Latin America

• Friday, July 1st 2011 - 12:51 UTC

  Argentina is promoting the idea of an OPEC-like for lithium

  

  Argentina is promoting the idea of an OPEC-like cartel for itself, Bolivia and Chile, which together control 85% of the world's reserves of lithium, a key component in electric car batteries.

• Friday, July 1st 2011 - 03:26 UTC

  Chávez from Cuba tells Venezuela he is undergoing cancer treatment

  

  Doctors detected and removed a cancerous tumor from Hugo Chavez's body, the Venezuelan president announced in a speech broadcast on state-run VTV Thursday night.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 21:04 UTC

  Chile plans to invest massively in developing tourism in Mapuche territory

  

  Home to pristine forests and the indigenous Mapuche people, Chile’s Araucanía Region is rich with tourism potential. However, according to the government, the area needs a facelift in order to capitalize on its resources.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 20:17 UTC

  US says Haiti cholera epidemic was imported, probably UN Nepal peacekeepers

  

  Evidence strongly suggests UN peacekeepers from Nepal were the source of a cholera epidemic in Haiti that has killed more than 5,500 people, said a new report by the US Centres for Disease Control Prevention.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 17:42 UTC

  Colombian group takes over Uruguay main supermarkets chain, Disco and Devoto

  

  France’s Casino Guichard-Perrachon Colombian retailing branch, Exito announced the signing of a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of Casino' majority stakes in Uruguay’s main supermarket chain Disco and Devoto in an operation involving 746 million US dollars.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 17:12 UTC

  Magallanes Corriedale rams with NZ genetics exported to Peru

  

  Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile is exporting rams to Peru to help improve the meat and wool conditions of the flock of that country. The first batch of ten rams was dispatched by the Teheul Aike rural society, via Santiago and has already reached their destination in Puno.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 07:23 UTC

  Brazil calls for conclusion of EU/Mercosur trade talks and warns about cheap imports

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said it was urgent for Mercosur/European Union trade negotiations to conclude although also emphasizing the need to promote and intensive South/South relations, but warning that some outer region countries are intent in “sending us what they can’t sell in developed countries”.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 07:17 UTC

  UN Economic Commission raises Latam’s growth estimate: 4.5% to 5%

  

  The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Eclac, raised its 2011 growth estimate for the region to between 4.5% and 5%, said Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 07:11 UTC

  Chilean ski slopes prepare for an exceptional invasion of Brazilian tourists

  

  Between 80 and 90% of hotel capacity has already been reserved at Chile’s leading ski resorts for the 2011 season. At Valle Nevado, Portillo, and Termas de Chillán - three of Chile’s leading ski resorts - reservations are up 10 to 20% compared to 2010, according to the Federation of Tourism Businesses (Fedetur).

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 01:10 UTC

  Chavez health mystery increases as major summit and celebrations are suspended

  

  Venezuela has suspended a regional summit scheduled for 5 July, --which also coincides with the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence--, amid continuing speculation over the state of health of President Hugo Chavez.