Stories for March 21st 2009
Sixty Argentine military officers accused of war crimes in Falklands conflict
The demand presented by Malvinas war veterans who claim to have been tormented, abused and even tortured by their Argentine military superiors during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict, already involves 60 former officers and statements from over one hundred witnesses.
Uruguay completes first South American dairy cattle export to China
Uruguay completed this week the first South American export of live dairy cattle to China. A total of 3.970 Holstein calves and heifers (8 to 18 months old) were shipped for the thirty day journey which will be followed by two month quarantine in mainland China.
Argentine, Brazilian businesses agree to fight “Chinese imports”
With the master touch of Brazilian diplomacy the Friday regional summit with Argentina not only sent a clear political message of understanding between Mercosur main partners, but also evidence of that close coordination.
Argentine farmers back on the roads for a week
Argentine farmers are back in the roads, this time for a whole seven-day strike beginning Saturday, the tenth such measure since the conflict erupted a year ago when the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner increased export levies on grains and oilseeds.
Argentina and Brazil close ranks and downplay trade differences
Argentine visiting president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva called on Friday for speedier financing of joint development and commerce projects to help stimulate decreasing bilateral trade.
G-20 members agree on banking regulation and loans to IMF
G-20 nations have agreed to develop principles to regulate the banking sector and to make 100 billion US dollars in loans available to the International Monetary Fund to support the developing world according to British government sources.
Democratic Congress could hold surprises for Obama’s ambitious budgets
The US budget deficit will hit 1.8 trillion US dollars this year, a record amount, according to US Congress estimates. The White House said the prediction by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would not alter President Barack Obama's policy agenda, nor would it affect its goal to cut the deficit in half by 2013, it added.
Petrobras union threatens with national strike beginning Monday
Brazil’s government managed oil and gas corporation Petrobras faces a possible nationwide strike by oil workers that could paralyze the company's oil production for five days, starting Monday.
Milestone ruling in Brazil supports Amazon Indian reservations
Amazon indigenous groups have won a major victory with Brazil's Supreme Court upholding the integrity of a vast native reserve in the northern state of Roraima next to Venezuela.
