Stories for September 2015

Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 07:18 UTC
Polar Tour Operators hold first Antarctic/Arctic field guide conference

The poles are combining forces in Toronto next week at a unique conference for polar field staff organized by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) in collaboration with its sister organization in the Arctic, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO).
Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 07:03 UTC
Xi arrives in the US hoping for investments and pledging cooperation

Seeking to warm bilateral ties and project a sunny climate for U.S. business, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed on Wednesday to cut restrictions on foreign investment, while his chief Internet regulator appeared to lay the groundwork for a basic agreement later this week on cyber warfare.
Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 06:50 UTC
Pope addresses several controversial issues in his first day in Washington

Pope Francis on his first full day in the United States addressed several controversial issues when delivering two big speeches that referred to climate change, religious liberty, immigration, and abortion.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 11:09 UTC
France will appeal EU opt-out scheme to ban cultivation of GM crops

France is to use a new European opt-out scheme to ensure a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified crops in the country remains in place. The European Union's largest grain grower and exporter has asked the European Commission for France to be excluded from some GM maize crop cultivation under the new scheme, the farm and environment ministries said in a joint statement.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 10:11 UTC
Risk of 'corralito' (freeze of bank accounts) if Catalonia secedes from Spain

Bank of Spain governor Luis María Linde on Monday stated that if Catalonia secedes from Spain, there could be a risk of a corralito, the popular term for economic measures that include a freeze on clients’ accounts, with the aim of halting a potential bank run.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 09:03 UTC
Guyana claims Venezuela is making “abnormal military deployments” near the border

Guyana President David Granger is claiming that Venezuela is making “abnormal and extraordinary military deployments” near the border between the two countries. He made the accusation on Tuesday, saying that he had received reports about the movement in eastern Venezuela/western Guyana.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 08:52 UTC
Argentine squid catch this season was down 23% to 127.217 tons

The squid season closed in Argentina with a total landing of 127,216.9 tons of Illex argentinus, representing an annual decline of 23% (38,005.6 tons), according to the latest stats published by the Under secretariat of Fisheries of the Nation. Last year the catch totaled 165.221 tons.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 08:43 UTC
Tsipras takes office with a daunting agenda; 45% abstained on Sunday

Alexis Tsipras took the oath of office for a second term as Greek prime minister, promising to revive the crippled economy while demanding debt relief from creditors as his “first big battle” following an unexpectedly clear election victory.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 08:22 UTC
Falklands Argos completes farm-out agreement with Noble and Edison

Falklands focused Argos Resources Limited confirmed the completion by its wholly owned subsidiary, Argos Exploration Limited of a farm out agreement with Noble Energy Falklands Limited and Edison International S.p.A in respect of its Licence PL001.
Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 07:58 UTC
Volkswagen admits 11 million cars worldwide equipped with “cheating software”

The scandal that has undermined Germany's Volkswagen in the United States spread to its core market of Europe on Tuesday, after the company admitted that eleven million of its diesel cars worldwide were equipped with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests in the US.