http://www.ft.com/world/americas/laahttp://www.ft.com/rss/world/americas/laaFT.com - Latin America agendaen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.support@ft.comSun, 11 May 2008 19:33 BSTThu, 15 May 2008 23:17:23 BSTNewspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/world/americas/laa(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7cdfb2-1f82-11dd-9216-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7cdfb2-1f82-11dd-9216-000077b07658.htmlThe way seems clear for Leonel Fernández to be re-elected as president of the Dominican Republic this Friday Sun, 11 May 2008 19:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a3cb5654-1a33-11dd-ba02-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a3cb5654-1a33-11dd-ba02-0000779fd2ac.htmlWhen officials working on the fine-print of plans for closer South American regional integration meet in Caracas, Argentina will be pushing for progress on the issue of a regional stabilisation fund – a kind of mini local IMFMon, 5 May 2008 00:54 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8efa874c-147d-11dd-a741-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8efa874c-147d-11dd-a741-0000779fd2ac.htmlAs rising food prices continue to threaten food security around the world, one obvious solution is being largely ignored: BrazilSun, 27 Apr 2008 18:29 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8b382d0-0f01-11dd-9646-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8b382d0-0f01-11dd-9646-0000779fd2ac.htmlLast week's euphoria in the markets over the "discovery" of a giant oil field off the Brazilian coast suggests that in grim times like these, any glimmer of good news is enough bring out the herd instinct in even the most cautious investorSun, 20 Apr 2008 22:05 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e8e13a8-09c9-11dd-81bf-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e8e13a8-09c9-11dd-81bf-0000779fd2ac.htmlAll eyes will be on Brazil's central bank this week as it decides whether or not to start raising interest rates again. Most economists expect a 0.25 percentage point riseMon, 14 Apr 2008 03:48 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6988c9ec-041a-11dd-b28b-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6988c9ec-041a-11dd-b28b-000077b07658.htmlHugo Chávez's justification for last week's utterly unexpected nationalisation of Venezuela's cement industry - particularly damaging to Mexico's Cemex - lacks credibilitySun, 6 Apr 2008 23:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2cbd22f2-ff05-11dc-b556-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2cbd22f2-ff05-11dc-b556-000077b07658.htmlProducers, whose soy exports have helped drive the country's export boom, have returned to their roadblocks to demand a rethink of a new sliding scale tariff regime they say unfairly penalises themMon, 31 Mar 2008 11:55 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f26aebc2-f92b-11dc-bcf3-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f26aebc2-f92b-11dc-bcf3-000077b07658.htmlAfter the biggest one-week fall in prices for several decades, Latin Americans this week will be watching commodity markets with particular interestSun, 23 Mar 2008 23:19 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ccf7aae-f381-11dc-b6bc-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ccf7aae-f381-11dc-b6bc-0000779fd2ac.htmlNever mind the credit crunch. It's commodities that count. Global financial markets may be heading deeper and deeper into crisis, but for Latin America's commodity exporters it has been a week of boosterish newsSun, 16 Mar 2008 18:38 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15543498-ee02-11dc-a5c1-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15543498-ee02-11dc-a5c1-0000779fd2ac.htmlLatin American leaders should celebrate their success in bringing an end to the spiralling crisis in the Andean region. But they should not get carried away. Questions remain over whether Venezuela and Ecuador are helping Colombian left-wing guerrillasSun, 9 Mar 2008 18:23 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0715e52e-e8b8-11dc-913a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0715e52e-e8b8-11dc-913a-0000779fd2ac.htmlPresident Hugo Chávez's decision to send tank battalions to the Colombian border, mobilise his air force and close the Venezuelan embassy in Bogotá looks like - and probably is - sabre-rattlingMon, 3 Mar 2008 00:48 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dd48f26e-e348-11dc-803f-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dd48f26e-e348-11dc-803f-0000779fd2ac.htmlNo one will be surprised to find that the 76-year-old Raúl Castro is Cuba's new president following Sunday's election by the 614 member national assemblyMon, 25 Feb 2008 03:25 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/081422ee-dd85-11dc-ad7e-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/081422ee-dd85-11dc-ad7e-0000779fd2ac.htmlObservers have been warning for some time that Brazil faces electricity shortages. The current government insists that rationing is not a threat. The industry thinks otherwiseSun, 17 Feb 2008 18:39 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7bf25f56-d802-11dc-98f7-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7bf25f56-d802-11dc-98f7-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe credit crunch that is exposing unsuspected fragility in markets around the world has yet to have any significant impact on Brazil. Companies cannot raise capital as easily as a year ago, but loan capital is still availableSun, 10 Feb 2008 19:02 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4053dab4-d2d6-11dc-8636-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4053dab4-d2d6-11dc-8636-0000779fd2ac.htmlIt should be a chance to jump at. The attempt by Vale, the Brazilian mining giant, to buy Xstrata, its Anglo-Swiss rival, would be a giant step in Vale's strategy to become a fully diversified global mining group Mon, 4 Feb 2008 04:31 GMT