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Amnesty laments lack of support for refugees globally

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:46:37 -0400

LONDON - Global rights body Amnesty International has said that the world is "increasingly" becoming "dangerous place" for refugees due to inaction on human rights. The London-based group in its annual report cited the increasing number of refugees around the world, and highlighted the lack of support for them, as the key human rights issue for the past year. It said that the number of ...

Obama Urges Military to Stamp Out Sexual Assaults

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:15:03 -0400

U.S. President Barack Obama says sexual assaults in the U.S. military undermine trust in the armed forces. The president used a commencement speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland Friday to tackle recent reports of widespread sexual violence in the military. "Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that ...

Lacazette called up to join Frances squad

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:30:01 -0400

French coach Didier Deschamps picked Lyon's striker Alexandre Lacazette to replace Jeremy Menez from Paris Saint-Germain for friendly matches against Uruguay and Brazil. "Didier Deschamps endorsed (Menez) withdrawal after an exchange between the medical staff of the Parisian club and the France's team doctor, Franck Le Gall," the French Football Federation (FFF) said Thursday, reports Xinhua. ...

Brazil to hold oil auction

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:10:01 -0400

Brazil's first auction of contracts to develop offshore oil and gas reserves in the pre-salt region will be held in October, or earlier than previously scheduled, the government said Thursday. The government's National Council for Energy Policy authorized the change. Rights to develop blocks in the Libra field, which is estimated to hold between 8-12 billion barrels of recoverable oil, will be ...

Five Venezuelan cops die in chopper crash

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:50:02 -0400

Five members of Venezuela's PNB national police force died Thursday when the helicopter they were using to pursue a group of kidnappers in a rural part of Caracas crashed, PNB director Luis Karabi said. The helicopter crashed in an uninhabited area near the Antimano neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the capital in conditions of very low visibility due to a thick fog that covered the city ...

Ecuadors Correa wont run again in 2017

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:20:01 -0400

On the eve of his inauguration for another four-year term, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Thursday that he will not run again in 2017. "We are all necessary, but nobody is indispensable," the 50-year-old head of state said in a television interview, expressing confidence that his Alianza Pais movement will have found a new leader by the time the next presidential election rolls around. ...

Ecuadorian satellite escapes collision with Russian rocket

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:40:01 -0400

Ecuador's first satellite avoided a direct collision with the remains of a Russian rocket, but whether the device is still operating remains unclear, the head of the country's EXA space agency told EFE. The US-based Joint Space Operations Center, which had alerted EXA to the possible threat to Pegaso, informed the Ecuadorian agency Thursday that the Russian wreckage did not hit the satellite ...

Honduran gangs to announce truce to cut violence

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:02:26 -0400

Monsignor Romulo Emiliani says the gangs will apologize to the public and ask for dialogue with the government and police to start changing from their gang ...

Expert US Foreign Policy in Retreat

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:57:38 -0400

A former senior advisor to the late Richard Holbrooke, who served as U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, says when it comes to foreign policy, the U.S. is in "retreat." Vali Nasr, who is now dean of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), said the Obama administration has concluded that the best way forward for the United States is ...

British Security Services Scrutinized After Soldiers Murder

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:57:38 -0400

A police officer guards a block of flats in Greenwich following a raid in connection with the killing of a British soldier in nearby Woolwich, southeast London, May 23, ...

Puerto Rico approves anti-discrimination bill

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:53:21 -0400

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -; Legislators in Puerto Rico on Friday approved a heavily debated bill that outlaws employment discrimination based on gender or sexual ...

Mexico far fewer disappeared than feared

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:53:20 -0400

MEXICO CITY -; Mexico's top security official says far fewer people have disappeared during Mexico's drug war than were feared when the government released a list of about 26,000 ...

Bolivia Describes as Failure DEA Anti Drug Fight in LatAm

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:51:55 -0400

La Paz, May 24 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian government described today as a failure the anti-drug fight of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Latin America. In a press conference, the minister of the government, Juan Ramon Quintana, accused that organization of being responsible for thousands of fatalities, and the increase of money laundering and weapon sales in the region. He said that in ...

President Correa Took Oath in Ecuador

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:51:55 -0400

Quito, May 24 (Prensa Latina) The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, swore today his new mandate ending in 2017, before the president of the National Assembly, Gabriela Rivadeneira. Correa, from Alianza Pais Movement, reached the presidency again, after being reelected with 57 percent of the vote. For the new period, the Correa government aims to consolidate and expand the achievements of the ...

Colombia - In Colombia criminal gangs pose new press threat

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:46:31 -0400

As political turmoil continues between Islamists and secularists in Bangladesh, the climate for press freedom is rapidly deteriorating. The tensions stem from an ongoing war crimes tribunal tasked with prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, and other crimes dating back to the 1971 war of ...

Guyana to crack down on female trafficking in rural mining camps

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:26:25 -0400

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Guyana is establishing a task force to help eradicate trafficking of underage girls in mining camps in the South American country's interior. National Security Minister Clement Rohee said Friday that the government has identified 14 locations that it will target in upcoming weeks. The announcement comes after opposition leaders demanded an official probe into ...

How a toilet paper shortage may temper Chavismo in Venezuela

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:16:48 -0400

People wait in line as they buy toilet paper in a super market in Caracas May 17. Supplies of food and other basic products have been patchy in recent months, with long queues forming at supermarkets and rushes occurring when there is news of a new stock arrival. The situation has spawned jokes among Venezuelans, particularly over the lack of toilet ...

UPDATE 1-Schlumberger extends Venezuelas PDVSA $1 bln credit line

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:16:43 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 5:16pm EDT By Deisy Buitrago MORICHAL, Venezuela May 24 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA will receive a revolving credit line of at least $1 billion from oil services giant Schlumberger, the OPEC nation's oil minister said on Friday. The deal will provide some financial breathing room for PDVSA, which as of last year had built up $16.5 billion in debts to ...

UNHCR Keep Borders Open to Fleeing Syrians

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:48:27 -0400

GENEVA -- The United Nations refugee agency is appealing to nations to keep borders open to refugees fleeing worsening violence in Syria. With Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq already hosting more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns the number is expected to grow as the conflict intensifies. Responding to reports that Syrians ...

Putting Slurplus Food to Good Use

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:48:27 -0400

With world headlines warning of increasing drought and a hunger crisis and almost 15 percent of U.S. households struggling to put food on the table, a religious group in the shadow of the nation's capital is quietly putting surplus food on empty tables. Every Monday, about 150 people line up in the parking lot of Christian Life Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Joan ...

Valdez Back in Big Uruguay Squad for Busy June Calendar

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:47:51 -0400

MONTEVIDEO ...

