BRAZIL NEWS

ISRAELI "KING OF EXTASIS" ARRESTED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
YORAM EL AL WAS WALKING ALONG IPANEMA BEACH
On Dec 23, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested El Al Yoram as he strolled along the posh Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro.(Maybe he was looking for that famous "girl of Ipanema"). Yoram was on the DEA's most wanted list since 2004 after attempting to smuggle 1.4 million "Extasis" pills into the United States. On that occassion the contraband was confiscated by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency). It is a common practice for Extasis dealers to be paid by the buyers even if the cargo is confiscated and Yoram made an audatious move as he travelled illegally into the U.S to collect the cash.Apparently Yoram collected some of the cash and fled to Punta del Este, Uruguay one of the most exclusive beach resorts in South America. At this point Yoram had arrest warrants from the Israeli police, DEA, Interpol and was arrested by the Uruguayan police and was sent into detention at the "Libertad" jail. On Oct 4, 2005 , Yoram escaped from the jail at 2:00 a.m after his brother paid a prison guard US$100,000 as a bribe. On that night, men posing as police officers arrived at the jail and said that Yoram was to be transferred to another facility. The prison guard authorized Yoram`s exit that immediately fled with Nissim to Brazil.
Yoram had become the world`s most wanted Extasis trafficker after taking over from Zeev Rosenstein two years ago. Yoram ordered Rosenstein`s assassination and during the attack three people died. However, Rosenstein got the message and went out of the business.
According to Interpol,the consumption of Extasis or Metilendioximetanfetamine(MDMA), has been increasing specially among the followers of "Rave" electronic music, mostly teenagers, young adults and also among older adults.

ARGENTINA

SPAIN CLOSES DOOR ON ARGIE "TOURISTS"
The Kingdom of Spain eagerly set about colonizing large portions of North, Central and South America , throughout the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, and obtained a colossal financial benefit from this endeavor, that transformed the small European country into the superpower of that era. The first Spaniards to arrive in the Americas were given the honorary title of "Conquistadores" (Conquerors) whose mission was to claim whatever territory they came across in the name of the Spanish Crown, by any means including violence. In turn, the Spanish monarchy allowed the Conquistadores to possess a certain area of land and gave them the right to rule over the American natives.
At the height of their power, the Spaniards had settled from California in the North to Patagonia in the south, except for Brazil, that had been shared with their cousins, the Portuguese. The Spaniards mixed with the American natives and formed a new race called the Creoles, that would in turn become the rulers of the new republics formed after independence from Spain. It is estimated that during the colonial era some 2 million Spaniards and other Europeans arrived in the Americas, mostly unemployed individuals, pardoned criminals and adventurers. Other major waves of European immigrants arrived in South America during most of the 19th century after independence from Spain and Portugal when the newly independent republics demanded a qualified and skilled labor force. During the twentieth century, the wars and economic crisis in Europe forced millions of Spaniards, Italians , Germans and other nationalities to immigrate to South America. One of the countries that received huge numbers of Europeans was Argentina, mainly Spaniards and Italians, forming an explosive racial mixture that together with an extremely wealthy economy caused the Argentineans to acquire a superiority complex. Many Argentineans considered themselves as "Italians that spoke Spanish" and their arrogant personality and prosperity caused them to be hated and envied by the other South Americans. Due to the famine and unemployment that hit Europe after World War 1 and World War II, Argentina became the main supplier of foodstuffs to Europe, specially Spain and Italy, whose economies were on the floor. Argentina even donated millions of tons of meat and corn to feed the starving masses in those countries. Argentina's economy continued booming until the decade of the 70s, but then, as in the rest of the continent, political and economic turmoil struck the proud birthplace of Evita Peron. To make a long story short, an economic crisis along with the psychological impact of the defeat in the Falklands War brought Argentineans back to reality and forced hundreds of thousands of them to return to their "homelands", Spain and Italy, whose economies were now in expansion. The Spanish government has 3 million individuals registered with dual Spanish-Argentinean nationalities, that at present do not need entry visas into Spain. However, many of these people travel to Spain allegedly as tourists but with the intention of staying there to work, and this influx has caused a strong demand on housing and medical services, not to mention pressure on the labor market. Thousands of Italo-Argentineans gather every day outside the Italian embassy in Buenos Aires in order to apply for passports or entry visas, but due to their numbers, the embassy has stated that many applicants will have to wait for as long as two years to obtain the documents. The Spanish government has confirmed that there are 800,000 legal South American residents, mostly from Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, but the numbers of illegal immigrants could add up to much more. This situation has caused the Spanish immigration authorities to consider demanding entry visas to Argentineans and Bolivians, as it has already done with Colombians, Ecuadorians and Peruvians. So many Ecuadorians have arrived in Spain that they have occupied whole towns, causing violent clashes with the locals, that have resent the presence of these modern day "invaders". Recently a common catchphrase among Spaniards has been "Beware of the Argentineans, they will trick you, the Colombians will kill you and the Chileans will rob you". Chileans do not need an entry visa into Spain, but gangs of local criminals known as "Cogoteros" have made use of this opportunity to travel to Spain to commit their crimes where they can "earn" more. The "Cogoteros" have become so notorious with their bank robberies, shoplifting, pickpocketing and burglaries that they have forced the Spanish police to set up a special branch to combat their activities.
Is history backfiring on the Spaniards ? Did the "Conquistadores" ever imagine that their colonizing venture began five centuries ago would bring these results ? As the old saying goes "Sow winds and you will reap a storm"

SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Chilean Squad Does Well In S.American Championship
Plays well against Brazil

During the final round of matches in the South American U-20 tournament being hosted by Paraguay, the Chilean national team faced its toughest challenge against Brazil , that has been several times World champions in this category. This tournament is being organized by the Conmebol, the continental football federation and is very important since the first two teams will qualify to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics while the first four teams will take part in the forthcoming U-20 World Cup to be held in Canada in June 2007.
The game was played on Jan 22 at the Feliciano Caceres Stadium in Luque, in front of approximately 12,000 fans. It was the second of a three match meeting that did not start off very well for the local team since Paraguay went down to Argentina by 1-0. The fans were soon supporting Chile that completely outplayed Brazil in the first half but were unable to score the crucial first goal. In the second half Chile suffered a heavy blow as Nicholas Larrondo , one of its best defenders was sent off in the 58th due to a late tackle on a Brazilian player. Larrondo´s absence left a gap in the Chilean defense that was soon capitalized by Brazil that scored ten minutes later with a header by Alexandre Pato, a striker that plays for S.American club champions Internacional. Tempers were rising as some minutes later a Brazilian attempted to deceive the referee by scoring a Maradona style goal with his hand. A scuffle began between players from both teams and ended with each team having a man sent off. However the Chileans showed great fighting spirit and continued advancing towards the Brazilian area. This paid off in the 85th minute as Nicholas Medina was fouled in the area and the penalty was scored by Arturo Vidal. The Chilean players were still celebrating when Brazil scored a minute later as Tcho fired in a loose ball in the area. It seemed that all was lost for Chile with only three minutes remaining but the team counterattacked and this caused a Brazilian defender to commit another foul in his own area. It was the 95th minute of play but the referee allowed Arturo Vidal to take the penalty and equalize for Chile. The Brazilian players could not believe what had happened and swarmed around the referee to complain and ended up pushing him onto the ground. The riot police entered the pitch immediately and controlled the Brazilian players, but this will bring serious consequences since it seems that those players that assaulted the referee will be suspended for several matches by the Conmebol.
Since Chile won its first match against Colombia by 5-0 it only needs two more points to qualify for the Canada World Cup. Chile is now the highest scoring team of the championship with 15 goals and its next match will be against Argentina on Jan 23.
On that same day Brazil will face Uruguay and Paraguay will play Colombia.

The points table is as follows :

1) Uruguay : 6 points
2) Chile and Argentina : 4 points
3) Brazil: 2 points
4) Paraguay and Colombia : 0 points


5 Dead, 40 wounded in Football Match in Colombia
Lightning Strikes during amateur championship match

El Tiempo, a local newspaper, reported that on Nov. 19 in Llano del Poso, a small town in the northeastern region of Colombia, a lightning ray struck a plastic tent under which some 60 people had taken shelter from the rain. Surprise tropical rainstorms are common in this region of the country that is in a jungle area near the border with Venezuela. The police reported that 40 people were injured , 8 in critical condition, including 4 children.
The freak occurrence occurred at 3:30 local time as two amateur teams from nearby villages faced each other.
Dr. Juan Carlos Casas, of the local hospital declared that most of the wounded had skin burns of different degrees of seriousness.
“When the lightning ray hit us everything shook and we felt as if the ground was sinking under our feet,” said Carlos Perez, a peasant that survived the incredible accident caused by nature.

South American Footballers

Chilean Striker is World’s Top Goalscorer
Humberto Suazo presented with trophy in Salzburg, Austria

Who was the top goalscorer in 2006? Ronaldinho (Barcelona)? Andrei Shevchenko (Chelsea)? Park Ji Sung (Manchester United) ? Didier Drogba (Chelsea)? No, it was none of these players. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics ( IFFHS), it is Humberto Suazo, a Chilean striker currently playing for Colo Colo, the champion club in that South American country and that this year was also the highest goalscorer ever in Chilean first division history, with 51 goals.
On Jan 8, the IFFHS held a ceremony in Salzburg Austria, where Suazo was presented with the trophy to the “Highest Goalscorer in 2006” with 17 goals scored in top level international matches played both for his national team and club. Suazo left behind players such as Peter Crouch (Liverpool) with 16 goals, Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen) 13 goals and Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich) at 13 goals.
Suazo was also awarded the IFFHS “Silver Ball” award for being the second highest goalscorer in a first division tournament. The top goalscorer was Klaas Jan Huntelaar of Ajax (Netherlands) that scored 35 times in the Dutch tournament.
According to the IFFHS, the best club in the world was Sevilla of the Spanish First Division, the Best Coach was Frank Rijkaard of Barcelona while Horacio Elizondo of Argentina was the best “Man In Black” (referee) in 2006.
You may see the IFFHS full list of top goalscorers at http://www.iffhs.de/?388d85ff0e003c4f05f68e05b85fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeedb8a20c



