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Chile\’s new president praises heroes in earthquake

SANTIGO, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Newly inaugurated Chilean President Sebastian Pinera praised Thursday some ordinary citizens as heroes in the Feb.-27 earthquake that seriously damaged the country. In his first speech as the Chilean president, Pinera especially mentioned the names of two children. Martina Maturana, 12, living on one of the Juan Fernandez Islands, struck the warning bell after hearing the sound of tsunami following a strong earthquake, thus wakening hundreds of sleeping...

Costa Rica\’s president-elect unveils cabinet

SAN JOSE, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rica\'s President-elect Laura Chinchilla Tuesday announced the names of the ministers that will be part of her \"economic team\" when she takes office on May 8. Chinchilla said that Carlos Ricardo Benavides will be in charge of the Tourism Ministry. Benavides, who held the same portfolio during the administration of President Oscar Arias, left the post to join Chinchilla\'s campaign. The economy, industry and commerce minister will be Mayi...

U.S. says no indication of Palestinians quitting peace talks

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- There is no indication that the Palestinians have pulled out of indirect talks with Israel, said the U.S. State Department on Thursday, adding that the United States remains committed to the Middle East peace process. \"As far as I know, we are still moving forward. We have not heard from the Palestinians that they have pulled out,\" said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, referring to a report saying that the Palestinians have refused to resume...

Chilean new president visits earthquake-hit regions

New Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Thursday visited the city of Rancagua, epicenter of Thursday\'s earthquake, and Constitucion, which was devastated by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that on Feb. 27.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) SANTIAGO, March 11 (Xinhua) -- New Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Thursday visited the city of Rancagua, epicenter of Thursday\'s earthquake, and...

LA superior court lays off 329 employees, closes 17 courtroo

LOS ANGELES, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday laid off 329 employees and closed down 17 criminal and civil courtrooms. The layoff is to be followed by 500 more job cuts in September this year, said presiding judge Charles McCoy. The job cuts and courtroom closures were caused by a large court budget shortfall, which is expected to reach 79 million U.S. dollars for the year. Though judges were protected from layoffs, they started from last summer to...

Pentagon says price of F-35 fighter plane goes up drasticall

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Senior Pentagon officials informed the Congress on Thursday the price of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has gone up drastically to 80 to 95 million apiece in base- year 2002 U.S. dollars, from the original 50 million in 2001. Pentagon\'s current estimate for the plane\'s price tag is \" somewhere between 80 million dollars and 95 million dollars in constant year 02 baseline dollars,\" Christine Fox, Director of Cost Assessment in Pentagon, told the Senate...

Major guerrilla leader captured in Colombia

BOGOTA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Colombian police captured one of the major leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the Bajo Cauca region in northwest Colombia, officials said on Tuesday. Adelmo Cala, who is allegedly the \"left hand\" of Jose Lisandro Lascarro, FARC\'s commander in the area, was nabbed in Floridablanca in Santander province after six months of intelligence work, police said. Cala was accused of carrying out terrorist actions ordered by Lascarro...

Obama details efforts to double U.S. exports over next five

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday unveiled his efforts to double U.S. exports over the next five years, saying such a goal was critical to create jobs. BOOSTING TRADE CRITICAL FOR PROSPERITY \"In a time when millions of Americans are out of work, boosting our exports is a short-term imperative,\" said Obama in a speech at the Export-Import Bank\'s annual conference. \"In 2008, we exported more than one trillion dollars of manufactured goods,...

L. American countries seek to eradicate hunger, poverty

QUITO, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Agriculture ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean discussed on Tuesday how to eradicate hunger and poverty in their countries by 2025. The ministers debated common strategies to fight hunger and poverty, though the situation in each country was different. The meeting, entitled \"Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025,\" was convened in order to fulfil one of the UN Millennium Goals. Ecuadorian Agriculture Minister Ramon Espinel said...

Fire destroys 1,500 hectares of forest in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,500 hectares of forest have been destroyed by fire since the beginning of this year, Honduran Defense Minister Marlon Pascua said on Tuesday. After a meeting of the ministers council, Pascua asked President Porfirio Lobo to declare a national emergency to call for the joint efforts of different institutions to prevent and control forest fires. At the meeting, Pascua presented a video on how 2,000 troops of the Honduran armed forces fought...