Latin America

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 09:15 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez hails Mercosur success in integration and in promoting a political block

  

  In what can be considered her last speech before a Mercosur summit, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez, who is stepping down next December, hailed what she called the “magnitude of the importance of integration” in South America with the inclusion of both Venezuela and Bolivia showing the “success and the resounding failure for those who forecasted for years that the Mercosur was going to fail.”

• Friday, July 17th 2015 - 06:19 UTC

  Argentine economy showing slight improvement but still delicate, says IMF

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) slightly improved its outlook on Argentina’s economy saying the country will grow 0.1% in 2015 and will remain stagnant in 2016. Nevertheless, IMF warned the country is going through a “very delicate” situation and insisted that the improved outlook doesn’t change its views regarding Argentina.

• Friday, July 17th 2015 - 05:49 UTC

  “Sea for Bolivia” and “Malvinas for Argentina” pledges president Evo Morales

  

  Bolivian president Evo Morales defended his claim of “sea for Bolivia” and “Malvinas for Argentina”, during the last of his two-day very militant visit to Argentina before flying late Thursday to Brazil for the Mercosur summit.

• Thursday, July 16th 2015 - 09:03 UTC

  Bolivian private sector not convinces of full incorporation to Mercosur

  

  Bolivia's incorporation as a full member of Mercosur will be addressed as of Thursday in Brasilia at the group's two-day presidential summit, an issue which could be completed by the first half of next year, despite some warnings from Bolivia's private sector.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 08:10 UTC

  Mercosur summit in Brasilia with a conflicting agenda; Paraguay takes chair

  

  Mercosur will be holding its half year presidential summit in Brasilia next Thursday and Friday, an event which will expose an abundance of trade and political conflicts, discrepancies and recurrent challenges despite all its members commitment to integration. Besides full members, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela and Brazil, leaders from Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana and Surinam have also been announced.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 07:34 UTC

  Guyanese president Granger will attend Mercosur summit in Brasilia

  

  Guyanese President David Granger and Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge plan to attend the biannual Mercosur summit in Brasilia later this next, a Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed to the Spanish news agency EFE.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 05:35 UTC

  Guyana declines UN good offices since they have only 'helped Venezuela'

  

  Guyana is no longer interested in the UN Good Offices Process as a means to settle its century-old border dispute with Venezuela, Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge said on Monday in a news briefing live-streamed online.

• Tuesday, July 14th 2015 - 06:37 UTC

  Mexico is offering 3.8 million dollars reward for the capture of drug lord “Chapo Guzmán”

  

  Mexico is offering a reward of 60 million pesos ($3.8m) for the capture of the country's most-wanted drug lord, who escaped from a top security prison. A huge manhunt is underway for Joaquin Guzman, who got out of his cell on Saturday through a 1.5km-long tunnel.

• Tuesday, July 14th 2015 - 06:07 UTC

  Caricom considering ECLAC proposal to write-off its multilateral debt

  

  The Caribbean Community, Caricom is considering a proposal for the region to pursue gradual write-off of its multilateral debt as a means of economic prosperity. The debt relief strategy was put forward by Alicia Barcena from the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), at the 36th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, held in Barbados.

• Monday, July 13th 2015 - 09:21 UTC

  Venezuela will stop buying Guyana rice amid escalating border dispute

  

  Venezuela has decided to stop buying much of Guyana's rice crop amid an escalating border dispute between the two neighboring countries, the Guyanese finance minister said. The administration of president Nicolas Maduro has in the past four years purchased about 40% of Guyana's rice production, about 200,000 tons, paying for it with oil that amounts to about half of Guyana's daily supply needs.