CHILEAN IS BEST SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALLEROn Dec. 30, 2006, Matias Fernandez, a 20 year old attacking midfielder won the annual election held among specialized journalists from South America and Europe. The election is organized by “El Pais” a Uruguayan newspaper. Fernandez was recently transferred from Chilean champion Colo Colo to Villarreal in the Spanish First division for 7 million Euros won the election with 62 votes. In second place was Rodrigo Palacio, (Boca Juniors, Argentina) with 53 votes, third was Fernando Gago, also of Boca Juniors (50 votes) and fourth was Rogelio Ceni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) with 45 votes.
Matias Fernandez is the third Chilean footballer to win the competition after Elias Figueroa (1974,1975 ,1976) and Marcelo Salas (1997). Fernandez was crucial in helping Colo Colo win its second chilean championship in a row and also reaching the final of the Copa Sudamericana in Dec. 2006 that the Chilean club lost to Pachuca of Mexico.
Colo Colo`s coach, Claudio Borghi, was voted “Best Coach of the Year” by El Pais, with 52 votes, followed by Alfil Basile (Argentina) with 50 votes, Abel Braga of Internacional (Brazil) and Luis Fernando Suarez of the Ecuador national team both got 49 while Diego Simeone, coach of the Argentinean champion, Estudiantes de La Plata got 33 votes.
According to El Pais, the South American “Dream Team” would be formed by the following players :
Rogelio Ceni (goalkeeper), Hugo Ibarra, Daniel Díaz, Juan Veron, Fernando Gago , Rodrigo Palacio, Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Fabao and Fernandao (Brazil), Matias Fernandez and Humberto Suazo (Chile).

Portsmouth Gets Valuable Draw against Arsenal
Premier League match ends 2-2 in London

The match was held on Dec. 16 at Arsenal's impressive new "Emirates Stadium" with an attendance of 60,037 spectators. The game did not begin very well for the "Gunners" since Freddie Ljungberg was injured in the sixth minute and was replaced by Theo Walcott. Portsmouth, the surprise team of the season were happy to hang on to the draw and goalkeeper David James played a crucial role in blocking all of Arsenal's goal attempts. The match was becoming quite monotonous but came back to life in the 45th minute. Surprisingly, during one of Pompey´s few attacks, Matt Taylor took a free kick that hit the right post, and the rebound was connected by Noe Pamarot into the Arsenal net.
As the second half began, Portsmouth gave another surprise as a shot by David Thompson bounced near the Arsenal goal, and Matt Taylor scored with another spectacular volley into the top left hand corner of Jens Lehmann´s net.
In the 55th minute Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger took the right decision as he replaced Jeremie Aliadiere with Emmanuel Adebayor that brought his team back to life as he scored only two minutes later. Not only did the goal wake the fans up, but also the whole Arsenal team, that continued attacking at the Portsmouth goal and were rewarded in the 59th minute, when Kolo Toure took a hard long range shot that was rebounded by James. Gilberto Silva, Brazilian national team player and captain of Arsenal came running into the area and scored the equalizer with a low shot. Arsenal was really speeding up the pace, and this forced Pompey coach Harry Redknapp to make two substitutions, as Nico Kranjcar and Richard Hughes came on in the next fifteen minutes to slow down the action.
Gilberto Silva nearly wrapped up the match for Arsenal as he narrowly missed with a good low shot that went near the left hand post of James’s goal. The Arsenal players felt the effort of the second half and just played to maintain the result. A good result for Portsmouth that was visiting and that after this result is now in fourth place in the Premier League with 20 points while Arsenal is third with 30 points.


Arsenal: Jens Lehmann, Gael Clichy, Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Eboue (Mathieu Flamini 78), Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Fredrik Ljungberg (Theo Walcott 6), Aleksandr Hleb, Gilberto Silva, Robin van Persie, Jeremie Aliadiere (Emmanuel Adebayor 55)
Coach: Arsene Wenger

Portsmouth: David James, Linvoy Primus, Noe Pamarot, Matthew Taylor, Sol Campbell, Glen Johnson, David Thompson (Niko Kranjcar 71), Gary O'Neil, Pedro Mendes, Sean Davis, Nwankwo Kanu (Richard Hughes 85)
Coach : Harry Redknapp

Thrilling Draw Between Manchester United and Chelsea
Clash of Leaders at Old Trafford Ends 1-1

