Latin America

• Saturday, January 16th 2010 - 15:43 UTC

  Haiti: World Food Program estimates it must feed one million survivors

  

  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appealing to the international community for 550 million US dollar to meet Haitian earthquake victims' most urgent needs. Some three million people have been affected by the quake and Red Cross officials estimate the death toll at 45,000 to 50,000. Right now, the most important priority is to get water, food and tents to the survivors.

• Saturday, January 16th 2010 - 15:38 UTC

  Chilean team rescue 23 survivors from the rubble of Haiti’s main hotel

  

  Rescuers dug out 23 survivors out of the rubble of the biggest hotel in Haiti's capital, which collapsed in this week's quake, the head of a Chilean team at the site said Friday.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 11:17 UTC

  Surviving Haitians desperate while disorganized relief efforts trickle

  

  The Red Cross estimates 45,000-50,000 people have died in Haiti's devastating earthquake, as rescue teams race against time to find survivors. The US is sending up to 3,500 troops and 2,200 marines but correspondents say aid is so far only trickling in.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:40 UTC

  Haiti sits on two seismic fault lines and a major disaster was expected

  

  Seismologists have known for years that a devastating earthquake was likely to hit Haiti. They just did not know when. Although Tuesday’s devastation was wreaked by the most severe quake to hit Port-au-Prince since 1751, the island has been the victim of major seismic activity several times since.

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 06:11 UTC

  Chavez cancels energy rationing in Caracas; sacks electricity minister

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez cancelled energy rationing in Caracas after a chaotic first day of staggered blackouts angered his supporters, but the measures will continue across the country.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:16 UTC

  Haiti with no relief for thousands of injured and buried in the rubble

  

  Haitian President Rene Preval has said thousands of people are feared dead following a huge quake which has devastated the country's capital. Mr Preval said the UN mission chief in Haiti was among the dead. It said at least 14 other UN staff had died and 56 were injured.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 09:55 UTC

  Uruguay with the fourth highest inflation in the region last year

  

  Uruguay’s inflation in 2009 was on target, 5.9%, but nevertheless it was the highest in Latinamerica behind Venezuela, Jamaica and Argentina, according to data from Uruguay’s central bank. Overall the global slowdown impacted on the region with lower inflation rates.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 04:51 UTC

  Chilean maverick candidate will vote to impede Piñera becoming president

  

  With only four days left for the Chilean presidential election run-off next Sunday the former independent hopeful Marco Enriquez-Ominami, MEO, publicly announced his support for incumbent candidate Eduardo Frei, although not mentioning his name once.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 03:03 UTC

  Toxic red tide emergency in Punta Arenas: ban on all sea food

  

  Chilean Health Minister Alvaro Erazo arrived this week in Punta Arenas, extreme south of the country to head an emergency meeting with local officials given the extent of the “toxic red tide” which can be lethal for humans but also threatens the whole sea-food industry along the Magellan Strait coastline.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 02:57 UTC

  Piñera leads with a slight margin in Chile’s presidential run-off next Sunday

  

  Chilean opposition conservative candidate Sebastián Piñera is poised to win, albeit by a slight margin, on next Sunday’s (Jan. 17) presidential run-off with the incumbent candidate former president Eduardo Frei, according to the latest public opinion poll released Wednesday in Santiago.