Stories for 2011
Chile: Police continue evictions of occupied land on Easter Islands
More than 100 Police Special Forces violently evicted Rapa Nui indigenous groups from the Government Plaza in the center of Hanga Roa over the holidays, causing injuries to at least nine people, three of them serious.
Venezuelan currency devalued again
Venezuelan government devalued its bolivar currency for the second time in 12 months on Thursday, abolishing the lowest exchange rate as the Opec member fights to revive its economy. Intended to spur local production in the largely import-dependent nation, the announcement followed a central bank estimate that the economy contracted 1.9 percent during 2010 - Venezuela's second straight year of recession.
Alert in southern Chile: magnitude 7.1 earthquake
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake has shaken southern Chile, frightening hundreds of people who fled for higher ground fearing it could generate a tsunami like the one that ravaged the coastline last year.
Latam social indexes improving but 180 million are still considered poor
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a record number of 170 projects in 2010 totaling an estimated 12.9 billion USD, as the IDB continues to boost its efforts to help Latin American and Caribbean combat poverty and inequality, and promote sustainable growth.
Air traffic growth moderates: begins to expand at historic rates, says IATA
International scheduled air traffic results for November showed an 8.2% year-on-year passenger traffic growth and a 5.4% increase for freight, according to the latest report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
China reiterates commitment to combat consumer inflation
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao vowed again to step up efforts to keep consumer inflation in check in 2011, state media reported on Sunday.
US warships try to avoid docking in Gibraltar to keep strong relation with Spain
Secret US document newly released by Wikileaks underscores the critical importance of Spain as a strategic logistics hub for the US military. The document details the importance of bases such as Rota, just a short drive from Gibraltar.
Bank of England remembers home owners rates sometime will ‘normalize’ at 5%
United Kingdom home owners need to prepare for a series of interest rate rises to around 5%, a Bank of England official has warned. Paul Fisher, who is a member of the Bank's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), said officials would like the current 0.5% base rate to rise to a “normalized” level 10 times as big.
Britain expects increase in tourist numbers to reach 30 million this year
Overseas visits by foreign residents to Britain are likely to increase by 300,000 next year, UK's tourist chiefs have predicted. Numbers will be around 30 million - a 1% rise on the 2010 figure, the VisitBritain organization said.
Spain will only discuss Gibraltar sovereignty issues with the UK
Spain will not discuss any issue that affects Gibraltar’ sovereignty within the context of the Trilateral Forum, Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said in an interview over the Christmas break and some its extracts collected in the Gibraltar Chronicle.
