Latin America

• Tuesday, July 10th 2012 - 05:27 UTC

  Defence minister Puricelli: Argentina’s Malvinas sovereignty claim is a regional commitment

  

  Argentine Defence minister Arturo Puricelli said that in the same way “the independence of the Argentines is the independence of the region”, the defence of Argentina is also the defence of the region and in this framework of integration Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands is a regional commitment.

• Tuesday, July 10th 2012 - 05:19 UTC

  “Activity level has dropped” says Argentine industrial union chief

  

  The head of the Argentine Industrial Union, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, admitted that “it's clear that the activity level has dropped,” and warned that “the construction-related sectors delay the new projects.”

• Tuesday, July 10th 2012 - 05:11 UTC

  Chavez declares he’s totally free of cancer “our offensive begins right now!”

  

  Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said on Monday he was fully recovered from cancer, three months before an election in which he is seeking another six-year term. “Free, free, totally free,” he told reporters when asked if he was free of the disease that struck a year ago.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 21:07 UTC

  Paraguayan industry lobby says forget Mercosur, calls for talks with Pacific Alliance

  

  The president of the Paraguayan Industrial Union Eduardo Filippo said it was essential for the country to establish negotiations outside Mercosur, following the suspension from the group by the remaining three members allegedly because of the rupture of the democratic order.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 18:32 UTC

  Canadian cowboy plans to ride 16.000 kilometres and reach Brazil in 2014

  

  A Canadian cowboy hopes to join the ranks of the long riders as he rode out of Calgary, Alberta on Sunday for an epic journey to his birthplace in Brazil. Filipe Masetti Leite intends to spend the next two years riding his two horses, “Bruiser” and “Frenchie,” through 12 countries in North, Central and South America.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 12:45 UTC

  Bolivia: Indigenous rioting threaten Canadian mining company with nationalization

  

  Bolivia will consider nationalizing Canadian miner South American Silver Corp's silver property, President Evo Morales said on Sunday, following violent indigenous protests against the mining project.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 12:41 UTC

  Deadline for major Indian iron and steel project in Bolivia

  

  Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. and the Bolivian government are still in talks to see if the Indian company's 2.1 billion dollars mining and steel-manufacturing venture can be salvaged, a senior executive said Friday.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 06:17 UTC

  Peña Nieto confirmed as Mexican president but won’t have majority in Congress

  

  Enrique Peña Nieto won Mexico's July 1 presidential election by 3.3 million ballots, or almost 7 percentage points, although allegations of excessive campaign spending and voter fraud could be reviewed by the electoral tribunal, officials said.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 05:35 UTC

  Reports of a serious outbreak of cholera in Cuba; Havana says it is under control

  

  According to the BBC a patient has been diagnosed with cholera in the Cuban capital, Havana, days after three people died in a rare outbreak in the south-eastern town of Manzanillo.

• Sunday, July 8th 2012 - 21:11 UTC

  Chile and Brazil lead the Global Innovation index in the region

  

  An international study released this week ranked Chile first among Latin American countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII), though Chile received mediocre scores in the area of education.