Latin America

• Saturday, June 8th 2013 - 06:23 UTC

  OAS assembly calls for new multi disciplinary approach to the drug problem

  

  Member States from of the Organization of American States (OAS), meeting in Antigua, Guatemala at the 43rd General Assembly, declared on Friday “that it is essential that the Hemisphere continue to advance in a coordinated manner in the search for effective solutions to the world drug problem with a comprehensive integrated, strengthened, balanced and multidisciplinary approach with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

• Saturday, June 8th 2013 - 06:20 UTC

  Low birth rate and ageing population have become Chile’s “demographic seism”

  

  President Sebastián Piñera expressed great concern over the “demographic seism” facing Chile because of the low birth rate and ageing population, during an event at Government House where he announced some of the initiatives taken by his government.

• Saturday, June 8th 2013 - 06:18 UTC

  Piñera blasts environmental licensing for giant Pascua-Lama gold mine project

  

  Chilean President Sebastian Piñera blasted the environmental review process that led to a permit for Barrick Gold’s, now-suspended 8.5 billion dollar Pascua-Lama gold mine project.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 23:40 UTC

  President Santos in London says that cooperation with NATO has been going “since a long time”

  

  President Juan Manuel Santos revealed on Friday in London that Colombia has been cooperating with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, “since a long time”. Last June first the Colombian Executive announced that the Ministry of Defence was going to sign an agreement with NATO “to begin the process of becoming closer to NATO”.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 08:08 UTC

  Paraguay was chosen to host OAS general assembly next year

  

  Paraguay will host the next Organization of American States, OAS, General Assembly scheduled for June 3 to 5 of 2014 in Asuncion. The decision by acclamation was taken on Thursday at the end of this year’s event in Guatemala.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 08:03 UTC

  Mexico and China leave behind mistrust and agree on strategic partnership

  

  Leaving behind an atmosphere of mistrust, China and Mexico agreed this week to upgrade bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership, and thus opening broad prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 05:46 UTC

  Malvinas OAS statement: Latam support Argentine position; Canada against and US abstains

  

  Latinamerican countries expressed on Thursday their full support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas, during the 43 annual assembly of the Organization of American States taking place in Guatemala. Only Canada was against the OAS final declaration while the United States did not take position on the matter.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 05:43 UTC

  S&P cuts Brazil credit rating outlook to negative because of sluggish growth

  

  Brazil’s credit rating outlook was cut to negative by Standard & Poor’s saying sluggish economic growth and an expansionary fiscal policy could lead to higher government debt levels. Reacting to the announcement a spokesperson from the Finance ministry said “there is no change in economic policy and the environment is conducive to investment”.

• Friday, June 7th 2013 - 03:30 UTC

  Panama, host of next Americas’ summit after consensus to invite Cuba

  

  An “ad hoc” committee, made up of various countries, will advise the Government of Panama, host of the 2015 Seventh Summit of the Americas, regarding a possible invitation to Cuba to participate in the next triennial meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Hemisphere.

• Thursday, June 6th 2013 - 22:33 UTC

  Argentina’s energy imports soar 47% during April propped by gas purchases

  

  Argentina’s energy imports during April soared 47.6% over a year ago reported the government mainly because of massive natural gas purchases for the coming winter. The bill in April climbed to 733 million dollars from 384 million a year ago, while Enarsa the government corporation that has the monopoly of LNG imports spent 438 million this year and 259 million in April 2012.