Latin America

Sunday, August 5th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
UN food for victims of floods and deep freeze in S. America

United Nations is helping to provide emergency food to nearly 100,000 people after the worst floods in decades in Colombia and the coldest weather in 30 years in Peru brought even more misery to over 1 million of Latin America's most impoverished inhabitants
Friday, August 3rd 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chilean Congress approves free trade agreement with Japan

The Chilean Senate ratified this week the first free trade agreement with Japan and next week Chile is scheduled to begin a round of bilateral negotiations with Australia hoping to reach a similar free trade agreement.
Friday, August 3rd 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Bolivian peasants promised 30 million hectares of land

Bolivian president Evo Morales signed Thursday a decree which further advances his controversial “agrarian revolution” of expropriation of idle land to distribute among the aboriginal population and which is strongly resisted by business sectors.
Friday, August 3rd 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Leading Chilean bishop calls for improved income distribution

Chilean Episcopal Conference president Monsignor Alejandro Goic who played a leading mediation role in a labor conflict in the copper mines, said that one of the causes for labor strife are low salaries and suggested that the “minimum salary should really be converted into an ethical salary”.
Friday, August 3rd 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Latinamerica better prepared to face financial turbulences

Latinamerican economies are much better prepared than in the nineties to face financial turbulences, said on Friday Jose Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary for the United National Economic Committee for Latinamerica and the Caribbean, CEPAL.
Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Venezuela looking for oil offshore Cuba, 100 miles from the US

Venezuelan government oil company, PDVSA begins this week hydrocarbons exploration in six blocks offshore Cuba, 100 miles from the United States coast, with prospects of finding abundant light crude.
Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Panama becomes homeport for Royal Caribbean cruises

Panama and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. agreed this week to make Panama the starting point for some of its tour operations in a bid to boost the cruise operator's presence in the region and to attract more tourists to the Central American country.
Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chile's richest man leaves LAN and dreams of becoming president

Chilean billionaire and former presidential candidate Sebastian Piñera has resigned as director of airline LAN, less than a month after he was fined for buying shares in the company while in possession of privileged information.
Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Punta Arenas among three cities with lowest unemployment

During the second quarter of this year Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile is again the country's region with the lowest unemployment level, 2.8%, while Punta Arenas and Porvenir are among the three cities with less people out of jobs, according to the latest release from the Labor Statistics Office.
Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chilean Navy completes incorporation of four refurbished frigates

Chile's Minister of Defence officially received Wednesday morning in Valparaiso the former refurbished Dutch frigate now under the name of “Almirante Riveros”. With this incorporation the Chilean navy has completed its Puente II project to replace and renew four of its surface fleet units.