Stories for December 2009

Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 07:39 UTC
Mercosur considering “sovereign fund” as protection against weak US dollar

Fearful of the continued depreciation of the US dollar vis-á-vis other global currencies, Mercosur country members admitted one of the possibilities under consideration for the management of international foreign reserves is the creation of a kind of sovereign fund.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 07:32 UTC
US Assistant Secretary of State will be visiting Mercosur members next week

Recently nominated United States Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela will be making his first trip to the region next week with visits to Mercosur full members, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, reported the US State Department.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 07:28 UTC
Outbreak of Q-fever in Netherlands forces massive culling of goats and sheep

An estimated 15 to 20,000 goats and sheep in the Netherlands are to be slaughtered in connection with Q-fever. Dutch Ministers of Health Ab Klink and Agriculture Gerda Verburg have agreed that on infected farms where animals have not been vaccinated, all pregnant animals must be slaughtered, whether or not they have the virus.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 07:01 UTC
US government settles century long dispute with American Indian nations

The United States government said it has settled a long-running lawsuit against the Department of the Interior for mismanagement of trust fund accounts held by hundreds of thousands of Native Americans.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 06:56 UTC
Giant 140 sq. km iceberg sighted approaching Australia

A giant 140 square kilometres iceberg was spotted 1.700 kilometres south-southwest of Australia and creeping towards the island continent. The frozen mass, 19km long and 8km wide, is already far closer to Australia than icebergs normally travel.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 06:41 UTC
German caught in New Zealand airport with lizards in under wear

A German who admitted trading in endangered wildlife tried to smuggle 44 rare animals out of New Zealand in his underpants, a court was told, according to news reports on Tuesday.
Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 04:40 UTC
The unique 'mysterious sympathy' between Britain and Chile

An interview with William “Eddie” Edmundson, Author of “A History of the British Presence in Chile”
Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 14:49 UTC
Mercosur summit fails to advance in internal trade issues

The political coincidences of the two-day Mercosur presidential summit held in Montevideo overshadowed the lack of relevant decisions for the consolidation of the block as a customs union, according to Brazilian sources.
Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 14:45 UTC
The year 2009 to rank among the top 10 warmest on record since 1850

The year 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 14:41 UTC
Mercosur summit committed to advance trade negotiations with Europe

Mercosur is committed to advance trade negotiations with the European Union and expects to have drafted a viable position when leaders from Latinamerica and the Caribbean meet with their European Union counterparts next May for the Madrid summit.