Stories for March 21st 2006
Ecuador: rioting against free trade agreement with US escalates
Ecuador's main Indian federation claimed Monday that 30 peasants had been hospitalized and over 100 arrested during violent protests against a free trade pact with the United States scheduled to be signed in the coming days
UN begins review of migratory fish stocks agreement
Faced with continuing illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing that is severely depleting the world's oceans of their fish stocks, countries represented at a United Nations meeting on the issue called on Monday for new measures to strengthen a global treaty to manage fishing on the high seas.
Bob Kennedy Jr. promises to fight dam project in Chile
Environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. pledged to provide all necessary financial and logistical support to prevent the construction of proposed dam projects in southern Chile.
US raises debt ceiling to record breaking 9 trillion
President George W Bush signed a bill raising the United States national debt ceiling to nearly 9 trillion US dollars. The bill means the government can borrow a further 781 billion and stops what would have been a first ever default of Treasury notes.
Argentine official adamant with “John Cheek” effect
“There should be no concessions for fishing companies operating in the Falklands and Argentina”, argues the province of Buenos Aires Deputy Fisheries Secretary Oscar Fortunato.
Reserves external auditing for oil companies in Argentina
Oil and gas companies operating in Argentina must have their reserves annually certified by external auditors, announced the Argentine government.
Main issue in Bachelet/Kirchner summit: natural gas
A sustained provision of Argentine natural gas to Chile tops the bilateral agenda for Chilean president Michele Bachelet who on Tuesday will be travelling to Argentina for her first overseas official visit since taking office just over a week ago.
Pulp mills dispute: pickets lift blockade
Picketers voted late Monday night go lift “for an indefinite period” the blockade of the route leading to the international bridge linking Argentina with Uruguay which had been closed to all traffic for almost two months.
South American gas pipeline “non viable and illusory”
Petroleum and energy experts seriously questioned this week Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina's project to build a 20 billion US dollars pipeline in South America describing it as somehow illusory and non viable.
“John Cheek” case reaches House of Lords
The Foreign Office is “following closely” the case of the Falklands' flagged fishing vessel “John Cheek” detained a month ago by the Argentine coastguard allegedly operating in Argentine waters, said Monday in Parliament Lord Triesman.
