October 1, 2006        www.LatinEPR.com          LatinEPR News Wire

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LATIN AMERICA NEWS BRIEFS

 

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

 

Microsoft Introduces  Windows Program in Quechua

 

(Reuters) - Microsoft has launched a version of its software in the Incan language of Quechua, boosting Bolivian President Evo Morales' quest to promote Bolivia's native tongues.  Some 200 people, many of them Quechuan Indians clad in ponchos, joined local Microsoft executives to unveil the version of the Windows operating system and Office software in Bolivia's constitutional capital.  "Open" is replaced by "Kichay" and "Save" by "Waqaychay" in the version in Quechua -- a language spoken by more than 2.5 million people in Bolivia, and some 10 million throughout South America.  Since taking power in January, Morales, an Aymara Indian, has sought to promote Indian culture and end discrimination against indigenous peoples in South America's poorest country.  Government officials said they were excited about the new software but concerned it could be costly for many in Bolivia's poor indigenous majority.  Windows and Office In Quechua can be downloaded free from the Internet, but only by those who already own licensed versions of the software packages.  However, Microsoft is not alone in recognizing the importance of one of the world’s oldest living languages.  Google Inc. currently offers a localized search engine in Quechua as well.

 

Study: LatAm Mobile Telephony Penetration Reaches 70%

 

Citing a recent study by consultancy Latin Panel, Argentine newspaper La Nación recently reported that mobile telephony penetration in Latin America has reached 70%.  Colombia leads the ranking with 90%, followed by Venezuela (89%), Chile (87%) and Bolivia (82%). Argentina has a level of penetration of 63%.  However, these finding seem to conflict with a report published by 3G Americas earlier in 2006, which ranks Chile highest in mobile phone penetration with 74%, followed by Argentina (68%) and then Colombia (66%).  The Latin Panel study also states that nearly 30% of the Latin American population has a PC, Costa Rica having the highest rate of PC adoption of any nation in the region.

 

TRAVEL

 

Update: Andean Passports Will Come in 2007

 

The Community of Andean Nations (CAN) is intent on introducing a new passport in 2007 that will allow citizens of the four member countries Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to travel freely within the community's borders, reported LivinginPeru.com this past month.  According to the online daily, an additional benefit of the proposed passport is the recognition of diplomas and titles, signifying not only hassel-free travel within the region but also increased work opportunities. Another CAN initiative being discussed affects the sport of soccer, in so far as it would enable soccer players born in one of the member countries to play for any club without occupying limited team roster spots usually reserved for foreigners.

 

Air France-KLM Targets Latin America for Winter Season 2006/07

 

Air France-KLM Group, Europe’s biggest airline, has announced an overall increase of 3% in long-haul flight capacity for the upcoming 2006/07 winter season (October-March), with seating expanding up to 9.5% on Latin American flights – more than any other region.  Second-highest increase for long-haul flights is Asia with 6.1%, followed by Africa and the Middle East (2.1).

 

Buenos Aires Airport First to Feature On-Site Fear of Flight Clinic

 

Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbury Airport recently became the first airport in the world to offer a permanent on-site fear of flight center.  Covered last month in the Washington Post, this new licensed psychiatric clinic called Poder Volar (Able to Fly) offers consultation to walk-in passengers 12 hours a day on weekdays, with restricted hours and on-call professionals on weekends and holidays.  These emergency and brief counseling sessions focus on everything from relaxation techniques to airline safety statistics.  However, the center also emphasizes the importance of long-term treatment in more serious cases by providing regular individual and group classes.  In addition, the center helps passengers by giving them color-coded pins to wear onboard the plane, alerting the flight staff to the level of their anxiety.  It should come as no surprise that such a center should find its first home in Argentina, considering the popularity of psychotherapy in that country.  One in 600 persons there is a psychotherapist, the highest proportion for any nation in the world.  The U.S. figure is one in 2000.

 

Disney Resorts Target Latin American Visitors

 

Starting November, Disney is launching a multi-million dollar campaign to attract a growing Latin American market to its resorts and theme parks, reported America Economia this past month.  It seems that one of the first steps in this campaign will be sending actors who portray beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Snow White, and Cinderella to take Spanish lessons.

 

Panama: Visitor Spending Increases 17.5%

 

Visitors to Panama spent US$533.2 million between January and July of 2006, according to the country’s Office of Public Affairs.  The total indicates a 17.5% increase over the same period the previous year.  Visitor numbers grew as well, rising 13.3% over 2005 to reach 654,000.  Cruiseliners brought an additional 680,000 passengers to Panama’s ports.

 

Dominican Republic Explores Russian Market with Year-Round Charter Flights

 

Dominican Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez has entered discussion with Russian tourism representatives to establish year-round charter flights between Punta Cana and Moscow, reports Dominican Today.   According to the Dominican tourism ministry, Russian and Ukranian markets have doubled since 2005, and by August of this year, the Dominican Republic had already received over 24,000 visitors from those nations. 

