Stories for December 10th 2012
Jewish community protests for being kept on the dark on Argentina/Iran negotiations
The head of the Argentine-Jewish Community Centre (AMIA), Guillermo Borger, warned the government of President Cristina Fernandez that the organization’s members are concerned by the lack of information regarding ongoing negotiations with Iran over the 1994 terrorist attack on the AMIA headquarters, which killed 85 people.
YPF CEO Galuccio travels to Norway to discuss partnership with Statoil
Argentina’ nationalized oil and gas corporation YPF is said to be in talks with Norway’s Statoil about a possible partnership as part of its 37 billion dollars drive to develop Argentina’s energy reserves. It is close to signing deals with US oil giant Chevron as well as Bridas Corp, the Chinese-Argentine joint venture, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Brazil plans to invest 26bn dollars in four years to modernize ports
Brazil's government has unveiled plans to invest 54.2 billion Reais (approx 26 billion dollars) over the next four years to modernize the country's ports, whose high costs and notorious delays are eroding the country’s competitive edge.
Brazil leaning for the US F-18 Super Hornet fighter bomber, says Sao Paulo media
The Brazilian air force, awaiting the outcome of the selection process for purchasing 36 fighter jets, is leaning toward the F-18 Super Hornet of the US, which is competing against the French Dassault Rafale and the Swedish Gripen, Istoe magazine said.
BOT Turks and Caicos Islands former premier on the run since 2009 arrested in Brazil
The former jet-setting premier of the British Overseas Territory Turks and Caicos Islands has been arrested in Brazil after disappearing a few years ago. Michael Misick was detained last Friday at the Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro, governor spokesman Neil Smith said.
Standard Chartered will pay 327m dollars for violating US sanctions on Iran
Standard Chartered will pay more than 300 million dollars to settle charges it violated US sanctions on Iran, Burma, Libya and Sudan. The UK-based bank has been fined 100m by the Federal Reserve and the Department of Justice seized assets worth 227m, the regulators said.
UK launches campaign for re-election to UN Human Rights Council
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi launched on Monday 10 December, UN Human Rights Day, UK’s campaign for re-election to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for January 2014-December 2016.
European Central Bank says it has ‘much to learn’ from Latam robust financial systems
The Vice-president of the European central bank Vitor Constancio said the EU has much to learn from Latin America which has coped with successive economic and financial crises and has managed to create robust financial structures which have made the region’s system even more resistant to outside shocks.
Dollar clamp represents the failure of Argentina’s energy policy, says Lavagna
Former Economy minister Roberto Lavagna said that it will take Argentina “at least three years” to liberate the country from the ‘dollar clamp’ if as of this month it was decided to execute a policy to end restrictions on the purchase of foreign currency.
Poor wheat crop in Argentina, which is expected to limit exports
Argentina is expected to trim the quantity of 2012/2013 wheat destined for overseas shipment to 4.5 million tons from a previous 6 million due to a smaller than forecast harvest, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.
