Latin America

• Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:52 UTC

  Kirchner praises Chilean Senate approval of Unasur Constitutive Treaty

  

  Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Secretary-General, Néstor Kirchner, celebrated the Chilean Senate's approval of the regional organization's Constitutive Treaty and highlighted the “compromise” of Chile with the “unity of South America.”

• Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:50 UTC

  Chile’s Catholic willing to help negotiate in Mapuche hunger strike

  

  The Chilean Catholic Church has agreed to help negotiate an end to nearly two-month long hunger strike by indigenous Mapuche prisoners, following an assistance request earlier this week from President Sebastián Piñera

• Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:47 UTC

  Fidel Castro’s “no but yes”: comments on Cuban model were “misinterpreted”

  

  Fidel Castro said his recent comment that communist-led Cuba's economic model does not work was misunderstood, and that what he really meant was capitalism does not work.

• Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:43 UTC

  Mercosur and Unasur “more effective” for South America than OAS

  

  Mercosur and Unasur (Union of South American Nations) can be “more effective” than OAS (Organization of American States) in addressing issues of South American countries, said Brazilian Foreign Secretary Celso Amorim currently in Switzerland for a conference on international security.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 04:20 UTC

  Chilean top farm lobbyist offered position as ambassador to China

  

  Luis Schmidt, former president of the National Society of Agriculture (SNA) and the Chilean Fruit Growers Association (Fedefruta), has been offered the position of the Chilean Ambassador to China.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 02:33 UTC

  Venezuela food prices drop in August ahead of crucial congressional election

  

  Venezuela reported the slowest monthly inflation of the year in August after the government moved to tackle sporadic food shortages by importing more goods ahead of the September 26 congressional elections.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 02:31 UTC

  Chilean Senate approves Unasur charter with two caveats

  

  The Chilean Senate finally approved the Union of South American Nations, (Unasaur) creation charter thus ending the legislative chapter. The bill now goes to the Executive for its promulgation.

• Thursday, September 9th 2010 - 05:42 UTC

  Strong showing of Chilean economy anticipates 5.5% GDP expansion in 2010

  

  The recent 7.1% spurt in Chile’s economic growth registered by the Imacec index (a monthly indicator for economic activity) has made analysts increasingly bullish about Chile’s long-term growth prospects.

• Thursday, September 9th 2010 - 02:35 UTC

  Latin America and the Caribbean the most unequal region in the world

  

  Latin America and the Caribbean is the most unequal region in the world with ten of the fifteen countries with the highest levels of inequality in the region. This inequality is persistent, self-perpetuating in areas where social mobility is low and it poses an obstacle to progress in human development.

• Thursday, September 9th 2010 - 00:52 UTC

  Beatle Paul will be back in Chile and Argentina next November

  

  Beatle Paul McCartney will be visiting Peru, Chile, Argentina and Chile as part of his “Up and Coming Tour” next November according to reports in the Argentine and Chilean press.