Latin America

• Tuesday, March 13th 2012 - 07:21 UTC

  “Argentina completely ignores the Mercosur treaty and spirit” says Uruguay

  

  Uruguayan Vice-president Danilo Astori strongly criticized the current situation in Mercosur blasting protectionist measures of both Argentina and Brazil, which together with Paraguay are full members of the block

• Tuesday, March 13th 2012 - 07:09 UTC

  Exceptional rainfall and flash floods leave Punta Arenas under water

  

  Sunday rains and flash floods in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile have left an estimated 800 people homeless forcing the city to close schools while the local chapter of the National Emergency office, Onemi, raised the alarm level from orange (moderate) to red (maximum).

• Tuesday, March 13th 2012 - 00:58 UTC

  Morales defends Bolivians right to chew coca leaves at UN anti-drugs meeting

  

  Bolivian President Evo Morales defended Bolivians' right to chew coca leaves, the main ingredient of cocaine, on Monday, saying it was an ancient tradition and the world's No. 3 cocaine producer was working to fight drug trafficking.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 22:17 UTC

  Trade, political refugees and Falklands’ flights in CFK/Piñera summit agenda

  

  Increasing common infrastructure projects such as tunnels and border crossings between Chile and Argentina will be the main motive of this week’s presidential summit between Sebastian Piñera and Cristina Fernandez.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 20:49 UTC

  Argentina expected to announce more protectionist measures this week

  

  Argentina plans to intensify its policy of protecting the trade surplus and impeding the outflow of hard currency and this week is expected to add another one hundred tariff positions which will be submitted to an increase in import levies.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 20:05 UTC

  UK minister in Chile accuses Argentina of economic blockade to the Falklands

  

  United Kingdom’s Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne on a two-day visit to Chile criticized what he called the “economic blockade” to the Falklands Islands by saying it “wasn’t right” and again reaffirmed the right of self determination for the Islanders.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 08:14 UTC

  Mercosur/EU meet for a new round of negotiations in Brussels

  

  A new round of talks between the European Union and Mercosur is scheduled to begin Monday in Brussels for a week, according to a press release from the Argentine Foreign Affairs.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 07:36 UTC

  Inter-American Development Bank meets in Montevideo; over 3.000 attendants

  

  Leading figures from the public, private, and academic sectors will participate in the annual meeting of the Inter American Development Bank, (IDB), In Uruguay, March 15-19, to examine issues that include the European crisis, youth employment, citizen security, culture and sports for youth development, climate change, and cooperation between Asia and Latin America.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 07:14 UTC

  UK minister Browne to meet Piñera two days ahead of Cristina Fernandez

  

  The UK’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Browne arrives Monday in Chile for a two day visit and has scheduled a meeting with President Sebastián Piñera. The event consequently takes place just before Argentine President Cristina Fernández official visit on March 15 and in the lead up to the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas War.

• Saturday, March 10th 2012 - 07:18 UTC

  Uruguay and US will attend Americas’ summit: Cuba and Ecuador absent

  

  Uruguay’s minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Almagro described on Friday as ‘inadmissible” the exclusion of Cuba from the VI Summit of the Americas scheduled for next April 14/15 in Cartagena, Colombia.