Latin America

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 06:30 UTC

  Chile’s largest copper producer increases output: first time in five years

  

  Chile’s Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, increased production in 2009 for the first time in five years, helped by a new mine. The company also generated an impressive surplus over the last four years.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 06:24 UTC

  Spain, Cuba’s main supporter in the EU “deeply deplores” death of dissident

  

  Spain said it “deeply deplores” the death of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and regrets that the human rights situation on the Castro brothers ruled island has led to “this very terrible outcome”.
  Zapata, 42, died Tuesday at a Havana hospital after an 85-day hunger strike.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 01:27 UTC

  Peru/China free trade agreement becomes effective next March first

  

  The free trade agreement between Peru and China becomes fully effective as of next Monday March first, according to the publication on Thursday of the official decree in Peru’s gazette. China has become Peru’s main trade partner behind the US.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 01:19 UTC

  Peruvian private pension funds purchase Lan Chile shares

  

  Peruvian Finance Minister Mercedes Araoz welcomed the participation of Peruvian private pension funds, AFP, in Thursday auction of a 6.4% stake (21.83 million shares) of Chilean flagship airline.

• Thursday, February 25th 2010 - 04:56 UTC

  “Political intolerance” and “citizen insecurity” rampant in Venezuela says OAS

  

  Venezuela routinely violates the rights of its citizens, using the “punitive power of the state” to intimidate and punish people for their political opinions, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said Wednesday.

• Thursday, February 25th 2010 - 01:25 UTC

  EU ready to reach trade agreements with Latinamerica by next May

  

  Spanish president Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and European Commission president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said they were confident of a successful conclusion of trade and cooperation agreements the EU is currently in the process of negotiations with Latinamerica.

• Thursday, February 25th 2010 - 01:16 UTC

  Good prospects in 2010 for Latam commodities and energy exporters

  

  A report released this week in Mexico by the inter American Development Bank, (IDB) forecasts a good year for Latinamerican countries exports of commodities and energy but a slower recovery for Central America and the Caribbean more dependent on tourism and remittances.

• Thursday, February 25th 2010 - 00:54 UTC

  Round up of Cuban dissidents following the death of political prisoner

  

  Cuban security agents detained dissidents across the country to prevent protests at the funeral of a leading dissident who died on a prison hunger strike and which has sparked international indignation. Cuban president Raul Castro said he regrets the death of Orlando Zapata and denies the rights activist had been tortured.

• Wednesday, February 24th 2010 - 07:00 UTC

  Latinamerica Economic Climate on the rise: Brazil, Uruguay, Peru lead

  

  Latinamerica’s Economic Climate Index (ECI), --developed between the German Ifo Institute from the University of Munich and Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation, FGV-- increased to 5.6 points from 5.2 between October 2009 and January 2010, consolidating the trend of economic recovery in the region.

• Wednesday, February 24th 2010 - 06:49 UTC

  Venezuela facilitates travel to Mercosur and associate members’ citizens

  

  Citizens from Mercosur full members and some associate countries will be allowed to travel to Venezuela with no need of a passport, simply with their national ID, as of next Thursday announced Venezuela’s Identification and Foreigners office.