Stories for March 5th 2012

Monday, March 5th 2012 - 23:58 UTC
Brazil sends letter to Blatter: no dealings with FIFA’s Valcke: he’s a bum

Brazil's Sports minister says he has delivered a letter telling FIFA that it won't deal with Secretary General Jerome Valcke during the country's preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 23:47 UTC
Wikileaks suspect suffered “cruel and degrading” treatment, says UN rapporteur on torture

US authorities’ treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Private Bradley Manning was “cruel and degrading,” the UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Ernesto Mendez said Monday.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 23:42 UTC
Brazil 2011/12 soy and corn crops estimates slightly lower to 69.5m and 60.4m tons

Brazil’s 2011/12 soybean and corn crops are forecasted to be slightly lower than the original February estimates according to the latest release from industry and market analyst.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 23:12 UTC
US warns Argentina could loose trade benefits for not complying international investment rulings

United States could soon suspend trade benefits for Argentina warned on Monday an official from the Department of Commerce. US accuses Argentina of not paying awards in two long-running investment disputes with US companies following rulings from an international tribunal.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 20:11 UTC
Argentina trade restrictions cut Uruguayan exports by almost half in February

Uruguayan exports to Argentina during the month of February plummeted 46.6% compared to the same month a year ago according to Uruguay’s Union of Exporters, which attributes the poor performance to the imports restrictions imposed by the neighbouring country.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 20:05 UTC
Chinese athletes banned from eating beef: fears of the clenbuterol substance

Chinese athletes preparing for the London Olympics have been banned from eating meat over fears they may consume clenbuterol -the prohibited performance-enhancing substance led to Chinese Olympic judo champion Tong Wen's two-year banm, reports China Daily.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 19:54 UTC
Russia bans European cattle and hog imports because of Schmallenberg virus

Russia will ban shipments of Europe's cattle and hogs from March 20 due to an outbreak of the Schmallenberg virus, which causes birth deformities, said the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, the country's food-safety watchdog.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 19:40 UTC
Historic year for US beef exports in volume and value and first surplus since 2003

Last year was historic for United States beef exports in both volume and value terms, according to a report from the South Dakota University and released by Drovers Cattle Network.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 19:32 UTC
Spanish unemployment keeps rising; dispute with the EC over the deficit target

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Spain rose by 112.269 in January, taking the overall figure to 4.7 million. Spain’s unemployment rate stands at 22.9%, the highest in the 17-nation Euro-zone.
Monday, March 5th 2012 - 19:22 UTC
Dalby man has his own island in the Falklands, a photographers’ paradise

There aren’t too many people in the world who can say they own an island, but John Hellowell is one of them. Necker Island it isn’t, but Dalby man John Hellowell is justifiably proud of his piece of paradise – a small nature reserve in the Falkland Islands, known as The Kidneys.