Stories for February 2015

Monday, February 9th 2015 - 17:34 UTC
Food, housing and transportation prices accelerate January inflation in Brazil

Brazil's consumer price inflation accelerated in January, putting the 12-month rate well above the central bank's tolerance band and at the highest level since September 2011, underscoring one of the main challenges facing Latin America's largest economy in the year ahead.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 13:26 UTC
Researchers fear Ebola virus has mutated and are studying contagion degree

More than 22,000 people have been infected and about 9,000 are known to have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since what evolved into the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola was identified last March.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:46 UTC
Bank of England unanimously leaves interest rates at 0.5% for the 71st month

Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.5% for the 71st month in a row and kept its stimulus programme of quantitative easing (QE) unchanged. Most forecasters now think interest rates will not rise before next year.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:43 UTC
Dengue cases 'explode' by 57% in Brazil during January

Dengue cases in Brazil rose by 57% in January, an increase that the Brazilian government partially attributed to the water crisis in the country's southeastern region. In the first four weeks of the year, Brazil registered 40,196 cases of dengue, compared with 26,017 in the same period of 2014, the Brazilian Health Ministry said.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:32 UTC
China's import of key commodities falls sharply during January

China's imports of key commodities eased in January after the record high set in December, as expected as the earlier heavy purchases to take advantage of weak prices had swollen inventories, preliminary customs data released has shown.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 12:30 UTC
FARC invites Colombia's newly-crowned Miss Universe to attend peace talks

Rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, on Saturday invited the newly-crowned Miss Universe to attend peace talks with the Colombian government.
Monday, February 9th 2015 - 10:12 UTC
Guyana, US, Peru and Uruguay consent to OAS visits on anti-corruption

The governments of Guyana, the United States, Peru and Uruguay confirmed this week to the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) their consent to receive on site visits as part of the Fifth Round of the Mechanism for Follow-up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) of the OAS.
Saturday, February 7th 2015 - 05:44 UTC
“Democracy in Argentina dented by mysterious murder”, says FT

By John Paul Rathbone (*) - The Financial Times Latin American editor, economist and knowledgeable of Argentina has written a column on the current situation in Argentina and the mystery surrounding the death of special prosecutor Alberto Nisman
Saturday, February 7th 2015 - 05:41 UTC
Grandeur of the Seas struck by Norovirus cuts shorts Caribbean cruise

A ten-night sailing of Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship was cut short by one day after nearly 10% of passengers were struck by norovirus. An unrelated medical emergency expedited the need for the ship to dock early as bad weather made an at-sea transfer impossible.
Saturday, February 7th 2015 - 05:33 UTC
Gauguin's “When will you marry me” painting sold in 300 million dollars

A new record price for an artwork, nearly 300 million dollars, may have been achieved with the sale of a Paul Gauguin canvas by a Swiss collector. The buyer is rumored to be the Qatar Museums.