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TLA TIMES | September 18, 2018

in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, TLA News

SNAPSHOT

Cell phone subscriptions per 100 people in Nicaragua.

EXCHANGE RATE
Figures from Sep.12 Source: www.xe.com

FUN IN THE SUN

You can scuba dive, relax or run a triathlon.
  
Just off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is the resort island of Cozumel. It is one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world. There are a number of resort hotels on the island, including the all-inclusive Occidental Cozumel. Among the Occidental’s offerings are seven restaurants, a pristine beach and a pool just for kids. The area will be host to a full Ironman Triathlon this November – if the whole sitting-on-the-beach thing doesn’t work for you. Details
PERU

Christians, soccer fans brawl over land next to stadium.

Talk about your unusual turf wars: a group of Christian fans of Alianza Lima went at each other recently in a land dispute, Reuters reports via Business Insider. The dispute centered over the parcel of land next to the soccer team’s stadium. Both sides claim ownership. The club has parking and storage facilities on the property. The religious group El Aposento Alto decided to take over the property and set up a church. Soccer fans fought back, using sticks. There were several arrests and at least one person was injured. A lawyer for the religious group told a TV station that the El Aposento Alto has papers showing it purchased the property. The soccer club say that is not true.  Details

BRAZIL

Amazon announces it will sell clothes on Brazilian site. 

Online retail giant Amazon says it will sell clothing -everything from flip flops to blue jeans to high-end fashion – on its Brazilian website, Reuters reports. The 300,000 clothing items that Amazon will offer will be through third-party vendors. The only product Amazon sells directly on its Brazilian site is books. Details

ARGENTINA

Argentina government asks IMF to speed up timetable on loans.

The Business Times reports that Argentina and the IMF are in talks to get funds from a $50 billion loan to the nation sooner than first promised. The Argentine government is facing mounting pressure and protests as the country’s currency falls on international exchange markets. The IMF, which agreed to the package in June, has provided Argentina with about $15 billion so far.  Details

MEXICO

Avocados not only make great dip, they can be turned to plastic.

Bioplastics, sustainable and biodegradable, are trending upward as environmentally conscious people look for a way to prevent bits of plastic from clogging up the oceans. A company located in the heart of Mexico’s avocado country, BIOFASE, is hoping to use avocados to make bioplastics, eco-business.com reports. Cost is the main hurdle, Scott Munguia, the company’s founder, tells the website.   Details

NGO blames corruption for deaths in Mexico City earthquake.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity, a nonprofit group, says that corruption is to blame for the deaths from the Mexico City earthquake last year. The groups says inspectors deemed many buildings safe that were not up to code. “Earthquakes don’t kill people. Corruption does,” a researcher from the group told the newspaper. The 7.1 magnitude quake struck last September, and 228 died in Mexico City. Details