Latin America

• Monday, May 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Bachelet travels to Northern European Nations

  President Michelle Bachelet left Chile late Sunday evening for a state visit to northern European nations where she will meet with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stotltenberg and Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey. Bachelet will return to Chile on June 4.

• Monday, May 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelan TV Station Goes Off the Air

  

  Venezuela's oldest private television station went off the air just before midnight Sunday as thousands banged on pots and pans in protest against a decision by President Hugo Chavez that did away with a popular opposition-aligned channel.

• Sunday, May 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguayan general elections scheduled for April 2008

  

  Paraguay will be going to the polls to elect the successor of President Nicanor Duarte Flores on April 20 next year, confirmed this week the country's Electoral Tribunal.

• Saturday, May 26th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Sunday countdown test for Venezuelan media and Chavez

  

  The countdown has begun for Venezuela's oldest private television station: midnight Sunday Radio Caracas Television, the most widely watched channel, will be forced off the air after President Hugo Chávez's government decided not to renew its licence.

• Friday, May 25th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Judiciary corruption: several Latam countries named

  

  Corruption is undermining judicial systems around the world denying citizens' access to justice and the basic human right to a fair and impartial trial, sometimes even to a trial at all, according to the Global Corruption Report 2007: Corruption in Judicial Systems issued Thursday by Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption.

• Friday, May 25th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Police abuse a problem in Chile says Amnesty Int

  

  The influential human rights group Amnesty International (AI) released its annual report Wednesday, highlighting harsh police treatment of indigenous people, poor prison conditions and the country's 1978 Amnesty law as persistent problems in Chile.

• Monday, May 21st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's Bachelet admits mistakes and opens the wallet

  Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, suffering from a significant downfall in her popularity caused by a controversial (and collapsed) public transport system in Santiago admitted Monday people had the right to be angry but promised that the problems will be overcome.

• Sunday, May 20th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelands march to support TV Station critical of Chavez

  

  Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched Saturday to support a TV station aligned with opponents of President Hugo Chavez, whose government plans to kick the channel off the air next week by not renewing its license.

• Sunday, May 20th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's ambitious project to triple beef production

  

  In three years time Chile could triple its beef production from the current 247.000 annual tons to 750.000 tons according to the country's Cattle and Sheep Genetics improvement Council which depends from the Ministry of Agriculture.

• Saturday, May 19th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Shipwreck yields estimated $500M treasure

  

  A record haul of half a million silver and gold coins from a 17th Century shipwreck may have been found just 40 miles from Land's End, an expert said.