Latin America

• Friday, July 2nd 2010 - 00:44 UTC

  Amnesty blasts Cuba regime for “climate of fear” and 53 prisoners of conscience

  

  Cuba has created a “climate of fear” among political activists and journalists working on the island nation, according to a report released this week by the human rights group Amnesty International.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 21:10 UTC

  Construction slump in Punta Arenas lifts unemployment to 6%

  

  Unemployment in the extreme south of Chile, Magallanes Region, increased for the second mobile quarter running and now stands at 6% with construction industry receiving the heaviest blow, according to the latest release from the regional Statistics Office, INE.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 07:22 UTC

  Latinamerica, one of the very few benefiting from Spain’s EU presidency

  

  Spain's ambitious six-month presidency of the EU was eclipsed by the European debt crisis which thrust the country's fragile economy into the global spotlight and weakened the Spanish government, analysts said.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 06:52 UTC

  Chilean wine retailer to promote sales in Peru, Brazil and Colombia

  

  Three months after opening its newest store in Chile, The World of Wines - a key Chilean wine retailer – is looking to expand throughout the region.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 21:04 UTC

  Syria's Latin American connection

  Damascus will continue to maintain ties with the countries south of the US, regardless of Washington's objections

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 20:55 UTC

  Cuban president sacks another (inefficient) minister: Light Industry

  

  Cuban president Raul Castro sacked Light Industry minister Jose Hermandez, the latest of an on-going cabinet reshuffle with the purpose of implanting a policy of import-substitution to address the growing economic crisis.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 20:50 UTC

  Otters in southern Chile help contain invasion of exotic mink

  

  With its pert face and furry coat, the slender mink looks like a charming pet. But beneath the sweet façade lies an opportunistic predator that has become a menace to biodiversity in the southern parts of Chile.

• Tuesday, June 29th 2010 - 05:13 UTC

  Punta Arenas planning International Antarctic Centre

  

  Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile and seat of the country’s Antarctic Institute will have a new complex that will include the Institute’s offices, research laboratories and a museum dedicated to Chile’s strong and long presence in Antarctica.

• Tuesday, June 29th 2010 - 05:09 UTC

  Lion’s share of the drugs business goes to final distributors, says UN expert

  

  The lion’s share (85%) of the gross profits from the cocaine business between South America and the United States ends in the wholesale and retail distribution network in the US according to Antonio Luigi Mazzitelli, head of the UN office on Drugs and Crime for Mexico and Central America.

• Monday, June 28th 2010 - 05:48 UTC

  Chile has become a producer and exporter of premium Wagyu (Kobe) beef

  

  The traditional rivalry between Chile and Argentina is likely to be turned up a notch with the news that Chile could be soon challenging its meat-famous neighbour with the quality of its beef.