Latin America

• Monday, May 31st 2010 - 03:57 UTC

  Colombian incumbent presidential candidate wins but can’t avoid run-off

  

  Colombia’s former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos won more than double the votes of his closest rival in Sunday’s presidential election though failed to secure a majority of ballots needed to avoid a runoff in three weeks.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 07:17 UTC

  Chile: The new president appears to be doing pretty well

  

  By David Gallagher
  (Ed. Note: Gallagher, a columnist for the conservative daily El Mercurio, is a man of many parts. He's British and Chilean, former Oxford professor of Spanish and Russian, author of the classic Modern Latin American Literature (1973), economist, investment banker, international business consultant, and father to children living on three continents.
  (In this column he remarks that the “previous government”—that is Michelle Bachelet’s — “privileged imagery over reality.” One example: to celebrate a significant date, Bachelet cut the ribbon on a new hospital empty of equipment but filled with patients who were actually actors and who pretended to be ill for the press.)

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 05:19 UTC

  Montevideo, Buenos Aires, most liveable cities of South America

  

  According to the 2010 World Ranking of Mercer's Quality of Life, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Santiago are the best major cities in South America to live although they compare poorly with the top ten mostly from Europe, Canada, NZ and Australia.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 05:18 UTC

  Colombians faithful to Uribe but seem ready for a “green” change

  

  Colombia goes to the polls Sunday in unusual circumstances for its recent history, with a technical tie between the top two presidential candidates who lead the pack of six contestants.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 02:59 UTC

  IMF praises management of Peruvian economy; forecasts 5 to 7% growth in 2010

  

  International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised Peru as a clear example of how to enforce the right economic policies since its GDP this year is expected to grow 5 to 7%.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:47 UTC

  Brazil calls on South America to have its own military dissuasive capacity

  

  South America must recover its military dissuasive capacity so it can say ‘no’ when necessary said Brazilian Defence minister Nelson Jobim following a meeting this week in Montevideo with his Uruguayan counterpart Luis Rosadilla.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:40 UTC

  Hillary Clinton to attend OAS assembly in Lima and visit Ecuador and Colombia

  

  United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Barbados from June 6-10 to participate in the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) and consult with our regional partners on issues of shared interest.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:25 UTC

  Peru/Chile maritime dispute extends to Ecuador and Colombia

  

  In addition to having called upon Ecuador a few weeks ago as a witness in Chile’s maritime dispute with Peru, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague also asked the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific (CPPS) – of which Colombia is a member to testify.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:14 UTC

  US citizen who spent 15 years in Peruvian jail convicted for terrorism is released

  

  Lori Berenson, a US citizen who was convicted of terrorism and has spent the last 15 years in a Peruvian jail, has being released, according to Lima newspaper El Comercio.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 11:09 UTC

  Whales centre study to be built in Chile’s Strait of Magellan

  

  Chile is researching the possible construction of a new centre for visitors and scientists to study whales in the Straits of Magellan.