Latin America

• Monday, May 7th 2012 - 17:39 UTC

  Mexican presidential front-runner confirms clear lead following televised debate

  

  Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Peña Nieto retains a clear lead for the July 1 election after a televised debate in which he came under sustained fire from opponents, a poll showed on Monday.

• Monday, May 7th 2012 - 17:33 UTC

  Argentina takes official control of YPF; Rajoy asks: who can trust that country?

  

  The Argentine decision to seize control of 51% of YPF oil and gas giant came into effect on Monday as a decree was published on the Official Gazette. From Spain a new barrage of criticisms in support of Repsol and condemning Argentina started the week.

• Monday, May 7th 2012 - 05:43 UTC

  Latam-Asia trade expanding at an annual rateo f 20.5%, reaching 442bn in2011

  

  Trade between Asia and Latin America reached 442 billion dollars in 2011 growing at an annual rate of 20.5% in the last twelve years according to a joint report from the Inter American Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

• Monday, May 7th 2012 - 04:59 UTC

  Soybeans becomes Uruguay’s main export item, estimated at 1.1bn in 2012

  

  Soybeans are set to establish several records this year in Uruguay: exports will be above one billion dollars; for the first time the oilseed will be the leading export item of the country displacing beef and prospects for the next season are that over a million hectares will be planted.

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 06:41 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez enacts YPF nationalization and oil and gas self-sufficiency law

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández enacted the YPF nationalization law, which was approved by the Lower House on Thursday. During a nation-wide televised speech from Government House, the Head of State also introduced the company’s new CEO, oil engineer Miguel Galuccio.

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 06:35 UTC

  Spain says Argentina should follow Bolivia example and pay a ‘fair price’ for YPF

  

  Toning down its initial strong reactions to the nationalization of Spanish controlled YPF Spain’s Foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo said that Argentina should pay a “fair price” for the oil company citing a similar case in Bolivia this week.

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 06:01 UTC

  Brazil received 5.4 million tourists in 2011 with Argentina providing 1.6 million

  

  Brazil received more than 5.4 million international visitors in 2011, up 5.35 from 2010, the Tourism Ministry announced Friday. The number of visitors from other South American nations rose from 2.384 million in 2010 to 2.628 million in 2011.

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 01:38 UTC

  IOC criticizes Argentina for involving the Games with politics and Falklands’ dispute

  

  The International Olympic Committee, IOC, criticized on Friday an Argentine television spot that links the London Games to Argentina's sovereignty dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands, calling it a blatant attempt to use the games for political purposes.

• Friday, May 4th 2012 - 07:06 UTC

  Chavez under treatment in Cuba names a potential “transition council”

  

  President Hugo Chavez, in Cuba for cancer treatment, named key members of a Council of State Wednesday led by his Vice president, which some analysts see as a potential transitional body.

• Thursday, May 3rd 2012 - 23:35 UTC

  IMF does not see a ‘nationalization trend’ in South America; Bolivia in compensation talks

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it does not see a trend in South America toward state nationalization of private companies despite moves made by Bolivia and Argentina in recent weeks, a spokesman said on Thursday.