Latin America

• Thursday, February 15th 2018 - 23:25 UTC

  Maduro announces that he will attend the Summit of the Americas despite not being welcome

  

  Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, announced that he will attend the Summit of the Americas “at all costs” to bring “the truth of the country” at a press conference at the presidential palace in Caracas despite the Peruvian government reported that his presence would not be welcome in the Andean country.

• Wednesday, February 14th 2018 - 09:28 UTC

  “Lima Group” blasts Maduro's call for elections without an agreement with the opposition

  

  The “Lima Group” of Latin American nations plus Canada on Tuesday criticized the Venezuelan government’s decision to hold a presidential election on April 22 without reaching an agreement with an opposition coalition.

• Wednesday, February 14th 2018 - 09:04 UTC

  Another blow for Oxfam: chairman Fuentes arrested for his time as Guatemala finance minister

  

  The chairman of the charity Oxfam International, Juan Alberto Fuentes, has been arrested in Guatemala. Fuentes was detained as part of an investigation into a corruption scandal dating back to his time as Guatemala's finance minister, but no charges have been brought so far.

• Monday, February 12th 2018 - 16:13 UTC

  British government project to prevent corruption in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador

  

  The British Government is supporting a project to encourage municipalities from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to adopt practices which can prevent corruption. The initiative, under the “Islands of Integrity” concept, aims to address the root causes of corruption by encouraging free-market policies and enhancing efficiency.

• Friday, February 9th 2018 - 19:58 UTC

  Cancelled Machu Picchu airport triggers international dispute between Peru and contractors

  

  The Peruvian-Argentine consortium Kuntur Wasi said that it plans to sue Peru in an international arbitration court after failing to reach a deal with the government over the cancellation of its US$525 million Chinchero airport project.

• Friday, February 9th 2018 - 10:12 UTC

  Colombia and Brazil tighten controls along Venezuelan border: thousands pouring in

  

  Colombia and Brazil tightened border controls with Venezuela on Thursday as both nations grapple with a mounting influx of hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants fleeing a worsening economic crisis In a visit to the border region, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he would impose stricter migratory controls, suspend new daily entry cards for Venezuelans and deploy 3,000 new security personnel along the frontier, including 2,120 more soldiers.

• Thursday, February 8th 2018 - 09:11 UTC

  With NAFTA on the cliff, Mexico betting strongly to update free trade agreement with Europe

  

  Mexico believes it can conclude a new free-trade agreement with the European Union before the end of February, Mexican officials have said. The EU and Mexico intend to update a trade deal agreed 21 years ago that largely covers industrial goods. They want to add farm products, more services, investment and government procurement, and include provisions on labor standards and environmental protection.

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 21:55 UTC

  Colombian government refuses to close its border with Venezuela

  

  At least 8,000 Venezuelans cross the border between Colombia and Venezuela daily to the department of Arauca, southeast of Colombia. Although the migratory flow at this point does not compare with the thirty or forty thousand Venezuelans who cross the Simón Bolívar bridge between Santander and Táchira every day, in Arauca the majority of migrants arrive in conditions of extreme vulnerability.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 09:17 UTC

  Ecuadorean president wins referendum, barring Correa's hopes of reelection

  

  Ecuadoreans on Sunday voted to prevent presidents from holding more than two terms in office, according to the elections council, a win for President Lenin Moreno that blocks his mentor-turned-adversary Rafael Correa from returning to power. The results from the referendum, called by Moreno, roll back a measure Correa pushed through Congress in 2015 to allow unlimited presidential re-election.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 08:01 UTC

  Costa Rica presidential runoff between evangelical preacher and ex minister

  

  Costa Rica’s presidential election is headed to a runoff after no candidates secured enough votes to win outright. The top vote-getter, evangelical preacher Fabricio Alvarado, is expected to face his closest opponent, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, a former labor minister, April 1. Alvarado won nearly 25% of votes on Sunday to Alvarado Quesada’s 22%.