Latin America

• Friday, January 7th 2011 - 19:36 UTC

  LAN launched a new flight between Easter Island and Lima

  

  The first flight of the new route from Lima to Easter Island’s Mataveri airport landed safely this week, making Easter Island a more accessible tourist destination.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 23:14 UTC

  Cuba: Massive cruise liner docks in La Havanna to much fanfare

  

  A salsa band, dancing schoolchildren and showgirls in bikini tops and feather headdresses welcomed some 1,500 tourists on a British cruise liner that officials described as among the biggest ships to visit Cuba in years.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 22:58 UTC

  Haiti: Sexual violence against women increasing

  

  Women and girls living in Haiti’s makeshift camps face an increasing risk of rape and sexual violence, Amnesty International said in a new report released today.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 22:06 UTC

  Chile: an Opus Dei convent or a country on the Liberal path?

  

  Under the heading of: “Chile, the convent of the Americas? A country between the Opus Dei and Liberalism” the German journalist Maurice Weibel analyzes Chilean politics, where the followers of Escriva de Balaguer have a dominating presence in politics and over the agenda to update values in a country on the move to join the developed world.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 21:13 UTC

  Punta Arenas on strike over a planned 20% gas price hike

  

  The southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas had its largest strike in decades Wednesday in response to a government proposal to increase the price of gas in the region by 20%.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 21:08 UTC

  Second contraction year for Venezuela; 2% expansion forecasted in 2011

  

  Venezuela’s economy contracted 1.9% 2010, marking a second year of recession according to a release from the Central Bank. The economy shrank 3.3% in 2009, but President Hugo Chavez's government said the country is now pulling out of recession and on course for 2% growth in 2011.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 20:58 UTC

  Slow Start To Chile’s Tourism Season; fewer Argentines than expected

  

  With its vast array of natural attractions and top-class services, Chile is an attractive tourism destination for Latin Americans, as well as global visitors.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 20:52 UTC

  Chile supports Israel-Palestine peace dialogue; Piñera to visit the area next March

  

  The Chilean presidency Secretary General Eva Von Baer reterated this week that the Chilean Executive “fully supports the dialogue between both sides, the state of Israel and Palestine, and we support the continuation of such dialogue, and from that dialogue the creation of an independent Palestine state”.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 20:48 UTC

  Brazil enforces new reserve requirements to weaken the Real vis-à-vis US dollar

  

  The Brazilian currency Real weakened after the central bank introduced reserve requirements on short positions in U.S. dollars held by local banks with the purpose of weakening the Real which this week reached a historic high against the greenback.

• Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 20:16 UTC

  Chile’s measures to weaken the Peso are working in the short term

  

  Chile's peso was operating Thursday at 495 to the US dollar after depreciating around 6% in two sessions on a 12 billion US dollars central bank intervention program announced this week.