Latin America

• Sunday, November 27th 2011 - 05:49 UTC

  Surrounded by the Colombian Army, FARC kills four hostages and one escapes

  

  Colombia's FARC rebels have executed four hostages but a fifth hostage was found alive after escaping his captors, the defense minister said Saturday. The hostages had been held at a FARC encampment in the remote Solano region of southern Colombia.

• Sunday, November 27th 2011 - 01:17 UTC

  UNASUR agrees to promote inter-trade and make operational infrastructure bank

  

  Unasur (Union of South American Nations) Economy and Finance ministers plus Central bank governors agreed to promote inter-regional trade as a way to cope with the incoming international crisis and anticipated that the South (development) Bank would formally be in operations in three weeks time.

• Sunday, November 27th 2011 - 01:01 UTC

  Peruvian peasants clash with police to protest against gold mine in the Andes

  

  Peruvian police fired tear gas on Friday to break up a protest at Newmont Mining Corp's proposed 4.8 billion dollars Conga gold mine as the government tried to mediate a bitter environmental dispute over the project. Several protesters were injured.

• Saturday, November 26th 2011 - 03:20 UTC

  Mercosur to share intelligence and coordinate regionally organized crime combat

  

  Combating the drugs and arms trade and traffic of people as well as a greater coordination of regional intelligence services are among the pillars in security affairs that Argentina, as chair of Mercosur in the first half of 2012 will be applying.

• Saturday, November 26th 2011 - 03:18 UTC

  Strong process of land concentration and in foreign hands in Latam says FAO

  

  A report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, in seventeen Latinamerican and Caribbean countries discovered an intense concentration and foreign-held land process.

• Saturday, November 26th 2011 - 03:16 UTC

  Bolivia admits 26.1% live in extreme poverty but not on the hunger fringe

  

  The Bolivian government strongly rejected a statement from a FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization) official saying that 26% of the population (2.5 million people) is on the hunger fringe since they can not satisfy their basic food needs.

• Saturday, November 26th 2011 - 03:15 UTC

  Cuba opens bank loans for small businesses, private farmers and house repair

  

  Cuba has authorised banks to loan money to small businesses, private farmers and people who want to repair or build homes - a revolutionary step for the island's government.

• Saturday, November 26th 2011 - 03:14 UTC

  After spending time in US and French jails former dictator will be extradited to Panama

  

  French appeals court ruled this week that former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega could be extradited to his homeland to serve time for crimes committed during his iron-fisted rule in the 1980s.

• Friday, November 25th 2011 - 04:34 UTC

  Largest container vessel to visit South America calls in Peruvian and Chilean ports

  

  The largest ever container vessel to have docked in South America is currently in Valparaíso, Chile, after having called in Peru’s El Callao and Iquique in northern Chile.

• Thursday, November 24th 2011 - 23:52 UTC

  Unasur Finance Council meets to agree on measures to counter the global crisis

  

  Unasur Economy ministers and Central Bank presidents will meet Friday to agree on measures to help the region address the impact of the global crisis. The meeting takes place in Buenos Aires hosted by Argentine Economy minister and Vice-president elect Amado Boudou.