Stories for May 23rd 2013

Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 19:45 UTC
Energy - Balancing the Bonanza: Interview with Mark Thoma

Interview by James Stafford of Oilprice.com - If you want an objective view of energy, ask an economist, who can tell you what to expect to pay at the pump in the coming years, and why, as well as what to expect from medium- and long-term economic growth and what the real drivers will be. These are questions that are crucial to a pending decision by the US government over natural gas exports, and while we know where big oil stands versus its manufacturing rivals—it's the economist who can set things straight.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 19:40 UTC
Global economy to pick up in second half forecasts UN agency

Global economic growth is projected to gain slow momentum for the rest of the year while developing countries will expand an estimated 5%, a United Nations economic forecast said on Thursday.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 19:26 UTC
Indigenous community asks Argentine president to protect their ancestral land

Northern Argentina Qom indigenous community leaders this week held a formal meeting with Supreme Court justices and Formosa government officials. After the hearing, the community leader Félix Díaz requested President Cristina Fernández support in a controversy over land property they have with the provincial authorities in Formosa.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 19:23 UTC
Brazil freezes budget outlays in an effort to meet its primary surplus target

Brazil has frozen 28 billion Reais (approx 13.7 billion dollars) in its 2013 budget as it tries to meet its primary surplus target, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Thursday in Brasilia. President Dilma Rousseff’s administration is trying to meet targeted primary surplus goal of 155.9 billion Reais without undermining economic growth.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 19:16 UTC
Cruise industry adopts passenger bill of rights

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced this week that its Board of Directors approved the adoption of a “Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights” detailing CLIA members' commitment to the safety, comfort and care of guests in a number of important areas.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 07:20 UTC
Beware inflation: CFK announces “political groups” will keep track of prices in shops

Argentine President Cristina Fernández (CFK) indirectly acknowledged that inflation has become a major challenge for her government despite the fact that the official reading in twelve months is 10.6%, even when private estimates indicate 24% and expectations have soared to 34%.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 07:16 UTC
Europe’s three largest economies call for stricter rules on corporate tax avoidance

Britain, France and Germany called for stricter rules to stop companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon aggressively avoiding taxes in austerity bitten Europe, while acknowledging they had done nothing unlawful.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 07:06 UTC
Kirchnerite Senate majority approves whitewashing bill; next week in the Lower House

The Argentine government sponsored whitewashing or ‘tax amnesty’ bill received half approval on Wednesday when the Senate passed the initiative by 39 to 28 votes, a bill which the opposition has labelled ‘immoral’. After seven hours of debate and over twenty speakers the line was clearly drawn between the Kirchnerite group and its allies and the rest of the House.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 07:01 UTC
Cristina Fernandez administration limits overseas dollar extractions to a minimum

Continuing with the so called ‘dollar clamp’ Argentine institutions issuing credit cards will further limit the extraction of dollars from automatic cashiers: travellers to neighbouring countries will only be allowed 100 dollars every three months and those visiting non neighbouring countries, 800 dollars per month.
Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 02:19 UTC
Falkland Islands wish for normal neighborly relations with all South American neighbors

By MLA Jan Cheek - I was in The Hague in April on the last stop of my four capital trip planned to spread information about our decisive referendum. After London, a colleague and I visited Brussels before heading off to separate destinations. I visited Dublin and then returned to London to attend the funeral of Baroness Thatcher.