Stories for August 19th 2008

Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
UN backs commercial weaving among Peruvian Indians

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is backing a project in the Andean mountains of Peru to promote the traditional practice of textile weaving as a commercial venture.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Argentine farmers resume protests: “time is running out”

Argentine farmers warned “time is running out” and if there are no announcements regarding their claims by the end of the month a new country wide stoppage or another non sale of grains and oilseeds sales is back on the protest agenda.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Paraguayan Indian minister for indigenous affairs

An indigenous woman in Paraguay who says she was sold into forced labour as a girl has been made minister for indigenous affairs.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Falklands' cutting edge research into toothfish resource

RESEARCH into valuable Falklands resource, Toothfish, is being undertaken by the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department and funded by successful Falklands' fishing company Consolidated Fisheries Limited
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
China is considering stimulus package and soft monetary policy

China is considering a stimulus package spending anywhere between the equivalent of 29 and 58 billion US dollars to stimulate the economy and may ease monetary policy towards the end of the year, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Uruguay freezes activities of Spanish corp. for deforesting

Uruguay ordered this week the temporary freezing of all activities of the Spanish pulp company ENCE, following the discovery of the uprooting of an 80 hectares patch of native forest which is strictly protected under Uruguayan law.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Venezuelan politics contaminate Mercosur parliament session

Venezuela failed in removing members from the Mercosur Parliament Human Rights Committee for allegedly having interfered in Venezuelan internal affairs. The initiative which turned into a deplorable incident occurred this week during the XII session of the regional parliament in Montevideo.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Leading economist forecasts collapse of large US bank

The global financial crisis is set to get worse, with a large US bank likely to collapse in the next few months, a former IMF chief economist warned on Tuesday. Kenneth Rogoff's comments came as shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sank on a report that the home lenders would, in effect, be nationalized.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Russian tycoon denies buying world's dearest villa

Russia's fifth richest man has denied reports originally from the French press that he has bought the world's most expensive home. (Nickel King) Mikhail Prokhorov worth about 22 billion US dollars said he was not the mystery buyer of the southern France property.

The Villa Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the CÃ'te d'Azur, sold for 496m euros ($730m; £392m).
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
US July producer prices at their highest in 27 years

United States wholesale prices rose more than twice as fast as expected in July and topped the 1% level for the third month in a row, 1.2%, to become the highest in 27 years, according to statistics released Tuesday by the US Department of Labor.