Politics

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:47 UTC

  President Vazquez will personally congratulate his successor Sunday night

  

  Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez will personally congratulate the winner of Sunday’s presidential election run-off, which has two hopefuls: the ruling coalition Jose Pepe Mujica who leads with a comfortable margin in public opinion polls, and the opposition candidate Luis Alberto Lacalle.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:43 UTC

  Chile and Argentina celebrate 25 years of peace treaty with Benedict XVI

  

  Pope Benedict XVI will receive Saturday in the Vatican the presidents from Argentina and Chile to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the peace treaty which avoided a full fledged war between the neighbouring countries over the Beagle channel and three mostly uninhabited islands in the extreme south of Tierra del Fuego.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:38 UTC

  Morales after a two thirds majority in Congress in Bolivia’s December elections

  

  A record 5.13 million Bolivians are registered to vote in the coming elections of December 6th when President Evo Morales will attempt his re-election. However the electoral battle in concentrated in having control over the Legislative.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:37 UTC

  Argentina admits delay in bonds swap offer for holdouts

  

  Argentina’s planned offer to swap as much as 20 billion US dollars of defaulted debt to help it re-enter international credit markets for the first time since 2001 may be delayed until January, admitted Economy Minister Amado Boudou.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:34 UTC

  Obama and Lula da Silva have differences in crucial issues of the global agenda

  

  US president Barack Obama sent a letter to his Brazilian peer Lula da Silva explaining details of his administration’s foreign policy, related to such issues as Honduras and Iran, revealed on Wednesday the Brazilian Executive.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:25 UTC

  Cuba launches “Bastion-2009” preparing for “future US attack”

  

  Half a century after a failed US-supported invasion of Cuba, the country announced it is holding a military exercise to boost preparedness against any future US attack. The official newspaper Granma said that the “Bastion-2009” exercises will “raise the deterrent capacity to prevent a military confrontation, under the principle that there is no better way to win a war than by avoiding it.”

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:19 UTC

  Venezuelan militias openly support Colombian guerrillas, claims Bogotá

  

  Colombian guerrillas are acting in border areas next to Venezuelan military forces according to a report from Colombia’s ombudsman released this week. The report also indicates that at least 7.000 Colombians have returned from Venezuela in the last two months as a direct consequence of the bilateral crisis.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 07:53 UTC

  Spain promises tangible results from EU/Mercosur trade talks

  

  Spain wants to boost trade negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur when it takes over the pro tempore presidency of the block next January, according to Spanish diplomats quoted by Madrid’s main daily El Pais.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 07:51 UTC

  Argentina contracts icebreaker for Antarctic 2009/2010 campaign

  

  Argentina’s Ministry of Defence announced the contract of an icebreaker and a helicopter for the coming 2009/2010 Antarctic campaign. The news was published in the government’s official bulletin and involves almost 8 million US dollars.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 05:31 UTC

  First Argentine marine commander to land in Falklands in April 1982 arrested

  

  Three Argentine retired naval officers including Rear Admiral Carlos Busser who in April 1982 commanded the first group of Argentines marines to land in the Falkland Islands, have been arrested for alleged human rights abuses during the last military government.