The match was played on Nov. 27 between the English premier League`s first placed team, Manchester United and Chelsea. At the start of the match Man. United was three points ahead of Chelsea. Both teams fielded their most powerful lineups, full of 2006 World Cup players such as Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) that with 8 goals is the Premier League's highest goalscorer , Wayne Rooney (England) that has scored 7 times this season and Gabriel Heinze, an Argentine defender that was crucial in neutralizing the Chelsea forwards in the first half of the match . Man. Utd had a very good record at Old Trafford since it had only conceded two goals in the six matches previous home matches. The pitch was in excellent condition and helped the action to get underway at an extremely fast pace, at typical English style football. Man. Utd had taken control of the action and the 75,000 fans were on their feet in the 17th minute as Michael Ballack accidentally handled the ball outside the Chelsea area. Cristiano Ronaldo took a hard free kick that was deflected by Carlo Cudicini, the Chelsea goalkeeper, over the bar.
Manchester Utd. continued pounding at the Chelsea goal and the results came in the 28th minute as Rooney sent in a great low pass from the halfway line to Louis Saha that was in the Chelsea area. Saha turned very well and placed a low shot into the right hand corner of the Chelsea goal.
Until the goal Chelsea had not shown much attacking play, and its first chance came in the 37th minute as Geremi took a hard long range shot that was blocked by Erwin Van der Sar, the Dutch national team goalkeeper. With Shevchenko isolated from his teammates by the Chelsea defenders, there were no other dangerous attacks until the end of the first half. During the break Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho replaced Geremi with Arjen Robben to strengthen its attack and this made came onto the pitch with a more aggressive attitude and the Blues controlled play for the first 15 minutes, with Frank Lampard taking three shots at goal. Mourinho´s move paid off in the 68th minute as Lampard made a good cross from the right corner that defender Ricardo Carvalho headed into the Man Utd net. It seems that at this point Sir Alex Ferguson sensed that if the did not put more weight in defence Chelsea would overrun Manchester United and so he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and Saha with Darren Fletcher and John O' Shea. Meanwhile as in the previous moments of the match, Didier Drogba continued to be cancelled out by the Man. Utd defense. The result of Fergusson’s defensive tactics was that Man.Utd kept its three point lead from Chelsea, but with Blues playing as they are, will it be enough of a lead for Man.Utd to win the Championship?

Starting Lineups:
Man. Utd (1) : Edwin v. Der Sar (gk), Michael Carrick, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Louis Saha, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney.

Coach: Alex Fergusson

Chelsea (1) : Carlo Cudicini (gk), Geremi, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Andrei Shevechenko, Didier Drogba.


INTER MILAN BEATS SPORTING AND ADVANCES IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Another matchday of the UEFA Champions League was played on Nov.22 and in Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, the home team Inter Milan played host to Sporting Lisbon.
Several South American players were on the pitch (for Inter Hernan Crespo , Javier Zanetti,(Argentina), Julio Cesar and Maicon (Brazil) and Ivan Cordoba (Colombia) while Sporting fielded Rodrigo Tello (Chile) and Carlos Paredes (Paraguay)
Inter needed to win to qualify for the next round of the tournament. Inter Milan has yet to win the Champions League as it is today, but it has won its predecessor, the European Champions Cup in the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons. From the start, with some hard tackles, the Inter Milan defenders made a point to the Portuguese players that they were in for a rough match. Play went on from one end of the pitch to the other at a fast pace but the first scoring chance happened in the 12th min as Fabio Grosso, the man that scored the winning penalty in the final of this years World Cup hit a hard mid level free kick past Ricardo´s right post. The first casualty for Sporting came in the 16th minute as Marco Materazzi, another Italian hero made famous as he received Zidane´s head butt during the final against France injured Marco Caneira out of the match. Caneira was replaced by Abel and play progressed under the same pattern, with Sporting crashing time and time again with the tough Inter defense. In the 36th minute , after an Inter Milan counterattack, Crespo was left alone in front of Ricardo to volley in a hard shot into the Sporting net. Abel was yet another victim of Inter´s hard tackling and also had to leave the pitch.
During the 73rd minute of the second half, Crespo could have wrapped up the match for Inter as Grosso sent in a hard low cross from the left, as the Argentine player slid feet first into the area but missed the ball by a few inches. Grosso was replaced ten minutes later by another Argentine player, Esteban Cambiasso. Sporting´s first clear scoring chance came too late, in the 85th minute as Rodrigo Tello sent in a good corner from the left that Alecasandro headed in at close range next to Julio Cesar´s left post. During the final spell of the match the Inter defense showed that it was just too efficient for the Sporting players to defeat. Now Inter Milan has qualified for the next round of the Champions League along with Bayern Munich, the leader of Group B.

Starting Lineups :

Inter Milan (1) : Julio Cesar (gk), Javier Zanetti, Ivan Cordoba, Marco Materazzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Maicon, Olivier Dacourt, Patrick Vieira, Fabio Grosso, Hernan Crespo.

Sporting Lisbon (0) : Ricardo (gk), Custodio, Anderson Polga, Tonel, Marco Caneira, Carlos Paredes, R.Tello, Alecsandro, Nani, Joao Moutinho, Joao Alves.

Results from other Champions League matches played on Nov 22 :
Celtic 1- Manchester United 0, CSKA 0 - Porto 2, Benfica 3 - Copenhague F.C -1 ,
AEK Athens 1 - AC Milan 0, Lille 2 - Anderlecht 2, Spartak Moscow 2 - Bayern Munich 2, Dynamo Kiev 1 - Steua Bucarest 1, Arsenal 3 - Hamburg 1.


