Latin America

• Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's Valparaiso braces itself for massive tourist wave

  

  Nearly 16,000 tourists will flood the port city of Valparaiso over the next two weeks, with over half of the visitors arriving in a single day on four separate cruise ships. The huge ships are set to dock next Friday 26th, along with six smaller vessels throughout the week, bringing an unprecedented influx of visitors to the city of 280,000.

• Thursday, January 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Air Plus Comet replaces Air Madrid in Latin America

  

  Spanish airline Air Comet Plus will operate in seven Latin American countries previously covered by the now closed down Air Madrid airline. The operation was allowed after Spanish Public Works Minister Magdalena Alvarez and Air Comet president Gerardo Díaz signed an agreement.

• Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean fruit industry warns about “cheap” dollar and costs

  Chile's fruit producers had a tough year in 2006, suffering from unfriendly exchange rates despite the association of Chile's Fruit Producers (Fedefruta) appealing for the government to push for a higher-valued U.S. dollar.

• Tuesday, January 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Cruise passengers to Chile up by five percent in 2007

  

  The number of tourists coming to Chile as passengers on cruise ships is expected to grow by five percent in 2007, according to Destination Management Chile, which handles 70 percent of all tours and sightseeing trips involving cruise passengers.

• Monday, January 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Left wing forum celebrates advances in Latinamerica

  

  Some 66 left wing delegations from thirty different countries, mainly Latinamerica are currently meeting in San Salvador in the framework of the Sao Paulo Forum, to celebrate and assess the advance last year of elected left wing governments in the region, as happened in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela.

• Monday, January 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuadorian president Correa calls March national referendum

  

  Rafael Correa was sworn as Ecuador's president Monday and one of the first decrees he signed was to call a national referendum next March 18 to decide on the convening of an elected assembly with full powers to draft a new constitution.

• Monday, January 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez mends fences with OAS Secretary General

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and the Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza shook hands Monday in Quito bringing relief to the conflicting situation between both officials.

• Monday, January 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean support for “progressive” regimes in the region

  

  Praising democracy and in a clear support of fellow presidents seen as critical of United States, Chile's Michelle Bachelet said that the latest swing of elected governments in Latinamerica can be better described as “progressive” rather than left wing or radical.

• Sunday, January 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuador's Correa manages support for reform plans

  

  Ecuadorian elected President Rafael Correa, flanked by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales announced Sunday that “a new day is dawning” promising to rule for the indigenous, the migrants and the excluded.

• Sunday, January 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Fragile truce in Bolivia but with no solution on sight

  

  A fragile truce between supporters and opponents of Bolivian president Evo Morales helped restore some normality to the city of Cochabamba, in central Bolivia, where four days of rioting left two dead and over a hundred injured.