IMF chief named key witness in French payoff case

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:44:28 -0400

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde arrives for a second day of the court hearing at a special court house, in Paris, Friday, May 24, 2013. Lagarde faced questioning at a special Paris court Friday over her role in the 400 million euro ($520 million) pay-off to a controversial businessman when she was France's finance minister. (AP Photo/Thibault ...

ELN Greets Peace Forum for Colombia in Porto Alegre

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:42:59 -0400

Bogota, May 24 (Prensa Latina) The leader of the Ejercito de Liberacin Nacional (ELN)guerilla, Nicolas Rodriguez, reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with the Colombian government while greeting the peace forum in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. The meeting, inaugurated today in the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul in support of talks between the Government and the ...

Ecuador President Outlines Plans During Inauguration Ceremony

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:32:32 -0400

Ecuador president Rafael Correa. (Photo: Cortesia Andes) During his inauguration ceremony, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa outlined a number of policies the Alianza Pas (AP) government plans to implement during his second term in ...

Pope Meets With President Rafael Correa of Ecuador

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:08:07 -0400

Centrality of Social Justice Among Topics DiscussedVATICAN CITY, April 19, 2013 (Zenit.org) - This morning, Pope Francis received Rafael Correa Delgado, president of the Republic of Ecuador, in audience at the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Shortly after, President Correa met with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.The talks, which according to a Vatican communique were ...

Nepal’s Tibetan Refugees Struggle Under China’s Shadow

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:37:51 -0400

KATHMANDU -- Tibetan refugees in Nepal say they face increasing restrictions from Nepalese authorities due to pressure from China. VOA correspondent Aru Pande talks to Tibetans who, for decades, have made the Himalayan country their home. Dolma Lama learned to weave Tibetan carpets from her mother - who fled Tibet and settled in Kathmandu after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese ...

Ecuador’s Satellite Involved in Space Fender Bender

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:36:00 -0400

Our Geo Quiz comes from space on Friday. We’re looking for the name of satellite from Ecuador. Their satellite — their only satellite — has been involved in what you might call a fender bender. Russian officials say it may have been a collision with a piece of orbiting space junk from their space activities. The satellite is a nanno-satellite, a tiny computer with solar ...

Medina off to Ecuador to attend Correa’s inaugural

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:24:32 -0400

Santo Domingo.- President Danilo Medina and a small delegation departed 5am Friday aboard a private flight from Higero international Airport to Quito, Ecuador, to attend Rafael Correa's inaugural. He was accompanied by the ministers of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo, administrative, Jos Ramn Peralta, of Tourism, Francisco Javier Garcia, of Culture Jos Antonio Rodriguez and the deputy Jose ...

Buenos Aires Province Teachers Announce 48-Hour Strike

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:21:01 -0400

SUTEBA protest (photo: Suteba) After another meeting with the provincial government failed, the Federation of Educators of Buenos Aires (FEB) confirmed yesterday a 48-hour strike for Monday and Tuesday. They will be once again demanding higher wages in their sector. The head of FEB, Mirta Petrocini said that ';today [for yesterday] the provincial government was callous to the teachers ...

Colombia ‘False Positive’ Killings Still Ongoing According To Report

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:21:00 -0400

Colombian Defence Minister Rodrigo Rivera and Police chief. (Photo: Globovision) The Centre for Popular Research and Education (Cinep) in Bogot has reported that during 2012 there were 11 separate cases of extrajudicial executions in Colombia, suggesting that executions known as ‘false positives’ are still ongoing. A further eight cases of arbitrary detention have also been reported, ...

Brazil patient dies in ambulance fall

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:07:24 -0400

AN elderly Brazilian man suffering from Alzheimer's disease has fallen from an ambulance and died. Joao Pinheiro health department head Graciele Gomes da Silva says 82-year-old Luis Jose Lima apparently opened the ambulance's back door, fell to the highway and was hit by an oncoming car that left the scene. Silva says only after the ambulance continued for 10 kilometres did the driver ...

Motion Filtering Ability Correlated to High IQ

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:25:44 -0400

Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York state say they can predict a person’s intelligence quotient, or IQ, using some simple visual tests. Test subjects were asked to watch brief video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen within three different sized circles. They were asked to identify in which direction the bars drifted. The exercise measures ...

Planemaker Embraer Sees American Closing Out US Regional Jet Cycle

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:25:44 -0400

SAO PAULO -- Embraer SA, the world's third-largest commercial jet maker, expects just one more big regional jet order as a result of its current U.S. sales campaign, Chief Executive Officer Frederico Curado said in an interview, after the Brazilian planemaker clinched three of four major deals since December. "After the American Airlines competition, the game is over for a ...

Obama Plan to Close Guantanamo Prison Faces Significant Obstacles

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:25:43 -0400

Activists wearing orange jumpsuits mark the 100th day of prisoners' hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay during a protest in front of the White House in Washington May 17, ...

Immigrant Drama Shoots for Top Cannes Prize

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:25:43 -0400

CANNES -- America's immigration debate finds echoes in a period drama that premiered at the Cannes film festival on Friday about a Polish woman who arrives at Ellis Island and fights to survive in 1920s New York. "The Immigrant" features French Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as the immigrant Ewa, speaking English and Polish in the film, with Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner as ...

Demand Grows for Global Ban on Killer Robots

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:25:43 -0400

LONDON -- United Nations’ special rapporteur on executions has joined calls for a moratorium on so-called ‘killer robots’ - automated weapons systems which critics fear may one day operate independently from human commanders. It may sound like something from a sci-fi movie - but campaigners say the threat is real and the robots already exist. A human-sized robot joined ...

Ecopetrol Colombias Cano Limon Pipeline Halted After Rebel Attack

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:20:36 -0400

BOGOTA - Colombia's second-longest oil pipeline, the 480-mile Cano Limon, has stopped pumping after rebels reportedly used dynamite to blow up a portion of the line. A statement from state oil company Ecopetrol SA, which owns and operates the pipeline, said the attack occurred Wednesday near the village of Guachiman, in the northern state of Norte de Santander, which borders Venezuela. ...

Ex-Guatemala president extradited to US

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:17:46 -0400

Efrain Rios Montt ruled as Guatemala's dictator, served as president of Congress, preached as an evangelical pastor and now, at 86, has become the first Latin American strongman to stand trial and be convicted on genocide charges in his own ...

Bolivia - Bolivian community radio destroyed in clashes between rival peasant groups

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:14:33 -0400

Reporters Without Borders condemns the destruction of Radio AM 1080 La Voz de las Mayoras, a community radio station based in Caranavi, 160 km northeast of La Paz, on 21 May 2013.Affiliated with the network of Radios of the Original Peoples (RPO), the station was destroyed in clashes between two rival peasant groups, the Provincial Agrarian Federation of Peasants of Caranavi (FAPCA) and the ...