CHELSEA HAMMERS WEST HAM DOWN THE TABLE
BLUES WIN DERBY 1-0 AT HOME
Another intercity derby was played on Nov. 18 at Stamford Bridge, London, home ground of Chelsea, a club that is competing for a historic hat-trick of English Premier League titles. The only team in history that has been able to win three English championships in a row has been Manchester United , that incidentally is leading in the points table and is three points ahead of Chelsea. West Ham is having a dreadful season and is currently in 16th place in the championship. It was a chance for South American football fans to see two Argentine national team players such as Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in action, that arrived at West Ham at the start of this season from Corinthians, the Brazilian champions. However neither have been able to show good form, and several press reports from Brazil mention that Tevez and Mascherano will return and play for Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. Mascherano was not in the starting lineup and Tevez just cannot keep up with the fast pace of the English premier League. Tevez is a skilful player that likes to dribble a lot, but since the English style of play leaves few open spaces, he is rarely able to show all his qualities. Chelsea did not show much clear scoring chances in the first twenty minutes and West Ham even less, making the match quite monotonous. Howver in the 21st minute , the Premier League's top scorer with eight goals, Didier Drogba ran off free towards the W. Ham goal and was fouled outside the semi circle. Instants later, Cameroonian international player, Geremi scored with a well placed free kick past goalkeeper Robert Green. West Ham continued at its medium pace trying to equalize but with no clarity, only a few crosses and corners into the area where the Hammers had no players that can head the ball at goal.
In the second half the match followed the same pattern as in the first half, with Chelsea not really playing at their best level, instead waiting to see what West Ham could produce.
Didier Drogba, finally appeared in the 68th minute with his first shot at goal that went into the hands of Green. In the 72th minute Essien took a hard and low long range shot that hit the left post of the West Ham goal and went out.
W. Ham continued with its ineffective play and in the last moments of the game Tevez showed that he is not adjusting to the pace in the Premier League, as he tried to dribble a Chelsea defender that easily won the ball away from him. From then on Chelsea continued to control the match and won another three points with little effort.

Starting Lineups :
Chelsea (1) Carlo Cudicini, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Michael Essien, Geremi, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben , Andrei Shevchenko.

West Ham (0) : Robert Green , Anton Ferdinand , Daniel Gabbidon , Paul Konchesky, Hayden Mullins, Jonathan Spector, Lee Bowyer , Matthew Etherington, Nigel Reo-Coker , Carlos Tevez , Bobby Zamora

Ohter results (Nov. 18) Sheffield Utd 1 - Manchester Utd. 2
Manchester City 3 - Fulham 1

SOUTH AMERICAN POLITICS

Surprise Victory by Left Wing Candidate in Ecuador
Economist Rafael Correa wins elections with 60% of votes

Against all forecasts made by several opinion poll companies before Nov. 26, it was Rafael Correa, a 43 year old economist that was chosen by the Ecuadorian electorate to be the president of the South American country for the next four years.
Correa is the leader of the “Christian Left” party that defeated Ecuador´s richest man, Alvaro Noboa a banana export tycoon with a fortune estimated at US$1.4 billion, Until Nov. 27, Noboa had refused to accept the election results and demanded “that votes be counted one by one”. Correa carried out graduate studies in U.S and Belgian universities and was Minister of Economy in Ecuador during 2005, and will have a hard job ahead of him since his three predecessors were either ousted from power by military coups or popular revolt.
Correa´s first post-election promises were to close a U.S military base in the country and also to scrap plans to sign a “Free Trade Agreement” with the North American nation.
During his victory speech on Sunday night, Correa stated that “the people’s victory is irreversible. I invite all Ecuadorians, even those that voted for my opponent to join our project, we are open to reaching a consensus. David has defeated Goliath.”
Correa’s speech had a surprising ending as he shouted “Always forward until victory” a phrase coined by South American left wing revolutionary , Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Correa will officially begin his term on January 15, 2007 and during his first press interview rejected that he would be a follower of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
“ I am a friend of Hugo Chavez, so what? I will be in charge , not Chavez,” said Correa.
Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez gets ready for the Dec. 3 elections with mass rallies all over Venezuela. “We will win by knockout ,” said Chavez during a speech.

