Stories for January 2007

Saturday, January 20th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Mercosur: no mincing words

Paraguay, the new temporary president of the Mercosur trade bloc, yesterday urged Argentina and Uruguay to solve their dispute about a pulp mill that has taken them to the World Court, on the last day of a two-day Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro marked by harsh squabbles between Venezuela and Bolivia on one hand and Colombia and Brazil on the other.
Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Penguin News Update

Headlines:

Royal remembrance; CE: no truth to 'ferry fall out' story; Blank firing on for Ex. Cape Petrel; Cheryl is new CFL head; Relocated reindeer 'doing well'; Thousands visit this week; Telecoms man to look at pricing.
Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Chile's Valparaiso braces itself for massive tourist wave

Nearly 16,000 tourists will flood the port city of Valparaiso over the next two weeks, with over half of the visitors arriving in a single day on four separate cruise ships. The huge ships are set to dock next Friday 26th, along with six smaller vessels throughout the week, bringing an unprecedented influx of visitors to the city of 280,000.
Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Uruguay and Argentina clash over pulp mills in Rio do Janeiro

Uruguay and Argentina clashed over the pulp mills controversy during the Thursday meeting of the Mercosur ministerial Council currently taking place in Rio do Janeiro.
Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Mercosur approves compensation funds for junior members

Mercosur Council approved Thursday in Brazil several pilot projects in Uruguay and Paraguay to compensate asymmetries inside the group which have created rifts among country members.
Friday, January 19th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
All ready in Punta Arenas to receive Princess Anne

All is ready in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, to receive Princess Anne next Monday where she will be landing after having visited the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and British Antarctica reports the local press.
Thursday, January 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Uruguay/US sign TIFA agreement next week

Uruguay and United States will sign next week a trade and investment agreement to strengthen and diversify bilateral trade relations announced in Washington John Veroneau, deputy chief of the US Trade Representative Office.
Thursday, January 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Growing complaints about Buquebus ferry service

Hundreds of passengers waiting to travel on the ferry shuttle between Buenos Aires and Montevideo suffered this week unexpected delays because of lack of vessels and stricter migration regulations for minors, admitted Buquebus, the company which has a virtual monopoly of the River Plate crossings.
Thursday, January 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Oil prices continue to slide

Oil prices dropped below US$ 51,80 a barrel to new 19-month lows yesterday on a report that OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia said further production cuts are not necessary right now.
Thursday, January 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Wanted: holiday rep to sell joys of Falklands tourism

The only direct flights are chartered by the RAF, and visitors to the beach are asked to keep an eye out for the landmines from the war, 25 years ago. But the Falkland Islands, with their clear skies, 500,000 pairs of penguins and an appealing sense of emptiness, have announced they are launching themselves on the world travel market.