Latin America

• Wednesday, April 4th 2012 - 08:37 UTC

  Colombian president calls on FARC to free the estimated 400 civilian hostages

  

  Ten government hostages (four soldiers and six policemen) held by a rebel group in Colombia for more than a decade were freed on Monday with great expectations but also skepticism because it is believed the same organization still has 400 civilian hostages.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2012 - 22:28 UTC

  Ecuador will not attend Americas summit in solidarity with Cuba’s exclusion

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa confirmed he will not attend this month's Summit of the Americas in Colombia, nor any other gathering that excludes Cuba or fails to address what he calls the region's most pressing issues.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  The Peruvian Exocet connection in the Falklands/Malvinas war

  

  It was 1982 and Peru had returned to the path of democracy. Belaunde Terry was elected president, the same man the military ousted in 1968, and he was no friend of military or right wing dictatorships.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2012 - 03:47 UTC

  Food inflation in South America is higher than the average overall index

  

  In the last two years inflation in Latin America has stabilized varying between 6% and 7%, according to the latest monthly report from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) regional office.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2012 - 03:44 UTC

  FARC free ten military hostages held in jungle prisons for more than a decade

  

  Colombia's FARC rebels on Monday freed 10 members of the armed forces held hostage in jungle prison camps for more than a decade, the last of a group of captives the drug-funded group has held as bargaining chips to pressure the government.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2012 - 03:33 UTC

  Americas Summit expected to release support-statement for Argentina’s Falklands claim

  

  Thirty years after the Falklands/Malvinas war, Latin America seems to be closing ranks behind Argentina's sovereignty claim over the disputed islands and reviving a bid for control in the resource-rich South Atlantic.

• Monday, April 2nd 2012 - 22:46 UTC

  Unasur delivers statement supporting Argentina’s Falklands claim to Ban-ki-moon

  

  Unasur Secretary General Maria Emma Mejia met on Monday with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and delivered a statement from the twelve countries of the region in support of Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands.

• Sunday, April 1st 2012 - 08:28 UTC

  Rootyling for cash, the central bank has become Argentina’s Piggy bank

  

  The Economist argues that with the latest legislation, the Argentine central bank has lost its legal independence and become the piggy bank of President Cristina Fernandez government.

• Sunday, April 1st 2012 - 08:13 UTC

  Brazil considering tax breaks and higher tariffs to help struggling industries

  

  Brazil will extend a payroll tax break to some manufacturers as part of a package of new measures to help struggling industries in a move to help the recovery of Latin America's top economy, a senior government source revealed to the local media.

• Sunday, April 1st 2012 - 08:02 UTC

  Argentina targets Mexican car imports and considers revoking trade agreement

  

  Argentina is considering applying measures to restrict the import of Mexican cars, which could include unilaterally denouncing the Economic Complementation Agreement (ACE) 55, which regulates bilateral trade, Argentine government sources told local media, ámbito.com.