Stories for January 2016

Sunday, January 31st 2016 - 12:22 UTC
St. Helena government readies Population & housing census on 7 February

St Helena Government is preparing for a Population and Housing Census on Sunday, 7th February 2016. The Census will capture the essential information on the pre-air access characteristics of the Island population to assist with the development of services such as Health, Education and Housing.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 13:11 UTC
Petrobras plans to slash 30% of management jobs in non-operating areas

As Brazil struggles with a corruption scandal in which executives and politicians face investigations of alleged bribery, Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras announced it will slash management jobs as part of an efficiency drive approved by its board of directors.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 13:04 UTC
Falklands' has announced a health advice and warning on the ZIKA virus

The Falkland Islands has joined the rest of the word and set out a health advice and warning on the worldwide increase in the ZIKA virus. The message is from the Director of Health and Acting Chief Medical Officer and outlines precautions to be taken against the virus which for the most part carried via mosquitoes.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 12:52 UTC
Ginny Ferson appointed to St Helena to oversee implementation of Wass Report.

The Foreign Office can confirm that Ms Ginny Ferson has been appointed to British Overseas Territory St Helena, as UK Government Special Representative: Wass Inquiry Implementation. This is part of the UK Government’s commitment to implementing the Wass report’s recommendations.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 12:35 UTC
Glyhphosate court battle in California could turn into lead case

Monsanto stepped up its defense of a widely used weed killer by filing a lawsuit in California seeking to prevent glyphosate, the main ingredient in its Roundup herbicide, from being added to the state’s list of known carcinogens.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 12:31 UTC
US growth slows down sharply to 0.7% annually in the fourth quarter

As anticipated by the Federal Reserve's report earlier this week, US economic growth braked sharply in the fourth quarter as businesses stepped up efforts to reduce an inventory glut and a strong dollar and tepid global demand weighed on exports.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 12:21 UTC
Argentina seals US$ 5 billion deal with international banks at Libor plus 6.5 points

Argentina's central bank said on Friday it had sealed a deal for a US$5 billion, one-year loan from international private banks, bolstering its low foreign reserves as the country heads into talks with creditors suing over unpaid debt. Argentina has been shut out of global credit markets because of its long-running legal dispute in U.S. courts with creditors over debt it defaulted on in 2002.
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 12:04 UTC
Falklands with a medium term financial surplus of £4.325 million

For the first six months of the 2015/16 financial year, the Falkland Islands Government is showing a Medium Term Financial Plan surplus of £4.355 million compared to a revised budget surplus of £30,000; a favorable performance of £4.325 million.(*)
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 11:53 UTC
Brazil ends 2015 with record deficits: primary, 1.88% and fiscal 10.34%, of GDP

Brazil posted a primary budget deficit in 2015 of 111.25 billion Reais (roughly $27.29 billion), the biggest since the data series began in 2001, the Central Bank said on Friday. The primary budget deficit (before interest payments), equivalent to 1.88% of GDP, was more than triple the primary budget gap in 2014 (32.5 billion reais, or 0.57% of GDP).
Saturday, January 30th 2016 - 11:29 UTC
Falklands/Chile weekly flight: LAN interested in having a larger aircraft

An indication of interest has been forthcoming from Chile's flag carrier LAN in relation to bringing in a larger aircraft to cope with the volume of passengers and freight to the Falkland Islands.