Latin America

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 04:09 UTC

  Alejandro Betts, technical advisor of Tierra del Fuego Malvinas Observatory

  

  The Tierra del Fuego Malvinas Question Provincial Observatory Advisory Council held its last meeting of the year at the Malvinas Foundation building and among other issues named former Falklands Islander Alejandro Betts as Technical Advisor to the Observatory.

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 04:01 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez blasts police: “I don't believe in coincidence nor in contagious events”

  

  Marking the 30th anniversary of the return of democracy to Argentina, President Cristina Fernández referred to the wave of lootings across the country and police force protests, and stated that “they were no coincidence”, during a rally from the Government House in Buenos Aires on Tuesday evening.

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 00:06 UTC

  Beijing virtually 'takes over' the Caribbean island of Dominica

  

  Dominica and China have signed a new 300 million dollars cooperation agreement that includes the construction of a hotel, construction of an international airport and building a new hospital. The sum involved is equivalent to a third of the small Caribbean island GDP, which could mean Beijing virtually is 'purchasing' the small territory.

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 00:04 UTC

  Colombia finds new reserves; targets 1.3m bbl production by 2020

  

  Colombian state-owned oil company Ecopetrol and Canada's Talisman Energy Inc said on Monday they had discovered an estimated 1.3 billion barrels of oil in southeastern Colombia and that about a tenth of it was likely to be recoverable. The announcement was the second in a week for Ecopetrol and an important addition to the diminishing reserves the country has been urgently trying to boost. The Andean nation also expects to eventually exploit shale oil and gas.

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 00:02 UTC

  Santos says a 'cease fire' only when FARC signs the peace agreement

  

  Colombia's main leftist guerrilla group, the FARC, said today it would implement a 30-day ceasefire from December 15 while the government said it would keep pursuing the rebels after they attacked a police station killing eight.

• Wednesday, December 11th 2013 - 00:00 UTC

  World and FIFA shocked by violent incidents at a Brazilian championship match

  

  Shocking violence at a Brazilian championship match is not an indication of what can be expected when the South American country hosts next year's World Cup, FIFA and Brazilian government officials have declared.

• Tuesday, December 10th 2013 - 22:43 UTC

  Pacific Alliance conference on preventing corruption in public infrastructure projects

  

  With the support of the British Embassies in Peru, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Chile, representatives of these countries will participate in a meeting, focused on how to prevent unlawful practices in public infrastructure construction projects.

• Tuesday, December 10th 2013 - 22:41 UTC

  Argentina's police strike and looting: a blend of inflation, corruption, impunity and social division

  

  The rash of looting and rioting which has spread to most of Argentina's provinces as the police went on strike or protest demanding better pay and working conditions has taken the political system by surprise, which has been slow in reacting to the gravity of the situation.

• Tuesday, December 10th 2013 - 06:11 UTC

  Argentina fears more massive protest and looting on anniversary of 2001 economy meltdown

  

  While facing the challenge of police unrest that has spread to half of the Argentine provinces the government of President Cristina Fernandez is designing a plan to counter the threat of further rioting and looting on 20 December, the anniversary of the worst day of the 2001 crisis which forced the resignation of then elected president Fernando de la Rúa and was followed by the largest sovereign debt default in Argentine history.

• Monday, December 9th 2013 - 19:04 UTC

  As protests spread, Argentine government yields to police forces demands

  

  The Argentine police crisis in demand for higher salaries and better working conditions and which prompted protests and further lootings in several provinces last week and during the weekend rapidly spread on Monday to other districts.