News on South America

Humala alienates Peru's left, may lose sway in Congress

2011-12-13T08:00:10Z

LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian leftists who supported President Ollanta Humala for years are leaving the government and may stop supporting him in Congress, saying his emerging authoritarian tone amounts to a further drift to the right.

At least two high-profile leftist aides who felt betrayed have quit their posts and more ...

Congress likely to pass trade deals: lawmaker

2011-10-04T09:00:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior congressional Democrat said on Tuesday he expected Congress to pass three trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, despite his own strong concerns about the Colombia de...

Accused mayor of Colombia's capital sent to jail

2011-09-23T14:30:12Z

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A judge jailed the suspended mayor of Colombia's capital, Bogota, on Friday while he is on trial on charges he took bribes to award public works contracts.

Federal prosecutors in May suspended leftist Samuel Moreno from his post, viewed as the most powerful in Colombia ...

US Senate defeats expanding Obama trade powers

2011-09-20T21:30:22Z

The US Senate on Tuesday rejected a Republican push to expand President Barack Obama's powers to negotiate trade deals, amid a broader fight over accords with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

With those three deals edging toward...

Peru president signs indigenous consultation law

2011-09-06T18:30:12Z

Peru's President Ollanta Humala signed into law a measure requiring that indigenous people be consulted before any mining, timber or petroleum projects are begun on their traditional lands.

"What we want to do with this law is have the voice of indigenous people be heard, and have them treated like citizens, not little children who are not consulted about anything," the leftist Humal...

Ollanta Humala sworn in as Peru's president

2011-07-28T17:30:23Z

Leftist former army officer Ollanta Humala was sworn in Thursday as president of Peru, aiming to confront the high poverty plaguing his Andean nation despite its solid economic growth.

"We want to erase the word 'social exclusion' from our vocabulary and our reality forever," the 49-year-old said in a speech shortly after taking office.

The new government would have "a market e...

Analysis: Cancer may further dim Chavez's global influence

2011-07-15T10:01:44Z

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's public battle with cancer has added to his global fame but it may also weaken his already waning influence in Latin America and beyond.

For years the 56-ye...

Analysis: "Lulismo" appeals in Latin America but hard to copy

2011-06-22T09:30:15Z

RIO DE JANEIRO/LIMA (Reuters) - It was a political pilgrimage that surprised no one.

Within days of winning Peru's presidential election, Ollanta Humala flew to B...

Victory in sight for Peru's leftist Humala

2011-06-05T20:30:25Z

Leftist ex-military man Ollanta Humala looked set to win Peru's presidency, according to first estimates, after a tight battle with Keiko Fujimori, heir to a jailed, authoritarian ex-president.

Supporters of the 48-year-old former lieutenant colonel Humala, who just lost out in the 2006 election, cheered as the first result...

Leftist ex-soldier leads Peru presidency race

2011-04-11T05:30:17Z

Leftist ex-soldier Ollanta Humala led the first round for Peru's presidency Monday as Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the jailed ex-president, and liberal Pedro Pablo Kuczynski fought to join him in a runoff.

Humala, 48, who just missed out on the 2006 pre...

Nationalist tones down image and leads Peru presidency race

2011-04-09T20:30:20Z

Peru prepares to vote Sunday in a volatile race for the presidency, with nationalist Ollanta Humala nurturing a surprise lead, a new image, and promises to share the resource-rich nation's record growth.

Many voters in the misty coastal capital Lima remained undecided just one day before the election in which at least four candidates were fighting it out.

"The poll...

Leftist Humala woos ethnic vote, widens lead in Peru

2011-04-09T07:30:23Z

AREQUIPA, Peru (Reuters) - Leftist front-runner Ollanta Humala, seeking to shore up the crucial ethnic vote, on Friday urged poor Peruvians with indigenous roots to back him in Sunday's presidential election.

Humala, who has widened his lead over three rivals backed b...

Lawmakers clash over timing of trade deal votes

2011-04-07T12:00:29Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Republicans on Thursday renewed pressure on President Barack Obama to quickly submit free trade deals with South Korea,

Leftist favored in Peru vote but run-off expected

2011-04-06T07:30:18Z

LIMA (Reuters) - Left-wing nationalist Ollanta Humala is set to win the first round of Peru's presidential election on Sunday as poor voters rally behind him, but he may struggle in a run-off against one of three rivals backed by big business.

Humala, a former army officer who fav...

Mexico prez: Latam needs visible US presence

2010-12-03T11:42:07Z

Leaked cable: Mexican prez said Latin America needed visible US presence to counteract Chavez

Mexican President Felipe Calderon told a U.S. official last year that Latin America "needs a visible U.S. presence" to counter Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's growing infl...

