The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) says it’s ready to defend the country against any act of aggression at the country’s border with neighbour Venezuela. The declaration was made by the GDF’s Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Mark Phillips, as Minister of State Joseph Harmon also assured that President David Granger was “on top of the situation”, which he described as 'a show of force' and 'not a threat of force'.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro says he wants to have a discussion with his Guyanese counterpart to find a way to settle the conflicts between the two countries. He made a call for a meeting to be held on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, during his ‘Contact with Maduro’ program, according to the statement on the website of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
Uruguayan lawmaker Jaime Trobo said that a blockade in the Americas was 'unacceptable' and called for closer links between the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and the continent, urging the private sector to take advantage of the business opportunities in trade and services.
The UN's highest court on Thursday agreed to take up a century-old dispute between Chile and Bolivia, saying it could rule in the case as La Paz seeks to regain access to the Pacific. The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ), which oversees disputes between countries, said it “has jurisdiction... to entertain the application filed by Bolivia.”
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the top FARC rebel commander pledged on Wednesday to end Latin America's longest war within six months and sealed their pact with a handshake likely to stand as a lasting image.
Venezuela says the deployment of its troops near the border it shares with Guyana, which triggered serious concern in Georgetown, is “an operational deployment exercise”. This follows on months of diplomatic aggression and threats by the regime of Nicolas Maduro claiming two thirds of Guyana's territory.
Guyana President David Granger is claiming that Venezuela is making “abnormal and extraordinary military deployments” near the border between the two countries. He made the accusation on Tuesday, saying that he had received reports about the movement in eastern Venezuela/western Guyana.
Colombia and Venezuela have agreed to restore diplomatic dialogue and oversee progressive normalization of their border, after a meeting between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his counterpart Nicolas Maduro.
Pope Francis has celebrated mass in front of thousands of people in the eastern Cuban city of Holguin. During his homily, he paid tribute to the efforts and sacrifices the Roman Catholic Church has made in Cuba.
Of all four Pacific Alliance countries, Colombia spends most on its congressional representatives, despite the South American country’s low wages. According to a report published on Monday by economic newspaper La Republica, the state pays Colombia’s congressmen a total of nearly $2.1 million per month in salaries, almost double the total of Chile, whose congressmen have the highest individual salaries, but in total cost the state $1.2 million per month.