Latin America

• Thursday, February 12th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Panama Canal forecasts 5% drop in cargo tonnage

  

  The global slowdown have influenced estimates of the Panama Canal Authority, CAP, which now forecasts a 5% drop in cargo tonnage going through the waterway in 2008-2009. This represents a decrease close to 19.9 million tons, leaving a total of 294.1 million.

• Thursday, February 12th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Peace Nobel Prize Lech Walesa banned from Venezuela

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that former Polish president and Nobel Prize winner Lech Walesa won't be allowed to visit his country.

• Thursday, February 12th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia reveals companies' interest in lithium reserves

  

  Four foreign companies are interested in mining lithium in Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest known deposit of that metal, with the aim of producing automobile batteries, a Bolivian government official said this week.

• Thursday, February 12th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean president ignores Cuban political prisoners

  

  Cuban dissidents expressed disappointment that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is not interested in meeting with them during her official visit to the island, adding that her personal history as victim of political persecution makes the issue even more regretful.

• Wednesday, February 11th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  First Chilean president visit to Cuba in four decades

  

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet began Wednesday a three day official visit to Cuba, the first such visit by a Chilean leader in almost four decades.

• Tuesday, February 10th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Colombia and S. Korea expand into Peruvian oil industry

  

  Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol and its South Korean counterpart, Korea National Oil Corporation, have acquired Peruvian private oil firm Petro-Tech Peruana S.A. for 900 million US dollars.

• Tuesday, February 10th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia and Gazprom sign long term gas development deal

  

  Bolivia and Russia signed a long term agreement on investment and cooperation in the area of gas and petroleum research which is estimated could reach 3 billion US dollars, it was announced in La Paz.

• Monday, February 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Tractor and combine sales forecasted to fall 30% in S. America

  

  United States Agco Corp. warned that industry-wide farm-equipment sales in South America could fall by almost a third this year due to drought and tough credit conditions.

• Monday, February 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's January trade surplus plunges 70% in line with copper

  Chile's trade surplus plunged 70% to 667 million US dollars during January compared to the previous month according to the latest release from the Central Bank. This also compares negatively with the 2.3 billion US dollars of the same month a year ago.

• Monday, February 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Germany top of goods exporter for sixth year running

  

  Germany was the world's biggest goods exporter for a sixth straight year in 2008, staying just ahead of China by shifting nearly 1.5 trillion US dollars worth of merchandise, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Monday.