Latin America

• Sunday, May 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Happy Mother's Day!

  

  Today is Mother's Day in much of Latin America, and scattered families are displaying their devotion. Forget the potted geranium. They're sending their mothers appliances or cold cash with the flowers and greeting cards.

• Sunday, May 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's tourism policy is not massive but environment friendly

  

  Growth of the tourism industry must be in parallel with a sustainable environment development which means Chile is not interested in massive tourism but rather in visitors who have a special interest in nature and wildlife, admitted the country's Director of the Tourism Office, Sernatur, Oscar Santelices.

• Friday, May 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile to become Microsoft regional centre

  

  Microsoft announced Wednesday that Santiago's Universidad Catolica de Chile (UC) will be the headquarters for the new Federation of Latin-American Universities for Innovation.

• Friday, May 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  DAP incorporates new helicopter for oil rig activities

  

  Punta Arenas Aerovias DAP incorporated a refurbished helicopter to its charter fleet of aircrafts and choppers which operate in the extreme south of Chile and once flew regularly to the Falkland Islands.

• Friday, May 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Peru optimistic about ratification of FTA with the US

  Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism Mercedes Araoz announced that preliminary amendments to the United States-Peru Free Trade Agreement will be ready sometime next week enabling its ratification by the US Congress.

• Wednesday, May 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile: ASEXMA urges government to act on low dollar

  After the U.S. dollar hit a new low last Friday, Patricia Pérez, president of the Export Manufacturing Association (Asexma), warned of the serious threat posed to Chile's exporters and manufacturers.

• Wednesday, May 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras/Bolivia refineries dispute escalates

  

  President Evo Morales said Bolivia would respond in the coming hours to a proposal from Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, regarding compensation for its two refineries in Bolivia recently nationalized.

• Wednesday, May 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's TAM and Chile's LAN implement business alliance

  

  Brazil's TAM Linhas Aéreas and Lan Chile, both airlines with a clear dominating position in their domestic markets have agreed to formalize a business alliance. The agreement to be implemented in the next three months aims to develop partnerships in routes operated in South America, broadening passengers' options to fly to several destinations.

• Wednesday, May 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  WTO asks Chile do drop tariff barriers on Argentine wheat and flour

  

  The World Trade Organization has ruled that Chile should not apply tariff barriers to the price of Argentine wheat and flour. The ruling was a response Chile's final appeal to the WTO in the lengthy trade dispute with Argentina that began in 2000.

• Monday, May 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue surprise visit to Chile

  

  When Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue arrived at Santiago de Chile's international airport last Wednesday, she was met by film producer Alexander Dahm, who lives in Mexico with his wife and son.