Latin America

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 16:10 UTC

  Spanish small businesses invited to take advantage of Latam’s growth

  

  Latin America's economic growth is expected to be two or three times larger than Spain's in the next few years, says a private report by Banco Santander in an effort to encourage Spanish small businesses to take advantage of the growth and job opportunities that the region has to offer.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 16:08 UTC

  Lula da Silva and Vazquez candidates for Unasur secretary general chair

  

  Brazil’s Lula da Silva and former Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez are the most probable candidates for the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, secretary general chair, according to Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa. Ecuador currently holds the rotating presidency of Unasur.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 00:53 UTC

  Geopark drills and tests new oil well in Chile’s Magallanes region

  

  Oil and gas explorer Geopark Holdings Ltd (GPK.L) announced on Tuesday it successfully drilled and tested a new well in the Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile where it has been operating for several years.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 23:33 UTC

  Chile’s copper dependency has taken a turn for the worse: 55% of all exports

  

  Chile’s long-term effort to wean itself away from copper dependency appears to have taken a turn for the worse: economist Hernan Frigolett reported that the booming demand for copper has led to extremely high prices (over US$4 per pound), meaning that copper accounted for 55% of the nation’s exports in the second quarter of 2010.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 22:40 UTC

  Cuba to further open its economy and eliminate double currency system

  

  The Cuban government admitted it will have to amend several laws and decrees before implementing a plan of updating the Socialist economic model, the official Granma daily reported this week. This includes eliminating the double currency system.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 22:35 UTC

  Russia joins the oil rush in Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico coast

  

  Russian energy firm Gazprom has joined a growing list of foreign companies searching for oil off Cuba's coast.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 22:35 UTC

  HMS Manchester first RN vessel to dock in Havana since 1959

  

  Type 42 Destroyer HMS Manchester has become the first Royal Navy ship to make an official visit to Cuba since the country's 1959 revolution. The ship landed at the Sierra Maestra pier in Havana on Monday for the beginning of a five-day visit.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 04:59 UTC

  Chavez provokes the opposition by naming controversial general

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promoted a general criticized for vowing not to cooperate with opposition leaders should they take power after 2012 elections, raising tensions in the run-up toward the vote.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 04:41 UTC

  President Obama has scheduled a visit to Chile, says Piñera

  

  United States president Barack Obama confirmed to his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Piñera an upcoming trip to Chile as part of his next South American tour. The two leaders met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Yokohama, Japan, this weekend.

• Monday, November 15th 2010 - 21:32 UTC

  UN General Assembly special session to pay tribute to Nestor Kirchner

  

  With the staring participation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations' Assembly held a special session Monday to pay tribute to former Argentina president and UNASUR Secretary General, Néstor Carlos Kirchner, who passed away on October 27, reported Argentine ambassador to the UN Jorge Argüello.