Stories for June 2008

Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Farmers' conflict: Argentine bishops fear for “social peace”

Argentina's Catholic Church has convened an extraordinary meeting for next Thursday to consider the almost three month long farmers/government conflict which is threatening “social peace”.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon urges action on food crisis

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will issue an urgent plea to world leaders at a food summit in Rome on Tuesday to immediately suspend trade restrictions, agricultural taxes and other price controls that have helped fuel the highest food prices in 30 years, according to U.N. officials.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
May inflation in Uruguay up 0.87% and 4.10% in 2008

Consumer prices in Uruguay during May increased 0.87%, accumulating 4.10% in the first five months of 2008, according to the country's Statistics Institute (INE), latest release. The index is higher than the average forecasted by 28 Central Bank consultants that anticipated 0.7%.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine gov. positive rating drops to new low: 19.4%

A public opinion poll released this week in Argentina gave a positive image rating of only 19.4% to the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, while 55.8% of respondents took a negative view.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Trichet warns Europe about reactions to crude prices crisis

The European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet set the tone at the ECB's 10th anniversary event by warning that bad management of the oil crisis in the 1970s (meaning large wage rises and low interest rates) seriously hurt the economy and jobs, and that the errors of the past must not be repeated. “This anniversary is no time for complacency,” Trichet said.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
FAO wants 30 billion annually to re-launch agriculture

Noting that the time for talk was over and that action was urgently needed, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf appealed to world leaders for 30 billion US dollars a year to re-launch agriculture and avert future threats of conflicts over food.
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine “inflation alert” according to the Daily Telegraph

Under the title of “Argentine alert as inflation specter stalks half the world”, London's Daily Telegraph, --using Argentina as a lead case--, describes how international bankers managed to convince pension funds to invest in an estimated 300 billion US dollars in inflation linked sovereign bonds from emerging economies, which “hawk eyes” then considered safe.
Monday, June 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine farmers protest moves to town squares

Argentine farmers begin Monday a new chapter of their 84 day conflict with the government over agriculture and taxing policies: beginning at ten in the morning they have invited workers, businessmen, professionals, students and anybody who supports their claims to strike until mid day.
Monday, June 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Bolivia takes full control over British owned gas pipeline

Bolivia continued Monday with its nationalizing policy taking over all assets belonging to the gas pipeline company Transredes which is half owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Ashmore Energy International.
Monday, June 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Half of world fish trade sourced by developing countries

Driven by rising consumption worldwide, the international trade in fish products is expanding at a rapid pace, according to an FAO paper presented on Monday at an intergovernmental meeting in Germany.