
A Russian general said on Saturday Venezuela has offered the use of its La Orchila island airfield for Russian strategic bombers on long-range flights.

President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva discussed the economy, energy and the environment Saturday during their first White House meeting.

Venezuela and Paraguay closed this week a round of business negotiations to boost bilateral trade which will become effective once Venezuela is formally incorporated to Mercosur, it was reported in Asunción.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed announcement that Switzerland is relaxing key bank secrecy laws as the beginning of the end of tax havens.

President Barack Obama administration has begun moving on several fronts to repair strained US relations with Latin America. Obama meets Saturday at the White House with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and he is sending Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Latin American missions to prepare for the mid-April Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
The White House has sought to assure China that its one trillion US dollars in investments in the United States is safe despite the economic downturn.

Intense and at times fiercely debated discussions led to Spain’s governing party the PSOE convincing the PP opposition and other parties to join in a consensus motion on Spain’s approach to the Gibraltar question, it emerged this week according to the Gibraltar Chronicle.

Under the logo “A Progressive response to the global crisis” Chilean president Michelle Bachelet will host next March 27 and 28 a new Progressive Leaders summit to which top international leaders from Africa, Latinamerica, United states and Europe have confirmed their participation.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez announced Friday the presentation next week of a bill to Congress to bring forward mid-term elections to June from October, to let the government focus on fighting economic problems and less on politics.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva will urge US President Barack Obama on Saturday March 14 to open talks with governments in Venezuela and Cuba and make aid and development the focus of his Latin America policy. Lula da Silva is the first Latinamerican president to meet with Obama.