Stories for December 8th 2011

Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 22:28 UTC
Mexico - Rising Natural Gas Superstate?

Americans looking south of the Rio Grande tend to forget, if they ever knew, that Mexico is, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, now America's second largest source of imports.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 22:20 UTC
Grand Prize Winner of 2011 Katerva Awards announced at the Lincoln Center in New York

“If the Nobel Society had an award for sustainability, it would resemble the Katerva Awards, a new international prize for the most promising ideas and efforts to advance the planet toward sustainability.” (Reuters *)
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:39 UTC
OIE puts Paraguay in FMD list; Brazil reopens market to mature boneless beef

The World Animal Health Organization, OIE, dependent from FAO, informed Paraguay that its territory had lost the condition of free of foot and mouth disease with vaccine, following an outbreak of the disease reported September 18.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:26 UTC
Hammond: “no going back” on defence cuts and “it will not be easy or pain-free”

The UK Defence secretary Philip Hammond issued a sharp warning that there can be ‘no going back’ on the government’s cuts to the armed forces made in last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:19 UTC
UK NATO campaign in Libya (longer than expected) cost 333 million dollars

The UK contribution to the NATO operation in Libya cost £212 million pounds (333 million dollars), Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday in London.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:01 UTC
Falklands’ land mine clearance set to enter a new expanded phase in early 2012

Robin Swanson, head of the Demining Program Office and visiting the Falkland Islands this week ahead of the new phase of land-mine clearance due to start early next year, confirmed that the forthcoming planned clearances will advance the demining process from the pilot stage to a more advanced “land release” phase.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 19:54 UTC
Uruguay with “two economic teams, let us not play with fire” warns top economist

The academic director of a Conservative think-tank, questioned Uruguayan president Jose Mujica attitudes and expressed the growing concern in the local business community and internationally about the fact the country seems to have two different economic teams.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:55 UTC
Euro Day: EU leaders won’t leave Brussels summit until agreement is reached

Pessimistic comments from Germany and new figures exposing deepening stress among Europe's banks dented financial market hopes of a turning point in the Euro zone's debt crisis at a summit this week.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:51 UTC
Argentine lawmaker blasts UK marine conservation project in South Georgia

Argentine lawmaker and president of the Malvinas Islands Parliamentary Observatory Alfredo Atanasof said Britain’s intention of creating a huge marine conservation zone in waters of South Georgia was “completely illegitimate”.
Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:49 UTC
“Getting rid of credit rating agencies is imperative”, says top Argentine official

Argentine Economy Minister and Vice-President-elect Amado Boudou charged against credit-rating agencies and accused them of being “a source and transmission of problems,” warning that “as long as they exist, resources will continue to flow from those who have less to those who have more.”