Stories for May 2008

Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
First time photos of “uncontacted” tribe in Amazon jungle

One of the world's few un-contacted Amazonian tribes has been photographed from the air with images released on Thursday showing members in striking red body paint holding bows and arrows.
Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Brazil powerhouse: Fitch hikes debt to investment grade

Fitch Ratings became this Thursday the second large rating agency in less than a month to up Brazil credit ratings to investment grade. Fitch said in a statement that the upgrade “reflects the dramatic improvement in Brazil's external and public sector balance sheet”.
Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
UN praises adoption of convention on cluster munitions

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Friday the adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Dublin, and encouraged States to ratify the new agreement.
Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
EU steel lobby rejects BHP Billiton Rio Tinto takeover bid

Mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd. formally filed Friday with the European Commission to take over rival Rio Tinto, triggering an antitrust review of the hostile takeover. The EC confirmed the notification and will reach a decision by July 4 when it can approve the deal, open an in-depth investigation or permit a short extension.
Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
European fishermen up in arms over fuel prices

Thousands of fishermen in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Belgium are on strike protesting rising fuel prices. Union leaders said on Thursday Portugal's entire coastal fleet stayed in port on Friday, while in Spain, 7,000 fishermen held protests at the agriculture ministry.
Friday, May 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Unemployment in Punta Arenas remains stable at 2.6%

Unemployment in Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile was 2.6% in the three months period, February, March, April, compared to a national average of 7.6%, according to the latest release from the Statistics Office.
Thursday, May 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine industry faces blackouts and more to come

Argentina again faces a winter shortage of energy and has been forced to cut the provision of natural gas to 300 manufacturing establishments given the rise in domestic consumption of fuel for home heating.
Thursday, May 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Fuel prices force Lan Chile to cut flights to US cities

Lan Chile one of the leading air carriers in South America said it expects slower growth in 2008 because of rising fuel prices and lower than expected passenger volume, which will force it to scale down international flights.
Thursday, May 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
FAO anticipates sharp price hikes in food supplies

Further sharp price hikes and continued volatility in markets for food supplies appear to be likely for the next few seasons, according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the run-up to a summit on the global food crisis which is being held in Rome early next month.
Thursday, May 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine inflation in four months reaches 10.5%

Although Argentine official inflation statistics are considered non reliable and there's no national consumers price index, some provinces, --outside the realm of the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration--, have kept local statistics branches operational and their numbers are considered a valid reference.