Rebel disarmament requires ‘intelligent solution’ FARC

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:11:36 -0400

Colombia ’s government and the country’s largest rebel group, the FARC, should come up with ';intelligent solutions'; regarding the rebels’ possible disarmament, said one of the guerrillas’ negotiators ...

Ecuadors president sworn in for 3rd term

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:11:20 -0400

sse mbly. The swearing-in that took place before Gabriela Rivadeneira, president of the National Assembly, will consolidate Correa's 10- year socialist rule in the south American nation. Taking the oath for his third-term, Correa vowed to abide by the Constitution and Ecuadorian law, safeguard people's peaceful life and serve the people with sincerity. Some 10 heads of state and 90 ...

With opposition support PRO secures press bill in Buenos Aires City

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:10:51 -0400

An alliance between opposition parties Project South and Civic Coalition with the ruling PRO party paved the way for Macri’s controversial press decree to be signed into bill. Helio Rebot -head of the Buenos Aires City Legislature Constitutional Affairs Committee where the DNU emergency decree issued by Mayor Mauricio Macri was being addressed today-, confirmed PRO legislators have managed ...

Top Bosnia court orders release of president charged with graft

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:55:26 -0400

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that the president of the autonomous Muslim-Croat federation, charged with corruption, had been detained illegally, and ordered a lower court to release him ...

President Maduro says Venezuela to create new workers militia to defend homeland

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:53:56 -0400

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro arrives to attend President Rafael Correa's swearing-in ceremony in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, May 24, 2013. Correa is starting a third term as president. (AP Photo/Dolores ...

Ohio State Global Gateway program measuring worth before pitching Brazil office

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:31:02 -0400

Chris Carey, the director who oversees operations of Ohio State's Global Gateways program, said the university is still tinkering with the three-year-old initiative. Ohio State Universitys global initiative to open embassy-like overseas offices has plans for a third site in Brazil next year. But first, it has to collect enough data on efforts in China and India to convince trustees that the ...

Why Humans Ancestors Began Walking Upright

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:13:25 -0400

What prompted our earliest ancestors to leave the safety of the trees and begin walking upright on two legs? Traditional theories point to climate changes that reduced tree cover and forced them to forage and hunt on solid ground. But a new study suggests a different evolutionary ...

Cuba Confirms Willingness to Strengthen Ties with Argentina

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:07:04 -0400

Buenos Aires, May 24 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Raul Castro confirmed in a letter to his Argentina peer Cristina Fernandez his willingness to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. In the letter released here by Telam news agency, the Cuban statesman greeted the Argentinian president, on the occasion of the commemoration of Argentina's May 25, 1810 ...

Cuba Ratifies Determination to Expand Cooperation with Ecuador

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:07:04 -0400

Quito, May 24 (Prensa Latina) Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed his country's willingness to further strengthen ties of friendship and solidarity with Ecuador, and expand cooperation and integration between the two governments and ...

Barrick fined $16m for Pascua-Lama violations

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:04:25 -0400

Mining machinery and barrels with chemicals sit on the facilities of Barrick Gold Corp's Pascua-Lama project in northern Chile, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Chile's environmental regulator has stopped construction and imposed sanctions on Barrick Gold Corp.'s $8.5 billion Pascua-Lama project, citing "serious violations" of its environmental ...

Colombian congressman denies beating ex-wife

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:58:20 -0400

A Colombian congressman who is accused for abusing his ex-wife and failing his parenting duties on Thursday rejected the allegations by claiming ';to be the ...

Pacific Alliance summit ‘historic’ Santos

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:58:19 -0400

Juan Manuel Santos called the economic ties formed at the seventh summit of the Pacific Alliance ‘historic’ reported local media on ...

Dollar could climb to COP1900 this year Economist

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:58:14 -0400

investment and fewer dollars are the primary causes of the peso’s retreat against the dollar this year, economist Jose Manuel Restrepo told Caracol Radio. Regarding the impact of the dollar possibly rising to above 1,900 pesos, Restrepo said it ';makes us winners, because it will strengthen the domestic economy';. The Colombian government and central bank have for years been ...

Bolivia Government Supporters Rally in La Paz

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:55:53 -0400

Demonstrators in Plaza Villarroel, La Paz gather to express their support for the government. (Photo: Bolivia Government) Yesterday Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, participated in a demonstration on the streets of La Paz in a bid to "defend democracy" after the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) ...

Brazil buys robots for World Cup Olympic security

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:49:27 -0400

Brazil will host both Pope Francis and the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and the 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, leading the government to invest in additional security. The Brazilian government contracted iRobot to provide military iRobot 510 PackBot robots. For $7.2 million, Brazil will get about 30 PackBot 510 units, which usually cost about $100,000 to $200,000 each, along with ...

Highway Bridge Collapses in US

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:25 -0400

A road bridge on the main highway between the northwestern United States and Canada's British Columbia province collapsed and sent several cars tumbling into a river, injuring some motorists but causing no fatalities. Authorities said a tall truck hit an overhead girder on the 50-year-old bridge, and seconds later a large portion of the metal structure fell into shallow waters of the ...

Violence Continues in Conakry Over Upcoming Elections

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:25 -0400

DAKAR -- Guinea's government says it deployed extra soldiers and police to the streets of the capital, Conakry, Friday, as youth in several neighborhoods set up makeshift barriers, vandalized cars and attacked private businesses. The unrest comes the day after an opposition protest during which the government says one person was killed and at least ten were injured. The opposition puts the ...

Man Wanted for Quadruple Czech Murders Arrested in US

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:25 -0400

Czech police said Friday the suspect, identified by police as Kevin Dahlgren, was arrested at a Washington, D.C. airport after Czech authorities issued an international warrant. U.S. authorities have confirmed the arrest. Czech authorities found four bodies Wednesday in a family house in the city of Brno, about 200 kilometers southeast of Prague. Czech Television reports that the 20-year-old ...

Ethiopian Activist Recognized for Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:25 -0400

LONDON -- An Ethiopian activist who has worked to support women’s rights and battle female genital mutilation has been awarded an international prize in Europe. Bogaletch Gebre founded Kembatti Mentti Gezzima-Tope in the 1990s. The organization’s name translates as Kembatti Women Stand Together. The group has a unique approach to tackling women’s rights in ...

Explosions Gunfire Hit Center of Afghan Capital

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:24 -0400

Two large explosions shook a busy area in the center of the Afghan capital Friday, in the second major attack in Kabul in a little more than a ...

