Stories for August 2014

Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 05:46 UTC
Larishka sniffs 86.000 dollars from car heading of a ferry to Uruguay

Agents working for Argentina's Federal Public Incomes Administration (AFIP), with a little help from Larishka the dog, found 86,500 dollars hidden by an Argentine who was trying to leave the country for Uruguay.
Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 05:34 UTC
Earthquake strikes Quito kills two and violently shakes buildings

A shallow 5.1-magnitude earthquake has struck the Ecuadorian capital Quito, triggering landslides that killed at least two people and violently shaking buildings and homes. Another eight people were injured and three others trapped in the landslides at quarries on the outskirts of Quito, the country's risk management agency said on Twitter.
Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 05:28 UTC
Finally Cristina Fernandez is on an official visit to Paraguay

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez arrived Tuesday evening to Paraguay to begin early Wednesday an official visit which has been delayed several times. Besides the usual agenda discussions and accords signing with her peer Horacio Cartes, the visit will also have a strong symbolism since the Argentine president will be formally returning to Paraguay furniture and other belongings from one of the country's most revered leaders, Francisco Solano Lopez.
Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 01:22 UTC
FARC leader doubts the peace accord can be signed this year

Colombia is unlikely to sign a peace accord with Marxist rebels this year as the remaining items on the negotiating agenda are complex and time consuming, FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londoño said.
Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 01:15 UTC
Chile's massive 2010 earthquake caused Antarctica glaciers to calve and 'icequakes'

A massive earthquake that struck Chile in 2010 caused glaciers thousands of miles away in Antarctica to calve, a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience found. Seismic surface waves radiating away from the earthquake’s epicenter traveled some 4,700 kilometers before passing through Antarctica’s ice sheets and causing small tremors, or “icequakes.”
Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 01:04 UTC
EU sanctions 10 countries for overfishing with reduction of fishing quotas

The European Commission (EC) has decided to sanction Spain and nine other Member States for exceeding their fishing quotas during the past financial year, and reduce their fishing opportunities for 2014. This measure is intended to repair the damage caused to resources and in this way ensure the sustainable capture of resources.
Tuesday, August 12th 2014 - 06:36 UTC
Uruguay wants Unasur to reach a consensus position of Gaza Strip conflict

Uruguay will ask fellow members at the Unasur summit to be held in Montevideo later in the month to discuss the Gaza Strip situation, said Foreign minister Luis Almagro who next week will be meeting a delegation from the Palestine Authority. Almagro and president Jose Mujica have been questioned for using the words 'genocide' and 'massacre' to describe the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Tuesday, August 12th 2014 - 06:24 UTC
Petrobras earnings down 20%; subsidized fuels strangling the company

Second quarter profits for Brazil's Petrobras dropped 20% compared to the same period one year earlier, the state-run oil giant said. Petrobras recorded profits of 4.96 billion Reais (about 2.22 billion dollars) in the quarter, compared to 6.2 billion Reais (nearly 3 billion) for the same period in 2013.
Tuesday, August 12th 2014 - 06:10 UTC
Venezuelan oil company begins operations with China’s Citic Bank

Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA has started using China Citic Bank to collect money from crude and fuel sales instead of Portugal’s Banco Espirito Santo, according to media reports in Caracas.
Tuesday, August 12th 2014 - 06:05 UTC
Mexico signs energy reform bills: now to wait for interested private companies

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed on Monday a package of landmark energy reform bills, ending the 76-year-old state monopoly on oil drilling and reopening the sector to foreign companies.