Cuba's Raul Castro to retire in five years

Cuban president announces he will leave office at the end of his second term in 2018, following his re-election. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2013 10:06

Raul Castro has announced that he will step down as Cuba's president in 2018 following a final five-year term. "I should clarify that ... this shall be my last term" - Raul Castro On Sunday, shortly after he made the announcement in a nationally broadcast speech, the new parliament named a 52-year-old rising star to become his first vice president and most visible successor. Miguel Diaz-Canel, a member of the political bureau, rose through the party ranks in the provinces to become the most visible possible successor to Castro. "I should clarify that, in my case, independent of the date on which the Constitution is perfected, this shall be my last term," Castro said soon after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to a second five-year term in the opening session of the new parliament. Diaz-Canel would succeed Castro if he cannot serve his full term.

US delegation visits Cuba to ease tensions

Seven lawmakers hope to free imprisoned US contractor Alan Gross and take steps to improve political relationship. Last Modified: 19 Feb 2013 06:02 inShare2

Senator Patrick Leahy (left) is leading the group on its three-day visit to Cuba [Reuters]

A seven-member delegation of US lawmakers has arrived in Cuba in the latest effort to improve political relations that have been frozen since US government contractor Alan Gross was imprisoned there in 2009. Democratic senator Patrick Leahy, who saw Gross and met with Cuban president Raul Castro and other high-ranking officials a year ago, is leading the group of five senators and two members of the House of Representatives on a three-day visit to communist Cuba. "Every one of us has an interest in Cuba," Leahy said upon arrival.

No end in sight for Colombia mine strike

Workers at gigantic open-pit coal mine seek better wages and health benefits for victims of work-related illnesses. Last Modified: 26 Feb 2013 15:06

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/02/201322692333783166.html

Workers at the world's largest open-pit coal mine, in northern Colombia's Guajira department, are on strike to press their demand for better wages and health benefits for those suffering from work-related illnesses, including lung disease. The mine represents more than half of the economy of this poor region in Colombia. The government says millions of dollars are being lost every day, 5,000 families no longer have a guaranteed wages coming in, and another 12,000 families in the region are directly affected. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Guajira, where both sides are digging in, refusing to budge or negotiate. The industrial action could go on a while longer amid concerns that it could push up global coal prices. jacob k

FARC leader urges Colombia to save talks

Peace talks stalled since January after government refused to extend truce with Latin America's largest rebel group.

FARC rebels freed two police officers on February 15 ahead of the next round of peace talks in Cuba [AFP]

A top commander of Colombia's FARC rebels has called on President Juan Manuel Santos to save peace talks started three months ago in Cuba, even as he accused government negotiators of strangling efforts to reach a final deal.

Timoleon Jimenez, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) made the statement in an open letter, which was read by a FARC negotiator in Havana on Friday where negotiations have been taking place.

"While it is true that things have moved forward and there have been advances at the negotiating table, the government's attitude repeats the same excuses, and threatens to throw it all in a swamp," Jimenez said. "Let's get away from that already."

Confusion over Mexico drug-lord death reports

Guatemalan official apologises for misunderstanding over reports that Joaquin "El Chapo" died amid clashes.

A Guatemalan official has said there was no evidence that Mexico's most-wanted drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, had been killed in a shootout in the rural north, calling such reports a misunderstanding.

Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, interior minister, told local media on Friday that the original account was based on testimony from residents in San Valentin near the Mexican border, but that soldiers and police scanning the area found no sign of any confrontation.

"I apologise if where was a misunderstanding," Lopez told the Guatemalan radio station Emisores Unidos.

"It was a mix-up. We were referring to information generated from the area that there was possibly a crime scene with a dead person resembling El Chapo."

Venezuelans hold vigils for Chavez's health

Hundreds of well wishers light candles and pray for recently returned president who is suffering from an unnamed cancer.

Hundreds of Venezuelans have lit candles, cried and prayed for Hugo Chavez's health at hillside park near the presidential palace, as the president continues to receive treatment in a military hospital.

Since returning from his fourth operation in Cuba on Monday with minimal fanfare, Chavez’s supporters have taken to the streets to welcome him home and wish him good health.

