Latin America

• Wednesday, September 12th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner, Uribe and Calderon, region's most popular leaders

  

  Argentina's president Nestor Kirchner together with the presidents of Colombia Alvaro Uribe and Mexico's Felipe Calderon rank as the top of the list of Latinamerican leaders in performance support according to Consulta Mitofsky a respected Mexican public opinion consultant.

• Wednesday, September 12th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile heading for 10.000 US dollars GDP per capita

  

  Chile is slated to become the first country in Latin America to reach a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 10.000 US dollars per capita, according to a recent report by Columbia University's Economist Intelligence Unit.

• Wednesday, September 12th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Visa and “economic solvency” for US citizens visiting Bolivia

  

  Bolivia confirmed this week it will require visas for Unite States tourists beginning December 1, following through on a pledge to treat visiting US citizens much like they treat Bolivians entering the United States.

• Wednesday, September 12th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Policeman shot dead and riots on Pinochet coup anniversary

  

  One police officer was killed and 41 people injured in Chile's capital Santiago when hundreds of protesters battled with riot police through the night on the anniversary of the September 11, 1973 military coup. The Chilean government reported on Wednesday that 216 people were arrested.

• Tuesday, September 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Rate of melting glaciers has doubled in ten years

  

  Scientists from the Center of Scientific Studies of Valdivia (CECS) said this week that Chile's glaciers are melting at twice the speed observed just ten years ago. The scientists, who recently participated in a specially called international forum on glaciers, also warned that this trend could have devastating ramifications due to current plans to construct hydroelectric dams around Chile.

• Tuesday, September 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Oil corporations and Bolivia agree on investment program

  

  Bolivia announced this week foreign energy corporations have promised to invest more than 580 million US dollars in 2007, about three times more than last year. The announcement comes a month after President Evo Morales threatened the industry with ignoring contracts if they were not committed to investing in Bolivia.

• Tuesday, September 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Russian Foreign Affairs minister on South American tour

  

  Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov and a delegation of businessmen arrived Tuesday in Peru for an official one day visit to hold talks with President Alan García and sign several cooperation agreements.

• Monday, September 10th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Guatemala Needs Electoral Runoff

  

  A center-left businessman and a conservative former general face a November runoff for Guatemala's presidency, according to election returns Monday that showed a Nobel Peace Prize winner finishing a distant sixth.

• Saturday, September 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Guatemala ready for Sunday Presidential Election

  

  In spite of violence that claimed some 50 lives, officials in Guatemala say they are prepared to carry out an efficient and secure electoral process on Sunday when voters go to the polls to elect a new president.

• Friday, September 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  President Bachelet discusses Free Trade in Australia

  

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met Thursday with Australian Prime Minister John Howard to discuss further rounds of negotiations concerning an eventual Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.