Latin America

• Monday, July 29th 2019 - 09:22 UTC

  Maduro says Venezuela is open to receive Colombian ex FARC leaders

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday said two former FARC commanders from neighboring Colombia whose whereabouts are unknown were “welcome in Venezuela,” a statement likely to fuel criticism that he is providing a safe haven for armed groups.

• Monday, July 29th 2019 - 09:02 UTC

  Cuban officials at funeral of Havana's Cardinal Ortega who reinstated working relations between Church and the regime

  

  Cuban government and Communist Party officials attended funeral services for Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega on Sunday in a testament to his success in elevating the Church's position on the Caribbean island after the fall of the Soviet Union.

• Saturday, July 27th 2019 - 09:56 UTC

  Maduro's Supreme Court annuls decision to rejoin regional defense treaty

  

  Venezuela's Supreme Court on Friday annulled a decision by the opposition-controlled legislature to re-join a regional defense treaty that could provide a legal framework for foreign military intervention.

• Saturday, July 27th 2019 - 09:46 UTC

  Caribbean tourists warned of the toxicity of Sargassum on the beaches

  

  Tourists to the Caribbean may not realize that a brown drifting seaweed that's been piling up on beaches in recent years is dangerous, researchers say. Travelers and doctors alike should be aware that prolonged contact with the Sargassum weed, or inhaling the hydrogen sulfide gas it gives off as it decomposes on the beach, can cause heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, vertigo, headache and skin rashes, the authors write in the Journal of Travel Medicine.

• Saturday, July 27th 2019 - 09:33 UTC

  Guatemala caves in and signs migration agreement with the US

  

  The US and Guatemala have signed a migration agreement, days after US President Donald Trump threatened the Central American country with tariffs. Under the deal, migrants from Honduras and El Salvador who pass through Guatemala would be required to stop and seek asylum there first. Migrants who failed to do so would then be ineligible for asylum in the US.

• Wednesday, July 24th 2019 - 09:16 UTC

  Mystery brain illness of US and Canada embassy staff in Havana remains unsolved

  

  Advanced brain scans of U.S. Embassy employees who reported falling ill while serving in Havana revealed significant differences from a control group, according to a new study published on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, July 24th 2019 - 07:00 UTC

  Colombia shopping to replace ageing Israel built Kfir fighter jets

  

  Colombia is examining proposals from the United States, Spain and Sweden as it look to replace its ageing military aircraft, the South American country's air force said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, July 24th 2019 - 01:29 UTC

  EIB opens Latam HQs in Colombia with 400 million euro offer in loans

  

  The European Investment Bank (EIB) has opened its Latin American headquarters in Bogota following an agreement signed Monday between Colombian President Iván Duque and EIB CEO Werner Hoyer.

• Wednesday, July 24th 2019 - 00:44 UTC

  Messi fined US$ 1,500 and suspended from Argentina's first qualifying match for 2022 World Cup

  

  Lionel Messi was suspended from Argentina's first qualifying march for the 2022 World Cup and fined US$1,500 by South American soccer's governing body.

• Tuesday, July 23rd 2019 - 15:14 UTC

  Finland's UPM will construct a second 2.1 million ton pulp mill in Uruguay

  

  Finland's UPM on Tuesday made the investment decision to construct a 2,1 million ton eucalyptus pulp mill near Paso de los Toros in central Uruguay.