Monthly Archives: May 2009

Chile’s Exports Plunge 41.5 Percent in 1Q

SANTIAGO – Chile’s exports plunged 41.5 percent and imports dropped 31.2 percent in the first quarter, compared to the same period in 2008, the Central Bank said Monday.

In the January-March period, exports totaled $11.27 billion, while imports came in at $9.63 billion, producing a trade surplus of $1.64 billion.

The export figures were dragged down by the sharp decline in the mining industry, the engine of Chile’s export-oriented economy.

Mining exports fell 56.6 percent to $5.36 billion in the period, the Central Bank said.

Exports in other areas, however, also posted sharp declines, with industrial products down 20.5 percent, while agricultural, fruit, cattle, forestry and fishing exports were off 15 percent.

Imports by the mining industry plunged 52.4 percent, while basic materials imports were down 38.2 percent and industrial imports fell 27.3 percent.

Exports to the European Union, especially Italy and the Low Countries, fell 52.6 percent, while sales to Asia, particularly China and Japan, were off 46.6 percent.

Imports from the Americas fell 33 percent, while those from Asia fell 28.7 percent and purchases from Europe declined 26.5 percent.

Chile’s imports from the United States, Brazil and South Korea registered the sharpest drops.

The sharpest drop in exports by product category were registered in copper cathodes, down $2.99 billion, copper concentrate, which was off $2.86 billion, and copper for refining, down $479.6 million.

Imports posted the biggest declines in the categories of crude oil, down $1.14 billion, and diesel, off $964.3 million. EFE

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14094&ArticleId=335779

SEX TOURISM FORCES CHILE TO FACE DOMESTIC SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Chile’s Government Signs Agreement Condemning Child Sex Tourism On Its Doorstep

Although Chile is not typically perceived as a “sex tourism” destination, statistics reveal there are approximately 3,777 child sex workers in the country. This troublesome figure prompted an agreement to crack down on sexual exploitation of children caused by the sex tourism market, which was signed on Tuesday by the National Service for Minors (SENAME), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and National Tourism Agency (SERNATUR).

According to the International Organization for Migration and Tourism, 20 percent of travelers–primarily men from developed countries–seek sex. Of those, 3 percent confess a desire to pursue sexual relations with children. Hardening penalties in prime sex tourism destinations such as Southeast Asia have shifted the focus to regions with more permissive legislation. According to daily “La Naci?n,” many Latin American governments turn a blind eye to this because the mainstream tourist industry is so important to their economies.

A study conducted by the Universidad Arcis in 2003 found that 3,700 children in Chile are sexually exploited for financial gain. Further, a study by SENAME suggests that, whereas 62 percent of child prostitution cases in Chile involve adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18, 13.8 percent involve children under the age of 12.
Silence and a lack of concrete data serve to minimize the appearance of the problem, though sources agree that most forms of exploitation happen in the cities of Antofagasta, Valparaiso, and Santiago. The majority of children exploited in Chile are involved in the street sex trade, though cafes con piernas – cafes that boast scantily clad women – clandestine pimps, and Internet pedophiles.

A major goal, according to director of SENAME Eugenio San Mart?n, is to generate awareness and dispel stigmas, namely those myths surrounding the often misconstrued “voluntary” component of sex trade. Moreover, the nation’s Immigration Department has incorporated warnings into its entry form, warning foreigners of the criminal nature of the sex trade.

Child sex tourism is not the only harmful outcome of the globalization of tourism, according to Mar?a Jes?s Silva, Coordinator of the OIT program. She thinks that human trafficking is another lucrative symptom. Seventy-four percent of Chile’s human trafficking occurs inside the country without a border crossing. Because no border is crossed, there is no law that prevents such trafficking unless the victim protests.

By identifying locales and participants in sex tourism and affirming a no-tolerance policy, Chile hopes to protect those most vulnerable to the trade.

