Latin America

• Friday, September 9th 2011 - 09:28 UTC

  Venezuela television interviews Fidel Castro, tells Miami “he’s alive and ticking”

  

  Fidel Castro has broken a long silence by granting an interview to a Venezuelan television station, his first since rumors began to spread that the former Cuban leader might be sick or near death. A top Cuban official said Thursday that Fidel is in good health.

• Friday, September 9th 2011 - 03:35 UTC

  Uruguayan marines in Haiti involved in ‘misconduct’; no evidence of sexual abuse

  

  Three independent investigations in Haiti following the claim of an alleged sexual abuse against a local by five Uruguayan marines from the UN peacekeeping force coincide in that there was “misconduct” of the involved, but no crime was committed.

• Friday, September 9th 2011 - 02:24 UTC

  Haiti UN peacekeeping force led by Brazil will begin gradual pullout

  

  Brazil's Defense minister said on Thursday that Haiti's peacekeeping force of 12,000 soldiers and police, known as MINUSTAH, will begin a gradual withdrawal aimed at turning security over to the Haitians, but not imperiling the stability achieved.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 06:04 UTC

  International tourism picking up in first half with South America best performer

  

  International tourism grew by almost 5% in the first half of 2011 totalling a new record of 440 million arrivals according to the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations organization for the sector.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 01:16 UTC

  Chile, Colombia, Peru equity markets integration on track is spite of crises

  

  The difficult international situation has not affected the equity markets integration process of Colombia, Chile and Peru, said the president of Colombia’s Stock Exchange, Juan Pablo Córdoba.

• Wednesday, September 7th 2011 - 11:16 UTC

  Latin American markets react positively on growing confidence in the region

  

  Latin American markets edged up on Tuesday, albeit uneasily, after data showed the US services sector unexpectedly picked up steam in August and growing confidence that the region is prepared to withstand global turbulence.

• Wednesday, September 7th 2011 - 10:47 UTC

  Argentina/Brazil confirm South Atlantic as a peace and cooperation zone free of nuclear weapons

  

  Argentina and Brazil defence ministers confirmed the two countries “strategic alliance” and subscribed a bilateral cooperation declaration emphasizing on the South Atlantic as “a Peace Zone, free of nuclear weapons”.

• Tuesday, September 6th 2011 - 06:34 UTC

  Colombia’s new defence minister is President Santos closest aide

  

  Colombia’s new defence minister vowed on Monday a forceful response to illegal armed groups and more innovation in confronting guerrillas and drug barons in the country.

• Tuesday, September 6th 2011 - 06:24 UTC

  Colombia’s largest retailer launches stock sale to fund expansion in Uruguay

  

  Colombia's largest retailer Almacenes Exito SA launched a 2.5 trillion peso (1.4 billion dollars) stock sale for local and foreign investors Monday, the proceeds of which will be used to expand into Uruguay and elsewhere.

• Tuesday, September 6th 2011 - 06:21 UTC

  Latam stocks down; the Real slides to 1.65 dollars

  

  Latin American stocks fell on Monday as fears of a recession in Europe and the United States mixed with anxiety about the health of global banks to drive indexes below support levels, suggesting more losses.