Little Free Libraries Promote Love of Books

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:24 -0400

What looks like a little red birdhouse with a pitched roof sits on a post outside Centreville Elementary School in Virginia, attracting a lot of attention. But there are no birds inside. The wooden box contains about two dozen children’s books. Any child in the community who wants to read is welcome to pick ...

Taliban Attacks Heart of Afghan Capital

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:24 -0400

Taliban militants have attacked the heart of the Afghan capital, setting off explosions and battling security forces. At least four blasts shook a busy area of Kabul Friday, in the second major attack in the city in a little more than a week. Shooting erupted in the area as militants and security forces engaged in a fierce gunbattle. Afghan officials say two of the attackers were ...

Bullying in Turkish Military Becomes a Human Rights Issue

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:24 -0400

FILE -Turkish military station at the border gate with Syria, across from Syrian rebel-controlled Tel Abyad town, in Akcakale, Turkey, October 7, ...

Kerry Urges Hard Decisions After Meetings with Israeli Palestinians

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:23 -0400

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) waves as he stands next to Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat before his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah May 23, ...

British Police Arrest Two on Diverted Pakistani Airliner

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:23 -0400

British police have arrested two men on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane that was diverted to an airport near London. A Royal Air Force fighter jet intercepted the airliner - which was en route from Lahore to Manchester - and escorted it to Stansted Airport. Authorities said there had been "an incident" on board the plane. They said the two men were arrested on ...

Pakistan Reiterates Opposition to US Drone Strikes

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:22 -0400

Pakistan has reiterated its opposition to U.S. drone strikes on its territory, after U.S. President Barack Obama justified "constrained" drone usage to save lives. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Friday that drone strikes are counter-productive, kill innocent civilians, have human rights implications, and violate national sovereignty and international law. Pakistan said, ...

Kerry Choice of Iranian Presidential Candidates Denies Popular Will

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:22 -0400

To get best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or other web browser. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found ...

Large Blast Hits Center of Afghan Capital

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:21 -0400

Afghan police say the blast went off close to the hospital for the state intelligence service. There were no immediate reports of ...

Suspicions High as US China Summit Nears

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:21 -0400

BEIJING -- A top White House official is scheduled to arrive in Beijing this Sunday. His visit comes as concerns about cyber attacks, trade frictions and China’s territorial disputes with Japan test relations between the world’s two largest economies. The visit also comes as President Barack Obama and China’s new leader Xi Jinping prepare to hold their first talks next month in ...

Entel looking at opportunities in Colombia

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:54:47 -0400

USD400 million, though the acquisition is not expected to be completed until Q3 this year. Buchi added that Entel would expand Nextel's offerings, which are currently focused primarily ...

Third term begins for Ecuadors President Correa

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:53:19 -0400

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2013 file photo, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa gives a thumbs up to supporters as he stands with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, not in picture, on a balcony at the government palace in Quito, Ecuador. On Friday, May 24, 2013, Correa will begin his second presidential term after winning the Feb. 17 election. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa, ...

Social Program Contributes to Reduced Infant Mortality in Brazil

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:51:33 -0400

Brasilia, May 24 (Prensa Latina) Research to review the impact of the Bolsa Familia program in Brazil reveals that this helped reduce the mortality rate among children under the age of five by 17 percent between 2004 and 2009. Data provided by the Minister of Social Development and the Fight aganinst Hunger, Tereza Campello, confirms that Bolsa Familia, which delivers 70 reales (33 dollars) to ...

Marsh to Acquire Peru Insurance Advisor Rehder y Asociados

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:45:50 -0400

Global broker Marsh Inc. announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the Rehder y Asociados Group, an insurance advisor in Peru. Marsh said the "business includes the insurance broker Rehder y Asociados and employee health and benefits specialist Humanasalud." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Marsh said the acquisition, which is anticipated to close in ...

5 dead after army clash with FARC in northwestern Colombia

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:42:04 -0400

Three soldiers and two guerrillas have been killed in combat with Colombia's largest rebel group, the FARC, in the northwestern department of Antioquia, the army said ...

Giant fuel depot blaze on northern outskirts of Rio de Janeiro kills one

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:26:14 -0400

RIO DE JANEIRO - One person was killed in a spectacular fire that broke out in a fuel depot on the northern edge of Rio de Janeiro and spread to nearby homes Thursday. Six giant fuel containers at the storage site caught fire, sending giant flames up to 50 meters high leaping into the air and columns of thick smoke far into the sky that could be seen kilometers away. The victim was a ...

Emerging market flows update – Brazil=“Have Not”

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:20:10 -0400

PLND , quote ) a large underperformer in Global Emerging Markets (GEM) this year is seeing fresh allocation interest.The "have nots" continue to be laggards:Brazil ...

UPDATE 1-Brazil bank lending slows in April sign of uneven economy

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:56:41 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 10:56am EDT * Growth in bank lending loses momentum on annual basis * Loan delinquencies unchanged in April, yet remain high * Suggests double-speed economy, slow economic recovery By Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Luciana Otoni SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, May 24 (Reuters) - Growth in Brazil's bank lending slowed in April, the latest sign that an expansion in Latin America's largest ...

Travel agencies cancel trips to northern Colombia after kidnapping spooks tourists

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:48:45 -0400

Three international tourism companies have had to cancel travel packages to the northern region of La Guajira after the kidnapping of two Spaniards in the region resulted in approximately 100 tourists cancelling their ...

EMERGING MARKETS-Brazil stocks flat as OGX offsets Vale

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:36:31 -0400

* Concerns over Chinese economic growth, Fed stimulus weigh * Brazil Bovespa little changed, Mexico IPC falls 0.65 pct By Asher Levine SAO PAULO, May 24 (Reuters) - Brazilian stocks were little changed on Friday as concerns over weak economic growth in China weighed on shares of mining firm Vale, offsetting a gain in oil producer OGX. Mexico's IPC index edged towards its lowest closing level ...

Reuters Summit Rating agencies alert to Argentina debt ruling souring economy

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:17:03 -0400

Beginning in June, Thomson Reuters News & Insight content will be available exclusively on WestlawNext, as part of its Practitioner Insights offering. On June 21, the Thomson Reuters News & Insight website, iPhone app and newsletters will be discontinued. ...

Colombia’s armed forces continue extrajudicial executions of civilians Report

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:54:04 -0400

Colombia’s security forces in 2012 executed 52 civilians who were then presented as enemy combatants killed in combat, according to a report by the human right NGO ...

Peru funded illegal Amazon rainforest road claims Global Witness | David Hill

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:38:14 -0400

The illegal road running towards the Purus National Park which could connect the remote Purus region to the rest of Peru. Photograph: Courtesy of ...

