
As rising food and fuel prices create incentives for large-scale land acquisitions around the world, it is more important than ever for governments and the international community to protect local land rights, according to a new World Bank study released this week.

Luis Schmidt, former president of the National Society of Agriculture (SNA) and the Chilean Fruit Growers Association (Fedefruta), has been offered the position of the Chilean Ambassador to China.

Spain's lawmakers gave their final approval to a package of government-proposed labour market reforms aimed at cutting down the country's high unemployment rate and reviving the economy.

Chief Minister Peter Caruana has highlighted the importance of Gibraltar’s National Day, September 10, as a celebration of identity and culture.

Venezuela reported the slowest monthly inflation of the year in August after the government moved to tackle sporadic food shortages by importing more goods ahead of the September 26 congressional elections.

The Chilean Senate finally approved the Union of South American Nations, (Unasaur) creation charter thus ending the legislative chapter. The bill now goes to the Executive for its promulgation.

Under the heading of “Latin America’s impressive little guys, Uruguay and Paraguay”, the Financial Times praises the two countries for “punching above their weight” and catching the attention of foreign corporate investors.

Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been listed by Time magazine among the top ten Female Leaders of the world. Time says Mrs. Kirchner “has proven to be her own woman” having survived since elected in 2007 several serious standoffs.

As the Yen rallied to a fifteen year high against the US dollar, Japan’s government said it will seek discussions with China over the nation’s record purchases of Japanese bonds as an appreciating currency threatens to undermine an economic recovery.

Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman assured that in his last visit to Washington DC, neither US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton nor Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela had any comments regarding legal security in Argentina or Latin America.