Stories for January 17th 2007

Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Chilean fruit industry warns about “cheap” dollar and costs

Chile's fruit producers had a tough year in 2006, suffering from unfriendly exchange rates despite the association of Chile's Fruit Producers (Fedefruta) appealing for the government to push for a higher-valued U.S. dollar.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Canterbury appoints Stephen Venner Bishop for the Falklands

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has appointed Bishop Stephen Venner of Dover as his Episcopal Commissary for the Falkland Islands.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Argentine agriculture sales to Mercosur grow 23% in 2006

Argentina in the first eleven months of last year exported to its partners in the Mercosur trade bloc 7.9 million tonnes of products of animal and vegetal origin for 1.9 billion dollars, an increase of 23% in volume and of 26% in revenue regarding the 6.4 million tonnes and 1.5 billion dollars of the same period of 2005, the Senasa phytosanitary watchdog reported Tuesday in Buenos Aires.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
HMS Endurance hosting Princess Anne Antarctic visit

The Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS Endurance is hosting HRH The Princess Royal in Antarctica the first time in fifty years that a British Royal has visited the British Antarctic Territory.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Remittances, biggest source of income for many countries

Migrant workers sending money home has become the biggest source of foreign income in some poor European countries, the World Bank has said.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
China confirms international reserves above a trillion dollars

China's foreign currency reserves stood at more than one trillion US dollars by the end of 2006, according to official figures from the country's Central Bank.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Argentine tourism in Uruguay drops 20% in first fortnight

Uruguay's Deputy Tourism Minister Lilian Kechiciahn revealed that in the first fortnight of 2007 the number of Argentine tourists traveling to Uruguay dropped 20% compared to a year ago, mainly because of the ongoing controversy over the construction of the Finnish Botnia-Orion pulp mill.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Petrobras begins natural gas off shore production

Brazil's government controlled oil corporation Petrobrás announced this week the start of natural gas production offshore the state of Bahia, which should increase supply in the northeast of the country helping to reduce the strong dependency from Bolivia.
Wednesday, January 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Vazquez pessimistic over pulp mills dispute and Mercosur summit

A few hours before the Mercosur summit in Brazil, Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez discarded Wednesday a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Nestor Kirchner to discuss the pulp mills dispute and insisted on the lifting of bridge blockades before any negotiation can begin.