Latin America

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:05 UTC

  Mercosur reduced to a group “of bear-hugging and kissing compañeros”

  

  The influential British business and politics magazine The Economist anticipates that following the latest decisions by Mercosur, the South American group has little if any future. The Economist argues that the mounting protectionism and the rule-breaking admission of Venezuela have fatally undermined a once-promising trade block.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Venezuela/Argentina sign military cooperation in framework of Unasur Defence Council

  

  Venezuelan Defence minister Henry Rangel Silva and his Argentine peer Arturo Puricelli signed on Friday a cooperation agreement to further advance in the integration of the two armed forces in the framework of the Unasur Defence Council.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:39 UTC

  Bolivia announces the “end of Coca Cola and capitalism” for December 21

  

  December 21, the austral summer solstice, will mark the end of Coca Cola and capitalism and the start of a new cosmic era of community spirit and love, announced Bolivia’s Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:30 UTC

  Humboldt penguins threatened by eggs and chicks eating rats

  

  Humboldt penguins are threatened by inexorable man and …rats. Invading rats with bodies up to 20 centimetres long have begun eating eggs and chicks, and some experts fear that unless the rats are eradicated, they could tip the Humboldt penguin toward extinction.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:17 UTC

  Chile and Peru, best performing economies of the region leave rates unchanged

  

  Chile and Peru opted this week against following the lead set by nations from Brazil to South Korea in cutting interest rates as economic growth and slowing inflation in the Pacific neighbors gave central bankers little reason to change monetary policy

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:12 UTC

  Tourist arrivals in Chile up 15% in first half of 2012: Argentina, Brazil lead

  

  Chilean Tourism Under Secretariat head Jacqueline Plass made a positive balance of tourism activity during the first half of the year with over 1.85 million foreign arrivals, a 15% increase over the same period a year ago.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:01 UTC

  Bolivia willing to compensate for silver mine but positions are distant

  

  Bolivian government is willing to compensate South American Silver Corp for revoking its concession on the Malku Khota project, but it will be far less than the 16 million dollars the company says it has invested, the country's vice president said on Thursday.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 06:48 UTC

  Chile’s copper industry wants to develop shale gas to help lower energy prices

  

  Shale gas may be the solution to one of the most serious problems the Chilean mining industry is facing because of the very high energy prices due to limited supply.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 00:46 UTC

  Chavez becomes an issue of the US presidential campaign

  

  President Hugo Chavez denied on Friday that Venezuela was a threat to anyone, after US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized Barack Obama for playing down the risk posed by the socialist leader.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 00:30 UTC

  Top Brazilian entrepreneurs tie-up to develop mining opportunities in Latam and Africa

  

  Brazil's top investment bank Banco BTG Pactual announced a tie-up with Roger Agnelli, former head of mining giant Vale, to invest up to 520 million dollars in Latin America and Africa.