Stories for October 2007

Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Chilean exporters howl as US dollar falls to below 500 pesos

The US dollar continued on Tuesday its rapid erosion and closed at 498 Chilean pesos, its lowest value against the local currency since 1999. So far this year the Chilean peso has appreciated 6.41% against the US dollar compared to 3.95% for the twelve months of 2006.
Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Billiton, Hess and Repsol YPF strike oil in deepwater Gulf of Mexico

BHP Billiton announced Tuesday first oil production from the Genghis Khan development, located in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, approximately 192 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana. The Company, with co-venturers Hess and Repsol YPF, acquired its interest in Genghis Khan in February 2007 for US$1.33 billion ($583 million net to BHP Billiton).
Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Cristina K rejects “monetarist” and “neo-liberal” economics

Argentine Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said if elected president her administration would discard “monetarist” and “neo-liberal” solutions to combat any outbreak of inflation, which has become the main campaign issue of those opposing her husband President Nestor Kirchner.
Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
EU farmers lobby for ban on Brazilian meat imports

The European Union may resort to a ban on Brazilian meat imports if the country does not improve food safety standards, the European Union's health chief said on Tuesday addressing members of the European Parliament.
Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
S. Georgia annual fisheries science cruise moved to winter

In a change from the norm, the annual South Georgia government Fisheries Science Cruise was conducted in winter this year instead of the summer.
Tuesday, October 9th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine Dirty War priest sentenced to life imprisonment

A court in Argentina on Tuesday sentenced a former Roman Catholic police chaplain to life imprisonment for collaborating in murders during the country's military dictatorship. Christian Von Wernich, 69, was convicted for involvement in seven murders, 42 abductions and 31 cases of torture during the 1976-83 “Dirty War”.
Monday, October 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Costa Rica 'supports' controversial US trade deal

Costa Rica's president Oscar Arias declared victory Sunday in his drive to join a free trade deal with the United States, announcing on television that voters had backed it in a referendum.
Monday, October 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Lagos denies “persecution” of Pinochets

Chilean government spokesperson Ricardo Lagos Webber denied Sunday allegations that the government was deliberately persecuting Augusto Pinochet's widow and five children. His remarks come after Pinochet's eldest daugherÃÂ¢€“who, along with her four siblings, was released on bail FridayÃÂ¢€”charged that the family had been held in the so-called Riggs Bank case as “political prisoners.”
Monday, October 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
Greenspan says US economic growth slowing

Alan Greenspan, who served for 19 years as chairman of the Federal Reserve and has made a new splash with a memoir critical of Republicans and the Bush White House for not getting better control over federal spending, says today that the odds of a recession in coming months are “less than 50-50”.
Monday, October 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC
“Che” Guevara remembered 40 years after death

It's been 40 years since the militant revolutionary was executed in a Bolivian schoolhouse. To leftist governments across Latin America, he's still a beloved icon. It was a long fight, but the Cubans have finally conquered this forlorn Andean hamlet, four decades after Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed in the adobe schoolhouse.