Latin America

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 05:40 UTC

  UK convinced Argentina plotting to blockade the Falklands: LAN airlink next target

  

  British diplomats have accused Argentina of plotting an economic blockade of the Falkland Islands amid fears Buenos Aires is attempting to block all flights from Chile to the Islands, reports the guardian.co.uk in a piece by Rory Carroll, Jonathan Franklin and Uki Goñi.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 05:10 UTC

  Europe’s largest bank profits boosted by its operations in Latin America

  

  Spain’s Banco Santander said that 2011 net profits reveal the growing importance of its Latin America operations which contributed with 51% of the bulk. Last year net profits totalled 5.4 billion Euros, down from 8.2 billion Euros in 2010.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 15:56 UTC

  Brazilian president meets Fidel Castro; promises financial economic aid to Cuba

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff met with Fidel Castro, the revolutionary hero of her youth, and held talks with his younger brother, President Raul Castro, on Tuesday in a visit to strengthen financial and economic ties with Cuba. On Wednesday Rousseff left for Haiti.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 07:53 UTC

  Buenos Aires La Nacion in talks to acquire Hispanic media group in the US

  

  Two news sources, New York Post and New York One report that the Hispanic media group ImpreMedia is in talks with Argentine newspaper group La Nacion which is interested in the US Spanish publications.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 07:14 UTC

  Brazil reiterates support for Argentina, denies any blockade to the Falklands

  

  Brazil reiterated its support for Argentina’s Malvinas Islands sovereignty claim and insisted that solving the controversy with the UK is ‘most important’ for South America’s stability. It also pointed out that it’s not correct to talk about “a blockade”.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 00:09 UTC

  Rousseff downplays human rights issue during her visit to Cuba

  

  Visiting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff refused to criticize Cuba’s human rights record on Tuesday, saying the issue should not be used to score ideological points.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 00:06 UTC

  Chilean police arrests gang that stole five tons of glacier ice

  

  Police were investigating a criminal gang that allegedly stole blocks of ice from the Jorge Montt Glacier in southern Chile.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 00:01 UTC

  System of rivers beneath Antarctica’s frozen surface found by Brazil/Chile team

  

  A team of Brazilian and Chilean scientists set out to investigate the effects of global climate change deep in the Antarctic continent say they have discovered a surprising system of rivers beneath the frozen surface.

• Tuesday, January 31st 2012 - 17:39 UTC

  Chile almost close to “full employment”; shortage of manpower in some sectors

  

  Chile’s unemployment rate unexpectedly declined in the three months through December to 6.6% from 7.1% as the retail, mining and construction industries expanded, the National Statistics Institute said on Tuesday. The situation according to economists is close to “full employment”.

• Tuesday, January 31st 2012 - 05:39 UTC

  Dilma Rousseff arrives in Havana to advance trade and investment relations

  

  Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff arrived Monday to Cuba for a two-day visit to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and human rights. From Cuba Rousseff will travel on to Haiti as she aims to continue the regional diplomatic outreach of her popular predecessor, Lula da Silva.