Latin America

• Monday, December 16th 2013 - 10:37 UTC

  Chile/Peru maritime dispute: International Court of Justice verdict January 27

  

  As the International Court of Justice is set to release its final verdict in January, Peru announces plans to build a new settlement less than a mile from the Chilean border. After years of tribulation, an end is finally in sight for a maritime dispute between Chile and Peru, with The Hague to announce its verdict on the case Jan. 27.

• Monday, December 16th 2013 - 01:46 UTC

  Bachelet wins presidential election in Chile

  

  Socialist Michelle Bachelet, who was Chile's president from 2006 to 2010, cruised to victory in Sunday's presidential runoff.

• Saturday, December 14th 2013 - 06:58 UTC

  Pot fumes: Mujica calls UN official, 'liar', after he accused Uruguay of 'pirate attitudes'

  

  President Jose Mujica reacted furiously to the accusation of Uruguay as a 'pirate state' from the UN official in charge of drugs' control, who was protesting the legalization of marihuana and because allegedly he was never received by the Uruguayan leader. Mujica bluntly replied, leaving aside all nice talk, “tell that old man to stop lying and stop showing off to the stands”.

• Saturday, December 14th 2013 - 06:40 UTC

  A Nobel peace prize for Uruguay for legalizing cannabis

  

  Uruguay's recent passing of a bill legalizing cannabis from production to distribution has generated headlines and controversy worldwide. The basics of the law is that current methods to combat drugs addiction and trade have failed completely and new options should be experimented.
  The Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins writes on the controversy.

• Saturday, December 14th 2013 - 06:04 UTC

  Argentina: compensation to security forces that helped contain police protests and looting

  

  Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich confirmed on Friday that President Cristina Fernández will announce next week an “economic and financial recognition” to the members of national security forces following the deployment of 12,000 agents across the country to counter the impacts of the police protests and lootings that hit almost all Argentine provinces over the past days.

• Friday, December 13th 2013 - 18:10 UTC

  Venezuela clashes with World Bank over oil deal with Haiti

  

  Venezuela has dismissed as “disrespectful” comments made by a senior World Bank official that Haiti was not transparent in its handling of funds provided under the Caracas-led PetroCaribe.

• Friday, December 13th 2013 - 12:13 UTC

  'Abstention' the main challenge for Chilean presidency election run-off on Sunday

  

  Chileans are set to head to the polls this Sunday to choose their next president, but experts fear much more than half the electorate will opt not for Michelle Bachelet or Evelyn Matthei, but to stay at home on election day instead. The election’s first round, held Nov. 17, saw the debut of the voluntary voting system in Chilean presidential elections and a turnout of 6.7 million, half-a-million-votes less than were counted in 2010, when voting was still mandatory for those on the electoral role.

• Friday, December 13th 2013 - 09:04 UTC

  Mexico breaks 75-year myth: opens energy sector to private and foreign investment

  

  Mexico's Congress approved on Thursday early morning a historic energy reform aimed at luring foreign investment and ending the state's 75-year-old oil monopoly following a heated debate. After a marathon session that lasted nearly 24 hours, the lower house voted 353 to 134 for the legislation championed by President Enrique Peña Nieto, one day after it passed the Senate.

• Friday, December 13th 2013 - 08:47 UTC

  Keeping up with inflation in Argentina: after calming police, who's next in the queue

  

  Police protests and widespread looting in 19 of the 24 Argentine provinces has, in a few weeks, shattered expectations about the new cabinet of President Cristina Fernandez and a stabilization of the economy, since as can be anticipated government employees and unions will be demanding similar conditions as their blue uniformed colleagues to keep up to date with inflation, running at an annualized 26% according to the November reading.

• Thursday, December 12th 2013 - 06:54 UTC

  EU admits difficulties and requests Mercosur to delay the exchange of tariff proposals

  

  The European Union has formally requested that the exchange of tariff proposals with Mercosur for the creation of a cooperation and free trade zone, originally scheduled for next week, be delayed until 2014. The message was received by the Brazilian delegation at the recent WTO Bali discussions.