Stories for December 11th 2014

Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:46 UTC
Falling world oil prices shatter Argentine stocks for second day running

Argentine stocks closed down 6.85% Wednesday, weighted down by falling oil prices for a second day of heavy losses. As oil prices sank to new five-year lows, the Merval stock index in Buenos Aires shed more than 600 points to 8,279.04, after losing 7.22% Tuesday.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:40 UTC
FAO food price index in November remained stable for third month running

FAO's monthly food price index was stable in November, as vegetable oil and grain prices inched up and offset ongoing declines in dairy prices. The Food Price Index averaged 192.6 points, marking the third consecutive month of stability. The Index now stands 13 points, 6.4 percent below its level in November 2013.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:27 UTC
BBC team authorized to film wildlife in Tierra del Fuego under certain conditions

A BBC crew is currently filming in Tierra del Fuego a documentary on the wildlife of the Beagle Channel Islands. The crew is escorted by an observer from the provincial government and according to local officials it had to sign a document by which when the material is edited it must clearly establish that it was filmed in Argentine territory, with support from local authorities.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:16 UTC
Busy weekend in Ushuaia for Antarctica cruises: 1.249 visitors

Over the weekend 1.239 visitors in six luxury cruise vessels landed in Ushuaia en route to Antarctica according to local reports from Tierra del Fuego, to which must be added another two that called in on Monday and Tuesday.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:09 UTC
OAS will vote for new Secretary General on 18 March 2015: Insulza steps down after a decade

Member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) agreed that the next Assistant Secretary General will be elected on the same day as the election of the next Secretary General, 18 March 2015. The initiative was approved during Wednesday's regular meetings by the OAS Permanent Council.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 12:04 UTC
Malaysia's Petronas and YPF sign 550 million deal to develop shale deposits in Patagonia

YPF SA and Petroliam Nasional Bhd, state-controlled companies from Argentina and Malaysia, signed a 550 million dollars deal to drill fields at the world’s fourth-largest shale oil deposit in Patagonia’s Vaca Muerta, south Argentina.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 11:55 UTC
Argentine government discards 'social outbreaks' this end of the year despite 'destabilizing' groups

Fearing a repeat of last year's police mutiny which led to rioting and looting, one of President Cristina Fernandez most trusted aides, Oscar Parrilli, Secretary General of the Executive, pledged that Argentines will be able to spend some quiet, peaceful year-end celebrations with no “element” proving a social outbreak.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 11:47 UTC
Report on CIA torture practices triggers political recriminations and security debate

The brutal details of the CIA’s secret interrogation methods described in a newly-issued report by a US Senate committee on Tuesday, triggered Republican lawmakers and CIA reaction against the document’s findings, insisting that the detention and rendition program produced clear results that helped to thwart attacks on US citizens and assets.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 11:35 UTC
US Congress votes sanctions on Venezuelan government officials and sends bill for Obama's signature

The US House of Representatives passed legislation to impose sanctions on Venezuelan government officials found to have violated protesters' rights during demonstrations earlier this year.
Thursday, December 11th 2014 - 11:29 UTC
Argentine argues before NY Appeals court the central bank is not an 'alter ego' of the administration

Lawyers representing the Argentine government and the Central Bank have defended the country's stance on the debt conflict in a hearing with the New York Second Circuit Appeals Court, rejecting the notion that holdout investors could confiscate reserves or assets belonging to the financial entity.