Latin America

• Tuesday, February 19th 2013 - 05:24 UTC

  Buenos Aires City property sales plummet 27% in 2012 because of the dollar clamp

  

  Property sales in the City of Buenos Aires plummeted 27% during 2012 according to a release from the Notaries College of the Argentine capital. The release shows 46.627 deeds were signed in 2012, which represents a significant 27% shrinkage in comparison to 2011 while the figure in Pesos dropped 21.2%.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 17:26 UTC

  Gibraltar and the Falklands referendum: “we are with you every step of the way”

  

  Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has expressed Gibraltar’s “unqualified” support for the people of the Falklands in their forthcoming referendum. Picardo’s remarks were delivered by Samantha Sacramento last week at the Commonwealth parliamentary Association regional conference in the capital of Stanley in Falklands.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 16:29 UTC

  Morales nationalizes control of Bolivia three main airports

  

  Populist Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday nationalized control of the country’s three main airports from Spain’s operator Abertis-Aena, arguing that the company had not fulfilled investments commitments promised for years.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 15:44 UTC

  Chavez in Caracas military hospital; presidential oath ceremony expected

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is resting in Caracas military hospital after his Monday early dawn return from Cuba where he spent ten weeks recuperating from cancer surgery. However contrary to other occasions no video or pictures were shown and officials confirmed he has a tracheal tube which limits speech.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 06:55 UTC

  Correa wins re-election by a landslide turning him into indisputable regional leader

  

  President Rafael Correa swept to a re-election victory on Sunday promising to strengthen state control over Ecuador’s economy and continue using booming oil revenues to build roads, hospitals and schools in rural areas and shanty towns.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 06:26 UTC

  New strain of dengue further exposes Paraguay’s population to the spreading disease

  

  Paraguay health officials have detected a new strain of the tropical mosquito-transmitted disease dengue identified as serotype 4, the first case reported since last year which expands significantly the population’s exposure. Likewise the latest official report indicates 26 confirmed dengue deaths and over 13.000 infected.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 06:23 UTC

  Cuba’s best-known dissident with ‘knees trembling’ makes it through Havana airport without incident

  

  Cuba's best-known dissident, blogger Yoani Sánchez checked in without incident at Havana's international airport on Sunday on her way to Brazil, the first stop on an 80-day-tour of a dozen countries. She was sent off with hugs by a small group of family members and friends.

• Monday, February 18th 2013 - 06:18 UTC

  Mantega anticipates higher interest rate to help keep inflation under control

  

  Brazil’s Finance minister Guido Mantega in Moscow for the G-20 meeting, said that inflation above the government's target raises a yellow flag and that monetary policy, not the exchange rate, is the right tool to control prices.

• Saturday, February 16th 2013 - 21:24 UTC

  Human right activists in Uruguay storm the Supreme Court to protest judge’s transfer

  

  The Uruguayan police evicted dozens of protestors that during three hours occupied the seat of the Supreme Court to impede the transfer of a magistrate, closely linked to human rights cases, from the criminal to the civil forum. Magistrate Mariana Mota has dealt with some of Uruguay’s most notorious human rights cases dating back to the twelve years of military dictatorship, (1973/1985).

• Saturday, February 16th 2013 - 20:50 UTC

  Brazilian business community demands the country signs trade accords with third countries

  

  Brazilian businesspeople and diplomats expressed their disappointment with Mercosur and said it was crucial for Brazil to sign free trade agreements on its own with third countries, which under current rules of the South American trade block are not allowed.