Latin America

• Tuesday, February 3rd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  National holiday to celebrate Venezuela's Chavez ten-year rule

  

  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.

• Tuesday, February 3rd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Coal and oil will make Magallanes “Chile's energy centre”

  

  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.

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Slight increase in Chile's unemployment; Magallanes 2.8%

  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.

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Obama rings Chilean president and invites her to visit US

  

  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.

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Colombian guerrillas release 4 hostages; Tuesday next stage

  

  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

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas Methanex postpones coal turbine option

  

  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.

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Nicaraguan president Ortega abides by IMF requirements

  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.

• Monday, February 2nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine tourists “flooded” Chile during January

  

  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.

• Saturday, January 31st 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Uribe's third consecutive mandate lacks political support

  

  President Alvaro Uribe's hometown newspaper reported Thursday that Colombia's immensely popular leader will not seek a third consecutive term in 2010 elections.

• Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Five South American presidents spurn Davos meeting

  

  While bankers and politicians met this week in Davos for the World Economic Forum a rival summit in the Brazilian city of Belem challenged them and blamed the capitalist system for the current global crisis.