Latin America

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 07:35 UTC

  Cuba’s Sugarcane Ethanol Potential: the Return of King Sugar

  

  “Central America and the Caribbean, historical sugar-producing economies where the sugar-ethanol infrastructure already has a foundation, labor costs are low, and the political conditions are more or less stable– offers the best near-term potential for large-scale sugarcane ethanol production. This is a market opportunity which Cuba, with the longest experience of sugar–ethanol and sugarcane derivates production in the region, is positioned to take advantage of”.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 06:38 UTC

  NYT praises Chile’s Bachelet handling of the crisis and her style of government

  

  The New York Times dedicated an article to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet whom she describes as among a handful of Latin American leaders, including President Lula da Silva of Brazil, whose handling of the crisis has strengthened their popularity.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 01:56 UTC

  Higher infertility among men is a growing problem in Chile

  

  A recent study carried out by the InstitutoValenciano de Infertilidad (IVI) has found a higher rate of infertility in Chilean men than in women. In a survey of 1,800 couples who reported having problems conceiving, infertility was recorded in 85% of males compared with 75% of females.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 01:47 UTC

  Zelaya still president for 46% of Hondurans according to poll

  

  A relative majority of Hondurans consider ousted Manuel Zelaya as their president compared to the head of de facto government Roberto Micheletti, according to the latest public opinion poll from CID-Gallup released this week in Tegucigalpa.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 13:31 UTC

  Argentina/Chile seal “historic” integration and cooperation agreement

  

  Argentina and Chile will sign Friday an integration and cooperation agreement which is an update of the Peace and Friendship treaty of 1984 which paved the way for a close relation and dependency between the neighbouring countries that only a few years before had been on the verge of war.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 10:01 UTC

  Chile fish and shellfish landings fall almost 10% in nine months of 2009

  

  Total fish and shellfish landings through September in Chile totalled 3.6 million tons –9.8% less than the 3.9 million tons accumulated in the same period of 2008, the Fisheries Under-Secretariat (SUBPESCA) revealed.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 08:16 UTC

  World health leader impressed by Castro and Cuban medical facilities

  

  Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro “looks wonderful,” World Health Organization director general Margaret Chan said on Wednesday, after meeting the 83-year-old leader who resigned the presidency last year due to ailing health.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 07:36 UTC

  Majority of Hondurans want presidential election to go ahead to end crisis

  

  A majority of Hondurans support the proposal that both ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the head of the de facto government Roberto Micheletti should step down in favour of a caretaker president, thus keeping to the political calendar which schedules presidential elections for November 29th.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 07:08 UTC

  Ecuador ratifies Mercosur “democratic clause”

  

  Ecuador ratified this week support to Mercosur democratic commitment or “democratic clause” which automatically throws out any country member which violates such a commitment.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 03:27 UTC

  “Efficiency”, the watchword for Chile’s Berlusconi, according to FT

  

  Chilean Conservative presidential candidate, billionaire Sebastián Piñera is described as Chile’s Berlusconi in an article from the Financial Times (FT), which also underlines his lead in public opinion polls and the growing problems faced by the ruling coalition after 19 years in office.