Latin America

• Wednesday, April 3rd 2013 - 07:03 UTC

  Maduro launches presidential campaign saying ‘Chavez’s spirit’ appeared to him in the form of a singing bird

  

  Ruling-party presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday at the childhood home of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez that he felt that his deceased mentor appeared to him in the form of a “little bird”, blessed him and made a strong call ‘on to (electoral) battle’.

• Wednesday, April 3rd 2013 - 06:57 UTC

  Uruguayan Senate approves by a clear majority same-sex marriage

  

  The Uruguayan Senate voted overwhelmingly, 23-8, in favor of a same-sex marriage measure Tuesday, which now must return to the Lower House before it is finally approved and signed by President Jose Mujica who has indicated he supports the measure.

• Wednesday, April 3rd 2013 - 06:44 UTC

  Falklands’ referendum at the heart of a controversy in Colombia

  

  A diplomatic ‘gaffe’ referred to the Falklands/Malvinas Islands and the recent referendum seems to have been committed by the British embassy in Colombia, gaining great display in the Argentine media.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 20:28 UTC

  Eleven million Argentines, 26.9% of the population live in poverty conditions

  

  An estimated 11 million Argentines or 26.9% out of a population of 40 million live in poverty according to the Social Observatory from the Argentine Catholic University, (UCA) based on a survey taken at the end of last year. However according to Argentina questioned stats’ office Indec, in the second half of 2012, poverty was down to 5.4% of the population equivalent to 2.2 million poor.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 19:42 UTC

  Real estate prices’ increase in Rio and Sao Paulo among the highest in the world

  

  The latest Knight Frank’s Global Real Estate Index released this month has Brazil ranking No. 3 in the world and No. 1 in the Americas for rising home prices. Only ridiculously expensive Hong Kong and Dubai, which are not countries, have seen prices rise more. So in fact, no single country has seen its housing prices increase as much as Brazil.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 05:30 UTC

  Uruguayan exports in first quarter down 13% compared to a year ago

  

  Uruguayan exports of goods in March continued falling thus closing a discouraging first quarter, according to Uruguay XXI, the country’s agency responsible for promoting trade and investment in the country.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 05:23 UTC

  India/Mexico bilateral trade expected to reach 15bn dollars by 2015

  

  By R. Viswanathan - Yes… steady is the word to describe the growth of India's trade with Mexico, the second largest market of Latin America. The bilateral trade reached 6.29 billion dollars in 2012 from 4.15bn in 2011, 2.9bn in 2008 and 1.03bn in 2003.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:42 UTC

  Uruguay will go ahead with the re-gasification plant “with or without Argentina”

  

  President Jose Mujica confirmed that the project for the construction of a liquid gas re-gasification plant in the River Plate coast, originally planned with Argentina, “will go ahead with of without the Argentine government”.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:37 UTC

  Brazil postpones until next year increases in car sales taxes to help the economy

  

  The Brazilian government postponed until next year increases in taxes on the sale of cars and trucks in a bid to stimulate demand for manufactured goods and spur economic growth, announced the Finance Ministry.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 19:15 UTC

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico agree to ‘zero tariff’ for 90% of inter-trade

  

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico plan to sign an accord liberalizing 90% of trade among the group when they meet at the coming Pacific Alliance summit scheduled for May 23 in Colombia announced Chilean Foreign minister Alfredo Moreno.