CRUCIAL ELECTIONS AT END OF THIS MONTH
Lula Da Silva´s first official state visit after being reelected as President of Brazil was to Venezuela, renamed by President Hugo Chavez, as the "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela", in honor of Simon Bolivar, one of the leaders of the 19th century's continental independence war against Spain. "I will support any candidate that proposes the same ideas as Hugo Chavez," said Lula during a speech in Venezuela, in stark contrast to his stance during the election campaigns, where he seldom mentioned the controversial Venezuelan leader. Hugo Chavez has divided the continent with his policy of intervention in the political affairs of neighboring countries. In some cases he has been successful, such as in Bolivia, where his petrodollars helped a coca farmer such as Evo Morales to win the elections and become the first Native American head of state. In other cases such as Peru, Hugo Chavez publicly gave his support to Ollanta Humala, the leader of an indigenous-nationalist movement. The other candidate, Alan Garcia, that had already been President of Peru in 1985, used this situation as his main election platform, denouncing that Chavez wanted to make the country a client state of Venezuela. Chavez replied by calling Garcia a "common thief" and promised that his country would break diplomatic relations with Peru if Garcia was elected. Finally Garcia won the election in mid July after forming a strategic alliance with the leader of a right wing coalition and since then the relation between Peru and Venezuela is not on very good terms.
Another crucial battle will be fought in Ecuador on Nov. 26 where the first round left two candidates with a chance : Alvaro Noboa a millionaire banana exporter and Rafael Correa, a left wing economist. Since Correa obtained 22,86% against Noboa´s 26,83% , the economist has decided to tone down his expressions of admiration for Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. This link was well capitalized by Alvaro Noboa, that has accused Correa of receiving funds from Chavez . " We don't want Ecuador to become another Venezuela, run by a communist such as Chavez. I am very pleased with the first round results and I am sure to win," said Noboa after the first round results were revealed. On the other hand Correa replied that "there is nothing wrong with being a friend of Chavez, or of President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina. I have never said I am close to Chavez , I will never allow any foreign intervention , be it from Venezuela, the U.S. or whatever."
"Noboa inherited all his money from his father, he has more bank checks than brain cells," said Correa. It seems that Correa learnt the lesson from other Chavez backed candidates that recently lost elections, such as Ollanta Humala (Peru) and Andres Lopez Obrador (Mexico). An Ecuadorian political expert, Wladimir Sierra, stated that Correa has distanced himself from Chavez in order to avoid defeat and is trying to win the support of the middle class. According to Sierra, Alvaro Noboa has good chances of winning on November 26.
This situation, along with the election of Daniel Ortega clearly shows a pattern where the Latin American electorate is changing its preference from the elegant, suit and tie graduates from foreign universities of the past two decades, that have not really been able to reduce the levels of extreme poverty in the continent, and instead is voting for more unconventional candidates, such as Evo Morales, (coca plantation farmer), Hugo Chavez (military officer), Lula da Silva (factory worker), Nestor Kirchner (former left wing guerrilla) or Michelle Bachelet , South America's first female head of state. Chile has a swavering attitude in its foreign relations, but it can be said that it is part of a less radical block of countries, a "Western Block", that includes Colombia and Peru that has preferred to maintain good ties with the United States, since both will receive large amounts of U.S. financial and military aid in the future, compared to the "Eastern Block" of countries formed by Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia, that want to show a more independent attitude.

PATAGONIA

Global Warming in Patagonia
A region that expects arrival of millions of "climatic refugees"

Recently it has become common during weather reports in Chilean television, newspapers and other media to inform about the levels of Ultra Violet (UV) Radiation. The degree of danger faced by humans when exposed to the harmful UV rays is measured from 1 to 12, or from low (white color) to very high (dark red color). For example at the time this article was written, the levels in Santiago, the Chilean capital were reported at level 8 or high. The Chilean Cancer Institute (www.Conac.cl) has recommended that people should take care between 11:00 a.m and 3 p.m, when UV radiation is at its highest levels and the risk of contracting skin cancer or vision problems are greater. Men and women have been discouraged from "sunbathing" in beaches or swimming pools, as even if the aesthetic effect may be attractive, experts agree that the probabilities of contracting cancer are high. According to statistics given by Conac, the rate of skin cancer cases in Chile increases by 3% each year. Conac has also begun a campaign where a bracelet known as "Sun Alert" is sold to children for US$2 dollars, to help youngsters become aware of the dangers of overexposure to sunlight. According to measurements carried out by Conac, the levels of solar radiation for January 2006 were higher than in January 2005, and the color used for this period was violet (extremely dangerous). Conac estimates that due to the reduction in the ozone layer, by the age of 18, a Chilean individual has already been exposed to radiation that normally would have been received in 50 years. Since 2004, Conac has set up several UV ray sensor equipment in beach resorts all over Chile.
Recently the local Dermatologist Society has warned against the exposure to UV rays in solariums, ( another popular practice) since "the skin is directly exposed to UV rays".
In the central region of Chile, where most of its population is concentrated, the global warming phenomenon has caused abnormally high temperatures during winter, from May to September, and at present some lower temperatures and cloudier days have been experienced since October, when the temperatures are normally higher.
Also the higher temperatures have caused an increase in rat population in rural areas. This has provoked the appearance of an until now unknown virus, "Hanta" that is contracted when humans come into contact with areas infested by rats. This year, several people have died from Hanta and the authorities have launched public information campaigns to on how citizens can prevent the transmission of this disease.


In the Patagonia, in the far south of the continent and only two hours by plane from the Antarctic, the levels of UV radiation area are much higher, since the gap in the Ozone layer is directly over this territory that is shared by Argentina and Chile. Citizens on both sides of the border are exposed to the same levels of radiation and so people of all ages have become used to wearing sunglasses all year round. This situation became more apparent after sheep farmers noticed that high levels of exposure of UV rays were blinding many of their animals, as the sheep remain grazing all day in the fields. During winter, the Antarctic region is isolated from the continental winds due to the "Polar Jet", a phenomenon where a circular mass of intense winds causes the lowest temperatures in the planet and also the highest losses of Ozone. Polar clouds containing high contents of chlorine are formed that prevent the UV radiation from being filtered by the Ozone layer, since one molecule of chlorine can destroy thousands of molecules of Ozone. Along with many other countries, Chile and Argentina have set up scientific bases in the Antarctic and are constantly monitoring the situation in the ozone layer.