On Friday at the vigil, they sang along to a recording of a healthy Chavez belting out the national anthem.

"We're praying for the president, for him to get through all of this," said Ana Perez, a seamstress.

"There is no other president like this one. He's unique. He's going to come out of all of this, and he's going to get better."

Rights group faults Mexico over abductions

Report by Human Rights Watch accuses military and police of abducting and killing dozens during six-year drug war.

Dozens of people were abducted and killed by Mexican security forces over the past six years, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

The report, released on Wednesday, said that the disappearances of 149 people, many of them civilians, followed a pattern in which security forces detained them without warrants at checkpoints, homes or workplaces, or in public.

When families ask about their relatives, security forces deny that they were detained, or urge family members to look at police stations or army bases. 

The group criticised former president Felipe Calderon for ignoring the problem, calling it "the most severe crisis of enforced disappearances in Latin America in decades."

Ecuador's Correa wins third presidential term - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Ecuador's Correa wins third presidential term - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has been re-elected to a third term in office allowing him to deepen his socialist revolution even as he seeks to woo foreign investment in the resource-wealthy Andean nation.
"We will be present wherever we can be useful, wherever we can best serve our fellow citizens and our Latin American brothers," Correa told supporters who gathered in front of the presidential palace in Quito on Monday.
The 49-year-old economist defeated his nearest rival by more than 30 percentage points, according to results ratified by the National Electoral Council.
Correa's resounding victory could set him up to become Latin America's most outspoken critic of Washington, as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is locked in a battle with cancer and may be unable to stay in power.

Venezuela's Chavez returns home from Cuba - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Venezuela's Chavez returns home from Cuba - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned home to Venezuela after more than two months of medical treatment in Cuba after cancer surgery. Chavez, 58, announced his return in a series of messages on Monday on his Twitter account, and aides confirmed the news. They were the first messages to appear on the president's account since November 1. "We have arrived back in the Venezuelan fatherland. Thanks, my God! Thanks, my beloved people! Here we will continue the treatment," Chavez said via Twitter. "I'm clinging to Christ and trusting in my doctors and nurses," he said in another tweet. "Onward toward victory always!! We will live and we will triumph!!" There had been speculation Chavez was not well enough to travel despite wanting to return to his homeland for continued treatment for the disease he was first diagnosed with in mid-2011. Upon his return, he was immediately taken to the military hospital in Caracas, where the Venezuelan government had set aside an area in front of the hospital so that people could "be close to Chavez". Al Jazeera's Andy Gallacher, reporting from Caracas, described jubilant scenes outside the military hospital.

Facebook 'targeted' by hacker group - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Facebook 'targeted' by hacker group - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Facebook Inc has said that it been the target of a series of attacks by an unidentified hacker group, but it had found no evidence that user data was compromised.
"Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack," the company said in a blog post posted on Friday afternoon, just before the three-day Presidents Day weekend. "The attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised."
The social network, which says it has more than one billion active users worldwide, also said: "Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well."

Colombia's FARC frees two policemen - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Colombia's FARC frees two policemen - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Colombia's FARC rebels have freed two police patrolmen it seized last month, in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of the next round of tense peace negotiations with the government. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the biggest armed group in Latin America, released the two uniformed officers on Friday even as the rebel leadership pledged to continue seizing members of the security forces until peace is reached. Patrolmen Cristian Camilo Yate and Victor Gonzalez were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in a mountainous area of southern Colombia, where the rebel group still holds a soldier.

Thousands rally against US oil pipeline, Al Jazeera americas

Protesters in Washington, DC call on Obama to reject controversial pipeline and honour pledge to act on global warming.

Thousands of protesters have gathered at Washington's National Mall calling on US President Barack Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal and honour his inaugural pledge to act on climate change.
Organisers of the "Forward on Climate" event estimated that 35,000 people from 30 states turned out in cold, blustery conditions on Sunday for what they said was the biggest climate rally in US history.
Police did not verify the crowd size.
Protesters also marched around the nearby White House, chanting "Keystone pipeline? Shut it down".
The event came days after a bipartisan group of US senators made the latest call for Obama to approve the $5.3bn pipeline, seen by many as an engine for job growth and another step towards energy independence.
A new poll by Harris Interactive showed 69 percent of respondents said they support construction of the pipeline, with only 17 percent saying they oppose it.

