Stories for December 2009

Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 05:48 UTC
Spain tops “misery index” that combines unemployment rate and budget deficit

Spain tops a new “misery index” that combines unemployment rates with budget deficits, according to forecasts from Moody’s Investors Service. Ireland appears in fourth place on the sovereign-risk outlook for 2010, behind Spain, Latvia and Lithuania.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 05:41 UTC
Chile becomes second Latinamerica country invited to join OECD

Chile was invited Tuesday to become the 31st member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, only the second Latin American country to receive the offer, the OECD has announced.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 05:34 UTC
UK cuts defence programs to fund new equipment for Afghanistan

British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced Tuesday a package of cutbacks in core defence programmes to fund £900 million of new equipment for troops in Afghanistan over the next three years.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 05:29 UTC
UK November inflation rose to 1.9%, pushed by fuel prices

Higher petrol prices in the United Kingdom pushed inflation upward for the second month in a row in November, official figures have revealed. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose to 1.9% last month from 1.5% in October, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 05:26 UTC
Poland delays adoption of the Euro until 2015

Poland's adoption of the Euro in 2015 is very realistic and more likely than in 2014, but it isn't a target date, Deputy Finance Minister Ludwik Kotecki told reporters.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 04:48 UTC
Proposed trans-Andes tunnel, crucial link for Pacific-Atlantic highway

A proposed 916 million US dollars road tunnel linking Chile and Argentina was endorsed last week by the Coquimbo (Region IV) regional government. The approval gives a green light to the proposed 14-km tunnel linking Chile’s Coquimbo province with the Argentine province of San Juan.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 04:13 UTC
Lula da Silva has a new declared admirer: Chile’s Piñera

Conservative Sebastián Piñera, winner of Chile’s first presidential round last Sunday said his development model for Chile is on the lines of those applied by Brazil, Mexico and Peru, but distant from those under Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez or Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 04:11 UTC
Soybeans bumper crop forecasted in Mercosur countries

A soy bean bumper crop in South America in early 2010 will ease world reserves of grains, currently at very low levels, and will also have an impact on international prices according to Oil World.
Tuesday, December 15th 2009 - 14:20 UTC
Brazil, Peru plan to build five hydroelectric dams in the Amazon

Brazil expects to reach an accord with Peru by March on a 5 billion US dollars power project to secure energy supplies for both countries, according to Energy minister Edison Lobao. The two governments plan to build five hydroelectric plants in Peru that will produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity
Tuesday, December 15th 2009 - 14:16 UTC
Brazil delays purchase of 36 jet-fighters; Army’s tanks’ renewal plan on schedule

Brazilian President Lula da Silva said Monday that the decision on the purchase of 36 fighter jets for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) will be made in early 2010. The three competing models being considered are the Rafale, from France’s Dassault, the F18 Super Hornet from US Boeing and the Swedish Gripen, from Saab.