Latin America

WASHINGTON, October 11, 2007 – The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank Group today discussed a new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Nicaragua, with project and investment loans and credits by the International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm of the World Bank to assist the poorest countries and will total $240 million for five years from 2008 to 2012.    » read more »

Programming to Celebrate the Natural World

CANNES, France, Oct. 8 - Animal Planet International, the world’s leading animal entertainment brand, today announced the launch of an informative and engaging programming slate focused on celebrating and protecting the natural world, which will roll out on the network this autumn in more than 200 million homes across the UK, Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.    » read more »

Even After U.S. Threats Aimed at Stimulating Public Fear of Reprisal and Big-Dollar Campaign Pushing ‘Sí’ Vote, CAFTA Result Is Marked by Razor-Thin Margin

Oct. 8, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The depth of public opposition to North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)-style pacts was demonstrated Sunday by Costa Rica’s massive “no” vote to CAFTA despite a intensive campaign led by the country’s president, months of deceptive radio and television advertising in favor of the pact, and a threatening statement issued Saturday by the White House, Public Citizen said today.    » read more »

October 05, 2007 -- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), a Time Warner company, has received formal approval from the Comisión Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia in Argentina for the acquisition of seven pay television networks currently operating in the Latin American market. The official close of the deal was announced today by Louise Sams, president of TBS International and executive vice president and general counsel for TBS, Inc., and Roberto Vivo-Chaneton, chairman and chief executive officer of Claxson.    » read more »

07 October 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he did not discuss possible locations for a new U.S. base in Latin America on any of the five stops he made in the region in recent days. The secretary made the remark during his final stop in Paramaribo, Suriname on Saturday.    » read more »

04 October 2007 -- Family members of the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet have been arrested on corruption charges.

Judge Carlos Cerda Thursday ordered the arrest of Pinochet's widow, Lucia Hiriart, as well as the couple's five adult sons and daughters. Arrest orders were also issued for 17 other people, including Pinochet's former secretary, retired military generals and other former associates.    » read more »

Miami, Florida, October 1, 2007 – Hector Almaguer has been named Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Universal Music Latin America, it was announced today by Jesus Lopez, Chairman and CEO of Latin America and Iberian Peninsula.

“We are delighted to have an executive of Hector’s caliber join the Universal Music family,” stated Mr. Lopez. “He possesses a real track record of success, and we’re looking forward to his immediate contributions.”    » read more »

President Ortega Should Show Leadership by Protecting Women s Lives

(Managua, October 2, 2007) – Nicaragua’s blanket ban on abortion, which criminalizes life-saving medical treatment, has had a devastating impact on women’s health and lives, Human Rights Watch said today in the first-ever report on the human rights consequences of the ban, which was enacted in November 2006.    » read more »

02 October 2007 -- Senior officials from Venezuela and the United States have held rare talks aimed at improving relations and laying the groundwork for a possible visit to Caracas by a top U.S. diplomat.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and Thomas Shannon, the top U.S. envoy to Latin America, met Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Venezuela's foreign ministry said in a statement late Monday that the two officials held "very cordial" talks, with Shannon expressing interest in visiting Caracas.    » read more »

03 October 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Colombia, the second stop on a five-nation visit to Latin America that began Tuesday morning in El Salvador. His talks are focusing on regional issues and the war in Iraq.    » read more »

1 October 2007 -- (Spanish version follows English) -- Yesterday, Sept. 30, the Ecuadorian people demonstrated their profound democratic vocation by voting peacefully for representatives to the constituent assembly.

Summary of Key Findings

The Carter Center congratulates the Ecuadorian people for their civic commitment. We would like to particularly recognize the role of the poll workers, who were mostly young people. Their creativity, honesty, and close attention to the law made the election successful, despite the complexity of the vote count.    » read more »

Former Peruvian President to Face Charges for Role in Massacres

(Santiago, September 21, 2007) – The Chilean Supreme Court’s decision to extradite former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to Peru to face trial for human rights abuses is welcome and unprecedented, said Human Rights Watch today.

Human Rights Watch noted that this is the first time that a court has ordered the extradition of a former head of state to be tried for gross human rights violations in his home country.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, September 4, 2007. The World Bank Group (WBG) mobilized close to US $8 billion financing to public and private sector projects and programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, aimed to address the persistent inequality in the region and foster sustainable growth during fiscal year 2007, ending June 30, according to figures released by the WBG today.

World Bank    » read more »

04 September 2007 -- Two hurricanes have hit Latin America within the span of a few hours, with Henriette charging ashore on Mexico's Baja California peninsula and Felix slamming into Central America.

Hurricane Felix made landfall as a category five storm, with heavy rainfall and maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour. Weather forecasters said the storm had weakened after the eye came ashore, and said it would continue to lose strength during the next day or two.    » read more »

30 August 2007 -- Chilean officials say at least 740 people have been arrested after clashing with police during mass protests in Santiago over the government's social and economic policies.

Authorities say demonstrators hurled objects at police and hid behind barricades Wednesday as officers used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds. Some shops were looted as the violence erupted in the capital.

Dozens of people were injured, including a ruling coalition senator, Alejandro Navarro, who was seen bleeding from the head after he was clubbed by an officer.    » read more »