Portal : Latin America/In the news/2006
December
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November
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28 November : Rafael Correa will be the next President of Ecuador after winning the election with 57 per cent of the vote (94% counted). He will not be officially confirmed until all the votes are counted. (Reuters) 26 November : Ecuadorian election : People in Ecuador go to the polls to choose a new president between Rafael Correa and Álvaro Noboa . (BBC News) 25 November : General Augusto Pinochet issues a statement accepting responsibility for everything that happened in Chile during his rule . (BBC) 21 November : A fire in a marketplace in Guatemala City kills at least 15 people. The fire started from a cigarette in a fireworks stall. (BBC) 20 November : Andrés Manuel López Obrador , who was narrowly defeated in the Mexican general election , is proclaimed "Legitimate President of Mexico" by his supporters and promises to set up a "parallel government". (BBC) 17 November : A change to Nicaragua's abortion law bans abortion in all cases, removing an exception where the woman's life was in danger. (Guardian) 7 November : Daniel Ortega elected as President of Nicaragua with 38 per cent of the vote. His conservative opponent Eduardo Montealegre has conceded defeat. (Reuters) 7 November : After 48 rounds of voting , Panama is elected to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council . (DPA) 6 November : Felipe Pérez Roque , the Foreign Minister of Cuba , backs away from earlier predictions that Fidel Castro would return as the President of Cuba by December raising concerns about the progress of Castro's recovery from intestinal surgery. (USA Today) 6 November : Bombs explode at Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal , an opposition party's headquarters and a bank in the capital . (RTÉ News) 6 November : Daniel Ortega has an early lead over Eduardo Montealegre , according to partial results from the general elections in Nicaragua . (The New York Times) 5 November : Nicaraguans go to the polls to elect a new President and National Assembly , with the presidential race led by Sandinista Daniel Ortega and conservative Eduardo Montealegre . (BBC News) 1 November : Bolivian President Evo Morales retracts plans to nationalize the country's mining industry, promising to do so at an unspecified later date. (UPI) 1 November : Venezuela and Guatemala have agreed to withdraw from the race for a seat on the United Nations Security Council ; both agreeing to support Panama after 47 rounds of voting. (The Canadian Press) 1 November : The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a rural police command in Colombia , killing at least 16 officers as part of a two-week offensive. President Álvaro Uribe had earlier withdrawn from negotiations. (Reuters)
29 October : Mexican federal police seize the center of Oaxaca , which had served as the headquarters for the five-month protest occupation of the city. (International Herald Tribune) 29 October : President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wins a second term in a landslide victory with 61 per cent of voters supporting him. (AP via Phillyburbs) 28 October : Cuban television shows images of convalescing leader Fidel Castro walking and reading the day's newspapers showing that he is recovering from his emergency surgery in July. (Reuters) , (BBC) 27 October : A judge orders the arrest of former President of Chile Augusto Pinochet for torture, murder and kidnapping (Villa Grimaldi case) in the early years of his regime, from 1973 to 1990. (ABC News Australia) 26 October : The National Assembly of Nicaragua passes a law banning all abortions in the run-up to general elections .(BBC News) 25 October : Nicaragua - Oliver North calls the potential election of Daniel Ortega "bad for your country [Nicaragua]"(Guardian.co.uk) 25 October : Venezuela - The government proposes to end its search for a seat on the UN security council if Guatemala does too. Guatemala opposes the idea. (BBC) 25 October : Argentine prosecutors formally charge the Iranian government and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre which killed 85 people. (BBC) 24 October : Brazil - CVRD , a mining company, is now the world's second largest, behind BHP Billiton . (BBC) 23 October : Nicaragua - Plans are suggested for a Nicaragua Canal to rival that of Panama. (BBC) , (Reuters) 23 October : Hurricane Paul becomes a Category 2 hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast as it heads for Baja California . (CBS News) 22 October : Tropical Storm Paul is upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and is threatening Baja California . (Reuters Alertnet) 22 October : Based on extraofficial partial results, Panama has approved in a referendum a US$5.25 billion plan to expand the Panama Canal by 79% (40% of votes counted). Real-Time counting of votes (BBC News) (CNN) 18 October : Chilean police detain 366 high school student protestors in Santiago , and use tear gas and water cannons to disperse their one day strike which called on the government to reform the education law, originally enacted under Augusto Pinochet . (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) 17 October : UN Security Council election : The contest between Guatemala and Venezuela for a seat on the United Nations Security Council remains stalemated after a second day of voting. (BBC) 