Hugo Chavez

By Adam Raney in Americas on January 10th, 2012
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shake hands during a welcoming ceremony [Reuters]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad exchanged warm embraces and signed several trade and political agreements on Monday.

Few details were given to the press - other than that the agreements were meant to expand research in science, nanotechnology, industry and politics.

It was more a display of how they were deepening ties on economic development projects and strengthening their political alliance. Chavez touted ongoing projects such as food processing plants, and tractor and bicycle factories - all of which were built in Venezuela with Iran's help.

He even included pre-recorded segments at the press confence where workers gave viewers tours of corn processing plants and milk treatment plants.

For two of the world's most oil-rich countries though, the projects seemed a bit small scale to be highlighted for the international press.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on October 11th, 2011
The Massachusetts statesman's presidential ambitions include a plan for his Latin neighbours.

If Mitt Romney becomes president of the United States, he apparently has big plans for Latin America. 

“Neither the Bush administration or the Obama administration really focused on Latin America,” a Romney aide apparently told a conference call of reporters late last week, according to this article in Politico. 

The article quoted an aide who said President Mitt Romney would envision “larger campaigns for economic opportunity in Latin America” and that Latin America would be one of the main regions in the world Romney foreign policy would differ from George Bush or Barack Obama. 

Fair enough.

With that in mind I took great interest when on Friday Romney released his 44-page foreign policy white paper titled: “An American Century - A Strategy to Secure

By Monica Villamizar in Americas on July 6th, 2011
Photo by EPA

Hugo Chavez took off his medical leave clothes - wind breaker and sweat pants that often match Fidel Castro's - and wore the military uniform once again. Hours later he made a surprise appearance in his native Venezuela.

His health saga has had ups and downs, but especially has borne the trademark of the cold war era.

After 24 days of absence he arrived in Caracas under total secrecy. The images provided by state TV were edited (never showing him walking up or down the stairs off the plane) and disclosed at seven in the morning.

Doctors "and scientists" are reportedly checking the president and monitoring his health, he can not be in public appearances or give speeches for more than 30 minutes.

But what exactly is wrong with Chavez?

By Al Jazeera Staff in Africa on March 2nd, 2011

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

By Imran Garda in Americas on March 1st, 2011
Photo by Reuters

 

At the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, I remember asking renowned writer and activist Tariq Ali, during a Q&A after the screening of the film “South of the border” he’d helped Oliver Stone create - whether in the spirit of the “enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend”, he and Stone had jettisoned objectivity in their uber-respectful, often fawning conversations with the leaders of Venezuela, Bolivia and other “Bolivarian” countries of Latin America.

By Rhodri Davies in Americas on July 30th, 2010
Photo by EPA

Argentina has been playing a double-headed role in attempting to resolve the latest dispute between Bogota and Caracas over Colombian rebels allegedly operating in Venezuela.

Both Nestor Kirchner, the former president and secretary general of regional grouping Unasur (the Union of South American Nations) and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the incumbent president and Nestor’s wife, held talks with Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia’s president-elect this week.

Nestor said that his meeting with Santos, who was in Buenos Aires as part of a regional tour, was "fruitful", while Cristina talked of "establishing dialogue".

Nestor has conducted a series of phone calls with Alvaro Uribe and Hugo Chavez, Colombia and Venezuela’s incumbent presidents respectively, and other Latin American leaders on the issue.

He is also chairing Unasur's meeting on Thursday in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, in a special session to try to ease tensions.

The two Kirc

By Teresa Bo in Americas on July 28th, 2010
Photo by EPA

So Diego Maradona is out as coach of Argentina's national team.

He came back to Buenos Aires from South Africa and found a hero's welcome in spite of the fact that Argentina had lost to Germany 4-0. 

But Diego did not take advantage of the people's goodwill and the respect and admiration they continue to have for him. Immediately after flying home rumours about Diego Maradona's future began.

Maradona was supposed to have met Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association, but he said had something more important to do.

He flew to Venezuela to meet with President Hugo Chavez and stood by him when Chavez announced that he was breaking, once again, his diplomatic relations with Colombia.

By Omar Chatriwala in Americas on January 13th, 2010
Photo by AFP

"Help Haiti" is the cry that's been tweeted and retweeted over and over, with the tag remaining a trending topic on the social-messaging website Twitter for most of the day of Wednesday.

International aid groups are rushing to get relief workers and supplies to Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday. The Red Cross says up to 3 million people may have been affected.

By Teresa Bo in Americas on December 3rd, 2009
Photo from AFP

Bolivia has changed since the first time I came here before Evo Morales was elected President. Even though class divisions continue to exist ...now it is easier to spot those who were once considered to be  "low class" traveling business class, involved in politics or even in areas of the city that were off limits to people like them.

Around 60 per cent of Bolivians identify themselves with an indian ethnic group. Ayamaras, like President Evo Morales, Qechuas and others....used to be seen as second class citizens. And they were....Even though until today they are the poorest in the country.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on November 28th, 2009
Photo by AFP
It was billed as a summit of presidents of Amazon countries. But most of the presidents didn’t bother to show up, making the ‘summit of presidents’ in Manaus one with few actual presidents in attendance.
 
About half of the mysterious place called "the Amazon" is in Brazil. The other half is divided between 8 other countries - Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
 
So Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, organised Thursday's one-day summit of Amazon countries as a chance for them to come together a forge a common agenda ahead of the all important Copenhagen climate change summit starting on December 7 - which is being billed as the biggest climate change meeting in generations.

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