Latin America

• Wednesday, October 12th 2011 - 05:54 UTC

  Mapuche Indians mourn the day Columbus set foot in the Americas

  

  More than then thousand people marched in the Chilean capital Santiago in support of the indigenous Mapuche people. The protest marked the 519th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, the start of the Spanish conquest.

• Tuesday, October 11th 2011 - 08:36 UTC

  Peruvian president purges the Police and promotes fresh generation in Armed Forces

  

  President Ollanta Humala has fired two-thirds of all generals in Peru's police force in an unprecedented purge to stamp out systemic corruption, the government said on Monday. In the Armed Forces there was also a renewal with the promotion of 48 officers.

• Tuesday, October 11th 2011 - 08:22 UTC

  Indigenous Bolivians retake protest march against Brazil financed reservation road

  

  Hundreds of indigenous people protesting the construction of a road in Bolivia's Amazon basin region are again marching toward the capital, La Paz, their leaders said.

• Tuesday, October 11th 2011 - 07:27 UTC

  Odyssey Marine discovers WWI torpedoed vessel off Ireland with 18m in silver

  

  Odyssey Marine Exploration announced Monday the discovery of a new sunken treasure dating back to the First World War that they plan to retrieve from the bottom of the North Atlantic.

• Monday, October 10th 2011 - 22:49 UTC

  Largest virus ever discovered pulled off the coast of Chile

  

  The largest virus yet discovered has been isolated from ocean water pulled up off the coast of Chile. Called Megavirus chilensis, it is 10 to 20 times longer than the average virus.

• Monday, October 10th 2011 - 08:06 UTC

  Brazil, in friendly tone, asks Venezuela for fair Judges and freedom of expression

  

  Brazil questioned the Venezuelan government guarantees for freedom of expression and Judiciary branch independence although at the same time saying it was a “good friend” of the government of President Hugo Chavez.

• Monday, October 10th 2011 - 08:02 UTC

  Mock referendum in Chile confirms massive support for education reform

  

  A massive turnout of voters (‘hundreds of thousands’) responded in support of a non binding plebiscite organized by the Chilean professors union in the midst of the students conflict, one of the most serious challenges faced by any Chilean government since the return of democracy in 1990.

• Sunday, October 9th 2011 - 10:07 UTC

  Chile/Holland prepare for the 400th anniversary of Kaap Hoorn/Cabo de Hornos

  

  Chile and Holland have begun activities in anticipation of the major celebration of the discovery of Cabo de Hornos/Kaap Hoorn which will be officially commemorated 19 January 2016.

• Sunday, October 9th 2011 - 10:04 UTC

  Chilean inflation in September picks up; central bank to keep buying dollars

  

  Chilean inflation rose 0.5% in September and the trade balance narrowed as falling copper output forced the first monthly year-on-year fall in exports in over two years.

• Sunday, October 9th 2011 - 09:40 UTC

  IDB has 3bn dollars reserve fund in the event of a major global crisis

  

  The Inter American Development Bank, IDB, has a special reserve for emergency loans of 3 billion dollars “in the event of a major global financial crisis”, said Roberto Vellutini, IDB Vice-president following meetings in Paraguay.