Global warming has also caused geopolitical tension between Argentina and Chile such as occurred in 2006 over the "Southern Ice Fields". These glaciers are located in the Andes Mountains approximately 1000 kms from Santiago, the Chilean capital and are one of the largest water reserves in the planet, but since they are exactly on the border between the two countries, the border has not yet been officially established. Argentina caused a diplomatic incident after its Ministry of Tourism published a map in its website where all the "Southern Ice Fields" appeared as Argentine territory. Chile complained to the Argentine government and the map was taken off the website. These glaciers are constantly melting at an alarmingly fast rate, creating large blocks of ice that increase the level of the seas.
It is estimated that during the next 50 years, the temperatures in the planet will increase by 2 degrees Celsius, causing a negative impact on the planet's agricultural production and obviously a shortage of food. Argentina, Chile and Brazil will be faced with the arrival of millions of "climatic refugees" from all over the world as land mass, water supplies and food production decrease.

Chilean Footballers

Jeonbuk Hyundai Hires Jose Luis Villanueva

Villanueva is a 25 year old forward that was recently playing for Morelia in the Mexican First Division. The Chilean striker played 16 matches for Morelia during the “Opening Tournament” and scored 4 goals. Villanueva must be in Korea on January 4 to start training with his new club, Jeonbuk, the Korean and Asian champion that also took part in FIFA’s World Club Championship some weeks ago. Villanueva was also wanted by Argentine First division clubs such as San Lorenzo and Racing, and in this last club he played during the 2005 season so many were surprised by his decision.
“When the Koreans contacted me I didn’t think twice about it. I accepted immediately and I don´t care when people say that the Korean league is not very well known. They forget that Korea was third in the 2002 World Cup, there are Korean players in the English Premier League. I like the challenge of seeing a new culture, maybe I will also become a businessman. The Korean style of play is fast and strong and I like that,” said Villanueva during an interview with Chilean newspaper “Las Ultimas Noticias”.
Villanueva’s manager Leo Rodriguez stated to the press that “the one year contract arrived by fax from Korea and the salary is quite high, but I cannot reveal how much Jose luis will earn,”
Villanueva started his career as as footballer in Chilean clubs Palestino, Cobreloa and Universidad Catolica.


Arsenal Fires Three Goals Past Liverpool
Chile´s Mark Gonzalez is replaced in second half.

Arsenal played its 6th English Premier League match at the recently built "Emirates Stadium" on November 12th in front of a full capacity crowd of 60,110 spectators. This is the most modern stadium in the world and was built at a cost of 580 million euros. The main sponsor is "Emirates airlines" and part of the deal with the London club is that the airline will have the main publicity rights for the next fifteen years.
Arsenal is getting used to playing at its new stadium, and its form has not been as good as at Highbury, since in the past 5 matches the "Gunners" have won two matches and drawn three. On the other hand Liverpool has had a very bad record as a visitor with only one draw and five defeats. The local press rumors that coach Rafa Benitez may be near to losing his job if the results continue to be negative. Benitez made a lot of Chilean fans when he put on Mark Gonzalez on from the first minute, even if the Chilean midfielder is recovering from muscle fatigue. The match began at a nonstop pace and it was Liverpool that had the first scoring chance as Dirk Kuyt´s shot went over the Arsenal goal defended by Manuel Almunia. It was interesting to see that both teams have Spanish goalkeepers and that Arsenal did not field any English players, instead several French players, , two Ivorians a Bielorussian ( Alexander Hleb) , and Gilberto Silva, a Brazilian defender that along with Gonzalez were the only South Americans on the pitch.
Both teams played with a man to man marking system that left very few open spaces for Mark Gonzalez or any other player to run freely. Gonzalez was yet again the only dangerous striker for Liverpool, with a dangerous low cross from the left in the 27th minute to Boudewijn Zenden , that sent the ball over the crossbar.
However it was Liverpool that made the first defensive mistake that cost them the first goal by Arsenal. Hleb ran into the Liverpool area and made a good pass to Francesc Fabregas that in turn crossed a low ball to Mathieu Flamini whose shot gave Arsenal the lead after 40 minutes of play.
Liverpool controlled the first ten minutes of the second half in a desperate attempt to equalize but another defensive error in the 55th minute sealed the fate for the northern club. Robin Van Persie saw a space in the Liverpool defense and made a long pass to Kolo Toure that was left alone in front of Jose Reina and hit a low shot into the left corner of the net.
In the 60th minute, Rafa Benitez made another questionable substitution as he replaced Mark Gonzalez , the only man that had created danger for Liverpool in the left wing, and replaced him with Jermaine Pennant (that usually plays on the right wing).
Peter Crouch, that along with Kuyt had not shown much during the match was substituted by Craig Bellamy in the 70th minute. A curious note was added to the match as referee Mark Clutterbuck fell to the ground the next minute with an apparent knee injury, but the man in black was soon recovered by the medical assistants. The deathblow to Liverpool came ten minutes later as Van Persie took a corner from the right and incredibly William Gallas was left alone to head the ball past Reina. Liverpool's defense is its weak point this season, and no team can do well if they give advantage in this area of the field. The rest of the match continued with Sami Hyypia being substituted by Philippe Senderos and an on-the-pitch argument between Steven Gerrard and John Riise. Arsene Wenger´s tactics were superior to those of Rafa Benitez, whose days as Liverpool coach seem numbered.

