Latin America

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela looking for oil offshore Cuba, 100 miles from the US

  

  Venezuelan government oil company, PDVSA begins this week hydrocarbons exploration in six blocks offshore Cuba, 100 miles from the United States coast, with prospects of finding abundant light crude.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Panama becomes homeport for Royal Caribbean cruises

  

  Panama and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. agreed this week to make Panama the starting point for some of its tour operations in a bid to boost the cruise operator's presence in the region and to attract more tourists to the Central American country.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's richest man leaves LAN and dreams of becoming president

  

  Chilean billionaire and former presidential candidate Sebastian Piñera has resigned as director of airline LAN, less than a month after he was fined for buying shares in the company while in possession of privileged information.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas among three cities with lowest unemployment

  During the second quarter of this year Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile is again the country's region with the lowest unemployment level, 2.8%, while Punta Arenas and Porvenir are among the three cities with less people out of jobs, according to the latest release from the Labor Statistics Office.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean Navy completes incorporation of four refurbished frigates

  

  Chile's Minister of Defence officially received Wednesday morning in Valparaiso the former refurbished Dutch frigate now under the name of “Almirante Riveros”. With this incorporation the Chilean navy has completed its Puente II project to replace and renew four of its surface fleet units.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean named to head Antarctic Treaty research programs

  Chile's Director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute, INACH, Jose Retamales Espinoza became the first Latinamerican nominated president of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, (Comnap). He took the post last July 13 and will be holding it until 2010.

• Wednesday, August 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile fisheries exports in first five months total 1.7 billion

  

  Chilean fishery exports in the first five months of 2007 generated 1,707 billion US dollars, up 21.3% compared to the same period in 2006, when returns totaled 1,407 billion, according to the latest release from the Fisheries Sub Secretariat, SUBPESCA.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Latinamerica energy future is promising but autarchic

  

  Latinamerica is set to invest 267 billion US dollars in energy projects in the next two decades according to the United Nations Economic Committee for Latinamerica and the Caribbean, CEPAL.

• Monday, July 30th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Magallanes children among the most obese of Chile

  According to a survey carried out by the Chilean Association of School Assistance and Scholarships (Junaeb) 19.4% of Chileans between the ages 9 and 11, are obese. This is particularly severe in the extreme south of the country where it affects 25% of children.

• Saturday, July 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Lan Chile Q2 profits soar 158% over a year ago

  

  Chilean airline LAN has exceeded all expectations with a 158.9% rise in second-quarter net profits, as compared with the same period last year.