Latin America

• Monday, April 7th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paulson calls for more integration and trade with Latam

  

  United States Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson officially opened on Monday the 49th general assembly of the Inter American Development Bank, IDB, calling for greater integration of trade and openness between Latinamerica and the US and warned about what he defined as “protectionist interests”.

• Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez nationalizes cement industry; Mexico condemns

  

  Mexico yesterday condemned Venezuela's planned nationalization of the cement industry, which will affect Cemex, a major Mexican company.
  
  “We can only condemn this action,” Finance Minister Agustín Carstens said in the city of Acapulco.

• Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  World Bank lowers Latinamerica growth prospects to 4.8%

  

  The World Bank lowered Latin America's growth estimate for 2008 to 4.8% from 5.1% as a consequence of the economic slowdown in United States, said vice president for the region Pamela Cox.

• Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Salmon industry controversy between Chile and NY Times

  

  Chilean media reports that The New York Times “finally published an extract” from the letter sent by the Chilean Ambassador in United States, Mariano Fernandez relative to the Chilean salmon industry which was harshly criticized by the influential newspaper.

• Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Methanex to recover full capacity production in 2011

  

  The huge methanol producing complex belonging to Methanex in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, will only recover full capacity production in three years time, 2011, when a sustained provision of Chilean natural gas is ensured, according to Bruce Aitken, CEO of the Canadian corporation.

• Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Magallanes has Chile's lowest unemployment rate

  Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile continues as the region with the lowest unemployment in the country according to the latest release referred to the December/07-February/08 quarter.

• Saturday, April 5th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Argentina launch Cruz del Sur Joint Peace Force

  The Joint Chiefs of Staff from the combined Argentine Chilean Peace Force, Cruz del Sur (Southern Cross) was officially imposed this week in Santiago and described as “another landmark” in the bilateral relation of the neighboring countries.

• Saturday, April 5th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Brown and Bachelet call for a “new progressive agenda”

  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chilean president Michelle Bachelet underlined on Friday the urgent need for “a new progressive agenda” to tackle global issues such as climate change, globalization, poverty and inequality in the developing world.

• Saturday, April 5th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bachelet meets Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle

  “Chilean British relations are excellent” said President Michelle Bachelet following the half hour private meeting on Friday with Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Castle. Ms Bachelet is on an official visit to Britain that includes her participation in a political conference of centre left leaders hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

• Friday, April 4th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombian rebels demand a major exchange of prisoners

  A leader of Colombia's rebel group FARC ruled out the release of a high profile seriously ill French-Colombian hostage, (“she will remain in our camps”), unless there is a major prisoner exchange. The statement cast doubt on a French humanitarian mission sent to treat her.