Latin America

• Tuesday, May 12th 2015 - 06:18 UTC

  Hollande in Havana ratifies support for Cuba and an end to the US embargo

  

  French President Francois Hollande has urged an end to the US trade embargo of Cuba and envisioned a larger French role in Cuba's engagement with the West during the first visit by a French head of state to Cuba. Havana is in foreign policy talks with both the European Union and the United States amid intense world interest in Cuba following detente with Washington in December.

• Monday, May 11th 2015 - 10:21 UTC

  Castro praises Francis and promises “to turn to the Church again if the pope continues on this vein”

  

  Cuban President Raul Castro has praised Pope Francis for brokering the restoration of relations between Cuba and the US, announced in December. At the end of a Sunday audience at the Vatican, Castro said he had thanked the Pope for his contribution for the historic rapprochement.

• Monday, May 11th 2015 - 09:15 UTC

  A bashed Bachelet expects to announce reshuffled cabinet this Monday

  

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet plans to announce a reshuffling of her Cabinet this Monday in a bid to restore her public image, which has been badly tarnished by corruption scandals, including one involving her son.

• Monday, May 11th 2015 - 09:05 UTC

  Under pressure from Brazil, Venezuela announces legislative elections for end of the year

  

  Venezuela will hold parliamentary elections in the last quarter of this year and the exact date will be announced soon, the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE) said on Sunday. The elected lawmakers will be inaugurated for five years on 2016.

• Monday, May 11th 2015 - 08:47 UTC

  Uruguay's local elections: no major number surprises but interesting changes in the political map

  

  Uruguay Sunday's department and municipal elections resulted mostly as forecasted with no major surprises, and as advanced by MP 9 May, in the capital Montevideo, with half the country's electorate, the two promising candidates have effectively been the elected mayor, Daniel Martinez and Edgardo Novick, a successful businessman and non political figure, who now becomes head of the opposition.

• Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 09:34 UTC

  Mujica's book rekindles Brazilian scandal involving Lula da Silva

  

  Uruguay's president Jose Mujica has now denied alleged statements collected in a book about his life written by two journalists, that he personally presented last Sunday in Buenos Aires and in which there is a mention to former president Lula da Silva and the 'mensalao', one of Brazil's largest corruption scandals involving monthly payments to have bills passed by Congress.

• Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 08:57 UTC

  Nicola Sturgeon 'tectonic plates of Scottish politics” promises to fight austerity imposed by Tory government

  

  Scottish nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon on Friday held out the possibility of a new independence referendum – but not immediately – after her party's crushing victory north of the border in a British national election.

• Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 08:37 UTC

  Tourism boom in Cuba: Europeans want to enjoy the island “before the Americans arrive”

  

  The Cuban government says it has prepared for a surge in tourist arrivals with an airport expansion plan and new luxury hotels under construction in Havana and popular beach resorts like Varadero. But according to tour operators, it is already getting difficult to find available hotel rooms or reserve tables at popular restaurants, especially during the high season.

• Thursday, May 7th 2015 - 06:55 UTC

  Brazil wants to review Mercosur 'liberty' rules; sends strong public message to Argentina

  

  Brazil has proposed reviewing Mercosur rules so that its members can enjoy more 'liberty' to negotiate trade agreements with other blocks or third parties, because even when “Mercosur is an indissoluble marriage, this does mean that relations can't be discussed” and thus a 'different speeds' group should not be discarded.

• Thursday, May 7th 2015 - 06:01 UTC

  Uruguay's economy 'strong enough' to navigate in challenging environments

  

  Uruguay's economy is “strong enough to navigate in a challenging global and regional environment” in which the U.S. dollar is strong and inflation is starting to rise, Uruguayan Central Bank, (BCU), chairman Mario Bergara said during a conference in Montevideo where he discussed the central bank's mission in the current world environment.