Latin America

• Friday, April 29th 2016 - 05:59 UTC

  Hammond becomes first foreign secretary to visit Cuba since 1959

  

  Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond became on Thursday the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Cuba since 1959. In a series of high-level meetings, the Foreign Secretary will call on his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodríguez and other government leaders to discuss the recent social and economic changes in Cuba, human rights, trade and investment, and the fight against global health threats such as the Zika virus.

• Thursday, April 28th 2016 - 06:49 UTC

  Foreign Secretary Hammond in Colombia to highlight UK's support for the peace process

  

  UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has arrived in Colombia to highlight the UK’s support for the country’s peace process and fight against narcotics during visits to Bogota and Cartagena.

• Thursday, April 28th 2016 - 06:24 UTC

  OAS will lead independent investigation into Belize-Guatemala border incident

  

  The Organization of American States (OAS) will conduct, at the request of the governments of Belize and Guatemala, an independent investigation of the April 20 border incident that led to the death of the Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano and in which his father and brother were wounded.

• Wednesday, April 27th 2016 - 11:03 UTC

  Kuczynski leads opinion polls for the June 5 Peruvian presidential runoff

  

  Former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski continues to hold his lead over conservative Keiko Fujimori ahead of the June 5 runoff presidential election. Kuczynski, also known by his initials PPK, is projected to win with 43% of the vote ahead of Fujimori's 39%, according to the latest Ipsos public opinion poll conducted between April 20 and 22.

• Tuesday, April 26th 2016 - 17:07 UTC

  Alarm in Chile's salmon industry: positive reaction to ISA in a farm

  

  Salmon farming company AquaChile reported the detection of a possible ISA virus outbreak in a cage of one of its salmon farming centers located in the Aysen region, in southern Chile.

• Tuesday, April 26th 2016 - 07:51 UTC

  Penguin Day, April 25; Falklands one of the great penguin capitals

  

  April 25 is one of two days dedicated to the adorable, waddling birds. April 25 is World Penguin Day while January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day.In addition to two penguin days, there are believed to be 17 penguin species, ranging from the Little Blue Penguin to the mighty Emperor Penguin. And several of these are threatened by climate change.

• Monday, April 25th 2016 - 05:30 UTC

  Belize-Guatemala incident reignites standing border dispute; OAS calls for a 'lasting peace'

  

  The Organization of American States, OAS, has called on the governments of Belize and Guatemala to avoid an escalation of tensions, and renew efforts to establish a lasting peace. The OAS statement follows a previous repudiating “the death of a Guatemalan minor [Julio Alvarado, 13] at the hands of a Belizean patrol”.

• Sunday, April 24th 2016 - 08:26 UTC

  International major effort to cooperate on tax issues and halt evasion and elusion

  

  The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are joining forces with other international organizations to cooperate on tax issues and develop new tools and standards to halt tax base erosion and evasion.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 15:51 UTC

  Carnival cruise to Havana triggers controversy with Cuban/Americans who allege discrimination

  

  A federal lawsuit is claiming that Carnival Corporation is discriminating against Cuban-Americans who weren’t allowed to book tickets on a cruise to the Castro brothers dominated country. CNN reports that when Carnival announced plans for a cruise ship from its Fathom line to sail from Miami to Havana in May, Francisco Marty jumped at the opportunity to surprise his children with a trip back to their native land.

• Thursday, April 21st 2016 - 12:16 UTC

  Ecuador raises taxes to rebuild cities devastated by major earthquake which continues with aftershocks

  

  President Rafael Correa announced Wednesday night that he is raising sales taxes and will charge a one-time levy on millionaires to rebuild cities devastated by Ecuador's worst earthquake in decades. In a televised address, Correa said damages from the 7.8-magnitude quake will likely run into the billions of dollars, adding to already heavy economic hardships triggered by the collapse in world oil prices.