Latin America

Thursday, April 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Uruguayan pleads guilty of acting as Chavez agent in US

The Uruguayan national Wanseele Paciello, 40, pleaded guilty before a federal US court in Miami of acting as an agent for the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in covering up a plot to influence Argentina's presidential election.
Thursday, April 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Lack of rains forecasts energy rationing in Chile

Chile seems to be inevitably heading for a serious energy shortage in the coming months with electricity rationing almost a certain possibility because of the hydrological conditions suffered by the country under the full impact of the Pacific Ocean La Niña current.
Thursday, April 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Punta Arenas airport marks record passenger growth

Passenger traffic in Punta Arenas airport, extreme south of Chile, increased 14% during 2007 according to statistics supplied by the head of the air terminal, Juan Carlos Oneto.
Wednesday, April 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Bachelet calls for a regional security and defence policy

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet invited Army chiefs from Mercosur and associate countries to consider the development of a common security and defense policy for Latinamerica.
Wednesday, April 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Paramilitary links closer to Colombian president Uribe

In spite of running on a sustained high wave of public opinion support, --the best performance of any leader in the Americas--, Colombia's Alvaro Uribe this week faced a major challenge when his cousin, political ally and former Senator Mario Uribe Escobar was taken into custody for allegedly colluding with rightwing paramilitary groups.
Tuesday, April 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Colombia confirms full support to tough anti guerrilla policy

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe and, to a lesser extent, Ecuador's Rafael Correa were the Latinamerican leaders with the greatest approval rating in March according to the latest public opinion poll from the renowned consultants Mitofsky with results published in the Mexican press on Monday.
Tuesday, April 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Patagonian toothfish farming project takes off in Chile

La Araucana Education Corporation and four private Chilean companies are undertaking a Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) farming project which is to be officially launched this week involving more than 2.2 million US dollars.
Tuesday, April 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentina indicts Uruguayan expatriate for the grass fires

A Uruguayan farm handy man, Sergio Amable Salvador Vera, 62, became the first person to be indicted this week for starting the grassland fires that produced the recent blanketing with smoke of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires city.
Monday, April 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Peru to ask 3 more years to complete mine clearance

Peru will request before the Ottawa Convention an extension, until 2012, for the clearance of antipersonnel mines from its territory given the impossibility to comply with the current deadline of 2009, announced Peruvian Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Gonzalo Gutierrez.
Monday, April 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Food prices challenge Peru's economy and president's approval

Peruvian president Alan Garcia's approval rating fell to 26% (28% in March) despite the strong performance of Peru's economy, the fastest growing in South America, according to an Ipsos Apoyo survey published in Lima's main newspaper El Comercio.