 

ECONOMY AND POLITICS

 

 

Mexico Welcomes New President-Elect

 

Earlier this September, conservative candidate Felipe Calderon became Mexico’s new president-elect, following a unanimous ruling in his favor by the country’s electoral courts on charges of voter fraud.  The decision ends two months of controversy and national unrest.  Now, Calderon, who officially takes office on December 1, 2006, faces several important tasks, including reaching a migration agreement with the US, adressing the US Senate’s border wall plan, taking a hard line on domestic crime, and mending strained relations with new Mercosur member Venezuela.

 

Pay Hikes: Paraguay vs Argentina

 

(Latin Business Chronicle) – Employees in Paraguay will see Latin America's highest real pay raise next year, while their counterparts in Argentina will see the least change, according to a worldwide survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.  The survey looked at 70 countries worldwide, including nine in Latin America. Mercer compared projected pay raises with the forecasted inflation rates for 2007, producing the real pay increase or decrease.  Mercer said in a statement that pay rises in some Central and South American countries are forecast to be among the highest in the world. However, most of these increases will be offset by high inflation rates.  Real wages for Argentina and Venezuela, which are expected to boost salaries next year by 11.8 and 17.4 percent, respectively, will be particularly minimal, as both nations also have the worst inflation rates in Latin America.  In the case of Argentina, the 11.8% pay raise is offset by 11.4% inflation, resulting in a 0.4% real wage increase (Mercer uses IMF inflation forecasts from April – recent forecasts from the IMF show generally lower inflation rates for Latin America).  Contrarily, Paraguay will see a 10.8% pay raise, which minus a 4.9% inflation rate, results in a real pay raise of 5.9%.  Based on these calculations, Paraguay’s employees will be enjoying one of the highest real raises in the world next year, second only to Latvia.

 

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL

 

WWF Climate Change Report Forecast Major Economic Impact

 

The WWF, in support with some of the UK’s largest environmental groups, has published a recent report, which catalogues the impact of climate change and environmental degradation in Latin America, and confirms that largely regular and predictable temperature and rainfall patterns are changing, becoming less predictable and often more extreme. Called Up in Smoke? Latin America and the Caribbean, the report claims that climate changes are being felt across Latin America, from drought to floods, and vanishing glaciers to hurricanes.  “Across the region the capacity of natural ecosystems to act as buffers against extreme weather events is being undermined, leaving people more vulnerable." says Giulio Volpi, WWF’s Climate Change Coordinator for Latin America.  Consequently, climate changes are forecasted to have major economic impacts on fisheries, coral reefs, tourism, water availability and agriculture, and to increase the impacts of already serious chronic malnutrition affecting a large sector of the Latin American population.  "Global warming is already affecting Latin America and the Caribbean, threatening disastrous impacts on nature and people, particularly on poor communities," adds Volpi. "Latin American leaders must do their fair share to fight climate change."  In particular, the report calls on Latin American governments to prevent climate altering emissions by committing to a solid set of policies to reduce climate vulnerability in the short, medium and long-terms, as well as launch an ambitious climate change initiative boosting both energy efficiency and renewable energy and halting deforestation, to meet energy, environmental and climate security. But the report also emphasizes the role European emissions play in Latin America’s current situation, and urges the EU to take responsibility.

 

Hispanic Heritage Month in Full Swing

 

September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, a celebration of the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.  Since Lyndon B. Johnson first proclaimed National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, the observance has been extended to a month, highlighted by culture, food, and music festivals across the country.  Even major sport entities like the NFL are joining in the celebration, with specially organized activities during this month’s scheduled football games, as well as promotional spots on Spanish-language television.  The New York Mets, which already run a fully bilingual newsletter and bilingual messages during games, are celebrating their local Hispanic fanbase with a special Spanish-language video vignette broadcast on English-language television.

 

Ecuador Bids Farewell to Oldest Living Person

 

Guayaquil – the world's oldest person, according to the Guiness World Records, recently passed away in Ecuador.  116-year-old Maria Esther de Capovilla was less than one month away from her next birthday before she died of complications from pneumonia.  She leaves behind five children, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.  Incidentally, Emiliano Mercado Del Toro of Puerto Rico retains the title as oldest living man. He turned 115 this past August.

 

Colombian Women Call Sex Strike to End Violence

 

This past September, women in the violence-plagued city of Pereira, Colombia, went on a sex strike, in an effort to discourage their husbands and boyfriends from engaging in criminal behavior.  Such a strategy has been around since the ancient Greeks fought in the Peloponnesian Wars, but has since only had minimal effects.  The women of Pereira are calling their movement the Huelga de las Piernas Crusadas – the Strike of the Crossed Legs.  It has yet to prove a permanent success, but the strike is being hailed by the media as well as the Pereira police force.

 

7th Annual Great Amazon River Raft Race Concludes in Iquitos

 

Last week, 22 teams from seven countries covered 133 miles of the Amazon over the course of three days, using primitive rafts, as part of the 7th annual Great Amazon River Raft Race.  Before landing in Iquitos, teams spent 10 hours a day paddling balsa-log platforms through the expansive river.  Naturally, the race was dominated by Peruvian participants, who finished hours ahead of their foreign competitors.  The overall winner came from a nearby village and  completed the race in a cumulative time of 13 hours and 17 minutes.  The best foreign finish was a team from Seattle.  Other competitors came to Peru from Ireland, South Africa, the US, Australia, and Russia.