Stories for September 24th 2008
Punta Arenas cruise and port services VAT controversy
Chile's Free Competition tribunal ruled that legislation allowing the reimbursement of VAT (value added tax) only to foreign cruise companies was discriminatory for the domestic cruise industry.
Ban Ki-moon calls to address “challenge of global leadership”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened on Tuesday the General Assembly's annual high-level debate by urging world leaders to rise to the “challenge of global leadership” and work together to solve the most pressing and intractable problems, from climate change and the energy crisis to entrenched poverty and the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.
Bernanke & Paulson didn't fully convince skeptic US Senators
United States lawmakers have expressed strong skepticism about a bail-out of the banking system, following a five-hour Senate hearing on the rescue plan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told the banking panel that delaying the 700 billion US dollars bail-out would put the entire US economy at risk.
Suitcase scandal: where's the rest of the money?
Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, the star witness of the money-stuffed suitcase scandal which involves Argentine and Venezuelan officials, declared in a federal court in Miami that the plane in which he flew August 2007 to Buenos Aires was carrying a second suitcase with 4.2 million US dollars besides the 800.000 which were seized by Buenos Aires Customs.
Uruguay and Chile, least corrupt in Latinamerica says TI
Uruguay and Chile figure among the best ranked in Latinamerica in the latest report from Transparency International, a non government organization which rates countries according to corruption in the so called Corruption Perception Index or CPI.
FBI probes into four US giant financial institutions
The US Department of Justice, FBI is investigating four of the US financial giants caught out by the financial crisis hitting Wall Street for possible fraud, according to reports.
Warnings of South Atlantic hake fishery “imminent collapse”
An Argentine non government environmental organization has warned of an “imminent fishery collapse” because of the unsustainable current rate of hake (Merluccius hubbsi) catches in the South Atlantic.
Venezuela anticipates oil sales to China of a million bpd in 2012
China and Venezuela signed on Wednesday in Beijing a wide range of agreements to boost trade, energy cooperation and agriculture and in other fields. The agreements were signed by Chinese Vice Premier Li Kegiang and visiting Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
China takes over leading Norwegian offshore drilling co.
China Oilfield Services Limited China's largest integrated oilfield services provider in offshore China, COSL announced this week it had successfully completed the 2.5 billion US dollars acquisition of the Norwegian offshore drilling company Awilco Offshore ASA .
Beijing bankers fear the impact on China of financial crisis
Hot debates about the evolving, if not worsening, global financial crisis offer much needed food for thought as China's financial development enters a new era, but few disagree on the need of further financial reforms, according to a leading Chinese banker.
