Legislators from Chile's environmental caucus reacted angrily last week to reports that state-owned mining company CODELCO is violating legal pollution limits for their waste water – in some cases by more than 700%. Senator Guido Girardo (PPD) and Deputy Alejandro Garcia-Huidobro (UDI) demanded that company executives be personally held responsible for their company's excesses, and denounced current sanctions as insufficient.
The United States Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service recent central Gulf of Mexico lease sale received 1,428 bids on 723 tracts, attracting 2.9 billion US dollars in high bids – the second highest total in U.S. leasing history.
Argentina seems to be heading for a record crop of 100 million tons, five million more than the 2006/07 record, and with even higher prices, in money terms this could mean an overall additional four billion US dollars.
Ecuador is to rejoin the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, next month after a 15-year absence, announced on Saturday President Rafael Correa during his weekly radio program. The move reflects the increased state control over energy being taken by President Correa as promised during his electoral campaign.
Chile Summer time begins midnight Saturday when clocks have to be advanced sixty minutes. This leaves Chile three hours behind Greenwich meridian time, GMT.
The gap between United States richest and poorest is at its widest in 25 years with the wealthiest taking home a record share of the nation's income that exceeds even the previous high in 2000, according to recent data from the Internal Revenue Service, IRS.
United States President George Bush on Saturday urged Congress to pass trade pacts with Peru, Colombia and Panama, and promised to strengthen job re-training programs and other measures to help workers displaced as a result of trade-related job losses.
Oil prices reached this week another record surging past 84 US dollars a barrel for the first time. US sweet, light crude jumped as much as 97 cents to trade briefly at $84.05 a barrel in New York on supply fears before falling back to $83.69.
The gap between United States richest and poorest is at its widest in 25 years with the wealthiest taking home a record share of the nation's income that exceeds even the previous high in 2000, according to recent data from the Internal Revenue Service, IRS.
Ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro telephoned into a television show with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday, in his first live media appearance in Cuba since his health crisis nearly 15 months ago.