Latin America

• Wednesday, November 25th 2009 - 10:07 UTC

  Venezuela’s Chavez steps up program to confiscate “idle land”

  

  Venezuela’s Landholdings Institute and the National Guard occupied in the last few days at least 31 farms in different states including one belonging to opposition leader Manuel Rosales, currently exiled in Peru.

• Wednesday, November 25th 2009 - 05:41 UTC

  Peru proposes a South American “peace force” to contain regional conflicts

  

  Peru will propose the creation of a South American “Peace Force” next Friday in Ecuador when the meeting of the Union of South American Nations Defence Council, announced Peruvian Production minister Mercedes Araoz following a meeting in Montevideo with Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez.

• Wednesday, November 25th 2009 - 04:42 UTC

  Colombia/Ecuador re-establish trade relations after 21 months

  

  Ecuador and Colombia formally established this week ties at trade representation level, official sources said in Quito and Bogotá. The two governments announced that “full normalization” will take place when the so called “sensitive” issues have been addressed and solved.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 07:42 UTC

  Bolivian Jews concerned with Iranian president’s visit

  

  The Bolivian Jewish community has expressed concern over the coming visit this Tuesday of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadineyad who is scheduled to meet with his Bolivian peer Evo Morales, as part of a several days visit to South America and Africa.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 03:58 UTC

  Blasting report on human rights: “New Castro, Same Cuba”

  

  Cuban president Raúl Castro's government has locked up scores of people for exercising their fundamental freedoms and allowed scores more political prisoners, arrested during Fidel Castro's rule, to languish in detention, Human Rights Watch says in a report released this week. Rather than dismantle Cuba's repressive machinery, Raúl Castro has kept it firmly in place and fully active, the report says.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 03:18 UTC

  Chile denies conflict with Peru will be considered in Unasur defence meeting

  

  Chile said that the alleged espionage case involving a Peruvian military that passed sensitive information to a Chilean counterpart is a “bilateral issue” and firmly denied it was to be discussed in the coming Unasur (Union of South American nations) Defence Council.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 13:27 UTC

  All Honduran parties are calling on Hondurans to vote next Sunday

  

  Honduran presidential candidates wrapped up their electoral campaigns on Sunday with massive rallies calling on followers and “all Hondurans” to vote next November 29th when a new president, congress, and municipal officials will be elected.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:26 UTC

  Palestinian president received with full honours in Brazil and Argentina

  

  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived at Buenos Aires Sunday evening g for a diplomatic trip that includes a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on Monday.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:17 UTC

  Regional conflicts call for urgent meeting of South American Defence council

  

  The Union of South American nations, Unasur, Defence Council will be holding an extraordinary meeting next Friday to address several serious problems involving country members announced the Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs ministry that will be hosting the event in the capital Quito.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:12 UTC

  Chavez calls Venezuelans to join Bolivarian Militia; 300 Russian tanks on the way

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez announced the arrival of a shipment of 300 Russian tanks and armoured vehicles and ordered the members of the ruling party, United Socialist party of Venezuela, PSUV, to join the militia and armed groups.