Latin America

• Monday, September 21st 2009 - 11:12 UTC

  Colombian government/FARC agree on hostages’ liberation

  

  Colombian President Alvaro Uribe agreed to demands from next of kin of hostages held by the FARC rebels and will accept the release of kidnapped policemen and soldiers one at a time rather than all at once, a reversal in government policy that could speed up releases.

• Monday, September 21st 2009 - 08:43 UTC

  Venezuela prepares for a package to “reactivate” the economy

  

  Venezuelans are expecting this week further details of President Hugo Chávez anticipated package of new economic measures intended to increase the supply of US dollars and reactivate the local economy.

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 11:19 UTC

  Latinamerican conference on regional migratory policy

  

  Latinamerican countries will try to unify a regional migratory policy during the 9th South American Conference on Migration, to be held here on Sept. 21-22, announced Ecuadorian Migration Minister Lorena Escudero.

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 09:52 UTC

  Last US forces abandon Manta military base in Ecuador

  

  The United States formally left the Manta military base in Ecuador on Friday at 9.00 a.m. local time, at a ceremony in which Ecuadorian authorities took full control of the Pacific Coast facilities.

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 07:28 UTC

  US/Cuba talks for resumption of direct mail service

  

  The United States and Cuba have begun talks on resuming direct mail service, which has been suspended since 1963. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Bisa Williams is leading the delegation to the negotiations in Havana.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 15:28 UTC

  Uruguayan president calls for stronger and more balanced Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez called for an integrated Mercosur with a greater number of countries to make it more competitive overseas, but also demanded greater balance inside the group among members.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 11:10 UTC

  The Mapuche Struggle for Autonomy

  

  On August 17, dozens of Mapuche communities in southern Chile united to form the Mapuche Territorial Alliance to continue their struggle for political autonomy. Many of them had carried on angry protests, most recently on August 12, when a police operation to evict the Mapuches who had seized land left one dead and eight injured.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 03:44 UTC

  Brazil is not “a Venezuela that goes shopping in the world’s arms supermarkets”

  

  Defence minister Nelson Jobim said that Brazil “is not a Venezuela that goes around shopping in the world’s arms supermarkets”. Brazil targets policy on technical training and technology transfer so “we can develop a sound, autonomous defence industry”, underlined the top official from President Lula da Silva administration.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 03:41 UTC

  November elections, rapidly becoming the silent option for Honduras crisis

  

  Four of Honduras six presidential candidates have coincided that the coming November 29 elections are the best solution to the serious political crisis faced by the country since the constitutional president Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a midnight military and civilian coup at the end of June.

• Thursday, September 17th 2009 - 13:35 UTC

  “Isolated” Colombia seriously considering abandoning Unasur

  

  Colombia could consider quitting the South American Nations Union, Unasur, if the block does not agree to debate issues related to drug trafficking, terrorism and arms purchases. There is a lack of “sensitivity” from other members to consider these issues.