Latin America

• Monday, July 26th 2010 - 03:44 UTC

  Piñera rejects Bishops plea to pardon military involved in human rights abuses

  

  Chilean President Sebastian Piñera rejected a plea by the Roman Catholic Church that he pardon members of the armed forces over human rights abuses committed during military rule. Piñera said the proposal had caused division in Chile and reopened old wounds.

• Saturday, July 24th 2010 - 05:23 UTC

  Colombia insists on a reply to its claims of Venezuelan tolerance with guerrillas

  

  Colombia insisted Friday that no reply has been given yet to “the heart of the matter” in the diplomatic row with Venezuela and those are the claims of ‘tolerated’ Colombian guerrilla presence in Venezuelan territory. Bogotá also recalled that all mediations and dialogue proposals so far have been “unfruitful”.

• Saturday, July 24th 2010 - 03:32 UTC

  Kirchner with Unasur support to meet Chavez and Uribe early August

  

  Former Argentine president and Union of South American Nations, Unasur chairman Nestor Kirchner will hold talks during early August with the presidents of Venezuela and Colombia in an attempt to mediate an understanding between the two countries, according to reports from the Argentine government news agency Telam.

• Saturday, July 24th 2010 - 03:26 UTC

  First sale of Chilean sovereign bonds to finance earthquake rebuilding efforts

  

  Chile hired JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc to arrange the country’s first international bond sale in six years, Finance Minister Felipe Larrain announced Friday. Proceeds from the 10-year bonds will help finance rebuilding efforts after the February earthquake.

• Friday, July 23rd 2010 - 23:52 UTC

  Spain savings restructure eliminates State Secretary for Ibero-America

  

  The Spanish government approved Friday a sweeping reform of the Ministries of Industry and Foreign Affairs which included the elimination of the State Secretary for Ibero-America.

• Friday, July 23rd 2010 - 22:19 UTC

  Brazil trusts new Colombian government will help solve row with Venezuela

  

  Brazil is following “closely and with great concern” the latest developments between Colombia and Venezuela said the Brazilian Foreign Office, Itamaraty, confirming that President Lula da Silva will be travelling to meet with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez next August 6, as was scheduled.

• Friday, July 23rd 2010 - 06:09 UTC

  Ecuador criticizes OAS Insulza for the mishandling of Caracas/Bogotá rift

  

  Ecuador strongly criticized the Organization of American States, OAS, for having speedily accepted a special session request from Colombia to address the alleged existence of Colombian guerrilla groups in Venezuelan territory which led to a major diplomatic and political situation between the neighbouring countries.

• Friday, July 23rd 2010 - 03:32 UTC

  Kirchner and Ecuador’s Correa to mediate in Venezuela/Colombia row

  

  Former Argentine president and current Secretary-General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Néstor Kirchner, “will collaborate in the mediation led by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, in order to overcome the crisis between the Colombian and Venezuelan governments”.

• Friday, July 23rd 2010 - 00:14 UTC

  Extreme cold kills hundreds of cattle; thousands at risk in Paraguay and Chile

  

  Cattle breeders in Paraguay and Chilean are suffering the consequences of a particularly severe austral winter which has killed hundreds of cattle and threatens the lives of tens of thousands more.

• Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 23:36 UTC

  Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay consider building 2.000 kilometres gas pipeline

  

  Natural gas-rich Bolivia has invited Paraguay and Uruguay to confirm sufficient demand to justify the building of a commercially viable 2.000 kilometres pipeline linking with Asunción and Montevideo.