Latin America

• Tuesday, January 30th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  All the power to the Communal centres

  

  A new era of “maximum revolution” has arrived in Venezuela, a mix of near religious fervour and plenty of oil money, an intent under a one man rule, which President Hugo Chavez promises will create a more egalitarian society. But for every Venezuelan the question is where do they fit in this revolution?

• Tuesday, January 30th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Protestors storm Ecuador's Congress in support of Correa

  Thousands of followers of Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa stormed Congress on Tuesday demanding support for constitutional reforms forcing the evacuation of legislators and a strong reaction from riot police with batons and tear gas.

• Sunday, January 28th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Seism “psychosis” as earth trembles in southern Chile

  

  Viviana Betancour governor of Chile's Southern Region of Aysen, which is living in a state of almost panic because of several days persistent telluric trembling, called on residents to be calm and trust that the best possible technical assistance is already working in the area.

• Sunday, January 28th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Latinamerica “on the right path and advancing”

  

  In a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, highlighted the positive economic trend in Latin America and significant democratic progress achieved in the past year.

• Saturday, January 27th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile and Bolivia make progress on de-miming border, but not on Ocean access.

  

  In a visit last week to Bolivia's capital, La Paz, Chilean defense minister Vivianne Blanlot announced plans for extensive joint military cooperation between the two nations, including the de-mining of their shared border. Still, Blanlot made it clear that her government would not budge on the issue of providing landlocked Bolivia with access to the Pacific Ocean.

• Friday, January 26th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Polished Valparaiso “invaded” by 8.000 cruise visitors

  

  Three cruise vessels including “Queen Mary 2” called Friday in the Chilean port of Valparaíso with thousands of tourists, following a similar situation the previous Wednesday with the “Discovery”.

• Thursday, January 25th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Air crash kills Ecuador defence chief

  

  Ecuador's first female defense minister died Wednesday in a collision of two helicopters that also killed her daughter and five members of the military, officials said

• Thursday, January 25th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Ecuadorians support re writing constitution and new Congress

  

  A majority of Ecuadorians support President Rafael Correa's proposal to amend the Constitution and change the country's one house legislative branch, according go a Cedatos/Gallup opinion poll released this week.

• Thursday, January 25th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia's Morales reshuffles cabinet and ratifies reforms

  

  Bolivian President Evo Morales reshuffled this week almost half of his sixteen members' cabinet a day after celebrating his first year in office.

• Thursday, January 25th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile to clip military procurement copper fed fund

  

  Chile's Defence Minister Vivianne Blanlot submitted this week a detailed report of the controversial Copper Reserve Law, reaffirming the desire of the government of President Michelle Bachelet to modify or repeal the Pinochet-era legislation.