Latin America

Thursday, July 18th 2013 - 09:08 UTC
President-elect demands rule of the law before Paraguay returns as active Mercosur member

Paraguayan president elect Horacio Cartes confirmed that his government will insist in its position regarding Mercosur, which expects Paraguay to return as full active member following the inauguration ceremony 15 August.
Thursday, July 18th 2013 - 09:03 UTC
Bachelet running alone; Chilean conservatives have to decide on a new candidate

Chilean conservative presidential candidate Pablo Longueira unexpectedly quit his campaign due to depression, his son said, dealing another blow to an already weakened right-wing bloc four months from the general election.
Thursday, July 18th 2013 - 08:26 UTC
Venezuelan parliament approves incorporation of Bolivia to Mercosur as full member

The Venezuelan parliament approved Bolivia’s protocol of adherence to Mercosur as full member thus clearing the way for the landlocked mostly indigenous populated country to become the sixth member of the South American trade block next to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 20:21 UTC
Latin America becoming prime destination for medical tourism

The high cost of healthcare has created the lucrative phenomenon of medical tourism. An IPK International survey revealed roughly 3% of the world’s population travels to foreign countries for medical treatment, while Patients Beyond Borders, which publishes international medical travel guidebooks, reported the medical tourism industry is a 40 billion dollars a year business.
Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 20:04 UTC
Successful fracking for tight gas in Tierra del Fuego, announces Chile’s ENAP

Chile’s government oil and gas company, ENAP, confirmed a successful experiment with hydraulic fracturing to extract non conventional tight gas at the Arenal Block in Tierra del Fuego, where the company operates with no partners.
Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 07:50 UTC
Brazil downplays the Pacific Alliance significance, as an “integration project”

Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota downplayed the significance of the Alliance of the Pacific, the free trade agreement which includes Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, arguing it is not a “real deep integration” as the one proposed by Mercosur.
Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 07:31 UTC
Bolivia violated military aircraft immunity, claims Brazilian Ministry of Defence

Bolivia violated the immunity of a Brazilian Air Force plane which in October 2011 was carrying Defence minister Celso Amorim and with no search warrant proceeded to inspect the aircraft suspecting opposition Senator Roger Pinto might be on board, claimed Brazilian authorities.
Tuesday, July 16th 2013 - 20:45 UTC
Dilma Rousseff suffering impact of protests: approval rating plunges 24.4 points

A freefall drop in Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's popularity following last month's social unrest is altering the outlook for next year's presidential elections, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Tuesday, July 16th 2013 - 17:21 UTC
OAS/Ecuador workshop for maintenance of demining equipment used in border with Peru

The Organization of American States, OAS and the Demining Centre of Ecuador (CENDESMI), with financial support from Norway have launched a training workshop for the maintenance and repair of MINELAB F-3 metal detectors and polycarbonate visors used in the deactivation of mines found in some areas of the border between Ecuador and Peru.
Tuesday, July 16th 2013 - 17:10 UTC
Argentina has dealt a ‘mortal blow’ to Mercosur that has become ‘a political forum’

Speaking for a Brazilian business association in Sao Paulo, Rubén Barbosa accused the government of Argentina of dealing a ‘mortal blow’ to Mercosur, the regional grouping that was originally focused on economic integration and has since become a political forum for the region’s leaders as was again evident during the last summit in Montevideo.