Americas

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall will meet Thursday with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and a senior State Department official in support of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.

Those meetings are just two of the several Wall has had this week. He's also met with Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate, adding that he believes a majority of lawmakers in both chambers back Keystone.

"If you're not already tired of us, I think you might get tired of us because I think we're going to keep coming down," Wall said Thursday of Canadian officials during an interview with a small group of reporters. "I'm cautiously optimistic after the report last Friday."

President Obama will likely send an as-yet undetermined delegation to the funeral of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in an effort to thaw relations between the two countries, a senior State Department official told reporters Wednesday.

"Whether a delegation will be sent for the funeral and ceremony that’s going to be held at the end of the week, I think on that all I would say is that’s a White House decision but I do expect that there will be a delegation," the official said. "So, basically, stay tuned for that. I don’t want to preempt the White House on that."

The official went on to express hope for a "productive and functional relationship" with Venezuela. The comments mirror President Obama's statement Tuesday evening, when he expressed hope for a “constructive relationship.”“At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government,” he said. “As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.”

Chavez, 58, died of cancer Tuesday in a Cuban hospital. His socialist policies and support for U.S. foes such as Cuba, Iran and Syria had long made him an enemy of Washington.

Former President Carter issued a statement Tuesday night extending condolences to the family of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez shortly after news of his death.

"Rosalynn and I extend our condolences to the family of Hugo Chávez Frías," Carter said in the remarks, posted to his foundation's website. "We came to know a man who expressed a vision to bring profound changes to his country to benefit especially those people who had felt neglected and marginalized."

Carter goes on to say that while "we have not agreed with all of the methods followed by his government, we have never doubted Hugo Chávez's commitment to improving the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen."

Chávez's controversial reign was defined both by his innovative social programs designed to aid the poor and his brutal efforts to consolidate power. The Venezuelan leader notably seized control of the formerly independent judicial and electoral branches of his government, and frequently targeted independent media that challenged his administration.

The anti-American socialist firebrand had been in power for 14 years. 

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital after he suffered a fall in his home.

Venezuela's vice president made the accusations in a broadcast in which he said ailing President Hugo Chavez had been poisoned.

Connie Hedegaard said White House rejection of the proposed oil sands pipeline would bolster its intent to confront global warming.

The agreement establishes a framework for U.S.-Mexican exploration and lifts the moratorium on production in the Gulf's Western Gap portion. 

The United Nations on Thursday rejected Haiti's compensation claims for a cholera epidemic that has been blamed on Nepalese U.N. peacekeepers sent to the country after the 2010 earthquake.

“In November 2011, a claim for compensation was brought against the United Nations on behalf of victims of the cholera outbreak in Haiti,” a U.N. spokesman said at Thursday's press briefing. “Today, the United Nations advised the claimants' representatives that the claims are not receivable, pursuant to Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon personally telephoned Haitian President Michel Martelly to inform him of the decision, the spokesman said, and to “reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to the elimination of cholera in Haiti.”

More than 5,000 Haitian cholera victims petitioned the U.N. for millions of dollars in compensation in 2011. The epidemic, which a U.N.-appointed panel of experts has linked to poor sanitation at a U.N. camp, has killed more than 7,750 people and sickened more than 620,000.

The senators said in a letter to the president Thursday his Defense nominee lacks a broad base of bipartisan support.