Latin America

• Wednesday, November 4th 2009 - 09:42 UTC

  Cuba admits overseas purchases down 36% plus difficulties to pay suppliers

  

  Cuban purchases from United States companies will total some 580 million US dollars by the end of 2009, down 37% from last year, the head of the state corporation Alimport said this week.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 20:40 UTC

  Chilean eco-tourism expands creating conservation zone in Patagonia

  

  Chile’s largest Eco-Tourism firms, Nomads, plans to develop new tour routes after acquiring 22.000 hectares of un-spoiled land in southern Chile. The company hopes to create a conservation zone to protect various protected species living in the area.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:14 UTC

  Aggressive Chilean tourism campaign to attract more Brazilians

  

  Chilean authorities have just launched a new 4 million US dollars advertising campaign to attract more Brazilians to visit Chile. Funded by Tourism Chile and the National Economic Development Agency (CORFO), the promotion aims to increase the number of Brazilian tourists visiting Chile by 30%.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:03 UTC

  OAS plans to reincorporate Honduras and lift sanctions next week

  

  The Organization of American States, OAS, is planning an extraordinary general assembly for next week to approve the reincorporation of Honduras in anticipation of the country’s presidential election November 29th, according to Chilean minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariano Fernández.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 07:37 UTC

  Chilean Navy state of the art OPV “Piloto Pardo” visits Punta Arenas

  

  One of Chile’s Navy latest incorporations Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV 81) “Piloto Pardo” is currently in Punta Arenas from where it will be operating during summer months in fisheries patrol protection, search and rescue operations and other Chilean sovereignty activities along the country’s long coastline, EEZ plus Antarctic logistics tasks.

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 11:44 UTC

  Honduras election commission takes off; Lobo leads in opinion polls

  

  United States secretary of Labour and a former Chilean president were named Sunday to a commission tasked with monitoring the creation of a power-sharing government in Honduras, under a US-brokered agreement to end the Central American nation's four-month-old political crisis.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 07:03 UTC

  Venezuela/Brazil agree terms of refinery to be built in Pernambuco

  

  Brazil's government managed oil company Petrobras said on Friday that it had concluded a deal with Venezuela's PDVSA to construct and operate a refinery in northeast Brazil.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 06:06 UTC

  Colombia and US sign bases’ agreement in closed doors ceremony

  

  Colombia and the United States signed Friday in Bogotá the controversial agreement that allows US military personnel to be stationed at seven (land, air, sea) military bases in Washington’s closest ally in the region.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 05:32 UTC

  Chilean Central bank could begin hiking interest rate next second quarter

  

  The Chilean central bank will likely begin hiking the benchmark interest rate, currently at a record low 0.5%, in the second quarter of next year, according to the minutes of its October monetary policy meeting released Wednesday.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 01:16 UTC

  Zelaya and Micheletti agree to deal to end the institutional crisis

  

  The de facto Honduran government has agreed to an eight point deal that may allow ousted President Manuel Zelaya to return to power ahead of elections next month. Unite States diplomats have been in the country to mediate an end to the four-month-old crisis.