Stories for June 29th 2011

Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 23:03 UTC
KLM will begin fuelling some of its flights with used cooking oil

Dutch carrier KLM announced Wednesday it would begin using used cooking oil for some of its flights. The announcement comes less than two years after the airline flew the first bio-kerosene-fuelled passenger flight in Europe.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 22:48 UTC
Falkland Islands well defended and world opinion tide is on ‘our favour’, says MLA Sawle

The Falklands are well defended, much better than in 1982, and the international opinion tide is turning “on our favour” said Dick Sawle, elected member of the Falklands’ Legislative Assembly recently back from a round of political contacts in New York and Washington.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 16:42 UTC
Greek parliament approves austerity measures, preventing first Euro zone default

Greece's parliament approved early Wednesday deeply unpopular austerity measures despite worsening violence, in a vote vital toward securing international funds and preventing the Euro zone's first sovereign default.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 16:26 UTC
US latest wars have cost the Treasury 4.4 trillion USD, says academic report

United States President Barack Obama cited cost as a reason to bring troops home from Afghanistan and referred to a one trillion US dollars price tag for US wars. The figure grossly underestimates the total cost of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the US Treasury and ignores more imposing costs yet to come, according to a study released Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 06:35 UTC
Argentine election fever: minister accuses UK of keeping hostage “2000 Falklands’ Islanders”

In the midst of Argentina’s campaign for the October presidential election, Defence minister Arturo Puricelli accused the UK of using military force to keep “the Falkland Islanders as hostages” and said Argentina won’t fall prey of “militaristic” provocations.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 06:31 UTC
Mrs Kirchner changed dancing partners, but organized labour is not happy

Argentina’s organized labour, picket organizations and social groups that have played a crucial role in support of the two Kirchner presidencies (2003/2011) are discontent, and growingly vocal, about their disappointment with President Cristina Fernandez lists of candidates to legislative and provincial posts in the coming October general election.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 06:23 UTC
Boudou: from liberal economics to running mate of President Cristina Fernández

Three days after Economy Minister Amado Boudou was hand picked by Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to be her running mate in the upcoming presidential elections, he took to Twitter to make his first public statements after the nomination.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 06:20 UTC
Trade in local currencies and tariffs on the Mercosur agenda for discussion

Argentina Economy Minister Amado Boudou said that the idea of appealing to an only shared currency by Mercosur members generates ‘doubts’ given the European experience, and feels more inclined ‘to stimulate trade with local currencies”, so that each member country can take advantage of monetary policy macroeconomic instruments.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 06:13 UTC
Argentine Supreme Court rules in favour of pension benefits for same-sex couples

The Argentine Supreme Court ruled in favour of same-sex partners seeking pension benefits. The ruling came after the highest court reversed a previous ruling neglecting a man of any pension benefits after the demise of his partner, whom he had shared his life with for over 40 years.
Judges said that “the current pensions’ law cannot ignore situations like these.”
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 03:57 UTC
Argentina asks Mercosur to draft an industrial policy and contain Asian imports

Mercosur Ministers of Industry meeting in Paraguay, ahead of the presidential summit, discussed on Tuesday different mechanisms to weaken the flood of ‘cheap’ manufactured goods from Southeast Asia.