16 October : UN Security Council election : Voting for the Latin America and the Caribbean seat on the Security Council commencing 1 January 2007 remains deadlocked after ten rounds of voting between Guatemala and Venezuela and may be thrown open to other candidates. (BBC) 15 October : Ecuador 's presidential election goes to a second-round run-off between Rafael Correa and Álvaro Noboa , to be held on 26 November . (BBC News) 13 October : Cellulose plant conflict : Demonstrators again block border crossings between Argentina and Uruguay after the World Bank announces its decision to continue funding the disputed paper mills . (BBC) 13 October : Abimael Guzmán , leader of Peru 's Sendero Luminoso terrorism charges. (BBC) 10 October : A passenger bus plunges into a ravine near the city of Chiantla in northwestern Guatemala , killing 42 people. (BBC) 7 October : Buenos Aires - Citizens demonstrate for the return of Jorge Julio Lopez , who has disappeared since testifying against figures from the Argentine government. (BBC) 6 October : A truce is called in Bolivia after a dynamite battle between rival groups of tin miners kills 16 people in the department of Oruro , with another 60 people injured. President Evo Morales sacks his mining minister for not anticipating the violence. (ABC News Australia) 6 October : Tijuana , Mexico - The entire city is to be searched to find anyone who is involved in drug smuggling. (BBC) 6 October : Caracas - Nicolás Maduro demands the USA extradite Luis Posada Carriles . (BBC) 1 October : General Elections 2006 in Brazil are taking place. September
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30 September : A Brazilian Air Force search and rescue team locates the wreckage of Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 near the town of Peixoto de Azevedo , in northern Mato Grosso state. The Boeing 737-800 disappeared from radar after allegedly colliding in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet. There are no reports on survivors. (Reuters) (Globo, Portuguese) (AP) 29 September : Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 with 155 passengers onboard collides with a smaller jet in midair, 470 miles south of Manaus , Brazil. The Boeing 737-800 wreckage has been found by FAB near Peixoto de Azevedo (Reuters) (G1 NEWS, Portugesse) (Associated Press) 24 September : Venezuela 's Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro is detained in John F. Kennedy International Airport for secondary screening . (BBC) 24 September : At least 47 people, including a number of children, are killed in a bus crash near Quito , capital of Ecuador . (CNN) 21 September : Response to President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez 's remarks that United States President George W. Bush is like the devil : (Washington Post)
21 September : Former Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos is sentenced to a 20-year prison term for running guns to Colombian FARC guerrillas. (BBC) 20 September : Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez , addressing the United Nations 61st General Assembly, said 'Yesterday the devil was here, and today it still smells of sulfur at this podium,' in reference to US President George W. Bush.17 September : Mexico - Andrés Manuel López Obrador is "elected" leader of Mexico in a parallel government to the one backed by the Federal Electoral Tribunal . (BBC) , (news.yahoo.com) 17 September : Spence , Chile - Another strike by Chile's copper workers begins against BHP Billiton , this time at a different mine. (Reuters) 17 September : Mexico - Hurricane Lane batters the west coast. (BBC) , (news.yahoo.com) 15 September : Peru - A 1300-year-old headdress was returned to Peru following its recovery from theft. (news.yahoo.com) 15 September : Bolivia - Andres Soli, the man in charge of Bolivia's nationalisation programme for its oil and gas reserves, resigns. (news.yahoo.com)
30 August : Panama - The scheme to widen the canal (People's Daily Online) 30 August : Caracas - The mayor, Juan Barreto golf courses in the city for housing for the poor. (BBC) 29 August : Escondida strike by mine workers continues its impasse. (BBC) 29 August : Mexico - The Federal Electoral Tribunal election was fair. (BBC) 28 August : Quito - Maria Esther de Capovilla (Yahoo news) 28 August : La Paz - Jorge Alvarado, the president of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (Yahoo news) 17 August : Peru - Ollanta Humala (BBC) , (Voice of America) 17 August : Brazil - The current account surplus (BBC) 17 August : Tungurahua (BBC) , (ABC News) 16 August : Uruguay - Health workers of the Uruguayan Health Federation strike in protest about an alleged reneging on an increased pay deal by bosses. (From El País Uruguay) 16 August : Foz de Iguazu, Brazil - A special intelligence force is to monitor the Triple Frontier (BBC) 16 August : Brasília - Alfredo Stroessner (BBC) , (BBC) , (Times Online) 10 August : Brasília - A huge corruption scandal finds 72 senators guilty of bribe-taking. (BBC) , (Washington Post) 10 August : Colombia - A court finds more than 140 soldiers guilty of stealing money from FARC . (BBC) 10 August : San Salvador - The government announces it will send 380 troops to Iraq. (Chron.com) 10 August : Argentina - Three are arrested on evidence they were involved in the Dirty War (CNN) 9 August : Mexico - A partial recount begins following the controversy of the general election . (BBC) 9 August : Venezuela - Hugo Chávez announces the breaking of ties with Israel following the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict . (BBC) 9 August : The strike at the Escondida mine continues as talks stall. (BBC) 4 August : Cuba - A broadcast on television shows the editor of Communist Youth and other commentators rejecting calls for democracy from the US. (BBC) 4 August : Cali car bomb .(BBC) 4 August : Chile - Despite a strike planned for next Monday, workers at the biggest privately-owned copper mine in the world, the Escondida mine (BBC) 3 August : Urucena, Cochabamba Department - Evo Morales redistribute it. He has promised to redistribute 200,000 km² by 2011. (BBC) 3 August : Caracas - Saab 1 October , following a US arms embargo . (BBC)
