Latin America

DOE Secretary Chu signs Memorandum of Cooperation with Chilean energy minister Tokman

June 23, 2009 -- Washington, DC – The Department of Energy announced today that U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Minister Marcelo Tokman of the Chilean National Energy Commission signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to further collaboration between the two nations on a series of energy issues. The Memorandum establishes an institutional framework between Chile and the United States that will facilitate a broader range of cooperation and exchange activities, including U.S. technical expertise to support operations for Chile’s new Renewable Energy Center.    » read more »

Project is Chevron's First Major Upstream Development in Brazil

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 23, 2009 - Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) announced today that its subsidiary Chevron Brasil Upstream Frade Ltda. has commenced crude oil production from the Frade Field, the company's first operated deepwater development in Brazil.

The estimated $3 billion project, with continuing development drilling, is expected to achieve peak production of 90,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day in 2011.
Frade

This schematic drawing depicts the Frade subsea system. Oil from the field is produced through a floating production storate and offloading vessel (FPSO). The crude is stored in the FPSO and offloaded to crude oil tankers.    » read more »

Tata Consultancy Services expands its presence in Mexico with the global delivery centre opening in Queretaro

June 18, 2009 -- Queretaro, Mexico and Mumbai, India: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: TCS.BO, NSE: TCS.N), a leading global IT services and consulting firm, today announced the opening of its third global delivery centre in Queretaro . This represents a key milestone in the company’s expansion across Latin America and its Global Network Delivery ModelTM, recognised as the benchmark of excellence in software development.    » read more »

Will Supply 250 Subsea Wellhead Systems for Brazil Offshore Drilling Projects; Industry-Wide, Three-Year Frame Agreement Largest Ever Wellhead Contract Awarded to Date

RIO DE JANIERO -- June 8, 2009-- GE Oil & Gas announced today that its drilling & production business has been awarded a three-year frame agreement valued at more than $250 million to supply 250 VetcoGray subsea wellhead systems to Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) of Brazil, an integrated oil and gas company. In terms of number of wellheads, this is the largest contract awarded to date in the industry.

The advanced wellheads will be manufactured in the GE Oil & Gas Jandira plant in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the first unit due for delivery in July 2009.    » read more »

Couple Allegedly Conspired to Provide Classified Information to Cuban Government

June 5, 2009 -- A former State Department official and his wife have been arrested on charges of serving as illegal agents of the Cuban government for nearly 30 years and conspiring to provide classified U.S. information to the Cuban government.

The arrests were announced today by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Ambassador Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.    » read more »

Statement of Worldwatch Senior Researcher Danielle Nierenberg to Mexican Congress

June 3, 2009 --
Washington, D.C. -- As health officials scramble to develop a vaccine for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, there is reason to believe that the current swell is merely a sign of the larger pandemic to come. We should regard the current outbreak of H1N1 as a bad dress rehearsal for opening night. It is not a question of whether the virus will reemerge, but when, and we are woefully unprepared.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today released the following statement on the Organization of American States General Assembly’s resolution on Cuba:

“This weak resolution undermines the OAS’s foundation by only paying lip service to the principles upon which the Democratic Charter stands. It allows for loose interpretation of what should be a clear set of fundamental democratic principles and standards regarding human rights, and we are already seeing this interpretation play out.    » read more »

Jun. 03, 2009 - Total announced the discovery of a significant gas condensate field in the Niscota block of the Andes foothills, 300 kilometres north east of Bogota, Colombia. Total owns a 50% interest in the block, alongside partners Talisman Energy Inc. (30%) and Hocol (operator, 20%).

The exploration well, Huron-1, drilled a prospect to a depth of approximately 5,500 metres in a heavily faulted area, and encountered several reservoirs, one of which was tested at 3,400 barrels per day of gas condensate, and the others are still to be tested.

The appraisal of the Huron-1 structure is underway with the start of a 3D seismic campaign aiming to precisely define the importance of this discovery and to locate the future appraisal wells.    » read more »

NEW YORK--Jun. 2, 2009-- American International Group, Inc. (AIG) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell 100 percent of its shares in its consumer finance operations in Argentina, consisting of Compañía Financiera Argentina S.A. (CFA), Cobranzas y Servicios S.A. and AIG Universal Processing Center S.A., to Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires S.A. and an investment group arranged by Grupo Pegasus. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including approvals by the Argentine Central Bank and the Argentine National Commission for the Defense of Competition.    » read more »

Executive will lead 10 Markets; more than 325,000 Associates

BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 26, 2009 – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., today announced that Vicente Trius, Executive Vice President, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Asia, has been named Executive Vice President, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Latin America.

Trius led the Wal-Mart Asia operation for the past year, during which time he supervised the opening of more than 40 new stores in China, the introduction of Every Day Low Pricing to Japan through the company’s Seiyu unit and continued progress with that unit’s turnaround, as well as the completion of the company’s first distribution center in India, and the anticipated opening of its first wholesale cash and carry facility there during the second quarter of 2009.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar joined 16 other Republican and Democratic Senators on a bill introduced yesterday easing U.S. trade restrictions to Cuba, the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009, S. 1089. The bill would help U.S. farmers and ranchers export their products to Cuba by allowing timely and direct cash payments for agricultural goods.

The bill also requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Additionally, the bill lifts the current travel ban, allowing U.S. citizens and legal residents to travel to Cuba, and it eases restrictions on exports of medicines and medical devices.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) joined a bipartisan group of fifteen Senators to introduce legislation easing travel and trade restrictions on Cuba.

"I have long said that trade with Cuba is an opportunity the United States cannot ignore," Senator Roberts said. "It is in the best economic and national security interests of the United States."

Many of the provisions in the bill, S. 1089, the "Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009," are similar to legislation Senator Roberts has supported in the past including:    » read more »

Opening Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley; Hearing, the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement

May 21, 2009 -- "I’ll begin by thanking the chairman for his leadership in scheduling today’s hearing on the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. I also thank our witnesses for being here, and in particular, I want to extend a special welcome to Mr. Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa, and the president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council.    » read more »

April 16, 2009 -- On April 16, President Obama made his first trip to Mexico and his first to Latin America to highlight and reinforce the United States’ commitment to work with Mexico on a broad range of issues, in particular on meeting our shared security challenges. The United States and Mexico are committed to a new approach in our bilateral relationship based on comprehensive engagement and shared responsibility. The President discussed with President Calderon a number of important steps the United States intends to take to deepen the cooperation we have with Mexico as our neighbor and partner.

Security    » read more »

April 16, 2009 -- President Obama and President Calderon today announced plans to strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation by establishing the US-Mexico Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change. During their first conversation in January 2009, then President-elect Obama and President Calderon discussed the need for joint efforts to reach our common goal of achieving a low carbon future and a clean energy economy. This framework builds on that discussion.    » read more »