Whats Behind Venezuelas Toilet Paper Shortage

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:37:35 -0400

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro greets supporters during a May Day rally in Caracas May 1, 2013. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters) Last month, Venezuela elected a president on the recommendation of Hugo Chavez. But as the problems the country faces loom larger, President Nicolas Maduro is finding his predecessor's one-man show a difficult act to follow. It was inevitable that ...

Brazil bank lending rises 1.1 pct in April defaults stable

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:37:17 -0400

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO | Fri May 24, 2013 9:37am EDT BRASILIA/SAO PAULO May 24 (Reuters) - Outstanding loans in Brazil's banking system grew 1.1 percent in April from March, the central bank said on Friday. Loans in arrears for 90 days or more, an industry benchmark for delinquencies, remained unchanged at 5.5 percent of outstanding loans last month, the bank ...

Kerry goes to Ethiopia for security talks African Union anniversary

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:27:26 -0400

John Kerry 's agenda on a trip to Ethiopia. The State Department said Kerry's three-day visit, beginning Friday in Addis Ababa, would include meetings with senior Ethiopian officials, Voice of America reported. Discussions were expected to include efforts to battle Islamic extremists in countries such as Mali and northern Nigeria, the State Department said. On Saturday, Kerry will ...

Colombia peace negotiators to present progress on Sunday

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:59:27 -0400

During the official presentation, the two negotiating teams will be accompanied by diplomats from 10 countries, and delegates from Cuba and Norway who have taken part in the process as guarantors. The negotiators will give details about the progress made in regards to negotiations on agrarian reform, the first and reportedly most fundamental topic on the five-point list of issues that — if ...

STXNEWS LATAM-BofA recommends Brazil property shares on uncertain policy

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:52:11 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 8:52am EDT Investors ought to maintain exposure to Brazilian shares that help them hedge against policy uncertainty and inflation or pay high dividends, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday. A basket of so-called defensive stocks in sectors such as utilities and commercial property has outperformed the benchmark Bovespa stock index by 14.5 percent, despite ...

Rosneft PDVSA to work together in Venezuela

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:34:01 -0400

Petroleos de Venezuela and Russian energy company Rosneft signed an agreement for a joint venture for Venezuelan operations. Venezuelan Oil ...

Amazonian Ambition Rosneft signs another joint venture with Venezuela

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:59:23 -0400

Russia and the global economy Rosneft, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, is expanding its influence in Venezuela, via a subsidiary of the national oil company PDVSA. The two companies signed a joint venture agreement to develop a river basin in Venezuela. The agreement was signed between Rosneft President Igor Sechin and Venezuelan Oil Minister and President of PDVSA, Rafael ...

Brazils CPFL Renovveis revives IPO plans as market gains steam

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:20:52 -0400

SAO PAULO | Fri May 24, 2013 7:20am EDT SAO PAULO May 24 (Reuters) - CPFL Energias Renovveis SA, the alternative energy unit of Brazilian utility CPFL Energia SA , revived plans for an initial public offering, seven months after scrapping them on concern of growing government meddling in the electricity sector. The Sao Paulo-based company said late on Thursday it asked regulators to ...

Brazil consumer confidence index falls in May - FGV

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:17:18 -0400

SAO PAULO | Fri May 24, 2013 7:17am EDT SAO PAULO May 24 (Reuters) - An index that measures consumer confidence in Brazil fell to a reding of 113.4 in May from 113.9 in April, research group Fundao Getulio Vargas said on ...

Brazil – Labor market continued to lose some of its buoyancy in April

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:56:25 -0400

In Brazil, the unemployment rate remained unchanged but real wages continued to moderate due to inflation. At the same time, another tax cut in a key component of CPI was announced (this time on public transport), in line with the trend to use tax cuts to try to contain inflation. In Mexico, headline inflation surprised to the upside, but core inflation remains anchored, supporting our call for ...

Gunmen kill Nato driver in Pakistan

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:17:50 -0400

Gunmen on Friday opened fire on a convoy of Nato containers in a northwestern Pakistani town near the Afghan border, killing a driver and wounding a helper, officials ...

Swedish police seek reinforcement after further clashes

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:15:16 -0400

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Police in the Swedish capital are to seek reinforcements after youths again set cars ablaze and threw stones at police for a fifth night running, officials said on Friday. Around 30 cars were set on fire in poorer neighbourhoods in northwestern and southwestern parts of the capital on Thursday night and rioters caused widespread damage to property, including schools, police ...

Kerry to Visit Ethiopia for Security Talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:49 -0400

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to Ethiopia for security talks with regional officials and to attend a 50th anniversary celebration for the African ...

Russia Syria Agrees to Participate in Conference

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:49 -0400

Russia says the Syrian government has agreed in principle to attend aproposed international peace conference on the country's future. A spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry said Friday that Syria has agreed to participate in the conference that Russia and the U.S. have proposed next month in Geneva. But he said it is impossible to set a date yet because it is not clear yet who will ...

3 Indian Soldiers Killed in Kashmir Attack

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:49 -0400

Authorities say the attack took place Friday outside Srinagar, the main city on the Indian section of Kashmir. Rebel groups have been fighting for years for independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and they have fought two wars over its ...

Bridge Collapses in Washington State No Fatalities

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:48 -0400

In this photo provided by Francisco Rodriguez, rescue boats approach victims at their vehicles in the Skagit River after the collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge in Mount Vernon, Wash., May 23, ...

Victims of Oklahoma Tornado Get Help From Near and Far

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:48 -0400

In the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, the recovery from Monday's deadly tornado is picking up speed, even as locals mourn the loss of at least 24 people, including 10 children. Funerals will begin Friday in Moore, and President Obama plans to visit the town Sunday. Resources are pouring in from all over the country to help those in desperate need. The devastation of her home brought a ...

FAO Project Will Track S. Sudan Food Production

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:48 -0400

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN -- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday launched a $9 million project aimed at helping South Sudan to better track food production, a move that officials hope will allow alerts of possible food shortages to be raised well ahead of time. The three-year project would replace the current system, under which "we don’t really know how ...

Fire at giant fuel depot in Brazil leaves one dead amid scene of devastation

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:16:48 -0400

Six giant fuel containers at the storage site caught fire, sending giant flames up to 50 meters (165 feet) leaping into the air and columns of thick smoke far into the sky that could be seen miles ...

Brazil delays mining bill to reach Congress in June

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:10:21 -0400

- Brazil's government plans to submit its mining reform bill to Congress in June rather than this month, energy minister Edison Lobao said on Thursday, prolonging a wait that is slowing investment in mineral ...

