Latin America

• Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:36 UTC

  Uruguay passes bill that decriminalizes abortion under certain circumstances

  

  Uruguay's Congress voted narrowly to decriminalize abortion under certain circumstances, mainly during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Senate voted 17 to 14 in favour of the controversial bill, which was passed by the lower house last month after 14 hours of debate. President Jose Mujica said he would sign the bill into law.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 20:48 UTC

  Mexican president-elect and PM Cameron pledge to double bilateral trade by 2015

  

  Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto called in London this week for expanded “cooperation and trade” between his country and Britain based on their shared vision of “free trade”.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 20:34 UTC

  Brazil’s slowdown impacts on neighbouring Argentina and Uruguay says Fitch

  

  Brazil's deeper-than-expected economic slowdown is amplifying the deceleration already being experienced by Argentina and Uruguay as a result of the global slowdown, according to a new Fitch Ratings report.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 17:00 UTC

  Argentina/Chile working on tunnel under the Andes linking the Atlantic and Pacific

  

  By 2022 if all works out as planned the Aconcagua Bi-Oceanic corridor should link the Atlantic with the Pacific coast of South America facilitating trade and business opportunities.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 15:16 UTC

  Is Brazil the reservoir of future agriculture productive capacity?

  

  The following piece was published by Dorvers, CattleNnetwork and refers to the agriculture potential of Latinamerica and Mercosur largest economy. The column sources are Daryll E. Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer, Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 05:31 UTC

  Investors are falling in love with Mexico while Brazil loses its ‘darling’ status

  

  The following article was published by Canada’s The Globe and Mail and gives an insight to investors thinking from the north regarding Latinamerica’s two largest economies, Brazil and Mexico.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 05:26 UTC

  The “State is back” in Latinamerica to lessen inequalities, says top UN official

  

  The ‘State is back’ in Latinamerica and will help establish social policies, diminish inequality and increase inclusion said the regional director of the UN Development Program, Herlado Muñoz during a seminar in Mexico City on “Youth participation and democratic governance in Latin America and the Caribbean”.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 04:37 UTC

  After half a century Cuba scraps travel restrictions, but they remain for ‘human talent’

  

  Cuba will scrap much reviled travel restrictions starting in January, easing most Cubans' exit and return, state media said on Tuesday, in the Castro brothers’ regime first major immigration reform in half a century.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2012 - 04:17 UTC

  Colombia peace talks back on schedule and begin Wednesday in Oslo

  

  Colombia's government and Marxist rebels will start peace talks as planned on Wednesday in Oslo in a bid to end nearly half a century of conflict after logistical problems delayed departure of the delegates, Colombia's government said.

• Tuesday, October 16th 2012 - 13:44 UTC

  The message from the Venezuelan elections

  

  By Ambassador R. Viswanathan - The free, fair and peaceful Venezuelan elections on Sunday 7 October, with a clear and accepted outcome has restored the confidence of the world, which had some doubts about the vulnerabilities of Latin American democracies – especially after the constitutional overthrow of President Lugo of Paraguay in June this year and the unconstitutional removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in 2009.