Latin America

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 18:15 UTC

  Lagarde praises the Colombian economy and its potential support for IMF

  

  The IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde praised Colombia as a member with the capacity to support the multilateral organization with “funds” and “services”, something which in the past was not possible. Lagarde made the comments after meeting with Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in Bogotá where she underlined the “magnificent moment” of the Andean country’s economy.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 06:01 UTC

  Ecuador does not discard asylum for Syrian president Bashsar al Asad

  

  Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa does not discard granting political asylum to Syrian president Bahsar al Asad and confirmed that a diplomatic envoy from that government recently visited Quito, according to an interview with the Brazilian media.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 18:48 UTC

  European Central Bank says it has ‘much to learn’ from Latam robust financial systems

  

  The Vice-president of the European central bank Vitor Constancio said the EU has much to learn from Latin America which has coped with successive economic and financial crises and has managed to create robust financial structures which have made the region’s system even more resistant to outside shocks.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 05:37 UTC

  If Chavez does not show up on January 10, new presidential election

  

  With Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in Cuba for his fourth cancer surgery in two years and after naming Vice President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro as his successor if anything were to go wrong, the Constitution of the country contemplates several options, including new elections.

• Sunday, December 9th 2012 - 19:51 UTC

  Chavez to Cuba for further cancer treatment prepares his succession

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was poised to return to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer treatment, having spoken for the first time of giving up power if his condition worsens or he dies.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 04:07 UTC

  Bolivia signs Mercosur incorporation protocol and becomes sixth member

  

  Bolivian president Evo Morales subscribed on Friday the Mercosur incorporation protocol which makes it the sixth member of the regional group. The event took place in Brasilia during the Mercosur summit hosted by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:54 UTC

  Mercosur summit rejects Falklands’ self-determination referendum

  

  Presidents from Mercosur full and associate members meeting in Brasilia rejected the coming Malvinas Islands self determination referendum and anticipated that whatever the result of the ballot “it will not alter at all the essence of the Malvinas question”.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:51 UTC

  Venezuela has until 2016 to adapt to Mercosur tariffs and rules system

  

  Venezuela will adopt the Mercosur common external tariff in four annual stages which are scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2016, according to what was agreed at the summit held Friday in Brasilia and reported by Brazilian diplomatic sources. This was Venezuela’s first summit as a full member of the South American trade and political block.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:47 UTC

  Bolivian industry warns about the Mercosur ‘straight jacket’ and protectionism

  

  The incorporation of Bolivia to Mercosur must not become a “straight jacket” that leaves the country with no margin to negotiate trade agreements with other regions, said the private business organization, Bolivia Foreign Trade Institution, IBCE

• Friday, December 7th 2012 - 17:04 UTC

  Chavez back in Venezuela after ten days in Cuba: “where’s the party”

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned from Cuba on Friday following cancer-related medical treatment, walking and joking at the airport in a first public appearance in three weeks that quashed rumours he might have been at death's door.