Stories for October 2011

Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 09:29 UTC
Piñera escalates conflict: proposes jailing those involved in occupying schools

Student leaders, the opposition and several judges expressed outrage this week after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera proposed on Sunday to reform the Penal Code to impose harsher punishments on those involved in the occupation of schools and universities, newspaper La Tercera reported.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 09:23 UTC
Abbas takes off on diplomatic charm offensive in support of Palestinian state

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas flew to Europe on Tuesday to kick off a week-long tour which will also take him to Latin America to shore up support for his UN membership bid.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 09:13 UTC
How the Argentine military to save a collapsing regime, planned the Malvinas invasion war

Juan B Yoffre, an Argentine journalist, businessman and politician (he was Intelligence chief for two years with former President Carlos Menem) has written a book “1982” on the Falklands/Malvinas conflict where he reveals how the idea of the military invasion was secretly elaborated and implemented.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 09:08 UTC
Chavez says he’s fine but photos and television give a different picture

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez seems to be fully active recovering the initiative impetus of his pre-chemotherapy treatment. On Monday he was on national television in a meeting with a business delegation from Byelorussia. Last Saturday he was seen giving away home appliances and in the evening chairing a cabinet meeting.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:52 UTC
Buenos Aires prepares for impressive Beatles memorabilia auction next week

An original drawing by John Lennon is part of the more than 120 lots of Beatles memorabilia that will be auctioned in Buenos Aires by South America's largest collector of the Fab Four.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:44 UTC
Chilean Army invests 15.8m dollars in upgrading US made Howitzers

A Chilean plan for modernizing and upgrading its defense forces is under way with one of the first major contracts going to BAE Systems for the supply and refurbishment of 12 U.S.-made M109A5 howitzers. The 15.8 million dollars contract has been implemented for the Chilean Government through a US foreign military sales contract.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:35 UTC
Argentina claims development of first vaccine against hydatidosis in livestock

The first vaccine against hydatidosis in livestock and developed in Argentina together with Australian and New Zealand scientists was officially presented in Buenos Aires by the Ministry of Industry. In Argentina the tape worm parasite from cattle which is transmitted by dogs to human causes 450 deaths annually.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:26 UTC
Anaemic Spain: no end in sight for soaring unemployment

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits in Spain shot up by nearly 100,000 in September, a surprisingly big increase even in a month that tends to be bad for workers as vacation season contracts expires.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:18 UTC
Brazil with the best universities in Latam; Sao Paulo top of the list

Brazil’s Sao Paulo University, USP, ranks as the top higher education institution in Latin America according to a list published by QS, and which includes universities from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 08:12 UTC
Argentina highest court rejects French request to extradite “the blond angel of death”

The Argentine Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a French request to extradite former navy captain Alfredo Astiz, who was convicted in absentia in Europe for killing two French nuns during the 1976-1983 “Dirty War.”