Stories for July 2008

Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Mercosur “fantastic but frustrated” idea, ripe in mistakes

Mercosur is an idea which “involved a fantastic but frustrated will power” according to former Spanish Socialist president Felipe Gonzalez. A previous common infrastructure commitment is more important for integration that having “political groupings such as Mercosur”.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Falklands' new constitution bolsters “Britishness”

THE 'Britishness' of the Falkland Islands is to be underlined in its new constitution, by a change that insists all individuals applying for Falklands status must first become a British citizen.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
US Senate accuses European banks of helping tax evaders

A US Senate subcommittee accused banks in Switzerland and Liechtenstein of helping wealthy US citizens commit massive tax evasion, and urged the establishment of tougher laws to combat offshore tax havens around the world.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine Air Force replaces ageing F-27s with SAAB 340B

The first two, of a total of four, SAAB 340B aircraft acquired by Argentine Air Force for passenger transport operations in Patagonia will arrive in Buenos Aires by the end of the year it was announced in Buenos Aires.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Colombia and Brazil agree on ample defense cooperation

Colombia and Brazil agreed on a cooperation and defense pact aimed at controlling the one thousand mile lawless common border which is regularly used by drugs and arms dealers as well as the cocaine-funded FARC rebel group.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
EU offers to cut farm tariffs by 60% at Doha round talks

The European Union has offered to cut its farm tariffs by 60% to kick-start trade talks in Geneva. EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson urged Brazil, India and China to reciprocate by slashing their industrial tariffs. The EU previously offered to cut farm tariffs by 54%.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
World experts discuss rapid wetlands disappearance

Experts from all over the world are discussing in Brazil about the rapid disappearance of the world's wetlands and its potential effect on global warming. The event organized by United Nations and Brazil's Federal University of Matto Grosso are taking place in Matto Grosso, next to what is considered the world's largest wetlands in the heart of South America, the Pantanal.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Patagonia's massive dam project protest reaches Spain

Greenpeace activists on Monday morning brought their concerns over a controversial Spain's Endesa HidroAysen dam project in Chilean Patagonia directly to the company's doorstep, scaling its headquarters building in Madrid, draping an attention-grabbing, several-story-high protest banner, reports Patagonia Times.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Castro promises idle land to farmers to boost food production

Cuban President Raul Castro announced the redistribution of government land that is not in use to private farmers to stimulate food production and efficient farming. Cuba in spite of abundant farm land must import half of its food.
Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Grain export fraud in Argentina estimated in 1.76 billion USD

The Argentine government will claim 1.76 billion US dollars from grain exporters who had registered overseas sales of cereals and oilseeds which they did not hold at the moment in silos or purchase orders, according to the Buenos Aires press.