Stories for March 9th 2015

Monday, March 9th 2015 - 23:32 UTC
St Elena's airport will receive its first airplane test landing next July

The very first airplane landing on St Helena’s new airport is due to take place in July, seven months before the target date for its completion. St Elena is situated in the middle of the Atlantic, and besides being a volcanic island is world famous since Napoleon was kept under arrest by the British until his death.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 11:45 UTC
February's FAO Food Price Index at is lowest value since early 2010

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 179. 4 points in February 2015, down 1.8 points (1.0 percent) from its January value and 29 points (14.0 percent) below its level in February 2014. Prices of cereals, meat and, especially, sugar, dipped last month, while they remained steady in the case of oils and rebounded sharply in the case of dairy products. The index has been on a declining path since April 2014 and has now reached its lowest value since July 2010.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 08:07 UTC
Transparency International claims BOT are used to launder 'corrupt' money

British territories including Gibraltar are being used by criminals and foreign officials to launder ‘corrupt’ money through the purchase of up market UK properties, according to the respected anti-corruption organization Transparency International.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 07:59 UTC
Peru to withdraw ambassador from Chile because of alleged military espionage

Peru said it was withdrawing its ambassador from Chile, amid an intensifying diplomatic spat that was sparked by accusations of military espionage. The Peruvian government is prosecuting two non-commissioned officers in its navy and investigating a third for allegedly spying for neighboring Chile.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 07:39 UTC
Colombia and FARC agree to clear minefields; 11.000 people killed in 15 years

Colombian government and Marxist oriented guerrillas jointly announced an agreement to remove landmines and other explosives from the battlefield in a sign of progress in their two-year-old peace talks being held in Cuba.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 07:34 UTC
Rousseff's message deafened by pot-banging, horn-blowing and messages calling for her resignation

President Dilma Rousseff appealed to Brazilians on Sunday to back fiscal austerity policies, while saying that the belt-tightening will last as long as needed and results will only start showing at the end of this year.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 07:24 UTC
Major financial scandal in Chile has several political figures in the dock

A Chilean judge ordered the arrest of Carlos Alberto Delano and Carlos Eugenio Lavin, owners of the financial holding company Penta Group, and four associates who face tax fraud and bribery charges.
Monday, March 9th 2015 - 07:16 UTC
Taiwanese fishing boat with 49 crew missing in the South Atlantic

A Taiwanese fishing boat that has gone missing in waters off southeastern Argentina could have lost power, Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Huang Hung-yan said this weekend, about a week after the vessel was reported missing.