Stories for October 18th 2012

Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 01:55 UTC
Argentine soft-porn film star named as official ambassador of pop culture

In one of her latest surprise moves to prop gender and culture, President Cristina Fernandez has named soft-core porn film star Isabel Sarli, as the country’s official ambassador of pop culture.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 01:37 UTC
Australian beef sales to Japan remain weak: down 6% over last year

Australia shipped 22,648 tonnes swt of beef to Japan during September, the lowest monthly volumes since December 2003 (with the exception of January).
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 01:32 UTC
US consumers increasingly demanding antibiotic-free meat and poultry

Pushing its ‘Meat Without Drugs’ campaign, the US Consumers Union recently delivered more than 500,000 signatures to Trader Joe’s in Manhattan, New York.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 01:26 UTC
Venezuela’s air carrier Conviasa expands schedules with Brazilian aircraft

Venezuelan flag air-carrier Conviasa plans this year to expand the number of destinations from four to ten with the three, out of an order of twenty aircraft purchased to Brazil, announced on Wednesday the president of the company General César Martínez.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:57 UTC
Hedge funds targeting Argentina miss the target: BIS deposits free from embargoes

Switzerland’s government rejected a law suit filed by US hedge funds asking to set an embargo on Argentina's assets deposited in Switzerland based Bank for International Settlements as they claim the payment of a 1 billion dollars debt.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:46 UTC
Which of three EU delegates will actually receive the Nobel Peace Prize?

Almost a week after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the European Union has finally decided who will collect the award. Rather than one person making the trip to Norway on Dec. 10, the EU has decided it will send three people: one to represent each of its main institutions: the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:36 UTC
Uruguay passes bill that decriminalizes abortion under certain circumstances

Uruguay's Congress voted narrowly to decriminalize abortion under certain circumstances, mainly during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Senate voted 17 to 14 in favour of the controversial bill, which was passed by the lower house last month after 14 hours of debate. President Jose Mujica said he would sign the bill into law.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:32 UTC
Polls show Obama performed better than Romney, but on the economy it was not that clear

US voters say that President Barack Obama performed better than Republican rival Mitt Romney by a substantial margin in their second debate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.
Thursday, October 18th 2012 - 00:25 UTC
The bursting of the social media bubble: Dot-com déjà vu?

By Ned Raynolds - A joke currently making the rounds on Wall Street has it that a bar opened in Silicon Valley, giving away drinks for free. The place was soon wall-to-wall with people. Other West Coast saloons latched onto the idea, figuring that a business model that attracted so many patrons couldn’t fail.