OPINION
November 27, 2009
Latin America's role Re "Lula takes risk with Ahmadinejad," Nov. 23 Yes, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's taking a risk meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- but Lula's not anybody's proxy, and with Latin America so often ignored, Brazil can decide with whom to meet without asking anyone's permission. Ahmadinejad's plan for a new global order to be formed with Africa and Latin America (Brazil and Venezuela in particular) could be bluster or could be serious.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 30, 1999
Re "A Stain Spreads Across Latin America," Commentary, April 25: Sergio Munoz sounds quixotic when it comes to solving the problem of criminality in Latin America. The real problem is not institutional weakness but poverty and unchecked population growth (too many beggars for the crumbs falling off the capitalists' tables). The Latin American countries can no longer sustain their population growths, but they continue to breed mindlessly out of superstition and ignorance. Open, democratic societies and the rule of law are abstractions.
WORLD
November 15, 2013 | By Carol J. Williams
The amount of money U.S. immigrants send to their families in Latin America has more than doubled since 2000, and the cash flow home -- except to Mexico -- has recovered from a considerable drop during the Great Recession, a 13-year survey of remittance trends shows. For years, remittances have far outpaced foreign aid in helping lift people out of poverty in Latin America, the study released Friday by Pew Research Center notes. In 2011, remittances totaled $53.1 billion, more than eight times the amount of official aid, the report says.
WORLD
February 11, 2013 | By Carol J. Williams
Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign has rekindled debate within the Catholic Church and worldwide speculation about the possibility that the church will reach beyond the European clergy who have long held power in the Vatican to choose the next pope. With an eye to vibrant Catholic communities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, the Sacred College of Cardinals may weigh the pros and cons of selecting the next pope from another continent. Here are cardinals believed to be possible choices: Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana is an African prelate seen as a top contender, and at 64 would be better positioned than older candidates to carry on the doctrine of John Paul II and Benedict XVI through what could be a time of growing Catholic influence in the developing world.
TRAVEL
March 21, 2010 | By Avital Binshtock
MEDITERRANEAN Sites of holy, secular past Sail away on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise that charts a course to ancient towns, historical ruins and important shrines, including a Turkish site reputed to be the former home of the Virgin Mary. In Istanbul, see the imposing Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Accommodations are aboard the 500-cabin Costa Serena, which has five restaurants, 13 bars and four swimming pools. Itinerary: Venice, to Bari, Italy, Olympia, Greece; Izmir and Istanbul in Turkey; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and back to Venice.
BUSINESS
July 6, 2011 | By Ben Fritz, Los Angeles Times
Expanding its reach from two countries to the entire Western Hemisphere, Netflix Inc. will launch its successful online film and television subscription service across Latin America in a bid to maintain its sky-high subscriber growth and stock price. The Los Gatos, Calif., company, which boasts more than 23.6 million subscribers and has become the nation's No. 1 movie rental provider, announced Tuesday that this year it will expand into 43 countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean but not Cuba.