Stories for January 2009

Monday, January 19th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Ecuador closer to Iran which promised 200 million USD loan

Iran will loan more than 200 million US dollars to Ecuador and will study several investment projects in the country, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa announced during his Saturday radio and television program.
Monday, January 19th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Two of the largest cruises vessels call in Montevideo

Two of the world's most impressive cruise vessels will be calling in Montevideo this week with over 7.000 visitors and 2.400 crew members. They are “Mariner of the Seas”, which is scheduled to spend next Thursday in Uruguay's capital, and on Sunday, “Queen Mary 2” on a 114 day global tour.
Monday, January 19th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Ex Chilean Air Force chief arrested on embezzlement charges

A former Chilean Air Force chief was arrested Monday on charges of embezzling nearly 2.9 million US dollars in a 1994 government deal to buy second hand Mirage Elkan fighter jets from Belgium and refurbish them, according to a Santiago court.
Monday, January 19th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
What the world wants of Barak Obama

When Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, the wish list that has been building abroad may have grown longer than he or anyone else can deliver.
Sunday, January 18th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Descendents of Shackleton's team reach South Pole

Three men with links to Sir Ernest Shackleton have reached the South Pole. Lt Col Henry Worsley, from Hereford, Will Gow, from Kent, and Henry Adams, from Suffolk, arrived on Sunday.
Sunday, January 18th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Bird strike confirmed in US Airways crash

It has been confirmed that a collision with a flock of birds caused a US airliner to lose power and ditch in a New York river just after take-off.
Sunday, January 18th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
US President-elect Obama: 'Anything is possible in America'

US President-elect Barack Obama has told a huge crowd of supporters at a pre-inauguration rally in Washington that “anything is possible in America”.
Saturday, January 17th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Argentine unions: supermarkets index for wage increases

The head of Argentina's powerful General Labour Confederation, Hugo Moyano said this week that when collective wage bargaining opens unions will seek salary hikes higher than the official inflation rate of 7.2% announced by the state-run INDEC statistics office.
Saturday, January 17th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Spain's Repsol announces oil discovery offshore Brazil

Spanish oil company Repsol anounced this week the discovery of “traces” of hydrocarbons at a deepwater well being drilled off the Brazilian coast. In an official statement Repsol said the well was completed in Block BM-S-48, located in the Santos Basin off the coast of the south-eastern state of Sao Paulo.
Saturday, January 17th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Lula da Silva tells Obama: beware of the “government machine”

Brazil's president Lula da Silva said on Friday he would like to talk with US president elect Barack Obama before the “government machine” gets hold of him and expected the incoming leader “would change his vision on Latinamerica and acknowledge the advance of regional democracy”.