Political process

2010-11-29T14:58:50Z

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Challenge for Chavez as Venezuela votes

2010-09-26T08:15:15Z

Venezuelans voted Sunday in a key test for leftist President Hugo Chavez, with the main opposition poised for a strong return to the National Assembly after boycotting the last elections.

Military trumpets blasted out at 6:00 am (1030 GMT) in a traditional voter wake-up call in the polarized, oil-rich nation, while lines formed outside many polling stations hours earlier.

"We are going to show once again that ...

Venezuela opposition returns to take on Chavez

2010-09-25T16:15:18Z

Venezuelans prepared for a key vote Sunday to test populist President Hugo Chavez and his "socialist revolution" and bring the main opposition back to the National Assembly.

Firebrand Chavez has embraced the campaign, hoping his leftist party will keep a strong grip on the legislature to ease more reform, after almost 12 tumultuous years in power marked by nationalizations and social projects.

More than 17 mil...

US urges 'appropriate steps' on Colombia military accord

2010-08-18T15:15:33Z

The United States urged Colombia's new government Wednesday to take "appropriate steps" to sustain its relations with Washington after a key bilateral military accord was declared unconstitutional.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the United St...

Chavez bars nominated U.S. envoy to Venezuela

2010-08-08T14:00:12Z

CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez said he would not allow the newly nominated U.S. ambassador, Larry Palmer, to take up his post in Caracas after what he said were viewed as offensive comments about

Betancourt says she won't sue Colombia government

2010-07-11T19:30:09Z

Ex-hostage Betancourt says she won't sue Colombia's gov't for damages over her hostage ordeal

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt said Sunday that she has no intention of suing Colombia's government for damages for the more than six years she spent as a hostage of leftist rebels.

Betancourt's statement came two days after it was disclosed she filed ...

NY couple accused in spy ring shared leftist ideas

2010-07-01T00:45:23Z

NY Spanish-language columnist, husband suspected in Russian spy ring shared leftist views

Before Vicky Pelaez became a columnist for one of the United States' best-known Spanish-language newspapers, she was a scrappy television reporter in her native Peru who turned her kidnapping by a leftist guerrilla group int...

US warms to Ecuador, possibly distancing Venezuela

2010-06-12T10:16:49Z

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held warm talks with Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa, paving the way to drive a wedge between him and Venezuela's anti-American firebrand Hugo Chavez.

In a joint press...

Peru court grants parole to U.S. citizen Berenson

2010-05-25T14:45:30Z

LIMA (Reuters) - A Peruvian court granted parole on Tuesday to U.S. citizen Lori Berenson after she served 15 years of a 20-year sentence in Peru for aiding leftist guerrillas.

She was jailed after being arrested on a bus in Peru in 1995 on charges of being a lead...

Obama committed to passing free-trade deals: Clinton

2010-05-13T09:15:27Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is committed to finalizing free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama but faces "political winds" and an uncertain outcome, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on...

US House approves Chile aid bill

2010-09-08T13:01:45Z

Looking to spur private-sector donations to Chile earthquake relief, the US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill enhancing tax benefits for charitable giving to help the battered country.

Lawmakers unanimously approved the measure, which would count charitable gifts made before April 15, 2010 against 2009 taxes. The measure must still clea...

Latin America's Iran ties "a bad idea": Clinton

2010-04-16T08:28:33Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Latin American countries on Friday not to get too close to Iran, calling it "a really bad idea" that could have consequences.

Clinton said the United States was well aware Iran had stepped u...

No clear Obama pledge on stalled trade pacts: lawmaker

2010-06-25T19:23:51Z

President Barack Obama made no commitments to move forward on stalled free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and South Korea during private talks with lawmakers this week, a top ally said Thursday.

"In terms of specific trade agreements, there was no discussion," the number two Democ...

Chavez says Obama did "nothing" to deserve Nobel

2010-04-16T09:53:28Z

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama had done nothing beyond wishful thinking to earn the President Barack Obama's nominee as ambassador to Brazil over his apparent support for ending a US tariff on ethanol imports.

"As a senator and as a presidential candidate, President Obama supported keeping the US tariff on imported ethanol," said Bolivia president accuses Obama of lying after US cuts ends trade favors for Bolivia

President Evo Morales on Wednesday accused Barack Obama of lying by pledging to change America's historically heavy-handed relationship with Latin America and then halti...

Free trade pacts prospects 'not good': top US lawmaker

2010-06-25T21:43:26Z

Prospects for reviving and approving US free trade pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea are "not good," Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Thursday.

And US President Barack Obama "is sending ...

Senator raps Obama stalling on trade deals

2010-06-25T21:50:28Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States risks being "wallflowers at the dance" as other countries pursue trade deals while the Obama administration sits on the sidelines, a senior Republican senator said on Thursday.

The Democratic Obama administration so far has only produced false starts on trade, allo...