31 July : Hanoi (BBC) and asked for investment from Iran (BBC) , Hugo Chávez Nguyễn Minh Triết , Vietnam's President. (BBC) 30 July : Haiti - CARICOM (Jamaica Gleaner News) 30 July : Mexico City - Several hundred thousand people protest against what they believe to have been the rigged general elections Andrés Manuel López Obrador . (BBC) 30 July : Rio de Janeiro - Although the Doha trade talks appear to have petered out, the US and Brazil hope to restart them. (BBC) 29 July : Uruguay - The country pays back US$900m to the IMF , saving $40mUSD in interest payments. (MercoPress) 29 July : Peru - Alan García (BBC) 28 July : Haiti - Yvon Neptune (BBC) 28 July : Ecuador - The World Bank USD in loans to improve sanitation, education, and infrastructure. (Kansas City infoZine 22 July : Córdoba, Argentina Mercosur (BBC) , (People's Daily Online) 20 July : Venezuela - The Inter American Press Association freedom of the press is being compromised by Hugo Chávez 's administration. (BBC) 20 July : Brazil - Volo de Brasil buys Varig (BBC) 20 July : Port-au-Prince - UN forces fight gangs(BBC) 20 July : Lima - Judge Hernan Saturno Vergara , who was arbitrating on an alleged drug cartel, is shot dead. (BBC) 19 July : Santiago - The Salvador Allende Solidarity Museum , an art gallery, opens in the building used by the National Information Centre. (BBC) 14 July : Panama - The National Assembly of Panama approved unanimously the Panama Canal Expansion Proposal that will go to a National referendum on October 22, 2006. (The Washington Post) .13 July : El Salvador - Following a policeman's murder, police arrest at least 190 maras (BBC) 13 July : Mexico City - Supporters of defeated Presidential candidate Manuel López Obrador (BBC) 13 July : Colombia - The activity of Galeras (BBC) 12 July : Latin America - The IMF states that the economy of Latin America (Reuters) 12 July : Cuba - The President of the National Assembly , Ricardo Alarcón (BBC) 7 July : Brazil - Police arrest Luciano Daniel , accused of being the biggest cocaine trafficker in the country. (BBC) 6 July : Brazil - The campaigning for the Brazilian general elections, 2006 6 July : El Salvador - Students kill two police (BBC) 5 July : Venezuela - Venezuela joins the Mercosur (BBC) 4 July : Mexico - Andrés Manuel López Obrador demands a full recount in the Mexican general election, 2006 after his side appears to have narrowly lost. (BBC) 3 July : Nicaragua - Herty Lewites Nicaraguan general election for President, dies suddenly. (BBC)
26 June : São Paulo - Following attacks on police stations, Brazilian police (BBC) 24 June : Brazil - Lula da Silva Presidential election in October. (BBC) 24 June : Colombia - FARC government if it ends attacks on them. (BBC) 23 June : Brazil - In Cantanduvas, the first of a new, more secure type of prison , created in response to First Capital Command violence, is opened. (BBC) 23 June : Guatemala - Rival gangs in a youth prison fight , leaving four dead and five injured (People's Daily Online) 22 June : Bolivia - Bolivian doctors protest against Cuban immigrants who they say are taking their jobs. (BBC) 21 June : Cuba - the government jails Juan Carlos Robinson Communist Party of Cuba . (BBC) 21 June : Madrid - Néstor Kirchner Juan Carlos I of Spain in a diplomatic visit. (CNN) 20 June : Buenos Aires - Miguel Etchecolatz, a former police officer, goes on trial for his alleged part in Argentina's Dirty War (CNN) 18 June : São Paulo - More than one million Brazilians celebrate in the annual Gay Pride parade(BBC) 17 June : Bolivia - Carlos Villegas, the Planning and Development Minister, announces a scheme to invest $7bn in public works to reduce poverty. (BBC) 16 June : Chile - The National Environmental Commission (CONAMA) approves a gold-mining scheme worth $1.5bn, despite environmental concerns. [1] 16 June : Mexico - During an on-going strike , teachers are wounded in a confrontation with police. (BBC) 15 June : Venezuela - Later this year, Russia will complete the sale of 24 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes(BBC) 15 June : Hamburg - Ecuador Costa Rica 2006 FIFA World Cup to qualify for the Second Round. Costa Rica are knocked out. (FIFA.com) 14 June : Honduras - Coffee (Scotsman) 13 June : Argentina - Néstor Kirchner puts into effect a law that reduces the powers of Argentina's armed forces (BBC) 13 June : Quito - CAN (Boston Globe) 12 June : Colombia - FARC National Libertation Army . (BBC) 12 June : Cuba - The first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alberto (BBC) ,(CNN) 10 June : Haiti - a new government Aristide 's fleeing the country. (BBC) 4 June : Peru - Alan García wins the Presidential runoff Ollanta Humala . (BBC)
