Latin America

• Wednesday, January 17th 2018 - 09:32 UTC

  Hard times in Cuba: electricity and fuel cuts, slashed imports and payments to suppliers delayed

  

  Cuba has not provided a detailed breakdown of key economic activity in its annual statistical abstract for the first time this century, leaving would-be investors more in the dark than usual about the cenrtralized-run economy.

• Wednesday, January 17th 2018 - 08:37 UTC

  Uruguayan farmers surprise government and take to the roads to protest fiscal policies

  

  Uruguayan farmers with their tractors, harvesters, trucks, vans and on horseback took to the roads to protest the cost of fuel, power, increased taxes and an over bloated national budget and bureaucracy which they blame for making several farm activities unprofitable, and have had an overall negative impact for the different camp activities.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 02:41 UTC

  Francis arrives in Chile to a divided church with threats of violence and protests over abuses allegations

  

  Pope Francis' trip to South America is supposed to be all about peace, unity and hope. But the pontiff could also be welcomed with protests, threats of violence and controversy over allegations of abuses by the Catholic Church. Argentina born Francis comes to his home continent for a two-country, six-city apostolic visit that starts in Chile this Monday and ends in Peru a week later.

• Sunday, January 7th 2018 - 09:01 UTC

  Released Fujimori calls to set aside “grudges”; anticipation of an alliance with Kuczynski?

  

  Recently pardoned former president Alberto Fujimori called for Peruvians on Saturday to set aside their “grudges” in order to unite against violence and crime, appealing to his right-wing political base two days after being freed from prison by a presidential pardon.

• Sunday, January 7th 2018 - 08:14 UTC

  Chaos in Venezuela as shops are ordered to cut prices to last month's levels

  

  Mobs gathered outside some Caracas supermarkets on Saturday after the government ordered shops to slash prices, creating chaos as desperate Venezuelans leapt at the chance to buy cheaper food as the country’s worsening economy causes severe shortages.

• Sunday, January 7th 2018 - 07:45 UTC

  Ecuador names new vice president; Correa begins campaign against referendum to limit re-election

  

  Ecuador has chosen a new vice president to replace Jorge Glas, who was sentenced to six years in jail for his role in a bribery scheme involving Odebrecht, the Brazilian company at the center of Latin America’s biggest corruption scandal. Lawmakers selected Maria Alejandra Vicuña in a vote on Saturday.

• Friday, January 5th 2018 - 10:25 UTC

  Drought in north Argentina seriously delaying plating of soy and corn

  

  The drought in Argentina continues in several regions and has generated a delay of planting for the 2017-18 season. A report authored by the institution AgroEducación indicated that La Niña, though subtle, already impacts the region with temperatures above normal and scarce rains.

• Thursday, January 4th 2018 - 09:58 UTC

  Brucellosis outbreak at Paraguay Vet School triggers alarm bells for the industry

  

  An outbreak of brucellosis at the Veterinary School of the Asunción University in Paraguay, FCV-UNA, has cost the academic center its international certification, and has become a shameful experience for a country which is among the top world beef exporters.

• Thursday, January 4th 2018 - 05:38 UTC

  China announces it will begin “a greater push” to conquer trade in the hemisphere

  

  In a Spanish-language opinion piece in one of the nation’s largest newspapers, Chinese Ambassador to Argentina Yang Wanming urged Latin American nations to increase trade ties to China, promoting Beijing’s “One Belt One Road” project and warning Beijing will begin a “greater push” to conquer trade in the hemisphere.

• Wednesday, January 3rd 2018 - 18:17 UTC

  Russian navy's “Yantar”, oceanographic or state of the art “spy vessel”?

  

  The Russian navy is very proud of its new spy ship, the Yantar, which is now doing Argentina a favor by helping to search for a missing submarine, ARA San Juan, which disappeared on 15 November in the South Atlantic.