Latin America

• Friday, January 8th 2010 - 05:59 UTC

  Chilean bottled wine sales soar 60% in November; UK and US main markets

  

  Confidence is high among Chilean winemakers with information released this week showing a 60% increase in exports for November 2009, compared to the same month in 2008.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:24 UTC

  Beaches in south Chile closed because of swarms of jelly fish

  

  Beaches near the city of Osorno in southern Chile have closed due to swarms of jellyfish populating the shores. At least 40 people have reported being stung by the tiny jellyfish. According to health reports, the stings produce a painful skin inflammation.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:10 UTC

  Conflicting views about Chilean Patagonia tourism prospects for this season

  

  Magallanes region in the extreme south of Chile received in the twelve months of 2009 an estimated 600.000 tourists which is almost the same number than in 2008, according to primary data from Chile’s Tourism Office, Sernatur.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:00 UTC

  Honduras Micheletti refuses to resign and tells the US he will stay on until Jan 27

  

  Honduras de facto leader Roberto Micheletti responded harshly to US suggestions that he resign weeks before a new president takes office on January 27.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:51 UTC

  Latest data show Chilean economy rebounding from recession

  

  Chile’s economic activity index, the IMACEC, rose a bigger-than-expected 3.1% in November from a year earlier, the central bank announced this week, the first monthly increase in a year. The market expected the economy of the world's top copper producer to expand by 2.5%, according to a median forecast from a Reuters’ survey.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:47 UTC

  Puerto Madryn cruise industry faces bleak future

  

  Puerto Madryn in Argentine Patagonia expects a considerable fall in the number of cruise calls following Norwegian Cruise Lines decision to stop operating in the Valparaíso/Buenos Aires tour in the next 2010/2011 season.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 08:55 UTC

  Busted with salmon farming, Chilean community tries marine tourism

  

  Quellón, a small Chiloé Island community in the south of Chile that once was entirely dedicated to the salmon industry, is hoping growing interest in marine tourism will bring the local economy back to life. The bottom fell out of Quellón’s economy last year when the salmon industry went under, leaving half the community out of work.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 13:11 UTC

  Chile’s presidential January 17 run-off in its decisive leg

  

  On Sunday evening Chile’s two presidential hopefuls – billionaire businessman Sebastian Piñera and Senator Eduardo Frei – began airing five-minute TV spots designed to win votes for the January 17 run-off presidential election. The spots will run through January 14.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 13:00 UTC

  Dakar rally considered a “gold mine” for northern Chile tourism industry

  

  The Dakar Rally that began in the Southern Cone on New Year’s Day has some people applauding, but others not so happy. The Dakar Rally is divided between Argentina and Chile and includes eight days of racing in Chile before concluding January 16 in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:37 UTC

  Chile: Final Mistake

  

  The Concertación’s leaders don’t understand the country they helped create.
  By Andrés Allamand