Venezuela will replace Chile as the country with the region's highest GDP per capita and Argentina as the region's third-largest economy, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile is suffering a critical shortage of staples mainly sugar, rice and flour as a direct consequence of the Argentine farmers conflict that has been dragging for over 100 days.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's nationalization of three foreign-owned cement businesses took effect on Thursday with the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette according to the government run Bolivarian News Agency.
The European Union agreed to lift limited sanctions against Cuba, a hotly contested move designed to encourage the country's new government under Raúl Castro to liberalize
Roughly 60% of the Chilean population is in debt, according to a study published this week by the country's Central Bank. And perhaps surprisingly, middle class Chileans account for about 67% of the debt.
Chile announced on Tuesday that the northern port of Iquique will be of free transit for Bolivia and suggested advances on the bilateral negotiation agenda for ending Bolivia's landlocked condition which dates back to 1879/1883 when the so called Pacific or Saltpeter war (*).
Salmon Infectious Anemia (ISA) which has been ravaging the salmon industry in Chile has reached the extreme south region of Magallanes, according to the country's Fisheries Service.
Thomas Shannon US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs said he didn't discard a military defeat of the rebel guerrilla group FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) because of the latest blows it has suffered in recent months from Colombian forces.
Military expenditure in the twelve countries of South America, according to 2008 budgets, has reached a record 50 billion US dollars which is 2.5% higher than in 2007.
The International Monetary Fund, IMF has called on Latinamerica's central banks to send clear signals that their main objective is fighting inflation and not to blame exclusively international rising prices.