BANKING

China shores up Latin America ties

Chinese banking officials are learning Spanish and Portuguese as they look to Latin America with big plans for expanding bilateral trade.

Lan Airlines is `window shopping' for acquisitions

Lan Airlines, Latin America's biggest air carrier by market value, is ``window shopping'' for mergers and acquisitions as its Latin American passenger traffic recovers, Chief Operating Officer Ignacio Cueto said.

Colombia holds major export event in Miami

Blame it on Hugo Chávez: Colombia is rushing to boost sales to North America, now that political disputes with Venezuela have slashed hefty trade with its South American neighbor.

INTERNATIONAL BANKING

Economists: Worst is over

The worst of the Great Recession is over and Latin American economies are poised for better days in 2010, a Latin American bankers conference was told.

MEDIA

Univisión to show programs on YouTube

(AP) -- Univisión, the biggest Hispanic broadcaster in the United States, said Monday its shows will be coming to YouTube in the new year.

Sol Melia to gain from U.S. repeal of Cuba travel ban

Spanish hotelier Sol Melia will benefit over American rivals like Marriott International if a bill before in a U.S. House committee this week to end a 46-year travel ban to Cuba is enacted while a broader embargo is kept in place.

Oasis: World's largest ship arrives

On a brisk October morning amid the clink of champagne glasses, Richard D. Fain took ownership of the $1.4-billion Oasis of the Seas on the southwest coast of this nation where shipbuilding is a proud tradition.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Devoted army creates Oasis' grandeur

When I visited the Oasis of the Seas the day before she was delivered to Royal Caribbean International at the STX Europe shipyard

in Turku, Finland, the first thing that surprised me -- aside from the jaw-dropping size -- was the bustling crowd of Royal crew members who already were working like a colony of ants on the ship.

AIRLINES

British Airways and Iberia try to pool resources with merger

British Airways and Iberia are considering a controversial merger in order to cope with the slumping demand for air travel.

British Airways, Iberia agree to $7 billion merger

British Airways agreed to a $7 billion merger with Spanish carrier Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana, ending more than a year of talks on a tie-up aimed at fighting a slump in travel and closing the gap with competitors.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

At Coral Gables hotel, a taste of Tuscany

The flavors and fashions of Tuscany will be on display at a Coral Gables hotel next week.

ON THE HIGH SEAS

Wave of social media precedes world's largest cruise ship

With blogging CEOs and a daily video with the Oasis' captain at the helm, Royal Caribbean is sailing uncharted waters to tout the world's largest cruise ship.

COMMERCE

World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida

World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida

World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida

When Charlotte Gallogly was growing up, she often spent Saturdays at the library reading about, in her words, ``far away places with strange-sounding names.''

AMERICAS FOOD & BEVERAGE SHOW

Energy shots all the buzz at food show

Hoping that consumers will ditch coffee and traditional energy drinks for miniature power shots, more than a dozen beverage makers pushed this message at the 12th annual Americas Food & Beverage Show, being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center this week.

Forecasting the future for a stormy economy

Renowned economist David Wyss takes a look at current economic trends and what they mean for the future.

SEACARGO AMERICAS CONFERENCE

Slump in trade hits cargo carriers hard

International cargo lines may lose $20 billion this year as the poor economy leads to layoffs, route reductions and increased competition.

MONEY-LAUNDERING

Fraud suspect's home is on market

A Delray Beach home that belonged to fraud suspect Helmut Kiener is for sale by a Cayman Islands liquidator trying to repay investors.

TRADE

Cuban spending on U.S. food may decline

Cuba's government is estimated to spend less than $590 million on American food in 2009 -- down at least 32 percent from last year.