Latin America

• Saturday, March 5th 2011 - 05:07 UTC

  Nobel Prize Vargas Llosa calls for legalizing drugs to avoid the Mexican experience

  

  Nobel Prize winner in Literature Mario Vargas Llosa said that countries across Latin America will eventually suffer the same type of organized crime-related mayhem currently battering Mexico unless a decision is made to legalize drugs.

• Saturday, March 5th 2011 - 01:48 UTC

  Sales, Especially by Russia and China, Continue to Penetrate Latin America

  

  Russian military sales have become so frequent in recent years that they no longer make for major headlines. However, as Washington policymakers continue to voice concern about Iran’s growing influence in Latin America, some alarmists argue that Russia’s eagerness to supply the region with weapons is likely to trigger a “soft arms race” and present itself as a threat to the United State’s historic hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.

• Friday, March 4th 2011 - 01:31 UTC

  Democracy in Latam, a success story ‘except for Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua’

  

  Latin America is enjoying growth and stable democracy with the “notable exceptions” of the leftist governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday.

• Friday, March 4th 2011 - 01:31 UTC

  Bolivia signs gas exploration agreements with Petrobras and Repsol

  

  Bolivia's state-owned oil company YPF Bolivianos said this week that it has signed oil and gas exploration agreements with Brazil's Petrobras and Spain's Repsol.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 21:48 UTC

  Venezuela, Mercosur, Unasur top of the agenda for Paraguay’s Congress

  

  The Paraguayan government announced Thursday it will insist with the Congressional approval of Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur, which remains stalled at the country’s Legislative branch.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:25 UTC

  Latam must prepare for ‘major prices’ fluctuations warn food organizations

  

  Food price volatility has increased in recent months and will remain high for the time being, according to a joint bulletin launched today by ECLAC, FAO and IICA.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:23 UTC

  Argentine/Chinese corporation buys Exxon downstream assets in Mercosur

  

  Pan American Energy has agreed to buy an oil refinery and more than 700 service stations in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay from Exxon Mobil Corp for which it will be paying an estimated 850 million US dollars.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 17:33 UTC

  World’s richest man opens impressive museum (66.000 pieces) in Mexico City

  

  The reputed world's richest man Carlos Slim inaugurated a massive museum in Mexico City on Tuesday to house his eclectic collection of art ranging from pre-Hispanic pieces to sculptures by French masters.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 07:20 UTC

  Latin America challenges to be discussed at IDB annual meeting in Canada

  

  Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will hold its Annual meeting in Calgary, Canada, from March 25 to 28, with the participation of top government authorities from the Bank’s 48 member countries, including several finance ministers and central banks chiefs.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 07:14 UTC

  Argentine president promises to keep pushing ‘permanently’ for Malvinas

  

  Argentina’s claim of the Malvinas Islands only had a brief specific mention in President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Tuesday address to Congress where she outlined the achievements of her administration and plans for the remaining nine months of her four year mandate.