Stories for February 8th 2010
Bid to sell the Falkland Islands as gateway to Antarctica
Informal talks began this week on a proposal to market the Falkland Islands to tourists as the “Gateway to Antarctica”, according to a report from the Penguin News latest edition.
Costa Rica elects Chinchilla first woman president
Laura Chinchilla, a protege of Nobel peace laureate President Oscar Arias, won a landslide election victory in Costa Rica on Sunday to become the country's first woman elected president.
Russia displaces the US as main supplier of arms to Latinamerica
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British research institute focusing on international security, revealed that Russia in 2009 became the main exporter of weapons to Latin America thanks to the purchases made by Venezuela, but also to Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Colombia.
Argentina’s strong man undergoes successful emergency surgery
Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, husband of the current President Cristina Kirchner, underwent successful emergency surgery on Sunday, the government news agency reported.
New Carrasco terminal among the “most beautiful airports in the world”
The new Uruguayan air terminal in Carrasco, inaugurated last November, has been included among fifteen of “the most beautiful airports in the world” according to the January edition of travel magazine “Travel+Leisure”.
A billion US dollars to purchase Piñera’s Lan airlines shares
Costa Verde Aeronautica SA, the holding company owned by Chile’s Cueto family, plans to raise 1 billion US dollars in a move analysts say will finance the purchase of Lan Airlines SA shares from President-elect Sebastian Piñera.
Climate change and higher levels of C02 making trees grow faster
A new study on trees and climate change, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found evidence that forests in the Eastern United States are growing faster than they have in the past 225 years.
Gibraltar celebrates 25th anniversary of frontier opening with Spain
Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana declared that the Tripartite Forum (Gib., UK, Spain) must be consolidated as the vehicle for cross-border dialogue so that its existence is not dependent on a change of Government in either Spain or Gibraltar.
Argentina announces completion of third nuclear plant by end of the year
Argentina will complete work on its third nuclear power plant by the end of the year, Planning Minister Julio De Vido said at a press conference. Last April, De Vido said work on the plant, called Atucha II, wouldn't be finished until the first or second quarter of 2011.
Australia to supply 60 billion USD of coal to China in 20-year period
Australian company Resourcehouse Ltd. announced Saturday that it had struck a 60 billion US dollars, 20-year agreement to supply coal to China Power International Development Ltd., calling it Australia's biggest export contract.
