The Brazilian proposal for a South American Defence Council is considered interesting by United States but Washington has no immediate reaction to the issue said Thomas Shannon, US Under Secretary of State for Latinamerica, according to an interview published in the Sao Paulo financial newspaper, Valor.
Finding treatments for cancer, thinning bone disease and kidney failure are at risk due to biodiversity loss, a ground-breaking new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) book cautioned.
Landlocked and least developed countries (LDCs) have been further marginalized as a result of trade liberalization, which has led to increased growth in many parts of the world, a senior United Nations official has said.
Rice prices have ballooned to fresh heights in Asian trade amid concern that export bans by key producing countries will hit supply. Curbs are in place in India and Vietnam to protect domestic supply and there are fears that Thailand, the world's largest producer, could follow suit.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling supported on Monday the Bank of England's £50bn plan to help prevent the credit crisis causing more damage to the UK banking system.
Saudi Arabia admitted that petroleum producing countries are concerned with the competition of alternative fuels, such as bio-fuels and with the determination of many countries to ensure their energy independence.
The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) called for urgent action to tackle the silent tsunami of rising food prices which threatens to push more than 100 million people worldwide into hunger.
With the international price of oil closing on 120 US dollars a barrel and the need for greater purchases of oil, diesel fuel and natural gas, Chile estimates the additional cost this year in 2.8 billion US dollars according to the government owned oil corporation ENAP, CEO Enrique Davila.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC plans to boost its oil production target capacity by 5 million barrels a day by 2012, the organization's secretary-general said Tuesday in Rome.
Singapore's GIC, one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds, warned on Monday the world could be facing its worst recession in 30 years and that financial markets would be highly volatile.