201810.23
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TLA Times | October 23, 2018

in Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, TLA News

SNAPSHOT

Cellphone subscriptions per 100 people in Honduras.
 

 

 

 

 

Source: data.worldbank.org

EXCHANGE RATE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Figures from Oct. 19 Source: www.xe.com

FUN IN THE SUN

Ride the wild surf at Montanita, Ecuador.
  
With waves consistently between 3- and 7-feet high, Montanita has been a popular surfing spot for decades. It became a destination, though an out-of-the-way one, in the late 1960s when American hippies discovered it. The area is popular with not only Americans, but surfers from all over the world. Montanita has retained some its rustic charm, but the area has grown enough to support resorts such as the Samai Ocean Lodge and Spa, which offers ocean views and “healing services.” Details
BOLIVIA

Bolivia sees potential for lithium extraction from salt flats.

Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat and has been used for scenes in the Star Wars series. It has the potential to make Bolivia “the Saudi Arabia of lithium,” ABC News reports. Lithium is the key ingredient for high-tech batteries, and demand is growing. The government plans to open a processing plant next year but is giving assurances that this will have little effect on Salar de Uyuni. Details

PERU

Officials from Singapore, Peru sign Open Skies deal. 

Peru and Singapore have reached a deal that will allow the flight of unlimited passengers and cargo between the two countries and to third parties, The Straits Times reports. Singapore has more than 70 Open Skies agreements. “The agreement will open up new opportunities for our carriers and enable greater connectivity for people and goods,’’ an official with the Singapore Transportation Ministry tells The Straits Times.  Details

CUBA

Havana to play host to Latin American-Russia conference.

Tass, the Russian news agency, reports that Havana will be the site of a conference about Russian and Latin American business. The is the second such conference. The first took place in Uruguay in 2016. “The development of cooperation with the countries of the Latin American region remains a priority for Russia. Such business events always draw remarkable attention of our Cuban colleagues and partners,’’ Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the president of the Russian Federation, says. Details

MEXICO

State-owned oil company announces 180-million barrel find.

Business Insider reports that Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, says it has discovered 180 million barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. This may reverse Mexico’s declining oil production, which started in 2004. The company will need to invest $7 billion to $10 billion. Since 2013, Pemex has sought to bring other companies into Mexican oil production. Details

Fibra Inn buys beach-front land on  Playa del Carmen.

Fibra Inn, a Mexico-based real estate fund that concentrates on the hotel industry, has entered a deal with a New York-based fund to buy a tract of beach-front property on Playa del Carmen and plans to build a 250- to 270-room hotel, the company reported in a press release via Market Watch. The total cost of the deal was $ 17 million, which includes permits. Fibra Inn’s share is 29.4 percent. Construction is scheduled to begin within a year. Details