Latin America

• Tuesday, August 28th 2012 - 05:17 UTC

  Colombian president confirms peace talks with FARC; first round Oslo in October

  

  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed his government is holding exploratory talks with the country's largest rebel group, the FARC. In an address on state TV, Mr Santos said he was fulfilling his “duty to seek peace”. Media reports say a deal on further talks was reached in Cuba with the help of Venezuela and Norway.

• Tuesday, August 28th 2012 - 03:52 UTC

  Brazil’s defence industry booming and promoting projects with neighbours

  

  Brazil's defence industry is booming, fuelled by government incentives to modernize the country's armed forces and develop a robust, export-oriented military industrial complex. With the world's sixth largest economy, Brazil was ranked as the eighth largest arms exporter in the 1980s but currently languishes in 30th place, according to industry experts

• Tuesday, August 28th 2012 - 03:42 UTC

  Colombia and FARC ready for peace talks with support from Cuba and Norway

  

  Colombia's government will soon begin talks that could lead to formal negotiations for peace with the country's biggest guerrilla group, known as the FARC, according to a Colombian intelligence source.

• Tuesday, August 28th 2012 - 03:36 UTC

  YPF trying to convince Chevron to help develop massive shale deposits in Neuquen

  

  Argentina’s nationalized oil and gas company YPF and the head of Latin American and African operations for Chevron Corp. are discussing a potential agreement to develop the massive Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas formation in the Patagonian province of Neuquén.

• Tuesday, August 28th 2012 - 03:32 UTC

  Mexico launches dispute at WTO against Argentina’ import licensing rules

  

  Following similar complaints against Argentina by the European Union, United States and Japan, Mexico has launched its first dispute against Argentina at the World Trade Organization, the WTO announced on Monday.

• Monday, August 27th 2012 - 06:05 UTC

  Ecuador receives full support from OAS Ministers in dispute with UK over Assange case

  

  The Foreign Ministers of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved last Friday a resolution supporting the inviolability of diplomatic premises, in accordance with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in the context of the situation created between Ecuador and the United Kingdom.

• Monday, August 27th 2012 - 04:21 UTC

  Venezuela’s biggest refinery fire and explosion kills 41, hundreds injured

  

  Venezuela's biggest refinery is on track to restart within two days, the Energy minister said on Sunday, a day after an explosion and fire there killed 41people in one of the global oil industry's deadliest accidents.

• Monday, August 27th 2012 - 03:54 UTC

  UK/Ecuador defuse row, pledge commitment to diplomatic solution for Assange dispute

  

  Britain said it remained committed to reaching a diplomatic solution to the presence of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Ecuador's London embassy, after both countries took steps to defuse a row over his action in taking refuge there.

• Friday, August 24th 2012 - 06:18 UTC

  Paraguayan Senate defies Mercosur: votes against Venezuela’s incorporation

  

  The Paraguayan Senate, at the heart of serious regional diplomatic dispute, voted by a solid majority against the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur. Thirty one Senators rejected the Venezuelan Protocol of Adhesion, three supported it and eleven left the floor before the vote was taken.

• Friday, August 24th 2012 - 05:49 UTC

  Correa recalls the UK non extradition of Pinochet on “humanitarian reasons”

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said that Britain's failure to extradite former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet more than a decade ago means it has no right to lecture others over the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.