Latin America

• Thursday, June 14th 2012 - 10:43 UTC

  University Rankings: Brazilian dominance points to future economic might

  

  By Danny Byrne, Editor of TopUniversities.com - Universities throughout Latin America are in a period of transition. Though precise circumstances vary by country, factors such as the growth in scientific research, massification of social demand for higher education, increased student mobility and the rise of private universities have exerted an influence across the region.

• Thursday, June 14th 2012 - 10:21 UTC

  Brazil has 65 of the top 250 universities in Latam, with Sao Paulo top ranked

  

  Brazil dominates the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Latin American University Rankings for the second year, with 65 institutions in the top 250, led by the Universidad de Sao Paulo.

• Tuesday, June 12th 2012 - 23:02 UTC

  Unasur new Secretary General promises to work for energy integration and reduce poverty

  

  Venezuela has taken the Unasur secretary general post from Colombia during a ceremony last Monday held in Bogotá with the attendance of Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo.

• Tuesday, June 12th 2012 - 19:42 UTC

  The Pacific Alliance, yet another bloc in Latin America

  

  The newly-formed Pacific Alliance bloc seems more like a political club to counterbalance the Atlantic-facing, Brazil-led Mercosur group. However, the bloc accounts for 30% of India’s trade with Latin America. Can India engage the group so it is not left out from their Asia focus?

• Tuesday, June 12th 2012 - 09:00 UTC

  Massive outburst of support for Chavez as he registered for October 7 presidential election

  

  Thousands of supporters thronged the streets of Caracas Monday to join cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as he registered to seek re-election amid ongoing concerns about his health.

• Monday, June 11th 2012 - 19:54 UTC

  Debate confirms front runner Peña Nieto as most probable next Mexican president

  

  Mexico's presidential front-runner Enrique Peña Nieto emerged largely unscathed in a televised debate on Sunday night after his adversaries failed to take advantage of an increase in opposition to his bid.

• Monday, June 11th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

  Bolivia’s Morales nationalizes zinc and tin mines licensed to Swiss group

  

  Bolivia announced on Sunday the nationalization of the mining company Colquiri to the west of the country and which belongs to the Swiss group Glencore. The announcement by Minister of the Presidency, Juan Ramon Quintana, followed a meeting with the mining unions and the villages from Colquiri region.

• Monday, June 11th 2012 - 05:34 UTC

  Major Indian steel company readies plans to scrap huge mining project in Bolivia

  

  India's Jindal Steel & Power said on Saturday it was making plans to scrap a 2.1 billion dollars steel project in Bolivia, saying the Bolivian government had not met contract terms that include supply of natural gas for the project.

• Monday, June 11th 2012 - 05:25 UTC

  The past haunts Chile: film praising Pinochet triggers violent clashes in Santiago

  

  Hundreds of protesters clashed violently with police in the Chilean capital as they demonstrated on Sunday against the screening of a new documentary honouring the late dictator Augusto Pinochet.

• Saturday, June 9th 2012 - 02:46 UTC

  Chile’s May inflation on target but government fears external risks

  

  Chile's consumer price index remained unchanged in May, the government statistics agency INE said on Friday, slowing its pace from April as lower food and transport prices offset higher electricity costs. Prices rose 0.1% in April, the INE said last month.