Stories for May 2009

Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:58 UTC
To school for reading classes with Karl Marx and Che Guevara

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez approved last week a list of books for schools to educate young people on Socialist ideology and the Bolivarian revolution, reported the Caracas press.
Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:55 UTC
Uruguay scraps rules banning homosexuals from armed forces

This week Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez announced that his government will “allow gays to join the armed forces” by scrapping military rules that define homosexuality as a disorder”.
Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:52 UTC
Uruguayan rice crop with record yield of 8.012 kilos per hectare

Uruguay’s rice 2009 crop is estimated in 1.3 million tons and although the area planted was 4.5% less that in 2008, yield is a record 8.012 kilos per hectare, according to the latest release from the Agriculture Statistics Department, DIEA.
Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:51 UTC
Labour voters support equals that of UK Independent Party, 17%

The ruling Labour slumped to be neck and neck with the United Kingdom Independence Party in a poll as voters looked set to punish mainstream parties over the expenses scandal at the ballot box next month.
Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:45 UTC
UK to complain Spanish Navy incursion in Gibraltar’s territorial waters

Britain will formally complain to Spain about the recent incursion by a Spanish Navy patrol boat into Gibraltar's territorial waters. The fisheries protection vessel 'Tarifa' entered British waters and deployed a small speedboat to carry out checks on Spanish fishermen off the east side of the Rock, reports The Gibraltar Chronicle.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:43 UTC
Mercosur junior members coordinate position for coming summit

Paraguay and Uruguay are committed to the consolidation of Mercosur, in spite of the ongoing trade differences among its members, said Uruguayan president Tabaré Vazquez.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:38 UTC
USDA estimates Argentine 2010 soy crop in 51 million tons, but…

United States Agriculture Department estimates Argentina’s soy bean production will reach a record 51 million tons in the 2010 crop. Such a volume would mark a complete turn around from this year’s crop which has been estimated anywhere between 34 and 31.7 million tons, or even less.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:27 UTC
Sustainability of soy supply chain conference in Brazil

The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) will present advances related to the global standard for responsible soy production, processing and marketing at its IV International Conference in the city of Campinas, Brazil, May 26 and 27.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:26 UTC
US consumer prices in April remained unchanged

US consumer prices were unchanged in April, but recorded their largest year-on-year drop for more than 50 years, official data showed. Meanwhile producer prices jumped more than expected pushed by the biggest rise in food costs in more than a year.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:19 UTC
Chilean Patagonia provides few bright spots of economic activity

The southern tip of the Chilean Patagonia provided most of the few bright spots in the Chilean government’s latest Index of Regional Economic Activity (INACER), published this week by the National Statistical Institute.