Latin America

• Monday, June 6th 2011 - 11:32 UTC

  Controversial dam project sees Piñera’s support plummet to a new low

  

  Public support for Chile’s conservative President Sebastián Piñera fell to a new low of 36%, according to an Adimark poll released Thursday, while outright rejection of Piñera’s government reached a record 56%.

• Monday, June 6th 2011 - 06:47 UTC

  Chile experiences employment growth, but how do you define a ‘job’?

  

  Chile’s unemployment rate has dropped from 8.6% to 7%, according to official government statistics released this week. The three regions most affected by the February 2010 earthquake were found to have generated 31% of the nearly half a million jobs created nationwide in the past 12 months.

• Monday, June 6th 2011 - 06:42 UTC

  Easter Island opens Visitor Centre as part of intensive conservation program

  

  Chile’s Easter Island opened the doors to its new sustainable visitor centre on May 13. The centre is located at the entrance to the Orongo Ceremonial Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site in a Rapa Nui National Park.

• Monday, June 6th 2011 - 06:17 UTC

  Humala claims victory in Peruvian presidential run-off

  

  The nationalist former Army officer Ollanta Humala claimed victory in Peru’s presidential election run-off as he clung to a lead of about 20,000 votes over Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori.

• Monday, June 6th 2011 - 04:08 UTC

  Chilean volcano ashes reach Atlantic coast; all flights cancelled and schools closed

  

  Southern Chile's Puyehue volcano was calm Sunday, one day after raining down ash and forcing thousands to flee, although the cloud of ash it had belched out still darkened skies as far away as neighbouring Argentina and was heading to the Atlantic coast.

• Sunday, June 5th 2011 - 12:20 UTC

  South Chile volcano eruption prompts evacuation; covers Argentine province with ash

  

  Southern Chile's Puyehue volcano erupted on Saturday for the first time in half a century prompting evacuation orders for 3,500 people and turning into dark the Argentine Patagonian resort of San Carlos de Bariloche, 100 kilometres to the east as it was covered with ash.

• Saturday, June 4th 2011 - 06:35 UTC

  Raul Castro completes the octogenarian club to rejuvenate Cuban leadership

  

  Cuban President Raul Castro turned 80 on Friday, vowing to rejuvenate the country's aging leadership and its sagging economy.

• Saturday, June 4th 2011 - 06:31 UTC

  Chile’s capital survives driest May in 43 years: respiratory diseases outbreak

  

  As any Santiago de Chile resident could attest, it was all sun and no rain this past May, creating a hazardously dry environment and increasing already worrying levels of pollution.

• Saturday, June 4th 2011 - 06:23 UTC

  Punta Arenas included in Chile’s 285 million USD program to improve air travel

  

  In response to increased air traffic this past decade, the Ministry of Public Works has formed a plan to improve and expand the airports of Chile including Punta Arenas.

• Saturday, June 4th 2011 - 02:40 UTC

  Hard times, even closure for some Uruguayan abattoirs, anticipated Mujica

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica warned that several abattoirs will run into deep trouble and might have to close down because of the lack of livestock ready for slaughtering. He also cautioned that “there is not much more the Executive can do”.