Stories for May 18th 2013

Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 06:57 UTC
Maduro admits to knowing “the IDs and all” of the 900.000 Chavistas who did not vote for him

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro admitted to knowing ‘with IDs and all’ who are the 900.000 Chavistas who crossed lines and did not vote for him in the 14 April election which anointed him as the successor of deceased Hugo Chavez.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 06:53 UTC
Venezuelan oil monopoly in joint ventures with Chevron and China Petroleum

PDVSA, Venezuela’s government oil and gas giant will allow joint ventures with China National Petroleum Corp. and Chevron Corp. to manage 6 billion dollars in loans designed to revert oil output declines, said a PDVSA official.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 06:29 UTC
Economic activity in Argentina expanded 2.6% during March, says Indec

Argentina's economic activity expanded 2.6% in March from a year earlier and 0.7% over February, the national statistics institute Indec said on Friday. Accumulated growth in the 12 months through March was 1.3%, down from 1.9% in full-year 2012.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 06:21 UTC
Argentine Antarctic campaigns disarray and corruption claims turn off recruiting

Argentina’s Antarctica campaigns are losing their flair and the country is having difficulties to fill vacancies for the 2013/14 season. This follows repeated claims of alleged corruption and delays in supplying the bases and stations plus an overall lack of support from the Defence ministry.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 03:35 UTC
“Blue” dollar in Argentina picks up in last day of trading and reaches 8.95 Pesos

In the last business day of the week in Buenos Aires, the parallel market or ‘blue’ dollar rose to 8.95 Pesos (selling price) after its declining tendency during the week, while the official rate ended steady at exchange houses at 5.245 Pesos (selling price). The gap between the two markets stands at over 70%.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 03:30 UTC
Argentina forces cancellation of all Lan flights by suspending ground services

LAN Chile halted on Friday all its flights in Argentina until Saturday morning after the state company Intercargo which provides ground support for the airline, unilaterally decided to cancel the service despite court orders to the contrary.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 03:04 UTC
Chile confirms its commitment to the cruise industry at the Convention in Valaparaiso

Chilean officials, led by Felix de Vicente Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, joined senior cruise line executives, port and destination leaders, tour operators, travel agents and suppliers for a robust Seatrade Latin America Cruise Convention in Valparaiso, Chile.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 03:01 UTC
Argentina, Brazil and the US form alliance of corn producers: Maizall

Corn groups from the US, Argentina and Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding this week to form an international alliance of corn producers, collectively called MAIZALL.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 01:11 UTC
UK attends with 28 companies the largest healthcare exhibition in Sao Paulo

UK Government Minister Ken Clarke is leading the UK's largest ever Healthcare Technology and Life Sciences delegation to Brazil. Twenty eight companies will travel to Sao Paulo to attend Hospitalar (21 – 24 May), the largest healthcare exhibition in South America, which is expecting to attract around 90,000 visitors – as well as taking part in the trade mission.
Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 00:56 UTC
Chile investigates alleged case of blast-fishing close to a major Humboldt rookery

The bodies of sea lions, cormorants and penguins were discovered on Sunday littering a seven mile stretch of beach in Punta de Choros, northern Chile, is the proximity of the Humboldt Penguin Nature Reserve. Fisheries officials and police are investigating since there are serious suspicions that the deaths were caused by local fishermen using explosives to increase catches.