Stories for February 2014

Thursday, February 6th 2014 - 04:48 UTC
An only rare atypical case of L-type mad cow located and destroyed in Germany

German health authorities have picked up a rare atypical case of BSE in an aged cow, as part of routine screening work. A single animal from a group of 80 was found to have atypical BSE (L-type) after laboratory testing. Seven cohorts were destroyed as part of the examination, all found to be negative for BSE, following an epidemiological investigation.
Thursday, February 6th 2014 - 04:42 UTC
Uruguay 12-month inflation in January soars to 9.10%, as energy rebate ceases

Consumer prices in Uruguay during January soared 2.44%, according to the latest release from the stats office, INE, and the highest percentage since 2002. This means accumulated inflation in the last twelve months reached 9,10%, compared to the 8.52% for the twelve months of 2013.
Thursday, February 6th 2014 - 01:21 UTC
Queen Elizabeth II to meet Pope Francis in April during her visit to Italy

The Queen of England will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in April during a visit to Italy. Queen Elizabeth II, the formal head of the Church of England, will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 3 during the one-day visit to Italy.
Thursday, February 6th 2014 - 01:00 UTC
Panama Canal expansion halted; Spanish consortia says a 'final offer' has been made

A dispute over a 1.6 billion dollar cost overrun in the Panama Canal's expansion took a new twist Wednesday after a Spanish company leading the project denied it halted work over the spat.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 23:43 UTC
Paris Club prepared for talks with Argentina over debt repayment

The Paris Club is open to talks with Argentina on repaying its debt, the group of creditor nations said on Wednesday, moving closer towards launching formal negotiations with Buenos Aires.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 23:12 UTC
Spain nervous with Catalonia says it will not interfere with Scotland's referendum

Spain has no intention of interfering in Scotland’s push for independence and is willing to consider an eventual Scottish application to join the EU as a separate state, foreign minister García Margallo said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 22:59 UTC
US, the world's largest producer of oil approves licenses to export crude to Europe

The United States government has approved at least four licenses to export crude oil to Europe, for the first time in years, showing how companies are breaking through the limits of the export ban established in the 1970s, according to Reuters which learned about the fact from a Freedom of Information Act request.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 22:53 UTC
UK obesity costs NHS £5.1 billion per year but overall the figure is closer to £ 16bn

Obesity costs the United Kingdom National Health Service, NHS £5.1 billion per year, according to latest estimates. But National Audit Office (NAO) figures suggest obesity is not solely a burden on the NHS.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 08:54 UTC
Pacific Alliance summit will remove tariffs from 92% of goods and services

The four presidents of the Pacific Alliance are scheduled to sign next Monday the trade group's Additional Protocol which will remove tariffs on 92% of goods and services, effective immediately, announced Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos who will be hosting the summit in Cartagena.
Wednesday, February 5th 2014 - 08:47 UTC
WHO: Cancer growing at 'an alarming pace', particularly in developing countries

The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said cancer was growing “at an alarming pace” worldwide and new strategies were needed to curb the sometimes fatal and often costly disease.