Stories for March 16th 2007

Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Al Jazeera to join media invasion of Falkland Islands

With some days to go to the 25th anniversary of the invasion of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) by Argentine forces on 2nd April 1982 and even longer to the anniversary of their liberation by British forces, the journalistic invasion of the archipelago continues to grow with each of the weekly arrivals of the LAN flight from Santiago, Chile or the British Forces air bridge direct from leafy Oxfordshire, in England.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Collapse of Varig makes Brazil loose half a million tourists

The collapse of Brazil's flag carrier Varig last year caused a significant fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting Brazil in 2006 revealed a top official from the Ministry of Tourism in Rio do Janeiro.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
“Consumer demand strong” in spite of slow housing market

Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday that there is not yet any evidence that the slowing US housing market has negatively impacted on the wider economy.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Paraguayan president praises Chavez, lashes out at Bush

Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte lashed out at his US counterpart George W. Bush for failing to contribute to development in poor countries, and hailed Hugo Chávez' Venezuela as a country “with an overdose of democracy.”
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Venezuelan financial support to region exceeds US aid

Venezuelan financial aid to Latin America has surpassed U.S. commitments in the region, President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday, shortly after President Bush completed a tour seen by some as an attempt to curtail Chavez's spreading influence in the region.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Brazil builds wall to stop smuggling from Paraguay

In contrast to pledges of lowering Mercosur barriers for junior members (Paraguay and Uruguay), Brazil confirmed the construction of a steel and concrete wall along the Paraguayan border to help combat contraband in the Triple frontier area where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Kirchner: “we will always support those who helped us”

“With the brothers from the Latinamerican republics that have helped us we are always going to be supportive. The doors of Argentina will remain completely open and we're doing so with no drawbacks”, said Argentina's president Nestor Kirchner during a political rally in the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Weekly Penguin News update

Headlines:
Old friend Indom sets sail; Falklands cricketers plan England tour; South Georgia job split; Will permit be granted?; Body found; Journalistic invasion; This week's cruisers.
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
The truth about Global Warning

The recently released summary of the fourth report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wasn't pleasant reading. Temperature will rise 3.2 to 7.8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100; sea levels could rise 7 to 23 inches, and perhaps an additional 4 to 8 inches if melting of the Greenland ice sheet and Antarctica's Larsen ice shelf continue at current rates; it's likely that the strong hurricanes experienced since 1970 have been produced by global warming; and more drought and severe storms will occur. This global warming is “very likely” (meaning with 90 percent certainty) caused by human activity and will continue long into the future no matter what steps are taken.
If this official verdict on climate change seems bad enough, the real story could be far
Friday, March 16th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
US food prices push February inflation to 0.4%

United States consumer prices increased above forecasts in February pushed by the cost of energy and food which rose at its fastest rate for two years, according to the latest release from the US Labor Department.