Latin America

• Saturday, May 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Erupting volcano ash blanket in Chile moves to Argentina

  

  The Chilean Navy has begun the evacuation of 2.000 people who were forcibly displaced from their villages in southern Chile after a volcano considered dormant for thousands of years became active belching fire and ash, and generating minor earth tremors that continued on Saturday.

• Saturday, May 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  OAS supports Bolivia unity in eve of crucial autonomy vote

  

  Following long discussions until early Saturday morning, the Organization of American States, OAS, supported the territorial integrity of Bolivia but abstained from condemning the autonomy referendum which is scheduled for Sunday in the province of Santa Cruz, the country's richest.

• Friday, May 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez nationalizes Argentine foundry, Venezuela's largest

  

  President Hugo Chavez ordered the expropriation of Venezuela's largest steel maker after attempts by the government to acquire a majority stake in the Italian-Argentine conglomerate Techint failed.

• Thursday, May 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Oil exploration in Magallanes Region begins in six months

  

  The international hydrocarbons corporations which last October were awarded oil exploration licences in the extreme south of Chile signed on Wednesday the operation contracts with the Chilean government during a ceremony headed by President Michelle Bachelet in Punta Arenas.

• Thursday, May 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia wraps up majority control of oil and telephones

  

  Bolivia announced on Thursday, May first, that it had completed the purchase of majority ownership of four energy companies by buying back shares in the firms as part of a nationalization drive started exactly two years ago.

• Thursday, May 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Call to defend human rights activists in Colombia

  

  A group of independent United Nations experts have called for urgent measures to protect those defending human rights in Colombia, following a recent surge in violence that includes killings, harassment and intimidation of civil society activists, trade union leaders and lawyers representing victims.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Power failure causes panic in crime-ridden Venezuelan capital

  

  A major power blackout hit almost 40% of Venezuela's territory and left Caracas in the dark for hours on Tuesday. Power was restored to most regions and Caracas by mid-evening. However a feeling of panic invaded Caracas because the transport system grounded to a halt and commuters had to walk through the crime-ridden city.

• Tuesday, April 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez threatens to expropriate Argentine company

  President Hugo Chávez threatened to expropriate Venezuela's largest steel maker, which is owned by an Argentine group, due to what he said are the soon-to-be-nationalized company's excessive compensation demands.

• Tuesday, April 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombian president said his gov. doesn't buy consciences

  Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said on Monday that his government “doesn't buy consciences”. Uribe was responding to reporters' questions about a scandal involving a former Congresswoman Yidis Medina who claims that in return for political favors she voted for a measure in 2004 that enabled the president's reelection.

• Tuesday, April 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile on the intellectual property “priority watch list”

  For the second year in a row, Chile was placed on the intellectual property “priority watch list” released Friday in the US Trade Representative (USTR) annual “Special 301” report, which looks at intellectual property protection by US trading partners.