Latin America

• Thursday, October 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Increased Bolivian gas exports to Argentina in doubt

  

  Bolivia may delay ramping up natural gas exports to Argentina by a year while it increases production to meet its contractual commitments, the country's energy minister announced this week.

• Thursday, October 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Latam lagging in universal and quality education says WB

  

  Most countries in Latin American and the Caribbean have achieved almost universal primary school coverage and boosted enrollment rates in secondary and tertiary education. Average spending on education reached 4.3% of GDP in 2003, up from 2.7% in 1990 reveals a World Bank, (WB) report released this week.

• Thursday, October 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Four groups after ESSO assets in South America

  

  Brazil's Petrobras, Venezuela's PDVSA and two Argentine groups are interested in acquiring US oil coporation Esso assets in South America, reports El Cronista, a business newspaper from Buenos Aires.

• Thursday, October 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia busiest airport militarized following “staff disturbances”

  

  Bolivian soldiers and police took control of the country's most important airport Thursday after airport workers detained an American Airlines plane on the runway, demanding the carrier pay them landing fees in cash.

• Tuesday, October 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Luxury office construction boom in Santiago de Chile

  

  The construction of luxury offices in the capital of Chile, Santiago has risen to its highest level in seven years, according to a study by the consultant group Mackenzie Hill.

• Tuesday, October 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Costa Rica elected to Latam seat in UN Security Council

  Costa Rica and Croatia were elected on Tuesday to the United Nations Security Council for 2008-09 after their respective rivals, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic pulled out after two rounds of voting.

• Tuesday, October 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuador claims “windfall” earnings from oil industry

  

  Ecuador told foreign oil companies on Monday they had two weeks to pay the government 317 million US dollars in what the government says are unpaid debts from a windfall royalty approved in 2006.

• Monday, October 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Legislators outraged with Chile's main copper company pollution

  Legislators from Chile's environmental caucus reacted angrily last week to reports that state-owned mining company CODELCO is violating legal pollution limits for their waste water – in some cases by more than 700%. Senator Guido Girardo (PPD) and Deputy Alejandro Garcia-Huidobro (UDI) demanded that company executives be personally held responsible for their company's excesses, and denounced current sanctions as insufficient.

• Sunday, October 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Correa announced Ecuador returns to OPEC next month

  Ecuador is to rejoin the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, next month after a 15-year absence, announced on Saturday President Rafael Correa during his weekly radio program. The move reflects the increased state control over energy being taken by President Correa as promised during his electoral campaign.

• Sunday, October 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Cubans listen to Fidel Castro for first time in 15 months

  Ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro telephoned into a television show with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday, in his first live media appearance in Cuba since his health crisis nearly 15 months ago.