Stories for January 2008

Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Chavez lobbying for Colombia's FARC stirs new controversy

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has stirred up controversy by calling on United States and European governments to stop treating the cocaine funded Colombian rebel groups, which are holding hundreds of hostages, as terrorists.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Falklands' veteran HMS Exeter, star at London Boat Show

A veteran destroyer of the Falkland Islands conflict, HMS Exeter has taken a starring role at this year's ten day London Boat Show which officially opened on Friday.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Chile expects 700.000 foreign tourists in Jan/February

Chile expects 700.000 foreign and overseas Chileans tourists this summer, up 10% over the same period a year ago, which are expected to inject 400 million US dollars to the economy, according to estimates from the National Tourism Office, Sernatur.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Brazilian oil and iron companies largest in Latinamerica

Brazilian oil company Petrobras and mining company Companhia do Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) ended 2007 as the two largest companies in Latin America by market capitalization, according o a study carried out by consulting company Economática and released this week.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Ulster farmer returns £ 5.900 cash in overpaid subsidies

An anonymous Northern Ireland farmer has sent an envelope containing £5,900 of cash to the Department of Agriculture (DARD). The money was returned in an envelope because he or she felt they were overpaid in their subsidies, reports the BBC
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
UN economic report warns of global standstill in 2008

Following on a robust 2007, the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development says there is a clear danger of the world economy coming to a near standstill in 2008. The report says this will hit many poor nations hard, slow world trade and put an end to the boom in commodity prices.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
South Korean breaks knocks out whale meat racket ring

Police have broken an illegal whale poaching racket, confiscating more than 50 tons of Minke meat in the largest seizure of its kind in South Korea, an official in Seoul said Saturday.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
A second pulp mill begins to break ground in Uruguay

Spanish corporation ENCE begins next week to break ground in the south of Uruguay for the construction of a pulp mill with capacity for a million tons annually. The billion US dollars project is still in the blue print and environment impact assessment stage but the company and the Uruguayan government are confident of the results.
Saturday, January 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Japanese whalers warn Greenpeace pursuer activists

Japanese whalers have warned Greenpeace activists pursuing their fleet in the Southern Ocean against illegal and dangerous interference to the hunt. Greenpeace protest ship Esperanza has located the fleet of six ships conducting so-called scientific whaling and is pursuing the main vessel Nisshin Maru.
Friday, January 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News update

Headlines: Councillors: 'We're not under pressure to accept charter flight'; New FIG boss; Wind farm = savings.