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009051916295/news/human-rights-news/sex-tourism-forces-chile-to-face-domestic-sexual-exploitation.html

UN REPORT UPDATE: CHILE CONFRONTED ON ABORTION AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS

Government Accepts Suggestions On Handling Indigenous Issues, But Declines Legalizing Abortion

Chile’s government accepted 20 recommendation from 51 United Nations member countries seeking greater protection for Chile’s indigenous peoples, but rejected recommendations made by Finland and Sweden that advocated the legalization of abortion.

The recommendations were formulated last week during the U.N. Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, a new control process which reviews the human rights records of all 192 U.N. Member States once every four years.

Chile’s ambassador in Geneva, Carlos Portales said they will carry out a human rights national plan “before the end of the year.” Although the plan will surely include indigenous rights agreements, it will not include abortion rights.

“Abortion is prohibited in Chile, including therapeutic abortion,” said a Chilean diplomat after the Geneva deliberation. “It is not part of the program of the current government – which will end its mandate in March 2010 – and it is not included among our country’s current debate topics.”

On the issue of indigenous rights, Chile was urged to eradicate Mapuche poverty, facilitate their access to education (including bilingual education), improve their participation in decision-making within the State’s institutions, and to consult with them regarding any projects in their ancestral lands.

The country was also requested to take measures to fight discrimination – especially against Mapuche women and children – and to elminate violence against Mapuche people who mobilize to assert their demands. Additionally, inquiries were made about Chile’s decision to expel journalists investigating violations against indigenous communities and Chile’s use of its Antiterrorism Law against Mapuche activists.

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009051316252/news/human-rights-news/un-report-update-chile-confronted-on-abortion-and-indigenous-rights.html

Mobile Cell Phone Learning reaches Chile

A new service for Movistar cell phone users in Chile will allow
up to 10 million users to learn English through their cell phones for 990 Chilean pesos (US$1.75) per lesson. Users can download 32 lessons into their mobile phones through the program Kantoo English, the first lesson is free.

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009051316248/news/business-news/mobile-cell-phone-learning-reaches-chile.html

Entel PCS offers Facebook Mobile SMS service to subscribers (Chile)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Entel PCS, the Chilean mobile operator, has introduced the Facebook Mobile SMS service. The service will allow the Entel PCS subscribers with a Facebook account to send SMS to short number 32665 (FBOOK) and change their status or check their friends’ Facebook status, change alerts, sent requests, messages to a contact or invite friends. Facebook Mobile SMS users will be charged CLP 50 per sent SMS, while received massages are free of charge.

http://wirelessfederation.com/news/15832-entel-pcs-offers-facebook-mobile-sms-service-to-subscribers-chile/

Telefonica launches ‘free’ broadband service

Telefonica Chile has launched a ‘free’ internet service it claims will help it achieve its goal of having 100% of its telephony clients using broadband services, writes BNamericas. Available only to its post-paid fixed line subscribers, customers are required to purchase a modem for CLP29,990 (USD53). They will then be able to surf the web, for free, on any of Chile’s ‘.cl’ domain name sites. Users wishing to access other domain sites have the option to buy a pre-paid card, at a cost of CLP1,500 per 24 hours. Download speeds on Chilean sites will be 300kbps, while those on non-Chilean sites will be 1Mbps. The service is designed to appeal to either people that are just starting out in using the internet, such as the elderly, or those that do not use it frequently and cannot justify paying a monthly broadband subscription.

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=28353

New MSI Products Trigger New Tech Craze at COMPUTEX

When Computex Taipei 2009 officially kicked off on June 2, leading international IT manufacturer MSI Technology stole the international limelight once again with its new corporate identity and its most impressive product lineup yet. The new notebook ranges, the AIO (All-in-one) computers, mother boards, VGA cards, car electronics, industrial computers and server products incorporating the latest technologies and tailored to consumer requirements all successfully triggered a new tech craze at Computex once again. It’s also worthwhile noting that MSI’s Wind U115 netbook with its exclusive Hybrid storage technology as well as the world’s latest onboard multimedia system FuntoRo were both awarded this year’s “Best Choice of COMPUTEX Award”. This provides yet another convincing demonstration of how MSI’s philosophy of “Insist on the best” has successfully won over consumers and the industry alike.

