Stories for September 13th 2012
A field guide to the wildlife of South Georgia with 350 colour photos
“A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia” is the title of the comprehensive new 200-page soft-back guide to the Island’s wildlife. The book contains over 350 colour photos of the fauna and flora it describes.
Fed announces further financial stimuli for the US economy to help employment
The US central bank announced on Thursday it will resume its policy of pumping more money into the economy via so-called quantitative easing which consists of buying “additional agency mortgage-backed securities at a pace of 40 billion dollars per month”.
Switzerland tightens taxes on wealthy foreigners living in the country
Switzerland will keep its special low-tax deals for wealthy foreigners such as music and sports celebrities but increase the amount of tax they pay following a vote by parliament which faced pressure to scrap the system.
Argentina’s official inflation for August, 0.9% and 6.8% in the eight months
Argentina’s inflation advanced 0.9% in August and 6.8% in the first eight months of the year according to the controversial official stats office Indec. Whole sale prices were up 1% over July and the construction cost increased 1.3%.
Argentina “suggests” banks should limit dollar extractions by credit card holders
The Argentine central bank has informally “suggested” the banking system to limit the advances (in dollars) of credit card holders overseas, reports the Buenos Aires financial press. This is seen as another tightening of the dollar clamp imposed by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez to retain much needed foreign currency.
Six ambassadors present credentials in Uruguay, including UK, Germany and Chile
Six ambassadors presented their credentials to Uruguayan president Jose Mujica during a ceremony held at the Executive Tower on Tuesday. The first to meet President Mujica was UK ambassador Ben Lyster-Binns.
Political violence in Venezuela escalates as Election Day, October 7, gets closer
Supporters of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez sporting the bright red that symbolizes his populist movement clashed Wednesday with backers of the opposition candidate in next month's presidential election. . Each side essentially blamed the other for the violence.
UN recommends Colombian peace-process takes into account victims of ongoing conflict
The peace process opened in Colombia between the government and the guerrilla FARC must not contemplate “pardons or amnesties” and must take into account the civilian victims of the ongoing internal war, said on Wednesday Todd Howland special envoy of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
UN calls on Chavez not to withdraw from Americas’ Human rights convention
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay strongly urged Venezuela to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights, warning that it could be a serious setback for human rights protection in Venezuela and the region as a whole.
Ecuador and UK to retake Assange case during the coming UN General Assembly
Ecuador and UK will resume talks on Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, during the coming session period of the UN General Assembly, said Ecuadorean Vice-president Lenin Moreno who anticipated a solution in accordance with “sovereignty and the law”.
