Stories for July 2010

Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 17:08 UTC
King crab season takes off in southern Chile; 2.600 tons were caught in 2009

Chile’s King Crab season has officially kicked off for this year. The southern king crab is a delicacy in Chile, as 90% of each year’s catch is shipped to markets in Europe, North America and Asia. In Santiago, fresh king crab starts at about 25 US dollars per pound.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 10:18 UTC
Brazil anticipating ‘external factors recent evolution’ eases interest rate policy

Brazil’s central bank signalled it may stop raising interest rates soon after policy makers unexpectedly slowed the pace of increases and said inflation was less of a threat amid slowing global growth.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 10:14 UTC
Chile considering bill to encourage repatriation of funds from abroad

The Chilean government’s interest in creating a law to encourage the repatriation of funds from abroad received approval by a number of tax experts this past week, reported local media. The proposal, which was first mentioned publicly, last week would allow money earned outside the country to enter Chile, but at a lower tax rate.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 10:11 UTC
Whale jumps and crashes on deck, almost sinking yacht off South Africa

A couple of whale watchers off the South African coast got more than they bargained for. Various media outlets are reporting that a whale breached the surface of the ocean just metres away from the boat of Paloma Werner near Cape Town on Sunday.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:53 UTC
Cristina Kirchner signs bill legalizing same-sex couples’ marriage

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed a new law Wednesday making Argentina the first country in Latin America to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Civil registries across the nation will now begin processing long lists of marriage applications from gay couples. The first such ceremony in Buenos Aires is set for August 13.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:47 UTC
Travel conference to promote gay tourism takes off in Buenos Aires

A marketing and travel conference aimed at promoting tourism for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community was opened Wednesday by Argentina’s new tourism minister Enrique Meyer.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:44 UTC
Santiago de Chile shows strong divide between the rich and poor

The Chilean national CASEN Survey revealed last week that even though poverty in the capital Santiago is below the national poverty rate of 15.1%, the city’s poverty levels grew from 10.6 to 11.5% in the last three years.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:36 UTC
Ecuador leader will be in Bogotá when Colombian president-elect takes office

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa announced Wednesday he would be attending Colombian president-elect Juan Manuel Santos taking-office ceremony next August 7, according to a report from the government news agency ‘Andes’.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:32 UTC
IMF warns Europe must address “underlying problems”

A government debt crisis that has engulfed the Euro-zone should serve as a “wake-up call” for European governments to keep a more watchful eye on their budgets, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday.
Thursday, July 22nd 2010 - 09:30 UTC
Human Rights Watch calls on Chavez to eliminate office to control public debate

Venezuela should close a recently created office that grants President Hugo Chávez administration broad powers to limit public debate, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday in a release. The government should also stop seeking to discredit human rights defenders and prosecuting critics.