The governments of Argentina and Chile are celebrating on Monday almost simultaneously religious services in the Basilica of Lujan and in the Maipu national sanctuary, respectively, to honour the memory of Pope John Paul II and his peace efforts which thirty years ago prevented a full fledged war between the neighbouring countries.
Magallanes Region Public Health Department has set out a warning that red tide has been detected in several points of the area following lab tests of different molluscs and sea food.
Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile is famous for its sea food which is supplied to the rest of the country.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to sign an arms deal during his visit to Brazil that could help this country build Latin America's first nuclear-propelled submarine, according to the government's official news agency Agencia Brazil.

Argentina's Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty claim support inventory added two more statements this last week during the meeting of Latinamerican and Caribbean leaders in the northeast of Brazil.

Early Friday the stranded Royal Navy's Ice Patrol HMS Endurance with its 113 crew and a translator arrived in Punta Arenas pulled by two Chilean tugs. She has already been docked at the Asmar ship yard where Chilean and British engineers will immediately begin with emergency repairs.
The Royal Navy Ice Patrol Ship HMS Endurance stranded at the western access of the Magellan Strait is being towed by a Chilean tug to Punta Arenas where she's scheduled to arrive next Friday, according to the latest reports from the Chilean Navy Third Naval Zone.

Brazil's Lower House approved the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur, but a further and tougher hurdle lies ahead: the Senate where several members have anticipated their disagreement, according to sources quoted by the Brasilia press.
Cuba on Tuesday was formally accepted as a member of the Rio Group of Latin American nations, handing the communist island a symbolic victory over US efforts to bar it from regional organizations.

Poor start for the Mercosur summit in Salvador Bahía, Brazil. Mercosur member countries have been unable to reach an agreement in one of the main points of the agenda and which has been a stumbling issue for years: elimination of the double tariff on imports from third countries and which are then re-exported inside the block.

The discovery and exploitation of new oil and gas wells in the extreme south of Chile has generated a boom for the Magallanes Region which is creating a significant demand for technicians and specialized labour.