Latin America

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 07:00 UTC

  Cuban reforms delayed: who and how do you sacks half a million state workers?

  

  Cuba's plans to lay off half a million state workers by the end of March are behind schedule, President Raul Castro has acknowledged. Castro, quoted by state television, said the timetable for the cuts would be altered to soften their impact.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 03:47 UTC

  Chile and France sign deal for development of uranium

  

  Chile and France on Saturday signed a deal promoting the exploration and development of uranium. The deal between the state-owned Codelco (copper mining company) formalizes France’s ability to source minerals, including uranium, from Chile’s mining sector.

• Tuesday, March 1st 2011 - 18:43 UTC

  Cell phones sales in Chile soared 21% in 2010 and now total 21 million

  

  In 2010, the number of cell phones in Chile grew to over 21 million, a 21% increase. Cell phone businesses attribute this growth to the number and variety of cheap tariffs available.

• Monday, February 28th 2011 - 20:50 UTC

  “Discouraging” tourist season for Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine

  

  It has been a tough and discouraging tourist season this summer for Punta Arenas and its area of influence according to local operators and the hotel industry.

• Monday, February 28th 2011 - 01:09 UTC

  LAN raises international air fares between 8% and 12%

  

  Chile’s main airline LAN announced Friday it would raise its international air fares by between 8 and 12” because of higher global oil prices.

• Saturday, February 26th 2011 - 05:57 UTC

  BBC ends Spanish broadcasts for Latin America; major role in Falklands war

  

  The BBC has ended its radio broadcasts in Spanish for Latin America, 73 years after they first went on air. The service faced its greatest challenge during the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982.

• Saturday, February 26th 2011 - 05:43 UTC

  China became in 2010 Chile’s biggest provider for consumable goods

  

  Chilean Central Bank data this week confirmed ha China is now the biggest provider of consumable goods to the country. In 2006, the main providers of consumable goods to Chile were the US, Argentina and Brazil.

• Saturday, February 26th 2011 - 03:02 UTC

  Latin America: Making the Good Times Better

  

  By Dominique Strauss-Kahn - Latin America has enjoyed tremendous economic dynamism and a rising quality of life in recent years. But, faced with new challenges, the question is: how best to sustain this progress?

• Friday, February 25th 2011 - 01:52 UTC

  Seven Latam countries on track to have credit ratings upgraded

  

  Seven countries in Latin America are on track to have their ratings upgraded in the short term, as the region's credit cycle remains supported by healthy economic growth and greater policy stability, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday.

• Friday, February 25th 2011 - 01:27 UTC

  Chile/Ecuador proposal for a UNASUR Antarctic base

  

  Chile and Ecuador will be proposing their peers of Unasur, (Union of South American Nations) the establishment of a scientific research base in Antarctica, according to Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs minister Ricardo Patiño.