Politics

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 23:58 UTC

  Unasur pledges 300 m USD for Haiti; sees Ecuador and Colombia edging closer

  

  The Union of South American Nations, Unasur, leaders agreed Tuesday to provide 300 million US dollars in aid to Haiti at a summit in Ecuador which left aside regional disputes that have undermined relations since 2008.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 20:50 UTC

  Costa Rican president-elect Laura Chinchilla victory was a landslide

  

  Costa Rican president elect Laura Chinchilla victory last Sunday was a landslide having taken 46.76% of the vote according to the latest official data from the Electoral Tribunal with 95% of the vote count concluded.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 20:30 UTC

  Looking for the Pinochet link in false accounting plea by British arms giant

  

  Chilean authorities investigating bribery and embezzlement charges against former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet hope a plea bargain agreement between British arms manufacturer BAE systems and judicial authorities in the U.S. and U.K. will provide them with fresh evidence.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 16:51 UTC

  Lula da Silva’s handpicked presidential candidate is “a puppet”

  

  Former Brazilian president Fernando Enrique Cardoso said that the presidential pre-candidate Dilma Roussef is a “puppet” of Brazilian leader Lula da Silva, according to reports in the Sao Paulo press.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 16:43 UTC

  Brazil’s main political force confirms support for presidential hopeful Rousseff

  

  Brazil’s main political force, the Brazilian Democratic Movement party, PMDB, reaffirmed its alliance with President Lula da Silva’s Workers Party, PT, and closed ranks behind his hand picked candidate for October’s presidential election, Dilma Rousseff.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:48 UTC

  Let’s hope “they wont’ have stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo”

  

  An Argentine Senator from the ruling Justicialista party, several times tipped as a presidential hopeful harshly criticized the government while saying that the people of Argentina would be “pleased” when ”they (the Kirchner couple) leave in 2011,“ so they won't have ”stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo.”

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:35 UTC

  Ex-president Kirchner recovering favourably but will have “to control stress”

  

  Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner is recovering favourably after emergency surgery on his carotid artery, the chief surgeon on the case said Monday.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:31 UTC

  Cuba renews attempt to boost farm production and cut food import bill

  

  Cuban President Raul Castro has announced a five-year plan that he hopes will ease the country's economic problems and reliance on food imports. Basically the agricultural reform this time will be to surround cities with small urban farms so private citizens can raise animals and grow fruits and vegetables.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:21 UTC

  Carnival takes off and Brazilian government hands out millions of condoms

  Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins this weekend.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:06 UTC

  Chavez ready “any time” to declare “electricity emergency”

  

  Venezuela is facing the worst drought in a century and needs to be placed under an “electricity emergency,” President Hugo Chavez said Monday in his new, “any-time” radio program “Suddenly With Chavez.”