Latin America

• Monday, May 26th 2014 - 07:50 UTC

  Colombia: Zuluaga and Santos, plus allies, will decide on the peace dialogue on 15 June

  

  Right-wing opposition candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga won most votes in Colombia's presidential election on Sunday but fell short of a first-round victory and will face President Juan Manuel Santos in a close runoff on 15 June.

• Saturday, May 24th 2014 - 10:31 UTC

  All is ready for the OAS General Assembly in Paraguay, June 3 to 5

  

  The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved the submission of several draft resolutions to the General Assembly of the institution, which will take place from June 3 to 5 in Asunción, Paraguay.

• Saturday, May 24th 2014 - 07:22 UTC

  Maduro blames the World Cup for airlines decision to cut flights to Venezuela

  

  President Nicolás Maduro said the World Cup is to blame for international airlines’ decision to cut flights to Venezuela and denied that the move had anything to do with his government's refusal to allow them to repatriate proceeds from ticket sales inside the country.

• Friday, May 23rd 2014 - 23:42 UTC

  ECLAC/ILO anticipate less job creation in Latam as the overall economy slows down

  

  The economic scenario for 2014, with an estimated average growth rate of 2.7%, is far from encouraging for the evolution of the Latin American regional labor market and presents major challenges for labor market policy, said the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a new joint report released this week.

• Friday, May 23rd 2014 - 22:25 UTC

  Dominican Republic tourism industry success story: 4.7 million tourists in 2013

  

  The Dominican Republic’s 2013 visitor numbers grew by 3.6% over the previous year, outpacing the entire Caribbean region, which recorded growth in tourism of only 1%. Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia described it as “an extraordinary year.”

• Friday, May 23rd 2014 - 11:52 UTC

  Santos-Uribe rivalry has turned the presidential campaign into a mudslinging contest

  

  Accusations of bribes from drug traffickers, spying and email hacking have turned Colombia’s presidential election into an ugly slugfest that has further polarized a country trying to emerge from its violent past.

• Friday, May 23rd 2014 - 10:36 UTC

  European lawmakers warn about the impact of a EU/Mercosur accord

  

  European Parliament lawmakers Marian Harkin and Pat The Cope Gallagher have issued strong warnings of soundings coming from Europe of a potential Mercosur trade deal, particularly European Commission President Barroso intention of having the agreement signed before he steps down from office.

• Thursday, May 22nd 2014 - 00:35 UTC

  OAS deploys observers in Colombia for Sunday’s presidential election

  

  Former President of Costa Rica, José María Figueres, has begun the deployment of 64 international experts and observers in Colombia ahead of the country’s presidential election on Sunday May 25.

• Wednesday, May 21st 2014 - 07:10 UTC

  Mosquito-borne Chikunguna cases reported in Miami

  

  The viral mosquito-borne disease, Chikunguna, has been confirmed in three counties of the state of Florida. According to the Florida Department of Health, the women who recently travelled to the Caribbean include a 29-year-old from Broward County.

• Monday, May 19th 2014 - 07:58 UTC

  Calls for Colombian opposition presidential candidate to quit over spying

  

  A candidate in Colombia's presidential elections next Sunday has called on the leading opposition candidate, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, to quit the race after new video evidence of spying by his campaign consultant on peace talks with leftist rebels.