Latin America

• Tuesday, September 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelan oil will help South African gold production

  

  South Africa and Venezuela sealed a major oil deal Tuesday during a visit by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who touted it as an example of southern nations cooperating in a new strategic alliance.

• Tuesday, September 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Taiwan confident about diplomatic ties with Paraguay

  Taiwan's diplomatic ties with Paraguay will remain unchanged despite an assertion by the new Paraguayan president that he will no longer support the island's entry into the United Nations, a senior Taiwanese official said Tuesday in Taipei.

• Monday, September 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia's Morales visit Libya and Iran for energy cooperation

  

  Evo Morales, Bolivia's anti-Washington president, has arrived in Tehran on his first official visit to the Islamic Republic.

• Monday, September 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Pte Chávez Threatens to Expel American Ambassador

  

  Fuming over assertions by American officials that cocaine smuggling through Venezuela has surged in recent years, President Hugo Chávez threatened the American ambassador with expulsion on Sunday, opening a new phase of tension between Venezuela and the United States.

• Sunday, August 31st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Thousands of Mexicans protest killings

  

  Thousands of Mexicans marched inthe capital on Saturday to protest against a wave ofkidnappings and gruesome murders, putting pressure on PresidentFelipe Calderon to meet his promises to crack down on crime.

• Sunday, August 31st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile Bank Voted Unanimously to Raise Rate to 7.75%

  

  Chile's central bank policy makers voted unanimously to increase interest rates at their last meeting by half a percentage point for the third straight month.

• Friday, August 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Tragic fire sends P. Arenas landlords to 7 years in prison

  

  The owner and manager (father and son) of a Punta Arenas lodge were sentenced to seven years in prison plus 300.000 US dollars in compensation to the families of ten passengers who died trapped when the building caught fire in February 2007.

• Friday, August 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Magallanes remains Chilean region with lowest unemployment

  Unemployment in Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile remained virtually unchanged during the May-July quarter and the lowest in the country, 2.5%.

• Thursday, August 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  LAN chosen best South American airline by Sky Trax

  

  LAN Airlines, Chile's flag air carrier was once again named the best South American Company at the most recent World Airline Awards, given by the British market research company Sky Trax.

• Thursday, August 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Energy short Uruguay considering nuclear power alternative

  

  Uruguay will consider resorting to nuclear energy to meet the growing demand for electricity and cut dependency on fossil fuels, announced President Tabare Vazquez from Israel, the first leg of a tour which will also take him to Switzerland and South Korea.