When Computex opened on June 2, MSI’s main booth at the Nangang Exhibition Hall as well as the WiMAX booth at TWTC Hall 1 immediately attracted large numbers of international buyers and media. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and Taipei City Mayor Hao Long-bin also visited the MSI booth at Nangang after hosting a press conference at Computex. The Premier was particularly impressed by the X-Slim ultra-slim notebook. Tang Yu-tin, Section Chief from the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, also brought a delegation of IT association representatives from emerging countries such as India, Chile and Peru to the MSI booth at Nangang. The delegation was very impressed by MSI’s solid line-up and determination to always be the industry pioneer.

MSI’s strong line-up at the Nangang booth not only drew large numbers of international buyers and media but also a visit from a delegation of IT association representatives from emerging nations such as Chile, India and Peru. MSI marketing manager Erika Jean introduction of MSI products left them with a strong impression of MSI’s strong R&D and manufacturing expertise.

MSI’s line-up for Computex included the all-new X-Slim series of X340, X400 and X600 ultra-slim notebooks as well as the 12″ Wind Pro U200 netbook based on the latest Intel CULV platform, motherboard equipped with Dr. MOS and Easy OC technology, military VGA card, the AIO (all-in-one) computers that drew praise from CNN, car PCs, industrial computers and server products. All these made a high-tech and stylish appearance on the international stage at Computex. As a long-time developer and user of RF transmission technology and a member of the WiMAX Forum, MSI also put on display its X-Slim X600, X400 and Wind U120 notebooks at the WiMAX booth in TWTC Hall 1 to show the world that MSI notebooks are already WiMAX Ready! These notebooks not only showed that MSI products come with the most stylish and elegant designs but are also ready for the latest trends in technology.

About MSI

Founded in August 1986, MSI has continued to uphold a business philosophy that stresses “Award-winning product quality and outstanding customer service.” MSI specializes in the design and manufacture of motherboards, graphics card, add-on cards, servers/workstations, iPC, barebones, communication devices, CE products, Notebooks, car infotainment products, and All-in-One PC. To keep abreast of the global market and offer our customers the best service, speediest product delivery, as well as sales and technical support, MSI has established subsidiaries in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Taiwan, U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands, Turkey, U.K., Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, and Saudi Arabic. Visit www.msi.com.

Source: MSI

Contact: MSI Headquarters Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-3234-5599 Fax: 886-2-3234-5488 http://www.msi.com.twCopyright 2009 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.
http://www.itnews.it/news/2009/0605115402995/new-msi-products-trigger-new-tech-craze-at-computex.html

VTR to invest USD155 million in 2009

BNamericas writes that cableco VTR, backed by media conglomerate Liberty Global, plans to invest around USD155 million this year, similar to 2008 levels, and will bid for a 3G mobile concession. CEO Mauricio Ramos told the Reuters Latin American Investment Summit in Santiago that his company would finance its investment plans from cash flow. ‘We are going to maintain investment at similar levels to last year, when we invested around CLP90 billion (USD158 million),’ Ramos said. ‘We are going to maintain (investment) to prepare ourselves for when things pick up again.’ Ramos added that VTR is intent on winning a 3G licence: ‘We are very focused on the 3G project. We think it is very important for the future development of VTR in Chile,’ he said.

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=28294

Claro ends Q1′09 with 3.1Mn subscribers (Chile)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Claro, the Chilean mobile operator, a subsidiary of America Movil, has added 78,000 new subscribers to its base in Q1′09, taking the total to 3.1 million subscribers at March-end. The subscriber base rose by 13.9% on a yearly basis and 2.6% since Q4′08.
Claro’s postpaid subscriber base hiked by 6.8% on a yearly basis to 400,000 subscribers, whereas the prepaid subscriber base went up 15.1% to 2.6 million subscribers at March-end.
The revenues for Q1′09 rose by 8.4% to CLP 66.9 billion since 2008, while EBITDA totalled to CLP 1.4 billion, up by 1.5% year-on-year. Data was the most dynamic component of service revenues, rising 74.9% year-on-year. ARPU dropped by 8.5% since a year earlier, while MOU rose 18.4% in the period to 143 minutes per subscriber.