Latin America

• Wednesday, June 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez arms shopping in Russia to defend “revolution”

  

  President Hugo Chavez said that Venezuela will continue to strengthen its military power following the announcement that vice president Ramon Carrizalez and Defence minister General Gustavo Rangel Briceño would be traveling to Russia to intensify military cooperation.

• Tuesday, June 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Cristina among the three worst rated presidents

  

  Six months into office Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner honeymoon with the electorate is over and under. Her standing is also at the bottom rock of a list of Latinamerican and US leaders according to the latest public opinion poll from the renowned Mexican consulting firm Mitofsky.

• Monday, June 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelan economy displaces Argentina as third largest

  

  Venezuela will replace Chile as the country with the region's highest GDP per capita and Argentina as the region's third-largest economy, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

• Saturday, June 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas short of staples because of farmers' conflict

  Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile is suffering a critical shortage of staples mainly sugar, rice and flour as a direct consequence of the Argentine farmers conflict that has been dragging for over 100 days.

• Friday, June 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela formalizes nationalization of cement industry

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's nationalization of three foreign-owned cement businesses took effect on Thursday with the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette according to the government run Bolivarian News Agency.

• Friday, June 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  EU lifts Cuba sanctions to the dismay of U.S.

  The European Union agreed to lift limited sanctions against Cuba, a hotly contested move designed to encourage the country's new government under Raúl Castro to liberalize

• Thursday, June 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Roughly 60% Chileans in debt; 80% overspends

  Roughly 60% of the Chilean population is in debt, according to a study published this week by the country's Central Bank. And perhaps surprisingly, middle class Chileans account for about 67% of the debt.

• Wednesday, June 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia closer to the sea: Chile grants free access in Iquique

  Chile announced on Tuesday that the northern port of Iquique will be of free transit for Bolivia and suggested advances on the bilateral negotiation agenda for ending Bolivia's landlocked condition which dates back to 1879/1883 when the so called Pacific or Saltpeter war (*).

• Wednesday, June 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  ISA has reached salmon farms in Magallanes Region

  Salmon Infectious Anemia (ISA) which has been ravaging the salmon industry in Chile has reached the extreme south region of Magallanes, according to the country's Fisheries Service.

• Wednesday, June 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US anticipates military defeat for the Colombian FARC

  Thomas Shannon US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs said he didn't discard a military defeat of the rebel guerrilla group FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) because of the latest blows it has suffered in recent months from Colombian forces.