour to discuss Venezuela’s territorial and maritime claims in the region.

• Wednesday, August 12th 2015 - 08:39 UTC

  “A step forward for Haitian democracy”, OAS describes Sunday's vote

  

  Despite incidents of violence at some polling stations, the first round of legislative elections in Haiti which took place on Sunday, has been described as “a step forward for Haitian democracy” by the Organization of American States (OAS).

• Wednesday, August 12th 2015 - 08:25 UTC

  Sargassum bloom are ruining Caribbean beaches and tourism season

  

  The picture-perfect beaches and turquoise waters that people expect on their visits to the Caribbean are increasingly being fouled by mats of decaying seaweed that attract biting sand fleas and smell like rotten eggs.

• Friday, August 7th 2015 - 06:19 UTC

  Falklands' claim and sea access for Bolivia in the same package for Evo Morales

  

  The Argentine government should support with 'determination' Bolivia's sea outlet claim to Chile, because if successful it will be so much easier for Argentina to recover the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, said Bolivian president Evo Morales in an interview.