Latin America

Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 08:15 UTC
Cuban private farmers given more incentives to increase production

Cuba said this week it was doubling the amount of land it granted would-be farmers and the lengths of their leases in an effort to increase stagnating agricultural output. The state owns 80% of the land and leases most of that to farmers and cooperatives. The remainder is owned by some 400,000 private family farmers and their cooperatives.
Wednesday, August 8th 2018 - 06:50 UTC
Colombian president Duque anticipates “corrections” to the peace deal with guerrillas

Colombia’s youngest elected president was sworn in to office on Tuesday, promising to “make corrections” to a peace deal with leftist rebels that has divided the country and to crack down on lingering armed groups still roaming the countryside.
Tuesday, August 7th 2018 - 10:43 UTC
Chile legally bans the widespread commercial use of plastic bags

Chile has become the first South American country to legally ban the widespread commercial use of plastic bags. The new legislation approved by Congress and enacted by President Sebastián Piñera, gives small shops two years to adapt to a total ban.
Tuesday, August 7th 2018 - 07:31 UTC
Brazilian judge blocks border to prevent Venezuelans flooding in

A Brazilian federal court has ordered a block on Venezuelans crossing the border from their economically imploding country, but there was no indication on Monday of the suspension yet taking effect.
Tuesday, August 7th 2018 - 07:23 UTC
Ivan Duque takes office as Colombian president; staunch ally of the Trump administration

Ivan Duque, who will be sworn in as Colombia’s president on Tuesday, is poised to become an unusually strong ally for the Trump administration after he made a project of cultivating ties with the White House and spotlighting shared views on drug control, counterterrorism and the unfolding political and economic crisis in next-door Venezuela.
Sunday, August 5th 2018 - 08:05 UTC
Maduro escapes drone-attack during military ceremony; blames Colombia's Santos

Venezuelan officials say that President Nicolás Maduro has escaped an assassination attempt unharmed. Maduro was giving a live televised speech in the capital city of Caracas on Saturday when, a government spokesman said, explosive-carrying drones went off near the president.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 09:38 UTC
Colombia's kingmaker withdraws his Senate resignation letter

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, accused of witness tampering and bribery, asked the Senate to ignore his resignation letter so that his case remains with the Supreme Court. Uribe, who was in office from 2002 to 2010 and mounted a military offensive against Marxist guerrillas, said on Monday he would resign his seat in the Senate to concentrate on his defense after the Supreme Court called on him to testify.
Thursday, August 2nd 2018 - 07:35 UTC
Santos convinced that Maduro's days in Venezuela are numbered, “in the near future”

Nicolas Maduro's days as president of crisis-ravaged Venezuela are numbered, his outgoing Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos told the French government news agency.“I can see it happening in the near future,” said Santos, pointing to the International Monetary Fund's latest projection that Venezuela's inflation will hit one million percent this year.
Wednesday, August 1st 2018 - 08:04 UTC
Ortega admits armed and masked paramilitaries were a “volunteer police”

Nicaragua's veteran leader Daniel Ortega defended brutal action by his forces against anti-government protesters, as the United States warned he and his wife were “ultimately responsible” for deaths and rights violations.
Wednesday, August 1st 2018 - 07:01 UTC
Aeromexico Embraer crashes in Durango: passengers and crew jump to safety

Dozens were injured when a packed Aeromexico-operated Embraer jet crashed right after takeoff in Mexico’s state of Durango on Tuesday, but authorities said most were not seriously hurt and there were no fatalities.