Last year was a great year for Chilean wine exports. Despite the drop in wine exports that followed the 2008 financial crisis, in 2010 the wine industry reported sales of 1.5 billion US dollars, a 12.4% increase over 2009.
The III South America/Arab (Aspa) countries leaders’ summit scheduled for mid February in Peru has been postponed announced in Cairo the Deputy Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Heli.
A former president, an ex mayor and the daughter of an ousted president lead the public opinion polls for Peru’s presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for April 10th.
President Sebastian Piñera described Antarctica as the continent of the future and confirmed Chile’s commitment to the values of peace and environment conservation represented by the southern pole mass.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated Wednesday his twelfth anniversary in power saying he is ready to battle for six more years in elections next year. Chavez said in a televised speech that the battle has begun for his 2012 re-election.
Spain’s Cervantes Institute to promote Spanish language and culture is marking its 20th anniversary with more than 6,500 activities at the 77 centres is has opened in 44 countries and among this year’s plans is the inauguration of a centre in Gibraltar.
Venezuela holds 297 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, most of it in tar sands but sufficient to be ahead of Saudi Arabia considered by world experts the number one country in reserves.
The Republic of Suriname on Tuesday became the latest South American country to officially recognize a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, Palestinian Authority Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Al-Malki said.
Switzerland has moved to confiscate frozen assets linked to former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. The Swiss cabinet asked Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf to begin proceedings to seize around 6.2 million US dollars that has been frozen in Swiss bank accounts since 1986, with a view to returning the funds to the Haitian people.
A Mexican brewery has launched the first beer targeted to the gay community with a slight honey flavour and with plans to market the product in Mexico, Colombia and Japan among other interested countries.