A virus that has killed millions of salmon in Chile and ravaged the fish farming industry there was probably brought over from Norway, a major salmon producer has acknowledged.

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Chilean coast Friday, about 88 kilometres south-southwest of the port city of Valparaiso, US seismologists said.

The earthquake's epicentre was at a depth of 23 km, and hit at around 8:26pm local time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

No immediate damage or casualties were reported, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had not yet rele

Chile's Antofagastaand Canada's Barrick Gold are likely to win mining rights for a $3.3 billion copper and gold project in Pakistan, a senior provincial government official said on Sunday.

The companies are partners in the Tethyan Copper Co (TCC) joint venture, which has a 75 percent interest in the Reko Diq project in Balochistan province.

TCC has carried out exploration but wants to expand

Chrysotile asbestos will not be listed as a hazardous industrial chemical that can be banned from import after countries including Canada and Ukraine blocked consensus, a United Nations spokesman said Friday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of states that have ratified the Rotterdam Convention despite the treaty's scientific review body having recommended the inclusion of "white" asbestos o

A vast cloud of ash spewing from a Chilean volcano disrupted air travel on Wednesday across much of South America, as heavy rains around the eruption site prompted fears of mudslides.

Air traffic was sharply curtailed on the continent as the ash cloud drifted over Argentina, and into Brazil.

A volcano dormant for decades erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching an ash cloud more than 6 miles high that blew over the Andes and carpeted a popular ski resort in neighboring Argentina.

Fanned by winds, ash darkened the sky in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, a government official there said, adding the city's airport had been closed.

The eruption in the Puyehue-Cordon C

One of the volcanos in the Caulle Cordon of southern Chile erupted violently Saturday, billowing smoke and ash high into the sky and prompting more than 3,500 people living nearby to evacuate.

An environmental review commission in the Ays

Officials in Chile have approved a huge hydroelectric project in the heart of Patagonia, setting off protests by environmentalists in several cities.