
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos rejected a proposal on Thursday by FARC rebels for a bilateral ceasefire during talks next month aimed at bringing an end to half a century of war.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos unveiled on Wednesday a six-man team to negotiate with FARC rebels in the hope of ending almost 50 years of internal war.

“Who else but us can decide on our future” said Falkland Islands representatives currently visiting several Latin American countries, who anticipated that next year’s referendum on the Islands political status will send the world a clear forceful message on “our right to self determination”.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas to end the long standing conflict would start in Oslo in the first half of October before moving to Havana.

Colombia's FARC rebel leader said the group would join peace talks with the government without hatred or arrogance in its first response to President Juan Manuel Santos' announcement of imminent negotiations.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos named close ally Federico Renjifo as energy and mining minister in part of a Cabinet shuffle as the leader begins pursuing a peace process with FARC rebels.

Colombia’s outgoing Finance minister Juan Carlos Echeverry said on Friday that the country’s GDP overtook Argentina’s thus making Colombia’s economy the second largest of South America and third of Latinamerica, behind Brazil and Mexico.

Cuba will be the permanent seat for the peace dialogue between the government of Colombia and the FARC guerrilla group, talks which will have the support from Norway, Venezuela and Chile according to a broadcasting station from Bogotá.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed his government is holding exploratory talks with the country's largest rebel group, the FARC. In an address on state TV, Mr Santos said he was fulfilling his duty to seek peace. Media reports say a deal on further talks was reached in Cuba with the help of Venezuela and Norway.

Brazil's defence industry is booming, fuelled by government incentives to modernize the country's armed forces and develop a robust, export-oriented military industrial complex. With the world's sixth largest economy, Brazil was ranked as the eighth largest arms exporter in the 1980s but currently languishes in 30th place, according to industry experts