Latin America

• Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:21 UTC

  Mexico demands crackdown on drugs in the US following casino carnage

  

  Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 65 people.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 15:53 UTC

  Boy 14 shot in the chest, becomes first death in months of social unrest in Chile

  

  Chilean teenager died early Friday, a day after being shot in the chest during massive protests in the capital Santiago against President Sebastian Piñera, police said, the first fatality in months of social unrest.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 13:29 UTC

  Five new ships for the coming cruise season in the Falkland Islands

  

  Five ships will make their inaugural visits to the Falklands during the coming cruise ship season, reports the Penguin News.The luxurious Seabourn Sojourn (450 passenger capacity) will be among these, along with Island Sky (118 pax) mega yacht L’Austral (264 pax) MS Artania (1200 pax) and Adonia (710 pax).

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 04:28 UTC

  Tens of thousands in the streets confirm support for Chile’s two-day strike

  

  Tens of thousands of Chileans marched peacefully on Thursday demanding profound changes to the country's heavily centralized and privatized form of government, though there were also clashes between small groups and the police. More than 450 people were arrested and dozens injured, including 26 Carabineros.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 03:32 UTC

  Chilean judge to probe death of Air Force general, father of ex president Bachelet

  

  The same judge probing the death of deposed Chilean President Salvador Allende will now investigate the death of Allende's loyal general Alberto Bachelet, whose daughter eventually became Chile's first female president.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 03:26 UTC

  “Chavez’ Venezuela has no chance of joining Mercosur” says Paraguay Congress

  

  Paraguay’s vote in support of Venezuela’s full integration to Mercosur seems more distant than ever as was confirmed by the country’s Senate Foreign Relations committee to Brazilian ambassador Eduardo Dos Santos.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 02:55 UTC

  UN and Amnesty praise Peruvian law on consultation with indigenous peoples

  

  The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya and Amnesty International praised the approval of a law on consultation with indigenous peoples by the Congress of Peru and called on President Ollanta Humala for its quick promulgation and implementation.

• Friday, August 26th 2011 - 02:52 UTC

  Mining companies agree to pay Peru an extra billion dollars annually

  

  Peru has reached an agreement with mining companies that will raise the industry’s annual payments to the government to about one billion dollars, the government said on Thursday, fulfilling a campaign promise by President Ollanta Humala.

• Thursday, August 25th 2011 - 06:47 UTC

  Unasur agrees to greater economic coordination but remains divided on Libya

  

  Union of South American Nations, Unasur, Foreign Affairs ministers agreed Wednesday in Buenos Aires to increase economic coordination and send monitoring missions to regional elections but could not reach a common position on the Libyan situation.

• Thursday, August 25th 2011 - 06:42 UTC

  Thousands of tons of undistributed food had to be destroyed in Venezuela

  

  Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Neidy Rosal claimed before the country’s Prosecutors Office that an estimated 160.000 tons of food, in decomposing conditions, were being destroyed by the government’s Food Production and Distribution Office, Pvdal, in the state of Carabobo.