Latin America

Friday, February 6th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Repsol in significant oil discovery in Gulf of Mexico

Repsol has made a significant new oil find in the deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico, in US waters. The discovery was made in the Buckskin well in Keathley Canyon, 300 kilometres offshore Houston.
Thursday, February 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Mexico floods market with dollars to stop run on the Peso

Mexico's central bank and finance ministry confirmed that the bank had intervened on Wednesday to prop up the ailing peso currency by selling dollars directly to market players.
Thursday, February 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Fossil remains of snake “as long as a bus” in Colombia

The discovery of fossilised remains belonging to the world's largest snake has been reported in Nature journal. Titanoboa was 13 meters long - about the length of a bus - and lived in the rainforest of north-east Colombia 58-60 million years ago.
Thursday, February 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
UN office proposes “South-South” trade to cope with crisis

Trade, investment and other cooperation between developing countries – so called ”South-South exchange – could soften the blow of the economic crisis on vulnerable economies, the head of the United Nations agency that promotes commerce to fight poverty said on Wednesday.
Thursday, February 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Bolivia admits dengue epidemic is “out of control”

Bolivia's Public Health Minister Ramiro Tapia admitted Wednesday that the mosquito transmitted dengue epidemics which has extended to the whole territory is “out of control” and said a total 8.152 cases had been reported of which 7 deaths.
Thursday, February 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Punta Arenas expects 4.175 cruise visitors on Saturday

Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile will be taken over by 4.175 cruise visitors when two huge vessels, “Star Princess” and “Radiance of the Seas” call in on Saturday. “Carnival Splendour” with 3.700 visitors is expected at the end of the month.
Wednesday, February 4th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
FARC releases former governor captive for eight years

Colombia's biggest guerrilla group freed Tuesday former Governor Alan Jara, a captive for almost eight years, in what it called “goodwill” gesture even as the rebels step up terror attacks on the nation's cities.
Wednesday, February 4th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil's Lula da Silva breaks polls' approval record

Brazil's president Lula da Silva had a stunning 84% approval during January the highest since taking office in 2003, according to the latest public opinion poll published this week in Sao Paulo. Meanwhile his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet is recovering from low records and now has a 53% support the second highest since December 2006 (54.3%).
Wednesday, February 4th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
World progressive leaders meet in Chile to talk politics

Chile will be hosting at the end of March the “Progressive Leaders' summit” which is organized by the British think-tank Policy Network. The previous event was in London, last April hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as head of the Labour party.
Tuesday, February 3rd 2009 - 20:00 UTC
National holiday to celebrate Venezuela's Chavez ten-year rule

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has declared a national holiday to mark his 10 years in power. The capital, Caracas, was quieter than usual, as workers and children stayed away from offices and schools.