Latin America

Saturday, June 18th 2011 - 01:04 UTC
Uruguayan lawmakers mark the difference between “terrorism” and “armed insurgency”

A group of Uruguayan lawmakers have written a letter to Peruvian president-elect Ollanta Humala requesting a more humane treatment for Victor Polay Campos, head of the guerrilla Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, MRTA, jailed since 1992.
Friday, June 17th 2011 - 16:43 UTC
Venezuelan billionaire teams up with Chinese banks to invest in Latam

Venezuelan billionaire Gustavo Cisneros is setting up joint ventures with Chinese banks to carry out investment in Latin American commodities industries.
Friday, June 17th 2011 - 16:33 UTC
Peru cancels construction of Amazon dams; major setback for Brazil

Peruvian environmentalists have welcomed a decision by the country's Energy Ministry to cancel the development of the 1.5GW Inambari Dam in the Amazon basin.
Thursday, June 16th 2011 - 13:26 UTC
Banco do Brasil plans to expand into Chile, Peru and Colombia

Banco do Brasil, Latin America’s biggest bank by assets, is considering buying lenders in Colombia, Peru and Chile to attract corporate clients and increase business with Brazilian companies in the region. Last month the bank announced the reopening of its branch in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Thursday, June 16th 2011 - 06:14 UTC
Humala announces an “open channel of direct communication” with Chile

Peruvian president-elect Ollanta Humala highlighted the “open channel of direct communication” established with Chile and President Sebastian Piñera following a two hour meeting on Wednesday between the two leaders in Santiago’s presidential palace.
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 23:35 UTC
Argentina’s official May ‘fantasy’ inflation 0.7%; private consultants, 1.5%

Inflation in Argentina reached 0.7% in May compared to the volume reported in the previous month, the Indec national statistics bureau announced on Wednesday. The official rate is less than half what was presented on Tuesday by opposition lawmakers, which they assured reached 1.5% and 23% in the last twelve months.
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 22:02 UTC
End of intense La Niña cycle anticipates return to average rainfall in Chile

The most intense La Niña climate pattern since 1975 is coming to a close in Chile, after it cooled water temperatures off the Pacific coast of South America and left a troubling drought in its wake.
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 19:27 UTC
Energy rich Venezuela, short in power and forced to ration electricity

Big electricity users in Venezuela have been told to cut consumption or face increased charges. Consumers who save energy will be in line for discounts, officials said. The move comes after a series of recent power failures, the most recent last Friday and Saturday when outages affected most of western Venezuela.
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 14:41 UTC
Aquaculture more efficient than livestock production, says WorldFish Centre

WorldFish Centre and Conservation International (CI) have revealed a comprehensive analysis exploring the environmental impact of the world's major aquaculture production systems and species and gives an unprecedented global assessment of trends and impacts. The results from the two-year study show that aquaculture is more efficient than other forms of animal protein production such as livestock.
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 04:21 UTC
Evacuees from Chile’s Puyehue volcano allowed back to their homes

Evacuations ordered after an eruption in Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex begun to be lifted on Sunday for various areas in southern Chile’s Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions, over 600 miles south of Santiago.