South America

Bakersfield — a California town firmly in Trumpland

by Veronique DUPONT Bakersfield, United States (AFP)- Though just a few hours by road from California’s progressive bastions of Los Angeles or San Francisco, Bakersfield is a world away from Tinseltown or Silicon Valley and firmly in Trumpland. In this town, 54 percent of the population voted for Donald Trump and only 39 percent backed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton though she won two thirds of the overall vote in California. “I voted for Donald Trump […]

Thousands demonstrate against Brazil’s Temer and bill to limit public spending

  SAO PAOLO, Brazil (Reuters) — Thousands took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday (November 27) to protest against a proposed constitutional amendment which would set caps on public spending over the next 20 years. Demonstrators also chanted slogans against President Michel Temer as they marched through Sao Paulo’s central Paulista Avenue. The proposal, which passed the lower house of Congress as PEC 241 in October and now sits before the Senate as […]

El Salvador, Nicaragua lift tsunami alert after offshore quake

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — El Salvador and Nicaragua on Thursday lifted a tsunami alert they had briefly declared following an offshore earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. Officials in both Central American countries said the 7.0 temblor, which occurred around 120 kilometers off El Salvador’s coast, did not generate any destructive waves. Nicaragua had declared a national emergency because of the quake and a simultaneous hurricane hitting its Caribbean coast. There were no immediate […]

7.0 quake shakes El Salvador, Nicaragua: officials

SAN SALVADOR, EL Salvador (AFP) — A Pacific Ocean earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude shook El Salvador and Nicaragua on Thursday, officials said, an hour after a powerful hurricane hit Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. Tsunami alerts were issued as a precaution by the authorities in Nicaragua and El Salvador, where residents were told to evacuate from the Pacific coast. The 7.0-magnitude temblor occurred around 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of El Salvador, at a […]

China signs new trade deals with Peru

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — China’s President Xi Jinping signed new trade deals on Monday with Peru, one of its partners in its drive to boost world trade in the face of protectionist stirrings. A day after taking part in the APEC Asia-Pacific trade summit, Xi made a formal visit to the host nation, a major mineral and food exporter. He and Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in a public ceremony signed 18 agreements, including one […]

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

Relatives of MH370 passengers will travel to Madagascar next month in hopes of re-kindling efforts to find and recover seaborne debris from the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines jet, next-of-kin association Voice370 said Monday. (AFP Video graphics)

Japan’s Abe heads to Argentina on trade

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — After the APEC summit in Lima, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe heads to Argentina on Monday to bolster bilateral trade and investment ties with Latin America’s third largest economy. It will be the first visit to Buenos Aires by a Japanese prime minister in 57 years — the last one to make the trip was Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, in 1959. Japanese companies have a big presence in the South American […]

Obama says goodbye to world stage after eight years

by Andrew Beatty Joshua Howat Berger LIMA, Peru (AFP) — US President Barack Obama bid farewell to the world stage Sunday, pondering his legacy, offering advice to his successor and discussing his post-presidential life at the end of his final foreign tour. His historic presidency and charisma have made Obama a rock star on the international scene, even at times when the daily grind of politics dimmed the glow around his election as the United […]

Obama defends free trade at Asia-Pacific summit rattled by Trump

by Sam Reeves Martin Abbugao Lima, Peru (AFP) — US President Barack Obama on Sunday defended free trade as fellow Asia-Pacific leaders vowed to fight protectionism after Donald Trump’s shock election victory sparked fears for the future of global commerce. Trump’s triumph in this month’s US presidential poll has raised concerns that years of rolling back trade barriers could be reversed after the populist billionaire vowed to tear up a series of key deals. His […]

6.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Argentina, Chile

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — A 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted western Argentina and parts of Chile Sunday, with no immediate reports of damage, authorities said. The quake rocked San Juan province at 1757 local time (2057 GMT), striking at a depth of about 130 kilometers (80 miles), Argentina’s seismological institute said. In Chile, the quake was measured at a magnitude of 6.5, officials at the government’s National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said. The earthquake was felt in […]

Obama wants Ukraine deal ‘before term is up’

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — US President Barack Obama said he told Vladimir Putin on Sunday that he wants to reach a settlement that solves the Ukraine crisis before he leaves office in January. “I talked to him about Ukraine and the need for us to get things done,” Obama told a press conference in Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. “I urged him to instruct his negotiators to work with […]

Kerry arrives in Lima for APEC as U.S. undergoes transition

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Lima Thursday (November 17) for the 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at a time when the role of the United States on issues as far-ranging as trade and climate change remains unclear in the wake of Donald Trump’s electoral victory. Upon arriving in Lima, Kerry and delegations from the United States met with his peers from J apan, Fumio Kishida, and Philippines, Perfecto […]