'Carbon bomb'
One of Sunday's main organisers, climate activist Bill McKibben, said that approving the pipeline, which would transport crude oil from the oil sands of northern Alberta to refineries and ports in Texas, would be akin to lighting a "carbon bomb" that could cause irreparable harm to the climate.

"There is nothing else you can do if you let that pipeline go through. It doesn't matter what you do on smog rules and automobile rules - you've already given the whole game away." - Van Jones, Rebuild the Dream

"For 25 years our government has basically ignored the climate crisis: now people in large numbers are finally demanding they get to work," said McKibben, founder of the environmental group 350.org.
The proposed TransCanada Corp project has been pending for more than four years. A revised route through Nebraska, which would avoid crossing sensitive ecological zones and aquifers, was approved by that state's governor last month.
Backers of Keystone, which would transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day, say it would provide thousands of jobs in the US and increase North American energy security.
Van Jones, Obama's former green jobs adviser, said if the president approved the pipeline just weeks after pledging to act on climate change, it would overshadow other actions Obama takes to reduce pollution.
"There is nothing else you can do if you let that pipeline go through. It doesn't matter what you do on smog rules and automobile rules - you've already given the whole game way," said Jones, who is president of Rebuild the Dream, a non-government organisation.
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the lone member of Congress to speak at the rally, told Reuters news agency Obama risked creating a "credibility gap" if he approved the pipeline.
"He would have to roll out a very complete and very strong package to offset something that on its own is described by government scientist as 'game-over' on climate," he said.
Still, some of Obama's core constituents favour the pipeline, including the labour union AFL-CIO's building and construction unit, which sees the potential for job creation for its members, and certain Democratic legislators.
In January, nine Democratic senators joined 44 Republicans in urging the president to approve Keystone XL

Venezuela devalues currency against US dollar

Bolivar loses 32 percent of its value against the dollar in move the government hopes will shrink the deficit. Last Modified: 09 Feb 2013 10:53

The move will trim Venezuela's budget deficit, but it could also push up already-high inflation rates [Reuters]

Venezuela is devaluing its currency by 32 percent against the dollar on the orders of President Hugo Chavez, in part to reduce the country's budget deficit. The bolivar will go from 4.3 to the dollar to 6.3 at the official exchange rate. The move was announced on Friday by Jorge Giordani, planning and finance minister, who said it will take effect on Wednesday. The goal is to "minimise expenditure and maximise results", he said. One effect of a devaluation is to make a country's exports cheaper and thus more enticing to buyers. But another effect is to cut the deficit, which in Venezuela last year was estimated to be nearly 10 percent of GDP. The economy grew 5.5 percent last year and inflation was 20 percent. That was down seven points from the previous year and hit the government target, but was still the highest official inflation rate in Latin America. Venezuela is South America's largest oil exporter and has the world's largest proven reserves. Its oil transactions are dollar-denominated, so the bolivar-value of those sales will now be higher, boosting state revenues on paper.

Colombia's FARC frees two policemen

Patrolmen handed over to Red Cross officials in mountainous southern Colombia, where rebel group still holds a soldier. Last Modified: 15 Feb 2013 18:34

The Red Cross traveled with former Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba to pick up the hostages in Campo Alegre [EPA]

