Stories for January 2006
Penguin News Update.
Headlines:
Congregation celebrates Kathy's historic ordination; Officers charged; Appeals rejected; Williams appeal; Maxi's fund grows; This week's cruise chips.
South American mega-pipeline might be pipe dream
Pipeline or pipe dream? The Pharaonic trans-Amazon natural gas conduit whose concept was approved amid much fanfare by the leaders of Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina this month makes little economic or technical sense, could cause great ecological damage and may end up being a figment of overly ambitious political imaginations, analysts told EFE.
Chilean, Mexican presidents tout bilateral accord
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, signed an agreement Thursday to strengthen their nations' political and economic ties and bolster bilateral cooperation.
Cunard boss to meet QM2 passengers
Disgruntled holidaymakers travelling on board the troubled Queen Mary 2 are meeting the boss of operator Cunard after the company revealed they would be receiving a full refund.
China noses out UK as world's fourth economy
China's economy spurred by strong export growth and foreign investment expanded 9.9% in 2005, according to data released Wednesday that suggests it may now rank fourth-biggest in the world.
2005, the hottest year on record and more to come
The highest global surface temperature in more than a century of instrumental data was recorded in the 2005 calendar year according to a report from the United States Space Agency.
Uruguay with record export and tourism in 2005
Uruguayan exports reached a record value of 3.493 billion US dollars last year, reports the Central Bank. This represents 14.6% over 2004, when the country began to consolidate following the 2002/03 financial crisis.
World tourism forecasted to grow 4/5% in 2006
The Madrid-based United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, expects world tourism, as measured by international arrivals, to grow by between 4 and 5% in 2006. In 2005 world tourism rose 5.5% to 808 million international arrivals from 766 million in 2004.
FDI to Latinamerica reached 72 billion US dollars
Foreign direct investment, FDI, worldwide surged to an estimated 897 billion US dollars in 2005, 29% from the preceding year, and a four-year slump in flows to developed countries was sharply reversed with an estimated 72 billion US dollars going to Latinamerica according to a UNCTAD report released this week.
Human Rights Watch blasts Colombia and US
Colombia, the largest recipient of United States aid in the Western Hemisphere, “presents the most serious human rights and humanitarian situation” in Latin America, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2006.
