Stories for September 8th 2010

Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 23:32 UTC
“The Cuban model doesn’t ever work for us anymore”, admits Fidel Castro

“The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore”, admitted Fidel Castro to Jeffrey Goldberg, a writer for the Atlantic Monthly magazine who interviewed the leader and asked if Cuba's model -- Soviet-style communism -- was still worth exporting to other countries.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 23:25 UTC
HMS Endurance to be replaced with vessel from Norway early 2011

Senior Royal Navy sources have confirmed a vessel from Norway will join the fleet early next year to replace Endurance, which almost sank in 2008, reports The News from Portsmouth.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 23:19 UTC
Chilean rig at east access of Magellan Strait catches fire: all crew saved, no spill

A Chilean-operated oil rig off Argentine Patagonia in the South Atlantic caught fire early on Wednesday, forcing all its eight workers to evacuate by rafts and oil production to shut down, reported the Argentine navy.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 11:56 UTC
Piñera ready to present 700m/1bn USD mining royalty bill

After many negotiations and discussions, the Chilean government’s set deadline for a new mining royalty bill is here. This week, the Chilean government will present its bill before Congress - with or without the much awaited proposal by the opposition parties.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 05:05 UTC
Fidel tells Iranian president to stop slandering Jews and understand ‘anti-Semitism’

Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro has urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stop slandering the Jews, according to an article published on the US website The Atlantic on Tuesday.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 04:53 UTC
Argentina wants to stall Montevideo port as the efficient regional hub

In spite of the good relations between the governments of Uruguay and Argentina following the agreement reached on pulp mills, pending and new issues are creeping into the bilateral agenda that could threaten the good chemistry between presidents Jose Mujica and Cristina Kirchner.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 04:16 UTC
Chilean regional airports international passenger traffic up 55% in five years

Increased travel to Chile’s tourist sites, tax free zones, and mining areas have necessitated greater travel to regional airports, the Civil Aeronautics Board reported last week. As a result, Iquique and Easter Island lead in the number of flights, followed by Arica and Punta Arenas.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 03:26 UTC
Soros donates 100 million USD to expand Human Rights Watch in key regional capitals

Hungarian born US billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros is donating 100 million US dollars to the group Human Rights Watch. In a statement Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said Soros is giving the grant through his Open Society Foundations, which he established to promote tolerance and democracy around the world.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 03:24 UTC
Labour victory in Australia means 30% mining tax will go ahead

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard secured a razor-thin parliamentary majority ending a political impasse but investors are worried about the fragility of her government and its plans to tax mining profits.
Wednesday, September 8th 2010 - 03:03 UTC
First Iranian ambassador presents credentials to Bolivian President Morales

Iran began to make effective closer diplomatic ties with Bolivia with the presentation of its first ever ambassador in La Paz, while President Evo Morales is anticipated to visit Teheran at the end of the month.