Brazil's president Lula da Silva had a stunning 84% approval during January the highest since taking office in 2003, according to the latest public opinion poll published this week in Sao Paulo. Meanwhile his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet is recovering from low records and now has a 53% support the second highest since December 2006 (54.3%).
Chile will be hosting at the end of March the Progressive Leaders' summit which is organized by the British think-tank Policy Network. The previous event was in London, last April hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as head of the Labour party.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has declared a national holiday to mark his 10 years in power. The capital, Caracas, was quieter than usual, as workers and children stayed away from offices and schools.
Magallanes region in the extreme south of Chile is becoming the energy centre of the country based primarily on the development of coal resources and the exploration for hydrocarbons said Chile's National Energy Commission president Marcelo Tokman.
Unemployment in the extreme south of Chile, Magallanes Region increased half a percentage point during the last quarter of last year, compared to the previous quarter, but still is one of the lowest of the country according to the latest release from the Statistics Institute, INE.
Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has been invited to visit the United States in the coming months by her counterpart Barack Obama. The two leaders had a long telephone conference and analyzed bilateral relations and exchanged ideas about the regional and world situation, according to the Chilean Executive.
A Colombian soldier and three police officers were released from captivity by Marxist guerrillas Sunday night, completing the first stage of a three-step release of hostages
The Methanex group which operates in Magallanes region, next to Punta Arenas has decided to postpone the investment in a coal turbine, which would have helped re-route more natural gas to the actual methanol processing, according to the local press.
Nicaragua's president Daniel Ortega has taken the oath to the new four members of the Central Bank board, one of the conditions demanded by the IMF to sign a three year support and monitor financial program.
Tourist activity in Chile during January increased 6.4% compared to the same month a year ago, totalling 424.536 tourists and an estimated 289 million US dollars, up 9% over January 2008, according to the Chilean Tourism Office.