Latin America

Thursday, April 1st 2010 - 05:46 UTC
Around 50 percent of foreigners’ hotel reservations cancelled in Chile

The historic February 27th earthquake left more than 90 percent of Chile’s hotels and tourist services without structural damage. The same can’t be said about Chile’s tourism industry. A huge number – perhaps as much as half – of all upcoming reservations made by foreigners have been cancelled.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 19:38 UTC
Putin’s visits Venezuela Friday, sets alarm bells ringing in Washington

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will pay his first visit to Venezuela to meet with President Hugo Chavez on April 2, a government source told RIA Novosti in Moscow on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 19:10 UTC
Chilean president announces housing emergency plan totalling 2.5 billion USD

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera announced this week the second part of his emergency reconstruction plan during a visit to the lower-middle class borough of Lo Prado. Beneficiaries of the new program are mostly lower middle class families.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 18:28 UTC
US and EU pledge 2.75 billion USD in aid to rebuild Haiti

United States and the European Union pledged Wednesday a combined 2.75 billion USD in aid for rebuilding Haiti following the January earthquake that killed about 200,000 people and devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 18:24 UTC
High-quality oil in once guerrilla infested Colombian jungle

Petrominerales Ltd., mostly owned by Canadian companies said Monday that an oil well drilled in Colombia has produced a prolific 15,600 barrels of high-quality crude per day, following similarly strong results from two other wells on its Candelilla discovery.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 18:15 UTC
Former Defence minister leads in Colombia’s presidential May election

According to the latest poll by Ipsos-Napoleon Franco published by Colombian newspaper Semana over the weekend, the former Defence minister in President Alvaro Uribe cabinet, Juan Manuel Santos, is clearly ahead in the presidential polls with 36% vote intention.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 18:13 UTC
Colombia’s FARC warns next release only under “humanitarian exchange”

Colombian army Sgt. Pablo Emilio Moncayo emerged from more than a dozen years in captivity Tuesday as Marxist inspired drug funded FARC rebels released him to a humanitarian delegation headed by opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 04:01 UTC
Two more Cuban dissidents on hunger strike; EU-Havana talks postponed

Two dissidents, one of them behind bars, have joined Guillermo Fariñas in a hunger strike, the unofficial Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation said Tuesday.
Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 02:15 UTC
Bolivia denies modernizing the Army “to provoke” neighbouring Paraguay

Bolivian president Evo Morales strongly denied Tuesday that furnishing new equipment to the Armed Forces was directed to provoke neighbouring Paraguay and accused his opponents to take advantage of the situation to confront the two countries.
Tuesday, March 30th 2010 - 23:00 UTC
Quake impact leaves Chilean farmers short of storage, cooling and irrigation

Chile’s annual fall harvest season continues apace, notwithstanding earthquake damage to Chile's roads, irrigation systems, electric grid, packing houses, and other infrastructure.