Latin America

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 08:54 UTC

  Maduro delivers state of the nation speech and announces new Foreign minister

  

  Venezuela President Hugo Chávez has decided to appoint Elías Jaua as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro during the Tuesday session at the National Assembly when he submitted the Yearly Report for fiscal year 2012.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 08:37 UTC

  Chile mining industry expects 100bn dollars investment in next twelve years

  

  Chile is expecting investments in the mining industry of 100 billion dollars in the next twelve years, of which 48bn in the eight year period to 2020 and mostly in cooper according to the National Mining Society, Sonami.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 06:45 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez has hand-written copies of Chavez political testament, says Bocaranda

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez in her recent visit to Cuba declined to see the ailing Hugo Chavez but surprised her hosts, the Castro brothers, when she revealed having received two letters from the Venezuelan leader which she considered to be his political testament.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 05:57 UTC

  Chilean government in contacts with Mapuches to find solution to the conflict

  

  The Chilean government started contacts in an attempt to ease tension and find solutions to the escalating conflict with the indigenous Mapuche in the southern province of La Araucania which has seen killings and properties torched.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 05:54 UTC

  Record tourist arrivals in Chile during 2012: 3.5million. Target for this year: 4m

  

  Chile received a total of 3.5 million foreign tourists in 2012, a 13% hike over the year before and an all-time record. The 13% gain far outpaced the 6% increase that Latin America scored as a whole last year, Chile's deputy secretary for tourism, Jacqueline Plass, said.

• Wednesday, January 16th 2013 - 03:52 UTC

  Statement on Falklands expected from South Atlantic peace zone meeting

  

  Representatives from 21 African and South American countries are debating in Uruguay the consolidation of the South Atlantic as a zone free of massive destruction arms and its “improper militarization”, as a result of the growing tension between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2013 - 22:00 UTC

  Cuba admits 51 cholera cases in Havana; travel warnings from UK and US

  

  Cuba's Public Health Ministry on Tuesday acknowledged 51 new cases of cholera in the capital Havana amid growing concerns about the illness' spread and disappointment in the diplomatic community over the government's lack of transparency.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2013 - 06:53 UTC

  US waiting for Venezuela situation to ‘clear up’; insists constitution must be complied

  

  United States and other Latinamerican countries wish the situation in Venezuela ‘clears up’, said Roberta S. Jacobson Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, currently in Spain as part of a visit that also includes the UK and Belgium.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2013 - 06:51 UTC

  Chavez followers and opposition plan to take streets of Caracas on the same day

  

  Venezuela’s ruling party said on Monday that the ‘high command’ is receiving instructions from President Hugo Chavez in Havana while its grass roots leaders are organizing a massive rally next week which happens to coincide with a similar march on the same day but to protest and organized by the opposition.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2013 - 02:03 UTC

  Colombia wants to step up peace negotiations but FARC dragging their feet

  

  Representatives of the Colombian government and Marxist-led FARC rebels reconvened in Havana Monday for a third round of peace talks that the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos says need to start moving faster.