Juanson World

Cuba sent a high-level delegation to Venezuela to sign deals totaling $1 billion in cooperation between the two countries. Miami Herald

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened to expel US Ambassador William Brownfield from the country for statements Brownfield made concerning compensation to American companies who have invested in industries that Chavez plans to nationalize. AP

Salvadorans question the 380 soldiers their country has deployed in Iraq. New York Times

Former Argentine naval captain Alfredo Astiz denied that he was culpable for the disappearance of two nuns and a dozen others in 1977. AP

Initial evidence points to pilot error as being responsible for the crash that led to the death of Ecuador’s defense minister. LA Times

The drop in the price of petrol on the world market may force Chavez to raise the price of gasoline in Venezuela from its current rate of $0.09 cents a gallon. Financial Times

Mexican president Felipe Calderon, in addition to mobilizing troops to fight narcotraffickers, has initiated efforts to reform the country’s security forces. The Economist

The Economist deems Brazil’s plan to boost growth as being largely “too timid.” The Economist

Despite record high copper prices, Chile’s economy grew at a respectable but not stellar 4.6 percent last year. Critics consider a fiscal rule on counter-cyclical budgeting to blame. The Economist

Cuban doctors continue to be exported abroad. The Economist

Marcela Sanchez urges Washington to influence and aid the resolution of Colombia’s parapolitics scandal. Washington Post

# posted by Juanson : 12:17 PM