Latin America

• Tuesday, January 9th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Insulza branded an “idiot”

  Chavez's nationalization announcement came in his first speech of the year, a fiery address in which he used a vulgar word roughly meaning “idiot” to refer to Organization of American States Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.

• Tuesday, January 9th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Peru pushes to make Inca city one of world wonders

  

  PERU'S government, seeking to boost tourism in the Andean country, is urging residents and visitors to vote for the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu as one of the world's new seven wonders.

• Monday, January 8th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean fisheries 2006 exports could reach 3 billion dollars

  

  Chile's fisheries exports totaled 2.945 billion US dollars during the first ten months of 2006, up 19.6% over the same period a year ago, according to the Fisheries Under Secretariat, SUBPESCA. But figures also show that the total volume was 1.157 million tons compared to 1.36 million tons in 2005, which means 18% less.

• Sunday, January 7th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  OAS Insulza and Venezuela on collision course

  

  Venezuela called on the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza to retract from “censorship” statements regarding the controversy over a television station license in Caracas.

• Saturday, January 6th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's corruption case leaves Bachelet unscathed

  Recent corruption cases plaguing the ruling Concertación coalition have had little effect on the public popularity of Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, according to a poll carried out by the Centre for Public Studies (CEP).

• Friday, January 5th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's wine prices rise on international markets

  

  Exports of Chilean bottled wine to foreign markets are increasingly lucrative, with wine prices increasing in nine of the top ten market destinations between January to November last year.

• Thursday, January 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  2006 exports rocket to record high. EU is CODELCO chief importer

  

  Chile's exports – at least in terms of dollar amounts — rose dramatically in 2006, fueled in large part by record high copper prices.

• Thursday, January 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's 2006 inflation peaked at 2.6%

  Chile's Consumer Prices Index, IPC, ended at 2.6% in 2006 with a last 0.1% push from December, according to the latest release from the country's Statistics Institute, INE.

• Thursday, January 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez full ahead with his Socialist model project

  

  Venezuelan re-elected President Hugo Chavez dismissed Thursday his longtime confidant Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel and former Minister of Interior Jesse Chacón promising to complete his new cabinet by next Wednesday when he takes office for a six year mandate extending until 2013.

• Thursday, January 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Cuba reaches 50% self sufficiency in oil consumption

  

  Cuba reached its target of 3.9 million tons of oil and gas in 2006, while foreign companies in association with the local Cubapetroleo, CUPET, corporation continue exploration in 30 other wells, reported Havana authorities.