CARACAS, Friday November 21, 2008 | Update
Western Hemisphere
The Unites States should not intervene in the South American
Defense Council (CDS), said the Brazilian minister of Defense,
Nelson Jobim.
Jobim reminded that he already talked about the project with
the US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates; and the Secretary
of State, Condoleezza Rice, during a meeting with both top
US officials last month in Washington, AFP reported.
"They asked me about the CDS and I told them that the South
American defense system is an issue that matters the countries
of our region. It is not a business of the United States,"
told Jobim to the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nación.
The project is part of the Union of South American Nation
(Unasur) alliance formed by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay
and Venezuela.
11:00 AM. Economy. Based on the official data, more and more families failed to get out of poverty in 2008; the exclusion status of more people moved faster and fewer people are on their way to overcome this situation. According to the data provided by the official National Statistics Institute (INE), last year the poorest homes in the country recorded an average monthly income of USD 401.82, whereas the food basket amounted to 417.77