Latin America

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 22:17 UTC

  US farmers concerned with Mercosur expanding farm exports to Colombia

  

  United States farmers have called on the US government to approve the free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama because Mercosur countries are taking a bigger share of US agriculture exports to those countries.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 17:08 UTC

  A Southern Cone cruise considered “the best in the world” at Miami’s Seatrade

  

  A Southern Cone cruise (Uruguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands and Chile) was described as “the best in the world” by John Tercek, Vice President of Commercial Development, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, at last week’s Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 16:47 UTC

  Fidel: “Will Mr. Obama apologize to the Chilean people for the 1973 coup?”

  

  Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro questions if US president Barack Obama, who on Monday is visiting Chile will apologize for the military coup against Salvador Allende in 1973, according to his latest article released this Monday.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 16:37 UTC

  President Obama: Chile is a model for the region and for the world

  

  (Editor’s note: The following “hard hitting” interview with U.S. President Barack Obama appeared in the Santiago’s Sunday El Mercurio edition.) Obama arrives in Chile Monday, from Brazil, as part of his Latin American visit that also includes El Salvador.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:45 UTC

  Peru April 10 presidential election: any of five candidates can make it to the run off

  

  With less than three weeks to April 10 Peruvian presidential election the electorate remains volatile with no candidates assured a first round victory (50% plus one votes cast) or making it to the run off.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:39 UTC

  Chilean Central Bank unveils new 1,000 Peso banknote

  

  The president of Chile’s Central Bank showed pictures and described the virtues of the country’s new 1,000-peso (currently worth about US$2.04) banknote this week. This was the fifth and final addition Chile’s new family of banknotes, which have gradually replaced bills in circulation for 30 years.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:34 UTC

  Cuban Ladies in White harassed by pro-Castro hecklers

  

  Cuban government supporters harassed a group of dissidents who met at a home in Havana to commemorate the eighth anniversary of a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

• Sunday, March 20th 2011 - 08:04 UTC

  Obama will be accompanied by 120 Secret Service agents in Santiago de Chile

  

  United States Secret Service agents are collaborating with Chilean police to establish security measures for US President Barack Obama when he arrives in Santiago next Monday.

• Sunday, March 20th 2011 - 07:59 UTC

  Argentina and Australian group open ‘world’s largest’ lithium carbonate plant

  

  Argentine authorities and from Australia’s mining group ADY Resources opened this week the ‘Salar del Rincon’ plant, the “largest in the world” for the production of lithium carbonate in the north of Argentina.

• Saturday, March 19th 2011 - 07:15 UTC

  Chilean farm exports fear “cheap” dollar and current situation in Japan

  

  Due to the falling U.S. dollar and the current crisis in Japan stemming from last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Chilean exports may be hit hard with losses this year, despite government assurances to the contrary.