Latin America

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 16:37 UTC

  President Obama: Chile is a model for the region and for the world

  

  (Editor’s note: The following “hard hitting” interview with U.S. President Barack Obama appeared in the Santiago’s Sunday El Mercurio edition.) Obama arrives in Chile Monday, from Brazil, as part of his Latin American visit that also includes El Salvador.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:45 UTC

  Peru April 10 presidential election: any of five candidates can make it to the run off

  

  With less than three weeks to April 10 Peruvian presidential election the electorate remains volatile with no candidates assured a first round victory (50% plus one votes cast) or making it to the run off.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:39 UTC

  Chilean Central Bank unveils new 1,000 Peso banknote

  

  The president of Chile’s Central Bank showed pictures and described the virtues of the country’s new 1,000-peso (currently worth about US$2.04) banknote this week. This was the fifth and final addition Chile’s new family of banknotes, which have gradually replaced bills in circulation for 30 years.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:34 UTC

  Cuban Ladies in White harassed by pro-Castro hecklers

  

  Cuban government supporters harassed a group of dissidents who met at a home in Havana to commemorate the eighth anniversary of a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

• Sunday, March 20th 2011 - 08:04 UTC

  Obama will be accompanied by 120 Secret Service agents in Santiago de Chile

  

  United States Secret Service agents are collaborating with Chilean police to establish security measures for US President Barack Obama when he arrives in Santiago next Monday.

• Sunday, March 20th 2011 - 07:59 UTC

  Argentina and Australian group open ‘world’s largest’ lithium carbonate plant

  

  Argentine authorities and from Australia’s mining group ADY Resources opened this week the ‘Salar del Rincon’ plant, the “largest in the world” for the production of lithium carbonate in the north of Argentina.

• Saturday, March 19th 2011 - 07:15 UTC

  Chilean farm exports fear “cheap” dollar and current situation in Japan

  

  Due to the falling U.S. dollar and the current crisis in Japan stemming from last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Chilean exports may be hit hard with losses this year, despite government assurances to the contrary.

• Friday, March 18th 2011 - 23:55 UTC

  Chile launches promotion package to recover 250 cruise vessel annual calls

  

  Recovering 250 cruise vessel calls a year, --as in 2006 and 2008--, is the Chilean government target with the bill it has sent to Congress which would authorize Chilean and foreign flagged vessels to operate their on board casinos while sailing in territorial waters, currently specifically banned.

• Friday, March 18th 2011 - 18:29 UTC

  Jobs at top of Latin America agenda

  

  By President Barack Obama
  In recent weeks, we've seen how turmoil and tragedy around the globe can affect our own prosperity and security; how events abroad often have implications for everything from markets on Wall Street to families' wallets on Main Street. And as a nation, we will continue to do everything we can both to promote stability and democracy in the Middle East and help the people of Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

• Thursday, March 17th 2011 - 18:25 UTC

  Gustavo Coronel: The Four Hotbeds of Corruption in Venezuela

  

  Hugo Chavez became president of Venezuela in 1998 on the strength of his promises to stamp out corruption. Venezuela had been a democratic showcase for the hemisphere from 1958 to the early 1970’s but after receiving a huge oil income in the mid-1970 the quality of government deteriorated and waste and corruption set in. By 1998 most Venezuelans were deeply disappointed and wanted a radical change. They got it with Hugo Chavez. What they never imagined was that the change would be for the worse.