Venezuela: two workers shot in plant sit-in

Two striking workers were shot dead during a confrontation with the authorities at the Mitsubishi auto factory in the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzoátegui.

Colombia: FARC release four prisoners

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) released three captured police agents and one soldier to a humanitarian mission in the jungles of the southern Colombian department of Caquetá.

Venezuela: gunmen ransack Caracas synagogue

A group of 15 gunmen took over the oldest synagogue in Caracas Friday night, ransacking the sanctuary, desecrating Torahs and spray-painting walls with anti-Semitic slogans.

Bolivia: constitutional vote passes without violence —close call?

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed the “peaceful climate” in Bolivia during the constitutional referendum—but Facebook removed a group that advocated assassination of President Evo Morales.

Bolivia: new constitution approved

President Evo Morales declared an end to the “colonial state” in Bolivia as voters approved his new constitution by a 62% majority, granting unprecedented rights to indigenous peoples.

South American rivals Chávez and Uribe stage lovefest over economy

At an economic summit in Cartagena with his regional rival, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez denied supporting the FARC guerillas or any other “subversive” activity.

Colombia: ex-mayor guilty in 2003 murder

Julio César Ardila Torres, the former mayor of the Colombian oil port of Barrancabermeja, has been found guilty of ordering the 2003 murder of local journalist José Emeterio Rivas by paramilitaries.

Bolivia: Evo nationalizes foreign gas company on eve of constitutional vote

The day after a massive La Paz rally in favor of Bolivia’s new constitution that goes to a popular vote on Sunday, President Evo Morales signed a decree nationalizing the British-owned Chaco Oil Company.

Peru seeks investment for gas pipeline, energy projects

Peru is seeking to double investments in energy and infrastructure this year, including a $1 billion natural-gas pipeline. The government is targeting $2.3 billion from foreign and domestic firms, up from $1.1 billion in 2008, said Luís Carlos Rodríguez, director… Read morePeru seeks investment for gas pipeline, energy projects

Chávez hot and cold on Obama

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez praised Barack Obama for ordering the closure of Guantánamo only days after accusing him of “throwing stones” at Venezuela and following in the footsteps of Bush.

Peru: two police killed evicting squatters from nature reserve

Two police officers were killed and four were seriously injured while evicting hundreds of peasant families from Bosque de Pómac nature preserve in northern Peru.

Anti-mining protesters block roads in Ecuador

On Jan. 20, nation-wide protests over large-scale metal mining called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) brought out some 12,000 people from indigenous, campesino, environmentalist and human rights organizations across eleven provinces of the small Andean nation…. Read moreAnti-mining protesters block roads in Ecuador