
Uruguay’s president elect Jose Mujica is expected to announce this week the ministerial cabinet that will be working with him when he takes office next March first, according to sources from his headquarters.

The Colombian government has announced it is building a new military base on its border with Venezuela and has activated six new airborne battalions. Relations between the two nations are at a historic low with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez already telling his generals to prepare for war.
He moved 15,000 more troops up to the border, accusing Colombia and its ally, the US, of planning an attack.

The military outpost of Ascension Island “vital to the protection of the Falkland Islands” is at the centre of a row over tax bills unpaid by the Ministry of Defence, according to an article on Sunday’s edition of the Daily Express.

The Brazilian Army and Fiat Iveco signed an agreement for the manufacturing or 2.044 armoured vehicles involving 3.5 billion US dollars as part of the new National Defence Strategy launched by the administration of President Lula da Silva.

Bolivia’s Armed forces expect next year to renew their military hardware and “store away all the junk”, but also called on neighbouring countries “not to fear” Bolivian plans.

President Hugo Chavez said he was hopeful the Paraguayan congress would vote for Venezuela to join Mercosur since Paraguay is one of the countires to “most benefit” from such an incorporation.

Key states have reached what they call a meaningful agreement at the Copenhagen climate summit. Five nations, including China and the US, reached a deal on a number of issues, such as a recognition to limit temperatures rises to less than 2C.

Top United States official remarks about the lack of “legal security” in Argentina echoed in Copenhagen’s climate conference where Foreign Secretary Jorge Taiana approached Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to about these “unfortunate statements”.

Argentina announced the successful launching of a missile booster, --identified as Gradicom PCX-2009-- in a firing range in the central province of Cordoba and said the event represented a “qualitative leap” for Argentine missile technology.

The Netherlands government on Friday described as groundless the claims made by President Hugo Chávez in a speech on Thursday, when the Venezuelan ruler said that the Netherlands was plotting with United States to target Venezuela from the islands of Aruba and Curacao.