Latin America

Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 23:12 UTC
Tourists evacuated from Torres del Paine park threatened by forest fire

Twenty tourists had to be evacuated from the Torres del Paine national park in Chilean Patagonia following the outbreak of a forest fire that has extended to over twenty hectares because of strong winds and difficult access for fire-fighters, reports the local press.
Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 22:59 UTC
Turkish economist named World Bank new Vice-President for Latin America

Hasan Tuluy, a Turkish national and a strong supporter of inclusive growth, will become the new World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as of January 1st, 2012. Mr. Tuluy will oversee the Bank’s lending, knowledge, and poverty-fighting operations in the region, which totalled 9.6 billion dollars in fiscal year 2011.
Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 22:54 UTC
Havana preparing grand ‘brainwashing’ to change the mentality of Cubans

The Cuban regime and the ruling Communist Party are preparing a grand-national conference to try and change the “mentality” of Cubans so that the capitalist-oriented economic reforms and timid political changes sponsored by President Raul Castro are better understood and accepted, according to party sources.
Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 21:50 UTC
Dilma in her first year is proving to be an Iron Lady loved by the middle class

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will be celebrating on Sunday her first of four years in office with a record public opinion support of 72%, based on a sober and firm style in running what has become the world’s sixth largest economy.
Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 21:44 UTC
Iran’s Ahmadinejad will visit four Latinamerican countries next January

The Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad will be travelling to Latinamerica in the second week of January 2012 to visit Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador, announced the Teheran presidential office, according to a report from the official news agency FNA.
Thursday, December 29th 2011 - 21:24 UTC
Falklands’ flagged vessels: “Another diplomatic victory for President Fernández”

In its latest article on Argentina The Economist refers to the recent Mercosur decision to support President Cristina Fernandez in barring vessels flying the Falklands’ flag from docking in regional ports.
The magazine as the heading says (Argentina and the Falklands: rocking the boat) describes it as another diplomatic victory for Cristina and also argues that both the Falkland Islands and Britain have failed to explain their case to the rest of South America.
Wednesday, December 28th 2011 - 22:31 UTC
Piñera and CFK agree to reprogram the Argentine leaders’ official visit to Chile

Chilean president Sebastián Piñera and his Argentine peer Cristina Fernandez agreed to reprogram her visit to Santiago scheduled for the last week of January following the announcement that the Argentine leader will undergo thyroid cancer surgery next January 4.
Wednesday, December 28th 2011 - 07:25 UTC
Chile wants to pool young voters: registry automatic but voting voluntary

The Chilean Senate passed a constitutional law that makes voting voluntary and registration automatic, incorporating millions of new voters into the system and removing penalties previously tied to obligatory voting.
Wednesday, December 28th 2011 - 03:58 UTC
Mexican telecoms giant planning to invest 5.4bn dollars in Brazil

The Brazilian subsidiaries of Mexican telecoms giant America Movil are planning 10 billion Reais (5.4 billion dollars) worth of new investment in 2012, Folha de São Paulo said on Tuesday.
Wednesday, December 28th 2011 - 03:31 UTC
Madrid has first woman mayor; promises to bid for 2020 Olympic Games

Ana Botella, the wife of former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, was sworn-in Tuesday as Madrid’s first woman mayor. She succeeds Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, mayor of the capital since 2003, who resigned to serve as Justice Minister in the new Conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.