Nearly 15% of Chile's work force earns a salary that is less than the legal minimum wage, according to the latest Survey of National Socioeconomic Composition (CASEN).
Argentina's president Nestor Kirchner together with the presidents of Colombia Alvaro Uribe and Mexico's Felipe Calderon rank as the top of the list of Latinamerican leaders in performance support according to Consulta Mitofsky a respected Mexican public opinion consultant.
Chile is slated to become the first country in Latin America to reach a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 10.000 US dollars per capita, according to a recent report by Columbia University's Economist Intelligence Unit.
Bolivia confirmed this week it will require visas for Unite States tourists beginning December 1, following through on a pledge to treat visiting US citizens much like they treat Bolivians entering the United States.
One police officer was killed and 41 people injured in Chile's capital Santiago when hundreds of protesters battled with riot police through the night on the anniversary of the September 11, 1973 military coup. The Chilean government reported on Wednesday that 216 people were arrested.
Scientists from the Center of Scientific Studies of Valdivia (CECS) said this week that Chile's glaciers are melting at twice the speed observed just ten years ago. The scientists, who recently participated in a specially called international forum on glaciers, also warned that this trend could have devastating ramifications due to current plans to construct hydroelectric dams around Chile.
Bolivia announced this week foreign energy corporations have promised to invest more than 580 million US dollars in 2007, about three times more than last year. The announcement comes a month after President Evo Morales threatened the industry with ignoring contracts if they were not committed to investing in Bolivia.
Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov and a delegation of businessmen arrived Tuesday in Peru for an official one day visit to hold talks with President Alan García and sign several cooperation agreements.
A center-left businessman and a conservative former general face a November runoff for Guatemala's presidency, according to election returns Monday that showed a Nobel Peace Prize winner finishing a distant sixth.
In spite of violence that claimed some 50 lives, officials in Guatemala say they are prepared to carry out an efficient and secure electoral process on Sunday when voters go to the polls to elect a new president.