MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News.

Headlines:
Kelp processing plant in Porvernir; EU has 419 reported cases of mad cow; Aid for stranded Chilean crewmembers.

Kelp processing plant in Porvenir.

The Magallanes Region Environment Committee gave the green light for a project to establish a kelp extract and dehydrating plant in Porvernir, Chilean Tierra del Fuego.

The project, according to Punta Arenas press, involves a three million US dollars investment that includes the industrial plant for the elaboration of sodium alginate, agar-agar, and other kelp extracts.

The project includes the elimination of industrial by products that could contaminate the environment and a rational use of kelp to ensure its conservation.

The building of the plant will demand twenty people and once the project is in full operation 24 full time jobs are to be created besides the coastal fishermen who will be contracted to supply the kelp.

EU has 419 reported cases of mad cow.

European Union countries confirmed 419 cases of "mad cow" during the first six months of 2004, according to the latest release from the European Commission.

United Kingdom is the country with most reported cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BES, mad cow, 152, followed by Ireland with 68, Spain 60, Portugal 44, Germany 33 and France 31.

Belgium reported 7 cases as well as Poland; Holland 5; Czech republic 4; Italy and Slovakia 3, and Denmark and Slovenia one each.

Outside of the EU, only Japan reported mad cow cases.

In 2003 the 25 EU member countries totaled 1,376 mad cow cases, but in the former 15, the number was 1,364.

Aid for stranded Chilean crewmembers.

The Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry wired a significant sum to four Chilean crewmembers that have been stranded in Puerto Deseado, province of Santa Cruz, Argentina since last April.

The four Chileans are crewmembers of the Uruguayan flagged factory vessel "Elqui" which has been forced to remain in port following salary arrears demands from other Indonesian crewmembers.

Jorge Cofré president of the Magallanes chapter of Crew and Officers union said the transfer was in response to the fact the crewmembers were running out of food.

However the Argentine attorney defending the crewmembers suggested to the Chilean consul in Comodoro Rivadavia that he send personal hygiene products and telephone cards so crewmembers could contact their families.