Canada to allocate C$53m to Peru-focused mining and energy initiatives

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:10:18 -0400

Canadian mining executives hope Prime Minister Stephen Harper's meeting with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala will generate better use of C$4 billion in unspent mining royalties in government ...

Argentina Tours of Pope Francis sites in Buenos Aires

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:10:05 -0400

With an Argentine on the throne of St. Peter at the Vatican, the South American country’s capital city is offering visitors a glimpse of the places that formed Pope Francis. A guided bus tour winds through Buenos Aires twice each Saturday and Sunday past 24 sites linked to the new pope. It stops only twice and leaves little opportunity for snapshots. There’s no charge for the trip, or ...

Ecuador satellite hits Soviet-era space junk

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:01:14 -0400

Ecuador A tiny Ecuadoran satellite that collided in space with the remains of a Soviet rocket has survived the crash, but is damaged and not transmitting.Ecuador's space agency EXA warned on Wednesday that a collision was likely between its Pegaso nanosatellite and the remains of an S14 rocket, launched by the Soviet Union in the midst of the Cold War.The agency's director Ronnie ...

South America re-election rash Ecuador’s Correa takes office for the third consecutive time

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:52:52 -0400

Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa will be inaugurated on Friday for his third consecutive mandate, something which Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez just managed before his death, and something which Bolivia’s Evo Morales ...

5 officers killed in helicopter accident in Venezuela

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:31:58 -0400

Five officers from Venezuela's Bolivarian National Police (PNB), members of the crew of a police helicopter, were killed Thursday when their aircraft crashed in western Caracas during an operation to rescue two kidnapped engineers, official sources said. PNB Director Luis Karabin said that the accident occurred Thursday morning at 7:30 local time (1200 GMT) in the highway Mamera-El ...

Paraguay seizes 25.6 tons of marijuana

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:50 -0400

Paraguay's anti-drug police on Thursday said they have seized and burned 25.6 tons of marijuana in the eastern department of Alto Parana, local media reported. The police said 20 tons of marijuana were found chopped while 5.6 tons were pressed, according to reports from Asuncion, capital of Paraguay. They also found 12 drug pressers. The operation was held in Itakyry district, 435 km east ...

Venezuela prosecutor to open probe over leaked recording

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:34:54 -0400

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's prosecutor's office said on Thursday it would open an investigation into in a recording the opposition says features a top government ally accusing the deputy head of the ruling Socialist Party of corruption and conspiring against the new ...

Injured Messi included in Argentina WC squad

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:52:58 -0400

Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella has called up Lionel Messi for the nation's June World Cup qualifiers despite the Barcelona star being sidelined with a hamstring ...

Argentina lawsuit imperils sovereign debt restructuring

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:47:22 -0400

(51 mins ago) The New York legal case over Argentina's debt poses a deep challenge to all future sovereign debt restructurings, the International Monetary Fund said. A US judge's decision ordering Argentina to completely repay bondholders who refused to take part in a restructuring of its debt could have ';pervasive implications'' in other such cases, giving holdout ...

One killed in Brazil fuel depot blaze

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:47:09 -0400

(54 mins ago) One person was killed in a fire that broke out in a fuel depot on the northern edge of Rio de Janeiro on Brazil and spread to nearby homes, officials said. Six giant fuel containers at the storage site caught fire, sending flames up to 50 meters leaping into the air and columns of thick smoke far into the sky that could be seen miles away. The victim was a 43 year-old man who ...

Venezuela Russia in joint oil venture

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:34:39 -0400

BARCELONA, Venezuela (AFP) - Venezuela and Russia formed a joint venture to produce 120,000 barrels of oil a day by 2016 in two fields in the Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt.Russia will loan Venezuela $1.5 billion to finance the development of the fields under the terms of the agreement, and put up $1.1 billion for a 40 percent share in Petrovictoria.The agreement establishing Petrovictoria was signed by ...

Messi named in Argentina squad

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:03:07 -0400

Lionel Messi into his squad for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil(TM) qualifiers despite the Barcelona forward's hamstring injury. Messi has not played since picking up the knock against Atletico Madrid earlier this month but has been named in a 23-man list by Sabella alongside fellow forwards Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. Roma and Anderlecht midfielders Erik ...

Barcelona make final Neymar offer

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:00:45 -0400

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Barcelona has reportedly made a final offer of 23 million euros to sign Brazil international striker Neymar during the European summer transfer window. The Catalan club's football director Raul Sanllehi returned to Spain on Thursday after a week of negotiations ...

UPDATE 4-Brazil to auction its biggest-ever oil find in October

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:27:22 -0400

Thu May 23, 2013 9:27pm EDT * Production-sharing auction to be 1st under 2010 law * Giant Libra area seen producing up to 12 bln barrels * Auction moved up 1 month to meet president's schedule By Jeb Blount RIO DE JANEIRO, May 23 (Reuters) - Brazil plans to sell the right to explore and develop its largest-ever oil discovery in October, auctioning an offshore petroleum prospect that is ...

Jodi Arias Jury Fails to Reach Decision on Death Penalty

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:05:05 -0400

An Arizona jury tasked with determining whether convicted killer Jodi Arias should be put to death for the brutal murder of an ex-boyfriend failed to reach a unanimous verdict on Thursday, and a judge ordered a retrial in the penalty phase. Arias, 32, was found guilty earlier this month in the murder of Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in ...

Lamela Earns Argentina Call-Up as Messi Understudy

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:51:01 -0400

BUENOS AIRES ...

NYPD Businessman tortured held for ransom for month in US warehouse 3 flee to Ecuador

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:32:24 -0400

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A businessman was snatched from a New York City street in broad daylight, then held captive for more than a month in a warehouse where he was bound and burned with acid as he was held for a $3 million ransom his family back in Ecuador did not have, authorities said. Pedro Portugal, 52, was found this week by detectives who had been monitoring phone calls, noticed pizza ...

Brazil to open huge oil field to auction

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:27:48 -0400

View Photo Aerial view of Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 11, 2013. Brazil on Thursday said it will auction concessions to drill and explore an offshore oil field believed to hold up to 12 billion barrels of crude, the country's largest find. Libra, discovered in 2010, is within the vast Santos Basin, located some 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de ...

US Forecasters Predict Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:01 -0400

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday there is a 70 percent chance that 13 to 20 named storms will form in the Atlantic Ocean this season. It says as many as 11 of them could strengthen into hurricanes -- storms with winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher. The forecasters say they cannot predict if any of those storms will strike land. NOAA says warmer than ...

Forcast Above-Average Storm Activity Likely During 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:01 -0400

The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season could be busier and deadlier than average, according to predictions released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. The six-month seasonal outlook for Atlantic storms will be above average says Jerry Bell, lead Atlantic hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. "The outlook is calling for 13 to ...

