Stories for August 2008

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.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Brazil's Lula reacts to defeat: “never felt so furious”

Brazilian president Lula da Silva criticized sharply the spirit of the national team which on Tuesday lost to Argentina in Beijing 3-0.
Monday, August 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Chile not expected to comply de-mining by 2012 deadline

Chile is working hard in the elimination of land mines along its borders with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia but still has over 100.000 explosives to deactivate, which at the current rate won't make the 2012 deadline, according to reports in the Buenos Aires press.