Colombia's FARC rebels have freed two police patrolmen it seized last month, in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of the next round of tense peace negotiations with the government. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the biggest armed group in Latin America, released the two uniformed officers on Friday even as the rebel leadership pledged to continue seizing members of the security forces until peace is reached. Patrolmen Cristian Camilo Yate and Victor Gonzalez were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in a mountainous area of southern Colombia, where the rebel group still holds a soldier. The FARC, considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, promised to free the soldier by Saturday. Television carried images of the two men embracing former Senator Piedad Cordoba after being freed. "We are thankful of and recognise this humanitarian gesture that undoubtedly is an important question for peace in the country," said Cordoba, who was stripped of her senate seat for alleged ties to the FARC and has been involved in many releases. Tough talks The liberation comes after a difficult last round of talks in Havana during which the two sides took public swipes at each other in response to an increase of violence, attacks on economic infrastructure and kidnappings. Talks are due to resume next week. For more than a decade, US-backed strikes against the FARC have severely weakened the rebels and limited their ability to attack the country's economic drivers, helping attract billions of dollars in foreign investment. But the FARC has escalated attacks since ending a unilateral ceasefire on Jan. 20 in a bid to pressure President Juan Manuel Santos to end hostilities while the two sides negotiate. Seven soldiers were killed in combat with the FARC on Wednesday in heavy fighting in the south, evidence that the guerrillas are negotiating from a position of relative strength. While Colombians are hopeful Santos's gamble at peace will succeed, he faces a monumental task attempting peace with the FARC, which has holed up in Colombia's jungle territory since 1964 and imposed tough demands in past negotiations. The government has demanded that the FARC stop its practice of kidnapping while the guerrillas have made clear they will continue to seize members of the armed forces, who they regard as prisoners of war. jacob k

Venezuela's Chavez returns after treatment

First messages since November 1 on president's Twitter announce "we will continue our treatment here". Last Modified: 18 Feb 2013 11:14

A recent handout photo shows Chavez with his daughters in Cuba, where he was undergoing treatment [AFP]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned home to Venezuela after more than two months of medical treatment in Cuba following cancer surgery. Chavez, 58, announced his return in a series of messages on Monday on his Twitter account, and aides confirmed the news. They were the first messages to appear on Chavez's Twitter account since November 1. "We have arrived back in the Venezuelan fatherland. Thanks, my God! Thanks, my beloved people! Here we will continue the treatment," Chavez said via Twitter. "I'm clinging to Christ and trusting in my doctors and nurses," he said in another tweet. "Onward toward victory always!! We will live and we will triumph!!" There had been speculation Chavez was unwell enough to travel despite wanting to return to his homeland for continued treatment for the disease he was first diagnosed with in mid-2011. But Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Chavez flew in at about 2:30am local time from Havana and was in a military hospital in Caracas. "We're so happy," Maduro said. Chavez's overnight return will thrill supporters in the South American nation of 29 million people, where his common touch and welfare policies have made him an idol to the poor. Fireworks going off Fireworks could be heard going off in some neighbourhoods of Caracas, the capital, as the news spread and celebrations begun among Chavistas. Venezuelan ministers were jubilant, one singing "He's back, he's back!" live on state TV. Given that ministers said he wanted to return when he was well enough to travel, Chavez's arrival implied some improvement in his condition, at least enough to handle a flight of several hours. But aides have emphasised in recent days his state remains "complex". Chavez underwent a six-hour operation in Cuba on December 11 - his fourth for the cancer first detected in his pelvic area in June, 2011. He had not been seen or heard in public since then until photos were published of him on Friday, showing him lying in hospital. Officials said he was breathing through a tracheal tube and struggling to speak. Jacob k

Peru arrests Colombian 'drug lord' . Aljazeera americas

Jacinto Nicolas Fuentes German, is suspected of being leader of Colombia's Urabenos criminal gang.

Fuentes has been identified as head of the Urabenos criminal gang in Colombia's Bajo Cauca region [AFP]

Peruvian police have arrested Jacinto Nicolas Fuentes German, who is suspected of being a leader of Colombia's Urabenos criminal gang.

Paraguay candidate dies in helicopter crash - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Paraguay candidate dies in helicopter crash - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Paraguayan presidential candidate Lino Oviedo, who helped lead the 1989 coup that overthrew dictator Alfredo Stroessner, died in a helicopter crash over the weekend.
A retired general known as a dynamic public speaker, the 69-year-old Oviedo was running in the April presidential election in the landlocked, grains-exporting South American country.
Police rescuers found his body on Sunday in the wreckage of a helicopter crash in northern Paraguay where he was traveling for a campaign event. The day, February 3rd, marked exactly 24 years since the coup that ended Stroessner's 35-year dictatorship.
Oviedo's popularity was based on the story, often repeated by his supporters but never independently verified, of him breaking into Stroessner's bunker with a grenade in his hand to force the dictator to surrender.

