Stories for March 2010

Friday, March 19th 2010 - 03:47 UTC
Warning petrol in UK could reach 120p a litre; 3p increase from April

Petrol prices could reach an eye-watering 120 pennies per litre later this year, the AA is warning. The organisation is claiming that unleaded fuel could even top the price, equivalent to £5.41 a gallon, and Alistair Darling is being urged to delay the introduction of a planned 3p increase in petrol duty due to come in on April 1.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 03:42 UTC
King Penguin with avian pox; “one in zillion” black KP in South Georgia

A small percentage of King Penguins in a variety of locations around the South Georgia Island are suffering from disease, possibly avian pox, reports the latest edition of the South Georgia Newsletter.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 03:40 UTC
Haiti reconstruction bill estimated in 11.5 billion USD

Haiti will need 11.5 billion US dollars to rebuild after the devastating earthquake in January, the country's government estimates. The amount is a rough estimate of money required for a complete overhaul of the impoverished country, officials say.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 02:31 UTC
EP president condemns arrest of Cuban political prisoners’ women relatives

The president of the European Parliament has sharply condemned Cuba for arresting a group of women, all of them relatives of political prisoners, who were demonstrating in Havana on Wednesday.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 01:27 UTC
Relatives of quake victims suing Chile for absence of tsunami warning

Relatives of two sisters who died in the Feb. 27 tsunami are suing Chilean government agencies they claim are responsible for the absence of an adequate tsunami warning.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 01:22 UTC
Argentine government expects quick return to international bond markets

Argentina moved a step closer to a planned swap of defaulted debt and an issue of up to 15 billion US dollars in new bonds, with an amended filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 01:21 UTC
Greece closer to the IMF; Euro plummets below 1.36 US dollars

News that Greece may go cap in hand to the IMF for help with its debt crisis prompted investors to rush for the relative safety of the dollar, which soared against the Euro on Thursday. The Euro fetched 1.3603 dollars down more than a US cent on late trading.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 00:12 UTC
Proposal to ban Atlantic bluefin tuna international trade rejected

A proposal to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, which is a sushi mainstay in Japan, has been rejected by a UN wildlife meeting. Thursday's decision occurred after Japan, Canada and many poor nations opposed the measure on the grounds it would devastate fishing economies.
Friday, March 19th 2010 - 00:07 UTC
Inventor of the Web says WWW is a fundamental right for a democracy

The World Wide Web is becoming as important to the future of mankind as free speech, the inventor of the Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said. Because the network is neutral and access to data open, the Web is becoming a vital tool to ensure open government, and as such it should be considered a right.
Thursday, March 18th 2010 - 23:48 UTC
Lula da Silva fined for “anticipated” electoral campaigning

Brazilian Electoral Justice announced it had fined President Lula da Silva for having “anticipated” the campaign for next October presidential election, thus favouring the incumbent candidate and cabinet chief Dilma Rousseff.