Stories for April 2010

Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 06:40 UTC
Whaling Commission unveils compromise proposal which includes Japan

The International Whaling Commission unveiled Thursday a draft proposal to bring all whaling operations under its full control and to strengthen and focus the work of the IWC on conservation issues including a compromise proposal which will cut Japan's annual Antarctic quota by three-quarters in five years.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 06:21 UTC
Gulf of Mexico Rig Explodes and Sinks; 11 Workers Missing; Fears of Oil Leak

An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that caught fire after an explosion on Tuesday night has now sunk, the US Coast Guard has said. A search is continuing for 11 missing workers after the blast at the Deepwater Horizon rig. The other workers on the rig, off Louisiana, were evacuated to the US.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 03:25 UTC
Panamanian president announces oil has been found in the Darien area

Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli announced Thursday there was oil in the Darien jungle and he planned to expand the mining industry in Panama while protecting the environment.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 03:21 UTC
Brazil forecasted to grow 5.5% in 2010 boosted by domestic demand, says IMF

Brazil, Latinamerica’s largest economy and leading Mercosur partner is poised to grow 5.5% this year, almost a whole percentage point more than the previous forecast in January, according to the International Monetary Fund “World Economic Outlook” released in anticipation of the IMF and World Bank annual assembly this weekend in Washington.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 03:17 UTC
Forced by pickets Peru suspends 90 days controversial mining project

Protesters in the southern Peruvian province of Islay ended their six-day general strike after the government agreed to temporarily suspend a controversial mining project.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 02:55 UTC
China interested in krill fisheries to cut foreign dependence

China has sent its ocean-going fishing vessels Kai li and An Xin Hai to the Antarctic for the 2010 krill fishing season. During a 23 day exploratory fishing they caught 2.000 tons of krill, with a daily output of 100 tons, three times than originally expected.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 02:45 UTC
UK record borrowing in 2009/10 to cover biggest budget deficit since WW2

UK Primer Minister Gordon Brown’s government borrowed a record £163.4 billion in the 2009/2010 financial year, according to figures published Thursday. While it is the biggest budget deficit since the Second World War, the figure is lower than Chancellor Alistair Darling’s prediction in the budget of £166.5 billion for the year.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 02:41 UTC
Ash-cloud travel restrictions cost Spain’s tourism industry 259 million Euros

Spanish tourism lost 252 million Euros over six days because of travel restrictions caused by the volcanic ash cloud which grounded air traffic in Europe, industry body Exceltur said on Wednesday.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 01:40 UTC
Chile’s nationalized copper company taps private sector CEO

Chile’s nationalized copper company—and the largest copper company in the world—has a new CEO. Diego Hernández Cabrera, a current executive with International mining giant BHP Billiton, was appointed unanimously this week as CEO by Codelco’s board of executives.
Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 01:26 UTC
Latam growingly dependent on Chinese demand for commodities

Latinamerican countries with a greater link to China such as Chile, Brazil and Peru are moving out of the crisis faster and stronger according to a World Bank report which underlines the increasing significance of the Asian giant for the region.