Latin America

• Tuesday, March 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile/Ecuador agree to explore for gas in Gulf of Guayaquil

  Chile and Ecuador will join in exploring for oil in the Gulf of Guayaquil, visiting Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Monday in Santiago.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Magallanes co-sponsors reopening of Antarctic base

  Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile will co-sponsor the reopening of a base in the Antarctic continent which was inaugurated in 1947 but closed down in 2006, allegedly for budget reasons.

• Monday, March 10th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean salmon industry faces new challenge

  

  An association of 16 fishermen groups from Chilean Patagonia is calling on President Michelle Bachelet to freeze expansion of Chile's lucrative but environmentally-suspect farmed salmon industry.

• Sunday, March 9th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez “happy” wirh regional summit and urges Latam unity

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said the “happy” end to the regional crisis with Colombia should boost unity in Latin America.

• Sunday, March 9th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  NZ company buys Chile's largest farm in 80 million dollars

  

  A New Zealander company called Manuka has finalized a deal to buy most of Hacienda Rupanco, Chile's largest farm.

• Sunday, March 9th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  As tensions ease, Chavez reopens embassy in Colombia

  

  Venezuela said Sunday that it is reopening its embassy in Colombia and will allow back Colombian diplomats expelled last week by President Hugo Chavez in a crisis sparked by a cross-border Colombian attack on rebels in Ecuador.

• Saturday, March 8th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Andean countries shake hands; hope for hostages' release

  

  The presidents of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia shook hands on Friday at the Rio Group regional summit, marking the end of a diplomatic crisis in the Andean region and the opening of a fresh start in an area plagued by irregular forces.
  
  The crisis had been triggered by a cross-border raid by Colombian troops into Ecuador to attack FARC rebels and kill their number two leader.

• Friday, March 7th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina/Venezuela complement “food and energy” axis

  Argentina and Venezuela are countries of “absolute and necessary complementation in the context of the main axis of the XXI century, food and energy” said Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Thursday following the signing of food for energy agreements with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

• Friday, March 7th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Andean Indians coca leaves chewing habit in UN controversy

  Bolivia and Peru have defended the continued, traditional use of coca leaves which have been chewed by indigenous populations for centuries, after they were criticized by a UN drugs agency report.

• Thursday, March 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombian assessing impact of trade loss with neighbors

  Colombia is assessing the economic impact of the current diplomatic conflict with Ecuador and Venezuela which represented 9 billion US dollars in trade last year and a significant boost for the country's economic expansion.