Starting Lineups :

Arsenal (3) : Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy, Gilberto Silva, Francesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb, Thierry Henry.
Coach: Arsene Wenger

Liverpool (0) : Jose Reina, Sami Hyypia, Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, John Arne Riise, Steven Gerrard, Mark Gonzalez, Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt, Boudewijn Zenden,
Coach : Rafa Benitez.

Chile´s New Generation Of Footballers
Who are they and where are they playing?

Like the majority of South American players, Chile´s professional footballers are tempted to emigrate to Europe in search of higher salaries and living standards. Never has there been so many Chilean players playing in foreign leagues and along with the election of a top FIFA official such as Harold Mayne -Nicholls to head the local federation and who promises to bring about radical changes, the stage is set for Chilean football to get back on the map. As follows is the list of the Chilean players and their clubs:

Italian Serie A ( First division) :

David Pizarro, Roma F.C : On Nov. 12, this midfielder played during the whole match against A.C Milan and helped his team to an important 2-1 victory over one of Italy's most famous clubs. Roma is also taking part in this year's edition of the UEFA Champions league.


During the last qualifying round for Germany 2006, Pizarro resigned from Chile´s national team after quarrelling with the coach but now it seems he will reconsider and return to help his country qualify for South Africa 2010.

Nicolas Cordova , Messina : Another rebel that has refused to play for Chile due to personal differences with the coach, Cordova is a midfielder that has won a regular place in his team. Messina is currently in seventh place in the Serie A and with the forthcoming change of coach in the national team, Cordova has shown his willingness to play for Chile again .

Jaime Valdes, Lecce : Even if his team is in the second division, to be playing in Italy means that Valdes has been exposed to higher requirements and must surely be considered to play for Chile.

English Premier League :

Mark Gonzalez, Liverpool : Has been showing great form at one of England's top clubs and is winning the approval of the local fans. Also refuses to play for Chile (due to an act of indiscipline) but this striker will surely return when the new national team coach is appointed.

Scottish Premier League :

Mauricio Pinilla, Hearts : This striker was once considered the great young promise of Chilean football. After passing through several clubs in Italy, Spain and Portugal, it seems Pinilla is finally maturing and is settling down to his new club. Also a sure shot to play in the national team.



Spanish Liga Primera (Premier League) :

Claudio Bravo, Real Sociedad : Bravo is at present the first choice goalkeeper for the national team, and during his first season in Europe, is sure to gain valuable playing experience for the future.

Pablo Contreras, Celta : A defender with many years experience in Europe, has won a regular place in this club that recently defeated Real Madrid by 2-1 in its own stadium.


Portuguese First Division :
Rodrigo Tello, Sporting Lisbon : This midfielder has won a regular place in the squad, and has shown good form during this year's edition of the UEFA Champions League. A player of Tello´s experience cannot be overlooked by the new national team coach.

Alex Von Schwedler, Maritimo : Before moving to Europe he played many seasons for Universidad de Chile, one of the country's top clubs. Von Schwedler is a reliable defender that has helped his team to be in fifth place of the points table.

Dutch First Division:
Sebastian Pardo, Feyenoord : Pardo has been playing for several seasons in one of Holland's most popular clubs, so this midfielder cannot be left out of the Chilean national team lineup.

Brasileirao ( Brazilian first division) :

Jorge Valdivia, Palmeiras : Just to be chosen to play in the most competitive league in the world is a major achievement, but Valdivia has done more than that, he has become a favorite with the local fans due to his skilful "Brazilian" style of play in midfield.

Claudio Maldonado , Santos : A defender that has made a name for himself in the Brazilian championship after several years. A regular in the national team but that is nearing the end of his career.

Alejandro Escalona, Gremio : Also playing for one of Brazil's top clubs, Escalona is a midfielder whose club is fighting for a place in next year's edition of the Libertadores Cup (South American Champions league).

Mexican First Division :

Reinaldo Navia, San Luis : Like many other Chilean players, Navia was attracted to this up and coming league due to the high salaries paid by clubs. Navia is a dangerous striker that has been a regular with the Chilean national team.

Sebastian Gonzalez, Tigres Monterrey : Another goal scoring striker that has been highly successful in Mexico and just cannot be left out of any future lineup.


Hugo Droguett, Tecos de Guadalajara:
Recently transferred from Universidad de Chile, Droguett, an attacking midfielder has scored four goals during fifteen official matches in the Mexican league.

Hector Mancilla, Veracruz : Like Droguett, Mancilla was hired to Mexico at the beginning of 2006 and is doing his job as a striker with six goals in thirteen matches.


Chilean First Division :

Humberto Suazo , Colo Colo : Recently chosen by FIFA as one of the world's top strikers, Suazo has nothing else to prove in Chile and at the moment is considering several proposals by foreign clubs.

Matias Fernandez , Colo Colo : The golden boy of Chilean football. A skilful midfielder that was transferred in October to Villarreal of the Spanish first division, but will play for Colo Colo until January 2007.