Latin America

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 21:10 UTC

  South American countries gather to discuss reducing broad band costs

  

  The economic development of Latin America has pushed technology experts to seek out a stronger technological network to suit the region’s changing needs.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 17:22 UTC

  Chile advances in ‘bi-oceanic’ link projects with Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina

  

  Chilean President Sebastián Piñera made his Mercosur debut this week at the regional trade association’s summit in San Juan, Argentina, delivering a well received speech and holding separate meetings with Bolivian President Evo Morales and Brazil’s Lula da Silva and Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 16:20 UTC

  Georgia to open embassies in Latam looking to attract investment

  

  The former Soviet republic of Georgia plans to open embassies in Brazil and Mexico and will send a top delegation to the inauguration of Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos as it seeks to attract more foreign investment and to expand economic and political ties with Latin America, according to the Foreign Ministry.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 05:00 UTC

  Snow in Brazil, below zero Celsius in the River Plate and tropical fish frozen

  

  For a second day running it snowed Wednesday in Southern Brazil and in twelve of Argentina’s 24 provinces including parts of Buenos Aires as a consequence of the polar front covering most of the continent’s southern cone with zero and below zero temperatures.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 04:51 UTC

  Germany recognizes Latin America’s new economic and diplomatic might

  

  German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle presented a new Latin America strategy Wednesday that he said finally did justice to the burgeoning region's new economic and diplomatic might.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 01:33 UTC

  Walmart is Latin America’s single largest employer, says Latin Business

  

  The single largest employer in Latin America is US-based retailer Walmart, according to the first annual ranking of Latin America’s Top 60 Employers from Latin Business Chronicle.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 01:32 UTC

  Mining and agriculture disputing scarce water resources in northern Chile

  

  With the mining industry increasing its presence in northern Chile, problems over resources are arising between the mining and agricultural industries, especially over water.

• Wednesday, August 4th 2010 - 22:08 UTC

  Venezuela’s oil corporation profits plummet because of “•global capitalist crisis”

  

  State-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA earnings reached 4.49 billion US dollars in 2009, down from 9.41 billion in 2008, Energy and Petroleum Minister Rafael Ramirez revealed this week. Speaking at PDVSA headquarters in Caracas, he cited the “global capitalist crisis” as a major factor in the sharp fall in net income.

• Wednesday, August 4th 2010 - 21:55 UTC

  Released Cuban dissident arrives in Chile as political refuge

  

  One of the 20 released Cuban political prisoners who arrived in Spain last month left on Tuesday to settle in Chile. Jose Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez, 44 arrived in Santiago de Chile Wednesday accompanied by his wife, children and several other family members after having stayed almost two weeks in a Madrid hotel.

• Wednesday, August 4th 2010 - 20:56 UTC

  Fidel Castro back on stage to discuss “issues of interest in the international situation”

  

  Former Cuban President Fidel Castro’s request for an extraordinary session of parliament to discuss foreign affairs was granted Wednesday which could mean the retired leader of the 1959 revolution may be taking a greater role in government.