Latin America

• Tuesday, August 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia gives oil companies ultimatum

  Bolivia's leftist government warned energy companies yesterday they must commit to hefty investments before August 20 or risk being thrown out of the natural-gas rich country.

• Monday, August 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Pinochet's son sells former dictator's suits

  

  Clothes of the late Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean military leader, has been put up for sale by his son at a central Santiago tailor's shop, but only to customers identified as the Chilean dictator's supporters, reports say.

• Monday, August 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Continued cold weather thumps Chile's fresh fruit deal

  

  Continued frigid artic weather in Chile's key agricultural growing areas will cost the country at least US$200 million in loses, according the industry and government leaders. An estimated 85,000 sheep, cattle, pigs and goats have died for lack of food, and key fruit export crops, including avocados and citrus fruit, have been greatly damaged.

• Monday, August 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Twenty firm interests in Magallanes hydrocarbons tender

  

  Twenty companies and consortia from eleven different countries have shown a firm interest in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Magallanes region in the extreme south of Chile.

• Saturday, August 11th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner warns oil companies about investments

  

  Argentina is willing to invest heavily in the exploration and production of natural gas in Bolivia if the multinational companies, such as (Brazil's) Petrobras and (Spain's) Repsol-YPF, are not committed to the undertaking warned Argentine president Nestor Kirchner in Tarija.

• Friday, August 10th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile orders salmon farmers to kill fish infected with ISA

  

  Chile's National Fishing Service (SERNAPESCA) has instructed salmon farmers to kill fish found to be infected with the lethal Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA), a highly contagious virus that was recently detected on several fish farms in Region X.

• Thursday, August 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Santiago covered in snow and Chilean farms knock out

  

  Chile's capital Santiago woke up Thursday to a very unusual sight: most of the city was covered by ten to fifteen centimeters of snow, becoming thicker towards the east and the mighty Andes cordillera.

• Thursday, August 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Ecuador/Venezuela plan largest oil refinery in Pacific coast

  Ecuador and Venezuela subscribed Thursday an agreement for the construction of the largest crude refinery in the South American Pacific coast with a capacity of 300.000 barrels per day.

• Tuesday, August 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean Tourism Office resumes promotion in Europe and US

  

  Following three years of silence Chile is launching a final consumer media campaign to attract more tourists from Germany, United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom, revealed Oscar Santelices head of the Chilean Tourist Office, Sernatur.

• Tuesday, August 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean meat industry stands to benefit most from FTA with Japan

  

  The Free Trade Agreement between Chile and Japan, which comes into effect next month, will increase Chilean exports to that Asian nation by as much as 400 million US dollars a year, according to newly released Chilean government estimates.