Stories for December 12th 2014

Friday, December 12th 2014 - 22:55 UTC
OAS will vote for new Secretary General on 18 March 2015: Insulza steps down after a decade

Member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) agreed that the next Assistant Secretary General will be elected on the same day as the election of the next Secretary General, 18 March 2015. The initiative was approved during Wednesday's regular meetings by the OAS Permanent Council
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 21:49 UTC
Dutch oil platform leasing company cutting 11% of global workforce

Dutch oil platform leasing company SBM Offshore is cutting 1,200 jobs, or slightly more than 11% of its global workforce, as part of a cost-saving program.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 21:07 UTC
US/UK trained Brazil military in torture techniques; British were particularly sophisticated

Officials from the United States and the United Kingdom spent years teaching members of the Brazilian military how to develop and improve their torture techniques during the country’s two-decade long dictatorship (1964/1985), it was confirmed this week by the National Truth Commission, CNV, report.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 10:33 UTC
UK and Chile collaboration in the use of advanced satellite-generated data

The UK Satellite Applications Catapult Center, a British centre of innovation in the end use of satellite-generated data, had a very successful visit to Chile 26 November - 4 December. The Catapult delegation was made up of Mark Hampson, Chief Innovation Officer, David Livingstone, subject matter expert, Simon Agass, Senior Earth Observation Specialist and Wyn Cudlip, consultant.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 08:59 UTC
Plastic litter in oceans estimated in 269.000 tons, say US scientists

Plastic pollution is pervasive in Earth's oceans: plastic shopping bags, bottles, toys, action figures, bottle caps, pacifiers, tooth brushes, boots, buckets, deodorant roller balls, umbrella handles, fishing gear, toilet seats and so much more.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 07:16 UTC
US Congress passes 1.1tn budget which funds government until 09/2015

The US House of Representatives has passed a 1.1tn dollar budget hour before government was due to shut down at midnight on Thursday. The Republican measure passed by 219 votes to 206 after President Barack Obama had urged Democrats to support the measure.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 07:06 UTC
Brazil hikes soybean harvest estimate by 5.3m to 95.8 million tons

Brazil's commodities bureau, Conab hiked by 5.3 million tons to 95.8 million tons its forecast for the country's soybean crop, reversing the negative trend in harvest forecasts, citing the benefit from rains in some southern areas. The previous estimate for the crop to be harvested early next year was 90.5m tons.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 06:54 UTC
Record year for Falklands' fish catches

THIS year will be marked as one of the most successful years in the history of the Falkland Islands fishery with several record catches registered and the total catch of all species in Falkland waters this month reaching a record of 451,000 tonnes.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 06:43 UTC
Switzerland charges former HSBC analyst with industrial espionage

Switzerland has charged a former computer analyst at HSBC's private bank in Geneva with industrial espionage and breaching the country's secrecy laws for passing confidential client data to foreign authorities.
Friday, December 12th 2014 - 06:37 UTC
Miss Bumbum Indianara wants to give respect to the contest by recovering her 'virginity'

A blonde Brazilian model who shot to fame after she won Miss Bumbum 2014 just as the Kim Kardashian pictures put big backsides back in fashion has had surgery to return her to being a virgin so she can once again enjoy her first time with “someone special”.