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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 17th 2025 - 02:18 UTC

Stories for 2015

  • Friday, May 1st 2015 - 06:22 UTC

    Euro zone scrapes out of deflation in April; unemployment remains above 11%

    Energy prices in the Euro zone fell by 5.8% in April - a slightly slower pace than the 6% decline recorded in March.

    Consumer prices in the Euro zone scraped out of deflation in April after four months, official data has shown, boosting hopes of economic recovery in Europe. The inflation rate in the 19 nations that use the Euro stood at 0% in April, up from a rate of -0.1% in March. Eurostat said that low energy costs were continuing to cut living costs.

  • Friday, May 1st 2015 - 05:45 UTC

    Antarctica Blood Falls could be connected to subsurface lakes system

    “I’ve been studying Blood Falls for quite some time, and it’s always been a mystery,” said lead study author Jill Mikucki of the University of Tennessee.

    The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are some of the most extreme desert regions on the planet. But new research indicates that the region may actually be full of salty, extremely cold groundwater. The water may even connect surrounding lakes into a massive network, and it probably hosts extreme microbial life.

  • Friday, May 1st 2015 - 05:29 UTC

    Argentina and Chile coordinate joint scientific research in South Atlantic

    The event was attended by Marcelo Diaz Diaz, Chilean ambassador in Argentina and his Argentine counterpart Gines Gonzalez Garcia.

    Outstanding researchers and scientists from Argentina and Chile in the fields of marine sciences, fisheries Antarctica and technology innovation met this week in Buenos Aires for a day's work coordinating the scientific efforts of both countries.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 10:08 UTC

    Only 34 countries with plans to fight threat of antibiotic resistance, says WHO

    “This is the single greatest challenge in infectious diseases today,” said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director-general for health security

    Only 34 countries have national plans to fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance, meaning few are prepared to tackle “superbug” infections which put even basic healthcare at risk, the WHO has said. In a survey of government plans to tackle the issue, the World Health Organization said only a quarter of the 133 countries that responded were addressing the problem.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:52 UTC

    Brazil raises basic rate 50 points to 13.25%, highest since December 2008

    The Brazilian central bank gave no clear indication it is ready to stop the rate-hiking cycle just yet.

    As was anticipated and in line with the current anti-inflation policy, Brazil's central bank on Wednesday evening announced the increase of the basic Selic interest rate another 50 points to 13.25% from 12.75%. The decision from the nine-member Monetary Committee was unanimous, according to the official release.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:46 UTC

    “Best brains of Gibraltar” will work together in a Consultative Council

    “This is a seminal piece of legislation; I believe that the UK Privy Council model is a good one for us to follow in establishing such a body” said CM Picardo

    The ‘best brains in Gibraltar’ will work together for the common good under plans for a proposed Gibraltar Consultative Council. The aim is to set up a permanent forum that will work along the same lines as the UK’s Privy Council, providing non-partisan advice to the Chief Minister of the day on issues of national importance, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:29 UTC

    Beware: China announces plan to seven-fold increase Antarctic krill catches

    “We will increase our investment in the Antarctic area in terms of krill fishing,” said Liu Shenli, from China National Agricultural Development Group

    Conservation groups and scientists worry that China’s push to boost its harvest of krill -- a shrimp-like creature used for aquaculture feed and human supplements -- may leave Antarctica’s whales, seals and penguins struggling to survive. China’s leaders say they want a seven-fold increase in krill production, according to a recent report in the state-owned China Daily newspaper.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:21 UTC

    Number of tourists visiting Antarctica was down, according to IAATO

    The total number of visitors traveling to Antarctica with IAATO members was 36,702, a decrease of 2 percent compared to the previous season.

    The number of adventurous tourists visiting Antarctica dipped in the 2014-15 austral season but is expected to bounce back this year, according to visitor totals released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:03 UTC

    Jewish organizations 'dismayed' by Timerman's 'threats and slanders'

    Sobol and Jmelnitzky (Pic) from AMIA considered Timerman's claims that they were obstructing the investigation as “intolerable and inadmissible”

    The Argentine-Israel Association, AMIA, expressed on Wednesday great dismay given the “strong threats” in the letter sent by Argentine Foreign minister Hector Timerman announcing he was quitting as member of the century old organization.

  • Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 01:51 UTC

    US economy slows down to 0.2% growth in the first quarter, but forecast is optimistic

    The strength of the dollar also hurt exports, which fell by 7.2%. A strike by dock workers at normally busy West Coast ports also hindered growth.

    The US economy “all but stagnated” in the first three months of the year, growing at an annual rate of just 0.2%, official figures show. The growth figure was far lower than expectations, which had forecast growth would be about 1%. Harsh winter weather for a second year dampened consumer spending, while energy companies struggling with low oil prices cut investment.