Latin America

Sunday, March 4th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chile's meteorologists on alert for La Niña

Meteorologists in the U.S. forecast Thursday an increase in hurricanes for the coming year. They lay the blame on “La Niña” ÃÂ¢€“ El Niño's ”sister” phenomenon - which produces a cooling effect on the surface water of the Pacific Ocean and can drastically alter weather patterns as far as Africa.
Sunday, March 4th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Rio Group supports Argentina in Falklands/Malvinas dispute

Heads of State at the XIXth Rio Group summit in Guyana over the weekend approved a resolution backing “Argentina's legitimate rights over the Malvinas”, regarding the sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom.
Sunday, March 4th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Rio Group committed to “revitalization” and less summits

The Rio Group will be revitalized with fewer summits and more action in the form of mutual consultations aimed at reacting quickly to international crises, the presidents of the regional association agreed Saturday in Guyana.
Friday, March 2nd 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Bush administration upgrades Latinamerica and democracy

United States President Bush will use his visit to Latin America to highlight his vision of building positive new partnerships in the Americas, a senior State Department official said in congressional testimony.
Thursday, March 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chilean scientists to record blue whales “conversations”

Marine Biologists from Chile's Blue Whale Center (CBA) have embarked on a new project to record the noises made by endangered blue whales off the coast of southern Chile. They hope to use their recordings to identify individual whales and learn more about how whales communicate with each other.
Wednesday, February 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chile announces plans to research nuclear energy

Energy Minister Karen Poniachik announced Tuesday that her ministry would begin technical studies into the potential use of nuclear energy in Chile. Facing criticism from both the governing Concertación coalition and opposition Alliance for delays in the government-mandated studies, Poniachik said the ministry would present a plan to assess the implementation of nuclear energy in March.
Wednesday, February 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Venezuela takes control of foreign oil projects

President Hugo Chavez's announced takeover of Venezuela's most promising oil-producing operations will likely increase strain on the country's heavily burdened state-run oil company and pressure production at the world's eighth-largest oil exporter.
Wednesday, February 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
New constitution for the British Virgin Islands

The successful conclusion this week of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) constitutional talks was praised by Foreign Office Minister Lord Triestman.
Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
El Niño subsides: fishermen celebrate, farmers fear drought

By next May the “El Niño” phenomenon, which warms the Pacific Ocean by an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius (3.5 degrees Fahrenheit), will have completely disappeared.
While Chile's fishing industry utters a loud sigh of relief ÃÂ¢€“ cooler water means larger catches ÃÂ¢€” the departure of El Niño could cause severe problems for the agricultural sector, which may be facing drought.
Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Ecuador to repair roads system with funds to repay creditors

Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa declared Tuesday a national roads system emergency and ordered the Army to begin the construction and maintenance of the country's road network to be financed with funds originally destined to honor foreign debt payments.