Stories for April 18th 2006
Gold, oil up, yet rate fears weigh
Gold hit a fresh 25-year high on Tuesday as oil neared a record, pushing shares of Asian commodity firms like BHP higher, but broader stock gains were checked by fears that high oil prices would hurt economic growth.
Common hake landings pegged at more than 75,000 tonnes
Up to the first week of April, 75,218 tonnes of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) were landed at Argentine maritime ports.
Venezuela took back 27,000 sq. km from oil companies
Venezuela reclaimed more than 27,000 square kilometers in potential drilling acreage from private oil companies last month by requiring them to join new state-controlled joint ventures, a local daily reported yesterday.
UT scientist sheds light on ocean bacteria
Research by a University of Tennessee scientist shows that tiny bacteria that help regulate greenhouse gases survive best in specific water temperatures, a finding with significant implications in the face of global climate change.
Brazil's landless peasants recall massacre
Brazil's Landless Movement, MST, marked this week the tenth anniversary of the deaths of a score of its members at police hands by occupying ranches, blocking roads and looting cargo trucks in protests that extended across the country.
China will help boost Brazil's gas distribution
Brazil's government owned company Petrobras and China's oil company Sinopec Group announced a 239 million US dollars contract to build a pipeline to increase natural gas supplies in the northeast of Brazil and reduce Brazilian dependence on gas from Bolivia
Simple majority for Humala in next Peruvian Congress
The leading Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala who garnered 30% of the vote in the first round will also have the largest number of seats in the next Congress, 43 out of 120, according to the latest figures from the Electoral Office.
Bachelet confirms natural gas deposit in Tierra del Fuego
Chilean president Michelle Bachelet confirmed Tuesday in Santiago the existence of natural gas in Lake Mercedes, Tierra del Fuego. A vital resource for energy short Chile and the huge methanol complex in Punta Arenas.
“Dramatic” situation for Chilean salmon and fruit exporters
The US dollar dropped to its lowest so far this year in the Chilean money market reaching 509 pesos from Monday's 511 pesos.
Opec's April market report
Initial data for 2006 shows the world economy continues to experience strong growth, despite disappointing GDP growth in the final quarter of last year, according to the OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report.