Cubans vote in parliamentary elections - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Cubans vote in parliamentary elections - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Millions of Cubans voted Sunday for parliamentary candidates in elections critics say are closed and offer no real competition, but that the government defends as grass-roots democracy.
The elected legislature will convene February 24 and pick a new parliament chief for the first time in two decades, with the body's longtime leader, Ricardo Alarcon, not on the ballot.
The body is also expected to rename Raul Castro, whom state TV showed casting his ballot in the eastern province of Santiago, as president for another five years.
Voting began last October with municipal elections.

Colombian forces kill rebel FARC commander - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Colombian forces kill rebel FARC commander - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Government forces in Colombia have killed a FARC brigade commander close to the group's chief negotiator, the country's defence minister said. Juan Carlos Pinzon, the defence minister, said that Jacobo Arango, a FARC commander in a northwestern area straddling Cordoba and Antioquia provinces, a known drug route, was among six rebels killed in an assault on Thursday.

Explosion hits Mexico oil giant headquarters

At least 25 killed and 100 others injured after explosion rocked skyscraper of state oil company Pemex in Mexico City. Last Modified: 01 Feb 2013 12:15

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/02/2013131235854783395.html

At least 25 people have been killed after an explosion rocked the skyscraper that houses the headquarters of Mexican oil giant Pemex in Mexico City, the country's interior minister has said. "We have up to now 25 people dead - 17 women and eight men," Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told reporters, adding that 101 people were injured. The state-owned company said the cause of the deadly incident was under investigation and declared that any reports on the origin of the blast amounted to speculation. "What took place was an explosion in the B2 building of the administrative centre. There are injuries and damage on the ground floor and mezzanine," Pemex said. Dozens of employees were believed to be still trapped inside the building, more than 50 floors high, and rescue workers said the death toll could keep rising. Emergency teams with rescue dogs, helicopters and several ambulances were at the scene.

Venezuela's Chavez 'overcomes infection'

Venezuelan president has overcome a serious respiratory infection following cancer surgery in Cuba, minister says. Last Modified: 27 Jan 2013 00:54 inShare2

Chavez has not been seen in public since he underwent his fourth cancer operation in December [Reuters]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has defeated a respiratory infection and has begun additional medical treatment in Cuba after struggling with complications following cancer surgery more than six weeks ago, a government spokesman said. Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said on Saturday that it remains unclear how soon Chavez could return home, and did not specify the kind of treatment he is receiving. "Vice President (Nicolas) Maduro estimates that the time it could take President Chavez to return is within weeks. But we haven't wanted to fix an exact timeframe for the president's recuperation," Villegas told reporters on the sidelines of a 60-nation summit in Chile. He read a statement that went beyond past government reports in providing additional information about Chavez's December 11 surgery, but didn't describe the newest treatment.

Colombian forces kill rebel FARC commander

Country's defence minister confirms local commander among six rebels killed in latest violence, as ceasefire ends. Last Modified: 02 Feb 2013 16:09 inShare0

Arango was FARC's commander in a northwestern area straddling Cordoba and Antioquia provinces [EPA]

Government forces in Colombia have killed a FARC brigade commander close to the group's chief negotiator, the country's defence minister said. Juan Carlos Pinzon, the defence minister, said that Jacobo Arango, a FARC commander in a northwestern area straddling Cordoba and Antioquia provinces, a known drug route, was among six rebels killed in an assault on Thursday. "It's a strike of great importance," he told reporters on Friday. Arango was close to chief FARC peace negotiator Ivan Marquez, who was also Arango's direct commander, and he had been a rebel for more than three decades, Pinzon said. Fighting has intensified since a unilateral FARC ceasefire expired on January 20, with guerrillas taking hostages, killing soldiers and blowing up oil and energy infrastructure. Government security forces have also stepped up operations. The violence comes even as the two warring sides have been holding peace talks in Havana to try to end a five-decade-long war that has killed tens of thousands of people.