Latin America

• Sunday, January 27th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Peru became in 2007 Chile's main foreign investment attraction

  Chile's foreign direct investment in 2007 reached its highest level in the past 10 years, according to the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS). Of 4.689 billion US dollars in Chilean capital invested outside Chile, 26%, or 1.236 billion dollars, ended up in Peru.

• Thursday, January 24th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Uribe with 80% popularity fights for US Congress support

  Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has an 80% support, the highest since taking office back in 2002, according to the latest public opinion polls released this week. The previous poll in November showed Uribe with a 74% support and 14% negative response.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  South America's soy and sunflower crops below expectations

  

  World soybean supplies are smaller than expected and high exports are cutting stocks in key producing countries, Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World said.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile Congress approves pension reforms for all

  

  Chile's congress backed a pension reform bill Wednesday to ensure the country's landmark social security program for the first time covers every citizen.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Fidel: Argentina and Brazil “life-jackets” for Latam economy

  

  Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who remains in a convalescent state hospitalized in Havana because of gastrointestinal problems, wrote an essay which became public yesterday where he stated that Argentina and Brazil could “be the life-jackets” of the Latin America region's economy, because of their production of meat and cereals.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia's Morales and rebel governors agree to seek compromise

  

  Divided Bolivia took a tentative step toward reconciliation as President Evo Morales and opposition governors agreed to seek a compromise between Morales' new constitution and declarations of autonomy by four resource rich eastern states.

• Thursday, January 17th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile summons ambassador in Lima over limit dispute

  Chile summoned home its ambassador to Peru for consultations amid a growing dispute over the countries maritime boundary and lucrative fishing grounds. Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley said Ambassador Cristian Barros was due in Santiago Thursday or Friday “for a long conversation”.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  FARC robs Colombian tourists and takes six hostages

  

  Colombia's biggest rebel group cocaine funded FARC kidnapped six Colombian tourists in the western province of Choco, daily El Tiempo reported in its online edition.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Lula visits Cuba with an option for Venezuelan influence

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived Tuesday in Havana for a 24-hour visit to strengthen economic ties with Cuba. He is expected to sign a series of trade, cooperation and investment agreements in spite of the US economic embargo

• Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Infectious anemia extends among Chilean salmon farms

  Marine Harvest, the world's leading farmed fish producer, continues to be hit hard by the so-called “biological situation” in Chile. On Monday, shares in Marine Harvest fell by some 4.6% after the Norwegian-owned company issued a press statement admitting it did not reach its production forecasts in Chile