Latin America

• Monday, March 1st 2010 - 05:44 UTC

  First flights begin landing in Santiago airport, but no take offs are permitted

  

  The main airport in Chile’s Capital of Santiago allowed on Sunday the first few aircraft to land since the 8.8 mega quake struck the country Saturday morning. No aircraft however have been permitted to take off.
  A Lan flight from Lima was the first to land in early afternoon.

• Monday, March 1st 2010 - 05:39 UTC

  Chilean government admits tsunami-alert “diagnostic” system failed

  

  Chile's government conceded it made a mistake in initially playing down the risk of a tsunami from Saturday's massive earthquake. At a news conference in Santiago, Defence minister Francisco Vidal blamed the navy for what he called a “diagnostic error”.

• Monday, March 1st 2010 - 05:33 UTC

  Chile calls for aid and sends troops to prevent looting; body count reaches 710

  

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced emergency measures to deal with the destruction caused by Saturday's massive earthquake. The 8.8 magnitude quake - one of the most powerful recorded - devastated central parts of the country, killing more than 710 people and leaving an estimated 2 million people out in the streets.

• Monday, March 1st 2010 - 05:30 UTC

  Copper prices expected to climb given uncertainty of Chilean supply

  

  Copper is likely to climb when trading starts on Monday, lifted by uncertainty over supply after the world's top copper producer Chile suffered a massive earthquake, analysts said over the weekend.

• Sunday, February 28th 2010 - 04:48 UTC

  Chile: death toll reaches 300; basic services gradually recovering

  

  The death toll in the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday has risen to at least 300 people, Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma said in Santiago at 20:00 local time.

• Saturday, February 27th 2010 - 08:42 UTC

  Chile: Tsunami wave as high as 9 feet has been recorded.

  

  A POWERFUL 8.3 magnitude earthquake has struck the Pacific Ocean near the coast of central Chile, with US authorities warning it could generate a tsunami

• Saturday, February 27th 2010 - 07:37 UTC

  Colombian president barred from running for a third consecutive mandate

  

  The Colombian Constitutional Court ruled Friday against holding a referendum that could have cleared the way for President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third consecutive term.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 06:30 UTC

  Chile’s largest copper producer increases output: first time in five years

  

  Chile’s Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, increased production in 2009 for the first time in five years, helped by a new mine. The company also generated an impressive surplus over the last four years.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 06:24 UTC

  Spain, Cuba’s main supporter in the EU “deeply deplores” death of dissident

  

  Spain said it “deeply deplores” the death of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and regrets that the human rights situation on the Castro brothers ruled island has led to “this very terrible outcome”.
  Zapata, 42, died Tuesday at a Havana hospital after an 85-day hunger strike.

• Friday, February 26th 2010 - 01:27 UTC

  Peru/China free trade agreement becomes effective next March first

  

  The free trade agreement between Peru and China becomes fully effective as of next Monday March first, according to the publication on Thursday of the official decree in Peru’s gazette. China has become Peru’s main trade partner behind the US.