Stories for August 2013

Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 21:51 UTC
Beyond pigs in the pipeline: getting ahead of the leaks

The 2010 Kalamazoo spill and the 2013 Exxon leak in Arkansas are the most glaring incidents, but these are just the big leaks that are found right away and reported. Most leaks are found eventually—but there is money to be saved and damage to be avoided by catching them at the smallest rupture. Right now, we rely on pigs in the pipeline to do this.
Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 21:36 UTC
Honda to build a second assembly plant in Sao Paulo operational by 2015

Japanese automaker Honda plans to build a new assembly plant in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo with an annual capacity of 120,000 units, the company said.
Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 21:28 UTC
Cristina Fernandez will attend Cartes inauguration in Paraguay; problems with Mercosur protocol

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez confirmed by writing that she would be attending the inauguration of Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes next Thursday 15 August, according the organization committee of the event in Asuncion, Ambassador Federico Gonzalez and head of Protocol at the Paraguayan foreign ministry.
Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 21:19 UTC
Brazil’s Rousseff approval rating bouncing back; support for economic team remains ‘soft’

President Dilma Rousseff’s approval rating gained six percentage points after diving in the wake of massive protests in Brazil, a poll published on yesterday showed. The number of Brazilians who consider Rousseff’s administration “great” or “good” was 36%, up from an all-time low 30% in late June.
Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 04:36 UTC
Unasur lifts suspension pending on Paraguay effective 15 August

The Union of South American Nations, Unasur, decided late Friday to lift the suspension pending on Paraguay, which will become effective next 15 August when president-elect Horacio Cartes takes office.
Sunday, August 11th 2013 - 04:32 UTC
Chinese economy could be stabilizing shows latest set of economic figures

China's economy could be stabilising, the latest set of economic figures from the country has suggested. Factory output in July rose 9.7% compared with a year ago, ahead of expectations and up from the previous month's figure of 8.9%. Consumer prices held steady in July, rising 2.7% from a year earlier, matching the rate seen in June.
Saturday, August 10th 2013 - 17:06 UTC
Argentina Sunday primaries a leadership dispute inside the hegemonic Peronist party

On Sunday Argentina will go to the polls to select their candidates for the country’s upcoming October legislative elections. Though it may seem a trivial democratic chapter, the open, mandatory and simultaneous primaries will in fact be the first step in an election that is likely to prove critical to Argentina and most probably a referendum on President Cristina Fernandez’ administration.
Saturday, August 10th 2013 - 16:30 UTC
Rajoy calls for ‘four-flag’ dialogue on Gibraltar and does not discard ‘unilateral measures’

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he hopes for dialogue with Britain soon regarding Gibraltar, but added that until talks take place his government would continue to consider unilateral measures to defend Spanish interests. He said the country will take “all legal measures” to protect its interests in Gibraltar.
Saturday, August 10th 2013 - 16:26 UTC
UK/Gibraltar dossier on queues at the Spanish border to make a complaint at the EC

The Foreign office and the Gibraltar government confirmed they are collecting a dossier on politically motivated queues at the Spain/Gibraltar border with a view to making a formal complaint to the European Commission.
Saturday, August 10th 2013 - 16:18 UTC
France’s Alstom paid millions in bribes to secure contracts in Brazil

French power company Alstom paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure lucrative contracts in Sao Paulo state in 1998, a Brazilian newspaper reported this week. The Estado de Sao Paulo cited federal police documents as saying Alstom executives were among 10 people facing charges in connection with the scandal.