Latin America is likely to bounce back from its economic troubles faster than other regions because of its sound economic fundamentals and better preparedness to fight a global financial crisis, said the World Bank’s regional Chief Economist, Augusto de la Torre.
Read More…

go to permalink....

The four countries directly north of the Antarctic Ocean are Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and all four are to varying degrees being integrated into Western military alliances; all four have bilateral military ties to the United States and with other NATO states, three directly with NATO itself.
With Britain filing a claim with [...]

go to permalink....

The Bolivian government confirmed Thursday that the provincial government of Potosi has a project in the works to explore for uranium at an old mine.
National Mining Director Freddy Beltran told Efe that efforts will be carried out to find uranium at the Cotaje mine; uranite (any of the uranium phosphates) was produced there in 1974, [...]

go to permalink....

A series of environmental disasters in Chile have puzzled scientists. Some are blaming global warming.

Millions of dead sardines washed up on a beach in southern Chile. The cause of their death is under investigation.
Environmental disasters reak havoc on Chilean wildlife Photo

Chilean scientists are investigating three mysterious ecological disasters that have caused the deaths of hundreds [...]

go to permalink....

Brazil and China will work towards using their own currencies in trade transactions rather than the US dollar, according to Brazil’s central bank and aides to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president.
The move follows recent Chinese challenges to the status of the dollar as the world’s leading international currency.
Read More…

China holds sway over US$
“The [...]

go to permalink....

A serious shortage of coins in Argentina causes problems for consumers and merchants.
Think you’ve got cash problems? Just be glad you’re not in Argentina.
No one knows the inconveniences of the peso better than Buenos Aires’s convenience store owners. Walter Teich and his wife opened one right in the center of town three years ago. He’s [...]

go to permalink....

And many of his [Lula's] constituents are unhappy with the visit by a conservative, homophobic, anti-Semitic theocrat. Somehow that seems to clash with the values of tolerance, freedom and progress that Brazil prides itself on. Following protests in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo last week, Lula apparently pulled the plug.
So, the entourage of more [...]

go to permalink....

A narco submarine (also called narco sub, drug sub, Big Foot submarine and Self-Propelled Semi-Submersible (SPSS)) is a home-made marine vessel built by drug traffickers to smuggle their goods. They are especially known to be used by Colombian drug cartel members to export cocaine from Colombia to the United States.
First detected in 1993, they are [...]

go to permalink....

Chile is the only investment-grade country to be upgraded by Moody’s since the financial crisis began almost two years ago. The ratings agency also boosted the foreign currency ratings of four major Chilean banks.
There are two reasons why Chile’s economy, while not exactly vibrant at the moment, has caught the eye of Moody’s and a [...]

go to permalink....

The self-guided, portable missiles weighing about 42 pounds reach approximately 19,500 feet, Venezuela’s state-run ABN news agency reported.
“They have great power in the mountains, hills or coasts to stop any attempted aerial aggression against our country,” Chavez said. “One man or woman can operate and carry it.”
Read More…

go to permalink....

Only a few years ago tales of traffickers plying the underseas world aboard cocaine-laden submarines struck anti-drug agents as a Jules Verne fantasy.
Not anymore.
Today, smugglers are moving tons of drugs towards the United States in so-called “semi-submersibles,” homemade vessels that travel just below the ocean’s surface and cover distances of up to 2,000 miles.
Read More…

go to permalink....

Americans shouldn’t really comment on fat Brazilian girls from Ipanema. I guess the rest of the world is starting to follow in America’s path.
From the article:
But the chances of spotting suntanned beauties in tiny bikinis are getting smaller and smaller, according to a government study released this week. Research shows that the number of Brazilians [...]

go to permalink....

In Santiago, unusual coffee establishments that showcase scantily clad women are cropping up.
Welcome to Cafe Montana, one of the dozens of “cafe con pierna” (coffee with legs) establishments that have popped up all over the Chilean capital in the past decade. There’s a consistency to the businesses, which are typically open during normal office hours: [...]

go to permalink....

A Colombian entrepreneur has developed an international following for his protective attire.
Miguel Caballero shoots his employee, Lizeth Castaneda, to prove the jacket she’s sporting is bullet-proof. Seconds later she giggles in relief.
A bullet-proof polo shirt can go for $900 to $7,500 depending on the level of protection, and a leather jacket costs $2,900.
Read More…

www.miguelcaballero.com

go to permalink....

Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday. “This is possible in Cuba,” General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force’s strategic aviation staff, told the Interfax-AVN military news [...]

go to permalink....

To join one of Central America’s fierce street gangs, Benky, a tiny young woman with heavy mascara and tattoos running up and down her arms, had to have sex with a dozen or so of her homeboys one night. She recalls sobbing uncontrollably when the last young man climbed off her and everyone gathered around [...]

go to permalink....

The Jan. 6 assault on Televisa’s offices was the latest in a series of attacks on Mexico’s media as the nation writhes in an orgy of drug-related bloodshed. Out of a record 5,300 deaths from beheadings, assassinations and massacres last year, eight of them were murdered Mexican journalists, making Mexico the most dangerous country for [...]

go to permalink....

Mexico is one of two countries that “bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse,” according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.
The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and [...]

go to permalink....

Through breathtaking discoveries, archaeologists are uncovering the early years of the ancient Maya to reveal a dynamic, sophisticated culture that was flourishing before the time of Christ. The Preclassic Maya—once dismissed as primitive—created massive pyramids, elaborate art, early writing, and more. Join National Geographic’s Dawn of the Maya as it investigates the rise one of [...]

go to permalink....