Telefonica Fined €151m For Abuse Of Market Position Telefónica, the Spanish telecoms operator, was fined €151 million (£102 million) by the European Commission yesterday for implementing anti-competitive practices against its dome... Read Full Article Secret Deal Denied As British Sailors Fly Home Showdown ends in a show, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad freeing 15 British sailors and marines in a carefully scripted theatre piece.... Read Full Article World Briefing | Europe: Britain: Four, Count ?em, Magna Cartas The Bodleian Library at Oxford displayed its four copies of the Magna Carta together for the first time in 800 years and for one day only. Just 13 others survive, and Sotheby’s will sell the only copy... Read Full Article A Fabled Club Seeks An Encore In Brooklyn Allan Pepper, the owner of one of the city’s legendary clubs, lost his lease, but he is trying to restart the music in the borough of his childhood.... Read Full Article Envoys Fail To Break Losing Streak The United States is engaging in “basketball diplomacy” to encourage the United Nations to operate with a little more teamwork. Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s UN envoy, invited his... Read Full Article |
Argentine Farmers Vow To Press Strike Over TaxPERGAMINO, Argentina (Reuters) — Farmers in Argentina who have been on strike for two weeks to protest a tax increase on the export of grains said Wednesday that they would continue their protests until the government gave in. The strike has led to shortages of meat and dairy products, paralyzed local grain and livestock trade and forced major exporters of Argentine soy products to renege on some contracts. Thousands of people rallied nationwide on Tuesday evening in support of the farmers. The protesters banged on pots outside the presidential palace after the center-left president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, said she would not give in to “extortion.” Hector Boldrini, a farmer, said, “The government tried to put out the fire with gasoline.” “There’s no way we will cede ground,” he said at a roadside protest in Pergamino, in the fertile northern region of Buenos Aires Province. Elsewhere in Argentina, farmers blockaded highways to keep trucks from transporting agricultural goods. The government said it would clear the roads by force if necessary to get food to market. Several suppliers of Argentine soy and soy oil declared force majeure to back off from sending cargoes to China as a result of the protest, following a similar move on soy meal shipments to Europe, traders and industry officials said. The strike has slashed foreign currency inflows from agricultural exports, sending the local peso currency to its weakest level against the dollar in five months. Argentina has been one of the world’s main beneficiaries of a global surge in commodities prices. But farmers abhor government measures like export bans and price controls, which are being put into effect to stem inflation and to increase revenue. The farmers say they intend to continue the strike as long as necessary, demanding that the government repeal a new sliding-scale export tax regime that raises levies on soy and sunflower products at current prices. Ms. Kirchner has said the taxes help redistribute wealth in a country where nearly a quarter of people are poor. Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationSpain: Lyrics for Anthem Pulled...With much hope and a little fear, Iraqi refugees are flocking home... World Briefing | Middle East: Dubai: Court Hears French Boy’s Rape Testimony... French Snub Sarkozy Romance... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - Argentine Farmers Vow To Press Strike Over Tax |
i8news.com |