Latin America

• Saturday, October 19th 2013 - 17:53 UTC

  In show of Latam unity Chile is elected to the UN Security Council

  

  The United Nations General Assembly elected this week Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on 1 January 2014. The five countries obtained the required two-thirds majority of those Member States present and voting in the 193-member Assembly.

• Saturday, October 19th 2013 - 17:28 UTC

  Chilean students warn presidential candidates education reform is pending

  

  In an anticipation of what is waiting for whoever wins next month’s presidential election in Chile, thousands of students again took to the streets to demand education reform as they have been doing for several years now.

• Saturday, October 19th 2013 - 15:40 UTC

  Fire ravages Brazil’s main sugar terminal paralyzing operations and boosting prices to a year high

  

  A fire in Santos ravaged Copersucar's sugar terminal in Brazil, paralyzing operations of the world's biggest sugar trader and putting 10 million tons of export capacity offline for six months or more.

• Saturday, October 19th 2013 - 15:23 UTC

  Argentine business leaders ‘positive’ about Cristina Fernandez re-re-election chances fading

  

  Leaders of the Argentine business sector find “positive” that possibilities of Cristina Fernández re-re-election are fading, said FIAT Argentina CEO Cristiano Ratazzi who also questioned the so-called Kirchner development-inclusion model.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 21:19 UTC

  Uruguay ambassador in Buenos Aires blames Minister Almagro for rough relations with Argentina

  

  “There are no relations, diplomatic relations (between Argentina and Uruguay) are managed by Zanini and me” confessed Uruguayan ambassador in Buenos Aires Guillermo Pomi to Argentine opposition lawmaker Elisa Carrió.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 21:09 UTC

  New highway in clogged-Brazil opens more possibilities for grain exports

  

  A highway, decades in the making, will finally open in Brazil offering a shortcut through the Amazon jungle to north-eastern waterways for the growing corn and soybean trade. The BR-163 highway connecting Mato Grosso state's soy belt to two key river ports will boost grain exports by some 3 million tons next year, offering a bit of relief to congested ports in the southeast, where most shipments originate.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 20:28 UTC

  “God willing” Cristina Fernandez will be back very soon, say close aides

  

  “God willing” Argentine president Cristina Fernandez will be back in full strength anticipated Buenos Aires province governor Daniel Scioli on Thursday unveiling the secrecy that surrounds the head of state since she underwent surgery a week ago to extract a cranium blood clot and has been recovering at the Olivos presidential residency.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 05:47 UTC

  Pulp mill dispute: Uruguay rejects Argentine ultimatum and doubles the bet

  

  The Uruguayan government rejected on Wednesday Argentina’s ultimatum referred to the UPM (former Botnia) pulp mill production expansion, and doubled the bet by proposing a reform of the shared River Uruguay Statute to increase environmental impact standards but also include both margins of the waterway.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 05:43 UTC

  Brazil’s Sports minister to step down six months before World Cup starts

  

  Just six months before his country hosts the World Cup, Brazil Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said Wednesday he is stepping down to stand as Sao Paulo state governor. December sees a FIFA deadline for all 12 World Cup venues to be ready amid lingering doubts that the giant country can revamp sagging infrastructure in time.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 05:34 UTC

  US Supreme Court raises doubts about corporation responsibility during Argentina’s ‘dirty war’

  

  A majority of US Supreme Court justices raised doubts this week over whether Germany’s Daimler-Chrysler can be sued in federal court for allegations that a subsidiary violated the human rights of workers at a plant in Argentina during the last military dictatorship that was in power from 1976-1983.