Chavez, Ortega chide Obama over "stuck" Latam policy

2010-06-25T21:54:19Z

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Reuters) - The presidents of Venezuela and Nicaragua, both fierce critics of U.S. policy, on Friday accused President Barack ...

Printing Matrices for Narrative of the U.S. Exploring Expedition

2010-11-03T08:12:32Z

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Ex-Salvadoran rebels seek power through ballot box

2010-04-16T16:02:46Z

El Salvador vote could bring former rebels to power for first time since civil war

El Salvador's former guerrillas, behind the bespectacled, moderate face of a former TV journalist, could take power for the first time since the nation's civil war in elections Sunday that threaten to uproot two decades of conservative rule.

Mauricio Funes, plucked...

Brazil's Silva expects Chavez-Obama talks

2010-04-16T17:27:46Z

Brazil's Silva expects Obama will talk to leaders of Venezuela, Bolivia

Brazil's president said Friday he expects President-elect Barack Obama will meet with the leaders of Venezuela and Bolivia, expressing hope the new

Obama: The face of Brazil's carnival

2010-04-16T17:27:50Z

Barack Obama: The new face of White House is hottest mask for Brazil's Carnival

Barack Obama is the new face of America, and his likeness will be represented in force during this year's bawdy Carnival bacchanalia.

Plastic replicas of the U.S....

Chavez says US heating oil program never suspended

2010-04-16T15:23:35Z

Venezuela's Chavez says US heating oil program was never suspended

President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that Venezuela's program to provide heating oil to poor American families was never halted, despite concerns that deliveries might be interrupted.

Venezuela's Citgo Petroleu...

Latin American summit focus is lack of US presence

2010-04-16T13:48:41Z

Look who's not talking: US not at Latin America summit, signaling new regional independence

Forget the global economic crisis and climate change. What Latin American leaders are talking about is who is not at Tuesday's summit: the United States or any other outside power.

The largest hemispheric summit to exclude U.S. representation was hailed ...

'Building a government': Obama unleashes transition teams

2010-04-16T14:28:19Z

US president-elect Barack Obama is sending evaluators to study the sprawling US bureaucracy to help him determine how best to meet his administration's goals when he takes office on January 20.

Obama's 450-strong transition team will scour more than 100 departments and agencies for data to underpin new policies as soon as his inauguration ushers in an historic presidenc...

'Building a government': Obama to unleash transition teams

2010-04-16T14:29:16Z

US president-elect Barack Obama is sending teams of evaluators through the length and breadth of the sprawling US bureaucracy to help him reset the course of the ship of state on January 20.

Obama's 450-strong transition team will scour more than 100 departments and agencies for data to underpin new policies as soon as his inauguration ushers in a historic presidency.

Big Scope TV Alert!

2010-11-03T08:37:36Z

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Correction: Colombia Hostages story

2010-04-16T16:56:35Z

Correction: Colombia Hostages story

In a July 2 story about the rescue of kidnapped presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages from Colombian rebels, The Associated Press erroneously translated Betancourt as saying she still aspires "to serve Colombia as president....

Trade Barrier

2010-10-16T07:59:55Z

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Uribe: Colombia overcomes paramilitarism

2010-09-09T09:55:37Z

Alvaro Uribe Says Colombian Institutions Are Now Free of Infiltration, Corruption by Militias

President Alvaro Uribe said Friday that Colombia's institutions are now free of infiltration and corruption by right-wing militias blamed for some of the nation's worst human rights abuses.

In a nationally televised address, Uribe said his government has "overcome...

Summary Box: Colombia reopens probes

2010-09-09T01:16:55Z

Summary Box: Colombia's Army Investigated for Civilian Killings

INVESTIGATION: Colombia's public prosecutor has reopened 131 investigations into army killings from 2002-2007, which could result in firings of soldiers.

VICTIMS: Prosecutors allege the military tampered with evidence to make civilian victims appear to be combatants. The mi...

APTOPIX Argentina Dakar Rally

2011-01-04T12:32:00Z

A biker races in the third stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally between San Miguel de Tucuman and Jujuy, Argentina, Tuesday Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Garcia, Pool)

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Food Quinoa Rising

2011-01-04T10:30:45Z

In this photo taken Oct. 2, 2010, a man stands next to bags filled with quinoa grain in La Paz, Bolivia. Quinoa's rising popularity among First World foodies has been a boon to some of the poor farmers in the semiarid highlands of Bolivia. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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76ers Hornets Basketball

2011-01-03T20:01:22Z

New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor, center, dunks on Philadelphia 76ers guard Jodie Meeks, left, forward Andres Nocioni, of Argentina, (5...

Spain Soccer La Liga

2011-01-03T15:31:47Z

Real Madrid's Kaka from Brazil runs with the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match against Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in Getafe, Spain Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola, left, from Argentina, looks for room against Portland Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby during the first half of their