Brazilian police arrest 9 for abusing Indian girls

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:52:33 -0400

Brazil's Federal Police said on Thursday that nine people have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing Indians girls in the northern state of ...

Permanent Consultative Committee of CITEL Discussed Telecommunications Policy and Regulation in Buenos Aires

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:46:12 -0400

May 23, 2013 The Permanent Consultative Committee of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS) today concluded its three-day meeting in Buenos Aires to discuss telecommunications policies and regulations. The 12th Meeting of the Permanent Consultative Committee I: Telecommunications/Technology brought together experts in information ...

Biden ‘to evaluate security and trade and in Colombia’

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:38:51 -0400

United States Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Colombia will focus on the country’s security progress and aims to ';reaffirm the strong bilateral relationship between the two nations,'; White House officials told Colombian ...

4 killed in north Colombia ‘FARC attack’

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:38:48 -0400

Three policemen and the director of a local migration office were killed near the Venezuelan border in an attack attributed to Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, local media reported ...

Lawyer who defended former Italian militant Battisti appointed to Brazils Supreme Court

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:20:25 -0400

BRASILIA, Brazil - The lawyer who successfully defended former Italian militant Cesare Battisti against extradition has been named to Brazil's Supreme Court. President Dilma Rousseff appointed Luis Roberto Barroso to the high court on Thursday. Barroso represented Battisti in 2011 when the Supreme Court convened to decide whether to extradite him to Italy to be tried for four political ...

Police in Brazil arrest 7 men 2 women on suspicion of sexually abusing indigenous girls

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:20:13 -0400

SAO PAULO - Brazil's Federal Police say nine people have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing Indians girls in the northern state of Amazonas. The force says two women and seven men in the city of Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira are in custody for the alleged sexual exploitation and abuse of Indian girls between the ages of 11 and 15. Federal police inspector Fabio Pessoa says ...

Brazil drug traffickers fight back order curfew in Rio slums

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:11:02 -0400

- Drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro ordered shops closed in one of its biggest slums early Thursday, defying efforts to restore order to the city's vast shantytowns and renewing safety concerns in Brazil as it prepares to host the World Cup and Olympics. Shops were shuttered and more than 5,400 children were turned away from school Thursday morning after traffickers, shouting from ...

Syrias Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:46 -0400

Ominous ties are emerging between skyrocketing sectarian violence in Iraq and Syria's civil war. Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries and are seeking to use religious differences to bring down the government, not only in Damascus, but also in Baghdad. Iraqis are witnessing the worst violence to rock their country in five years. Bombings ...

Moore Oklahoma Holds First Funeral of Tornado Victim

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:46 -0400

Moore, Oklahoma held the first funeral for a victim of Monday's monster tornado -- a nine year-old girl killed when the storm tore apart her elementary ...

Africa Tempts High-Tech Companies

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

Multinational high-tech companies looking for new frontiers and fresh ideas are lining up for a slice of Africa’s relatively untapped consumer market. Many experts are saying the continent is poised to be the next hotbed of technological innovation. Others are even more ...

African Progress Panel Urges Leaders to Exploit Resources

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

ADDIS ABABA -- As the African Union celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding, a group of respected leaders and activists led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging African leaders to maximize the continent’s natural resource potential. The African Progress Panel ...

South Sudans President Says Never to ICC

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (L) meets his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta, who is on his first visit to the region as head of state, in Juba, South Sudan, May 23, ...

Volunteers Help Revive LAs Concrete River

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles River is a concrete drainage channel through much of its 80-kilometer length. It channels waste-water from storm drains and has become a receptacle for much of the city's trash. But, the river is slowly being restored to its natural state with the help of volunteers, who take part in an annual clean-up. Thousands of volunteers turned out on a recent weekend ...

Video PM arrives in Colombia to talk trade with Pacific Alliance

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:36:53 -0400

The prime minister is in Colombia to observe the Pacific Alliance discussions -- grouping Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile. International Trade Minister Ed Fast called the countries Canada's most trusted partners in the ...

Colombia’s peace process will fail unless FARC apologizes Senator

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:24:53 -0400

A senator of Colombia’s Liberal Party said Thursday that if the country’s largest guerrilla group, the FARC, fails to apologize to the victims of the war, the peace process is doomed to ...

The Egg Without Salt Maduro Struggles to Govern Venezuela

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:08:29 -0400

Safe Rooms Saved Lives in Tornado Disaster

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:02 -0400

WASHINGTON -- The scattered ruins of Moore, Oklahoma, a town devastated for the fourth time in 14 years by a major tornado, are a grim reminder that current building codes can’t do much to prevent property destruction and loss of life, especially when a powerful twister cuts through town. But the death toll can be dramatically reduced when people take shelter in underground storm bunkers ...

Kenyan Cooperation with ICC Questioned

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:02 -0400

An April 2011 Combination picture shows Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, who was finance minister, and William Ruto, former Higher Education Minister at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The ...

Telescopes Spot Colliding Galaxies

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:01 -0400

Several telescopes have teamed up to discover a rare and massive merging of two galaxies that took place when the universe was just 3 billion years old (its current age is about 14 billion years). (Photo: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC ...

Paraguayan Former President Fernando Lugo Left for Ecuador

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:06 -0400

Asuncion, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Paraguayan Former President Fernando Lugo, leader of the coalition of parties and social organizations Guasu Front, traveled to Ecuador today. Lugo, who was elected senator in the last general elections, will participate as a guest in the inaguration of re-elected head of state Rafael Correa,the Front Guasu confirmed. ...

Peru - Journalist threatened after reporting on cancelled municipal project in Peru

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:13:37 -0400

in the province of Lampa, was verbally threatened by Mara Quispe Quisocala, the local mayor's secretary, apparently because the journalist published information about the Public Treasury and some municipal projects. The incident took place in the Puno region of southern Peru.Ccapa Zapana told IPYS that the threat occurred when he was scheduling an interview with Lampa's deputy mayor, ...

Judge orders transfer of 2600 Bogota prisoners to tackle overcrowding

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:10:29 -0400

According to the judge’s ruling, the prisoner transfer must be complete within four months. ';[INPEC] must abstain from receiving new detainees until the overcrowding is overcome.'; However, Ruth Stella Correa, Colombia’s Minister of Justice, said the task of transferring the prisoners was ';titanic'; ans asked for more time for the plan’s implementation. ...

Soldiers in southwest Colombia ‘week without food’

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:10:27 -0400

Forty-five soldiers stationed in the southwestern Colombian department of Nario told national radio Thursday they have spent the past week without food and receive no response to calls for ...

