Stories for 2009

Wednesday, September 9th 2009 - 00:20 UTC
Latinamerica turns to Europe, Russia and China for military hardware

Brazil's plans to buy French fighter jets confirms a trend across Latinamerica that is based in recent history and the proclivity of US lawmakers to put political restrictions on what customers can and cannot do with their purchases.
Wednesday, September 9th 2009 - 00:18 UTC
Gold price breaks through the symbolic 1.000 US dollars mark

Continuing worries about the stability of the global economy and the rally seen in equity markets continued to spark investment in gold on Tuesday with the price breaking through the symbolic 1,000 US dollars mark and touching a new high for 2009.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 13:05 UTC
Major reshuffle in Mexico includes war on drugs, oil and agriculture

Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced Monday the resignation of Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora, his point-man in the offensive against drug cartels, but gave no indication that the current strategy of full confrontation with the gangs would change.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 13:00 UTC
US increases arms sales and share of world market in 2008

United States not only increased its arms sales by nearly 50% last year but its share of world weapons sales also rose to more than two-thirds despite the global economic downturn, a newspaper reported Monday.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 10:38 UTC
Brazil begins talks for the purchase of 36 French built Rafale combat aircrafts

President Lula da Silva announced Monday that Brazil has entered negotiations with France for the purchase of 36 combat aircrafts Rafale, from Dassault. An official release from the Planalto said that negotiations include the transfer of French technology.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 10:33 UTC
Chilean conservatives more confident of winning presidential election

Chilean conservative presidential candidate Sebastián Piñera announced Sunday he will submit a proposal to Chile's government suggesting that the voter registration period for December's presidential elections be extended by around one month.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 08:53 UTC
The war on drugs has failed. Now we need a more humane strategy

By Fernando Henrique Cardoso (*)
The war on drugs has failed and should make way for a global shift towards de-criminalising cannabis use and promoting harm reduction, says the former president of Brazil, writing in Sundays’ edition of The Observer. Fernando Henrique Cardoso argues that the hard-line approach has brought “disastrous” consequences for Latin America, which has been the frontline in the war on drug cultivation for decades, while failing to change the continent's position as the largest exporter of cocaine and marijuana.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 08:39 UTC
Education gap in Latinamerica and with other regions widening

Latinamerica and the Caribbean spend three times more in arms and fuel subsidies than in the learning gap between children from low income and high income homes, a sum estimated in 14 billion US dollars, according to the president of the Inter American Development Bank, IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 08:34 UTC
Obama’s “on line” strategy to promote Lula da Silva’s successor

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva ruling Workers party has been in consultations with the communications team that worked with US president Barack Obama, with the purpose of helping design its campaign for the 2010 presidential election.
Tuesday, September 8th 2009 - 08:33 UTC
Argentina reports terrible squid season and lack of data on resource evolution

The squid (Illex argentinus) season in Argentine waters closed with one of the worst records in recent history. Official statistics reveal that 61,249.4 tons were landed between January 1 and September 4, equivalent to 24.3% of the 251,892.7 tons landed between January and September 11 of 2008.