Latin America

• Monday, November 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas promotes rhubarb as an alternative crop

  

  Magallanes Region is promoting rhubarb as an alternative crop for local small farmers and garden plots in the south of Chile where climate conditions are described ideal for the plant.

• Monday, November 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Magallanes economy recovers dynamism expands 4.7% in Q3

  

  Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile had a positive performance of 4.7% in the third quarter of the year breaking with a sliding tendency since the huge methanol complex close to Punta Arenas was forced to cut production because of insufficient supply of Argentine natural gas.

• Sunday, November 16th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuador auditing sovereign bonds delays interest payments

  

  Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Saturday that his government is invoking a 30-day grace period and has until December 15 to decide if it will make a 30.6 million USD interest payment on 2012 bonds due Saturday.

• Sunday, November 16th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Venezuela opposition candidates “tapped and intimidated”

  

  With only a week left for regional elections in Venezuela, which could be decisive for President Hugo Chavez Socialism XXI project, leaders of the opposition claim they are constantly intimidated and watched by government that fears loosing several important states and cities.

• Saturday, November 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Air turbulence likely caused Mexican jet crash

  

  The turbulent wake of a larger plane likely caused the crash of a government jet that killed Mexico's second-most powerful official, investigators said Friday, as they released a recording transcript showing the frantic pilots struggling to regain control of the plane.

• Friday, November 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  US highly antibiotic resistant bacteria detected in Colombia

  Two clones of highly antibiotic-resistant organism strains, which previously had only been identified in the United States, have now been detected in several Colombian cities, say researchers at The University of Texas Medical School.

• Thursday, November 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's public sector 2-day strike for higher wages

  

  Thousands of Chilean public sector employees began a two-day strike on Tuesday to demand higher wages to counter the highest inflation in 14 years.

• Thursday, November 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile expects record number of Argentine tourists

  

  In spite of the global financial crisis Chile expects this summer season a significant increase in the number of Argentine tourists in the range of 300.000, according to the country's Tourism Office, Senatur.

• Thursday, November 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Latam markets plunge on Paulson's U-turn focus change

  

  Latinamerica's main stock markets ended sharply weaker on Wednesday following on Wall Street and US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's announcement that it would re focus the 700 billion US dollars bailout fund.

• Thursday, November 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Spain-Argentine research cruise in South Atlantic

  

  Spanish and Argentine scientists have begun a joint research cruise in the South-western Atlantic on board the Spanish government fisheries support vessel “Miguel Oliver” which is scheduled to extend until December 20