Stories for January 2013

Tuesday, January 8th 2013 - 00:21 UTC
Venezuelan Catholic Church calls for constitutional respect on inauguration day

Venezuela’s Catholic Church issued a veiled warning to the government on Monday against overriding the constitution by delaying cancer-stricken Hugo Chavez's inauguration for a new term as president.
Tuesday, January 8th 2013 - 00:18 UTC
“Delivery” cat caught red-handed with saws and drills entering Brazilian jail

A cat, which was busted in a Brazilian prison with saws and drills strapped to its body, has remained silent on the details of an apparent jailbreak plot. ¬The feline was caught in a Brazilian prison while trying to deliver tools that could help inmates escape incarceration.
Tuesday, January 8th 2013 - 00:07 UTC
Argentina charters private UK plane for Cristina Fernandez next tour to avoid legal surprises

The Argentine government issued a statement in response to a recent piece published on the British tabloid “The Sun”, and assured that President Cristina Fernández will fly in a private plane on her next tour to avoid a potential impounding of the official presidential plane by vulture funds.
Tuesday, January 8th 2013 - 00:04 UTC
Uruguay wants to become one of the world’s leading wind power producers

The Uruguayan government has set its sights on becoming one of the world's leading wind power producers as part of plans to produce 90% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015, although much of the plan is still on the drawing board.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 17:45 UTC
Argentina accuses PM Cameron of “military threats” regarding the Falklands

The Argentine Foreign Ministry rejected the recent “military threats” coming from British Prime Minister David Cameron in relation to the UK’s “illegal occupation of the Falklands/Malvinas Islands” that began 180 years ago.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 14:14 UTC
Argentina gains a new ally in its fight against hedge funds: WEF’ Schwab

Argentina’s worldwide court battles against the hedge funds which did not accept the restructuring of its defaulted debt and are after the country’s assets, has gained another ally, the president of the World Economic Forum, (WEF) Klaus Schwab.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 14:09 UTC
Iceland with Norway support awards off shore oil and gas licences

Iceland has awarded two licences for oil and gas exploration and production in the waters off the north east coast of the Atlantic island.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 13:52 UTC
Several Fed members fearing inflation want a cap to the bond-buying program

A number of senior figures at the Federal Reserve want the US central bank to stop or slow down its bond-buying program “well before the end of 2013”. December minutes of its interest rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) showed that “several” of its twelve members made the call.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 13:49 UTC
Koreans again in love with US beef following aggressive campaign from industry

Only four years ago 100.000 South Koreans lined the streets of Seoul to protest the return of US beef to Korea. Consumer confidence in US beef was at an all-time low to the extent that media outlets would not even accept paid ads promoting the products for fear of getting pulled into the protest backlash – instead joining the outrage by declaring US beef to be unsafe from BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) or ‘mad cow’.
Monday, January 7th 2013 - 13:33 UTC
NZ farm workers wage increase above rising costs: 37.000 US dollars per annum

New Zealand farm workers are doing better than their counterparts in other industries when it comes to wage rises. A Rabobank-Federated Farmers survey has shown farm workers recorded an overall average salary rise of 4.9% in the year to October, 2010.