Stories for 2009

Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
PM Brown calls for Argentine cooperation with Falklands

British PM Gordon Brown praised the new Falkland Islands constitution which enshrines the right to self determination and promised UK continued support for the development of the Islands hydrocarbons sector.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Yellow fever re-emerges in triple border area

Dead monkeys have been found in the jungle of northeast Argentina, next to Brazil and Paraguay, probably caused by yellow fever, according to local sanitary authorities. The discovery follows the confirmed yellow fever deaths of two jungle workers in the neighbouring province of Misiones.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Sir Alan Walters: “radical, fearless, the finest of friends”

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's influential economics adviser, Sir Alan Walters, has died aged 82. Sir Alan's return as an adviser led in 1989 to the resignation of Chancellor Nigel Lawson, with whom he had clashed over the exchange rate mechanism (ERM).
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Cuba's Raul Castro scheduled to visit Uruguay this year

Cuban president Raul Castro will be visiting Uruguay this year, according to reports in the Uruguayan government oriented press. Castro was extended an invitation last June when Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez was in the island and later confirmed in an official letter.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Socialist candidate abandons Chilean presidential race

The Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza announced Monday his withdrawal from the Chilean presidential elections scheduled for next December.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Doha hangover: Lamy unopposed for his second WTO mandate

The current director-general of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, is the only candidate for the position. He was the only candidate when nominations closed on 31 December.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Record rice crop and stabilized prices for 2009

The world can expect another record crop of rice totalling 640 million tons, equivalent to 434 million tons of the elaborate grain, according to a report from Uruguay's Rice Planters association.
Monday, January 5th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Record low Parana River threatens Argentine second city

The mighty Parana River, one of South America's main waterways which connect the River Plate with the heartland of Argentina, Brazil and landlocked Paraguay and Bolivia has reached a low of 1.02 meters of water just 9 centimetres from the all time record of 0.93 in 1917.
Saturday, January 3rd 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Argentina recalls 1833; Falklands, new constitution

On the eve of the 176th anniversary of the “illegitimate occupation” of the Islas Malvinas by the United Kingdom (January 3rd.) the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner issued a statement emphasizing Argentina's sovereignty claims over the South Atlantic archipelago and described “as unjustified the British negative to address the question”.
Saturday, January 3rd 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil's 2008 trade surplus still strong but drops 38%

In spite of a record year of exports, Brazil's 2008 trade surplus reached 24.7 billion US dollars which is a significant 38% descent compared to the previous year when it totalled more than 40 billion US dollars.