Stories for January 2008

Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Spanish government calls for general elections March 9

The Spanish government called general elections for March 9, formally launching Monday what is shaping up as a close race between the ruling Socialists and opposition conservatives.
Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Environmentalists held on Japanese whaling vessel

Two members of the conservation organization Sea Shepherd are being held on a Japanese whaling boat they boarded last night in Antarctic waters. According to the group the two men, a Briton and an Australian, boarded the Yushin Maru No. 2, to deliver a message that its whaling activities are illegal.
Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Chile united to defend maritime border dispute with Peru

The political parties of the Chilean ruling coalition Concertación, the opposition Alianza alliance and the Communist Party (PC) gave their full backing Monday to the government's plan to defend Chile's northern maritime border against claims by neighboring Peru. The two countries seek to resolve the maritime issue at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Greenspan says the US is “in or about to enter a recession”

United States is probably in or about to enter a recession, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. The odds are “not overwhelming but they are marginally in that direction” of recession.
Tuesday, January 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Sukey speaks of her “mainland mission” to The Times

Twenty-five years ago this month, in the wake of the Falklands conflict, the Islands Government set up an office in London to represent it in the UK. “Sir Rex Hunt, then Falklands Governor, took me for a drink in London and asked if I'd join,” recalls Sukey Cameron, pictured above left. She did so in 1983 ÃÂ¢€“ becoming Representative in 1990 ÃÂ¢€” and there clearly could have been no better choice than this third-generation Falklander.
Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Freed Colombian hostages condemn kidnaps as “torture”

The two Colombian hostages liberated by the cocaine funded FARC, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo described the guerrilla methods as “brutal” and condemned kidnapping as a crime against humanity.
Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Bank of America rescues US biggest mortgage lender

One of the leading banks in United States, Bank of America is to take over the country's biggest mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, in a 4 billion US dollars deal.
Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Magallanes oil/gas exploration contracts ready for next March

Chile's Ministry of Mines expects to sign next March oil operating contracts with the corporations that have won licences to explore and exploit hydrocarbons in the extreme south of the country reports La Prensa Austral from Punta Arenas.
Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Released Colombian hostage meets baby son after three years

Released Colombian hostage Clara Rojas had an emotional reunion Sunday in Bogota with her son Emmanuel, three years after he was taken from her while she was in captivity in Colombia's jungle, according to government sources.
Monday, January 14th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
WTO members narrow differences in agriculture talks

The World Trade Organization's chief agriculture negotiator said that members have narrowed their differences and made “a lot of progress” in recent talks but more still needs to be done before an agreement is reached.