Southern Cone

Bogus al-Qaeda bust in Brazil

A Lebanese man held in Brazil for three weeks for posting anti-US comments on the Internet is not a member of al-Qaeda, as one Brazilian newspaper reported, federal prosecutors said.

Africa

Niger: president dissolves parliament

Niger’s President Mamadou Tandja dissolved parliament a day after the constitutional court turned down his bid to extend his term. The opposition warns of a step towards dictatorship.

South Asia

Nepal: Hindu militants blamed in church attack

Two were killed and 12 injured in an explosion at a Roman Catholic church in Nepal. Police say they suspect the Nepal Defense Army, a Hindu extremist group that seeks to restore Nepal’s monarchy.

Central America

Panama: trouble for FTA in US Congress?

Assistant US Trade Representative Everett Eissenstat said President Obama won’t seek approval of a free trade agreement with Panama until he has established a new “framework” for trade.

Mexico

Mexico: “disaster” shrinks economy 8.2%

In the wake of the financial crisis and Swine Flue scare, Mexico has lost 300,000 jobs, leading ex-finance secretary José Ángel Gurría Treviño to warn, “this isn’t a cycle, it’s a disaster.”

The Andes

Venezuela: oil slump stalls economic growth

Venezuela’s economic growth is at a virtual stand-still, as the price of oil has dropped from an average of $87 per barrel last year to an average $42 per barrel so far in 2009.