Ecuador Pegasus Satellite Crashes in Space

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:07:50 -0400

Share/Bookmark Ecuador’s first and only satellite, Pegasus, has collided with a Russian space rocket, casting doubts over whether the portal is still in ...

Police helicopter crashes during chase in Venezuela 5 dead

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:50:59 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities say a police helicopter has crashed while pursuing suspects in a kidnapping, and all five people aboard have been killed. Police spokesman Luis Karabin told state television that the helicopter went down Thursday in a forested area east of Caracas. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Karabin cited atmospheric conditions. He said the ...

Maduros confused signals bode ill for Venezuelas recovery

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:42:30 -0400

Hugo Chavez , who died of cancer in March. This week the National Assembly passed funding that could make toilet paper available to Venezuelans. Maduro, who succeeded Chavez after a snap election in April, has pledged to solve Venezuela's endemic problems of shortages and slow growth and has also attempted to distance himself occasionally from Chavez. Conflicting statements on ...

Canada Peru in military trade deal

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:42:20 -0400

The Canadian government and the government of Peru have agreed to cooperate on military equipment and services procurement. The office of the Prime Minister of Canada said Thursday the Memorandum of Understanding was signed Wednesday by the Canadian Commercial Corp. and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Peru. "Under this agreement, the CCC will work with the Ministry of Defense of ...

Report At Least 1 London Terror Suspect is of Nigerian Descent

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:37 -0400

A picture of victim Drummer Lee Rigby, of the British Army's 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is displayed with flowers left by mourners outside an army barracks near the scene of his killing in Woolwich, southeast London May 23, ...

White House Fact Sheet on Counterterrorism Policy

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:36 -0400

Fact Sheet: U.S. Policy Standards and Procedures for the Use of Force in Counterterrorism Operations Outside the United States and Areas of Active Hostilities Since his first day in office, President Obama has been clear that the United States will use all available tools of national power to protect the American people from the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa’ida and its associated ...

LIVE Obama Speaks on Counterterrorism

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:36 -0400

2001, we were shaken out of complacency. Thousands were taken from us, as clouds of fire, metal and ash descended upon a sun-filled morning. This was a different kind of war. No armies came to our shores, and our military was not the principal target. Instead, a group of terrorists came to kill as many civilians as they could. And so our nation went to war. We have now been at war for well ...

Turks and Caicos recovers cash land amid probe

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:04:56 -0400

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -; Officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands have recovered $19.5 million and more than 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of real estate as they continue to seize assets improperly obtained by corrupt ...

Brazils ANP Libra Holds 8-12B Barrels of Recoverable Oil

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:03:58 -0400

, the director of the National Petroleum Agency, or ANP, said Thursday. Dubbed Libra, the prospect is "singular" and is larger than the Lula field that started Brazil's pre-salt craze when announced in 2007, ANP's Magda Chambriard said. "These estimates are the most recent" after three-dimensional seismic data was received recently by the ANP, Ms. Chambriard said. ...

India Venezuela Review Cooperation Agenda

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:03:29 -0400

Caracas, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Elias Jaua met with India's ambassador in the country, Smita Purushottam, to review the bilateral cooperation agenda, reported official sources. According to the Foreign Ministry, different aspects of cooperation, integration, and negotiation were reviewed in order to increase interest in diversifying trade exchange ...

Cuban First Vice President In Ecuador for Correa Inaguration

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:03:29 -0400

Quito, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Cuba''s First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived here at the head of his country''s delegation to the inauguration of President Rafael Correa tomorrow. Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, received visitors and Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita Gonzalez at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, accompanied by Cuban ...

UPDATE 1-Venezuelas Petrovictoria to pump 120000 bpd in 2016

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:46 -0400

Thu May 23, 2013 3:00pm EDT JOSE, Venezuela May 23 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Petrovictoria, a joint venture between state oil company PDVSA and Russia's Rosneft, will start production in 2016 and reach 120,000 barrels per day, PDVSA said on Thursday. The joint venture will produce ultra-heavy crude from the vast Orinoco Belt, a large deposit of oil in the Orinoco River basin of ...

FARC open to public debate about rebels’ role in Colombia’s 2014 elections

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:54 -0400

Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, on Thursday said to be open to the possibility of holding a public debate on their role in the upcoming 2014 ...

Brazil Finance Minister Announces Budget Cuts

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:51:11 -0400

Share/Bookmark Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced yesterday that the country will cut 28bn reales (US$13.7 bn) in spending for this year's budget, mainly due to slower economic growth than ...

UN World Bank Say Development is Key to Congo Peace

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:07 -0400

GOMA -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been visiting the war-weary city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accompanied by the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim. Both men stressed they see investing in development as the way out of Congo’s conflicts. The front lines outside Goma were silent on Thursday morning as Ban and Kim conducted their ...

New Standards Approved for Extractive Industries

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:07 -0400

New performance standards have been announced (5/23) for oil, gas and mining companies, requiring them to be much more transparent in their business dealings. to De Capua report on extraction industries The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative approved the new performance standards at a meeting in Sydney, Australia. Created in 2003, the initiative includes government, business ...

Star Trek Influence Lives Long and Prospers

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:06 -0400

WASHINGTON -- Academics, professionals and Star Trek fans are once again discussing the iconic franchise's influence on society, science, and technology, as the dazzling new sci-fi ...

Singer Piaf Songwriter Georges Moustaki Dies at 79

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:06 -0400

PARIS -- French singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki, beloved in France for his songs celebrating liberty and collaborations with Edith Piaf, died on Thursday after a long illness. He was 79. The Greek-born singer grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and arrived in Paris in 1951, where he began to play guitar at nightclubs and met some of the period's best-known singers. He was introduced ...

Cayman opposition will lead coalition govt

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:42:08 -0400

A former Cayman Islands premier who faces 11 criminal charges and was ousted from leadership last year went into Wednesday's general elections with an outside chance of returning to power in the British Overseas ...

Brazil - Brazilian court upholds ban on development protestor

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:39:11 -0400

ARTICLE 19 is disappointed with the decision of a court in Sao Paulo to uphold a ban against a protester who has been campaigning against a property development in the city. The Court of Justice in the State of So Paulo has approved an injunction against the engineer and community activist Ricardo Fraga Oliveira, founder of the Movement for the Other Side of the Wall campaign.Fraga, who is a ...

Latin American leaders unite in Colombia for Pacific Alliance summit

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:35:55 -0400

The heads of state of Chile, Mexico and Peru arrived in Colombia Thursday for the 7th Summit of the Pacific Alliance, a trade block of Latin American countries on the ...