Stories for February 2013
A turning event 60 years ago: ‘German economic miracle’ or debt condolence
Highly indebted, without access to capital, viewed suspiciously by creditors, that was Germany in 1953. Half the country's debts were canceled 60 years ago this week, the foundation of the “economic miracle.”
Cameron, ‘the most robust PM in the Falklands’ issue in the last 30 years’, says Professor Dodds
Britain went to war over the Falkland Islands over thirty years ago when the Argentine military invaded the Islands, but the issue of sovereignty disputed by Argentina has never really gone away. Germany’s Deutsche Welle looks at the current UK government's policy towards the Falklands and the coming referendum, in an interview with Klaus Dodds, Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Argentina/Iran accord could just make it in Wednesday’s vote in the Lower House
The bilateral memorandum of understanding, MOU, between Argentina and Iran to investigate the 1994 AMIA bombing was cleared for debate by the Lower House committees on Tuesday and will be discussed on Wednesday at the floor. Foreign Minister Hector Timerman clashed with opposition lawmakers during his briefing over the case.
Brazil expects inflation to drop in second half of 2013 on a bumper crop of grains
Brazil’s inflation will slow in the second half of the year as the country produces a bumper crop of grains and the Real doesn’t weaken as it did last year, central bank President Alexandre Tombini said.
Fisheries minister says Japan will never stop hunting whales “it’s part of our culture”
Japan's fisheries minister said Tuesday his country will never stop hunting whales, despite fierce criticism from other nations and violent clashes at sea with militant conservationists.
Environmentalists in Argentina manage to suspend Monsanto corn-seed drying facility
Another setback for Monsanto in South America: the Argentine province of Córdoba justice system ordered the suspension of the construction of a corn seed-drying facility in the district of Malvinas Argentinas, 14 kilometres outside the capital city of Córdoba.
Colombian astronomers trace the origin of the meteor that crashed in Russia
Astronomers from Colombia have traced the origin of a meteor that injured about 1,000 people after breaking up over central Russia earlier this month.Using amateur video footage, they were able to plot the meteor's trajectory through Earth's atmosphere and then reconstruct its orbit around the Sun.
OAS assembly in Guatemala will discuss “alternative strategies for combating drugs”
In an advance of the coming 43rd OAS General Assembly to be held in Antigua, Guatemala next June the country’s Foreign Affairs minister Luis Fernando Carrera Castro presented before the OAS Permanent Council an issue that is gaining support in the continent, “Alternative Strategies for Combating Drugs”.
Jack Lew closer to becoming US Treasury Secretary; Senate votes Hagel for the Pentagon
Jack Lew won the Senate Finance Committee’s approval to become US Treasury secretary and a full vote in the upper house confirmed Chuck Hagel as the next US defense secretary. The Senate approved the nomination Tuesday in a vote of 58 to 41.
Major global effort involving Interpol launched to eliminate IUU fishing
Interpol Environmental Crime Program, with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, this week announced the beginning of a massive global movement -- Project SCALE -- to cull illegal fishing and associated crimes.
