Stories for January 16th 2016

Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:58 UTC
Venezuela in “economic emergency”: Q3 inflation 141.5% and GDP down 7.1%

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government has decreed a 60-day “economic emergency” for the recession-hit OPEC nation reeling from low oil prices and a sputtering state-led economic model. The government on Friday also published the first macroeconomic data for more than a year, showing GDP dropped in the third quarter while inflation surged.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:54 UTC
Unemployment in Brazil during third quarter climbs to 9%

Unemployment in Brazil rose to 9% in the August-October rolling quarter, up from 8.6% during the previous three months, the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics, or IBGE, reported Friday. The jobless rate was 6.6% in August-October 2014.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:42 UTC
Guatemalan president Morales tells the military he wants “justice, not revenge”

Guatemala's new president, Jimmy Morales, said on Friday he wants “justice, not revenge” in reference to ex-army personnel accused of atrocities during his country's 1960-1996 civil war. Following an armed forces ceremony recognizing him as commander-in-chief just one day after he was sworn in, Morales added that he did not want to see action that would “prejudice” the country's values.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:31 UTC
Dead fish and garbage in Rio's Guanabara Bay question Brazil's Olympic celebrations

Thousands of dead fish washed up on the shores of Rio’s Guanabara Bay during the week, not far from where events are being held at this year’s Olympic Games, environmental officials said. The incident was the latest involving water quality in the bay, where sailing, open water swimming, and triathlon races are due to take place during the Games in August.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:25 UTC
Tight budgets are forcing many Brazilian cities to cancel Carnival celebrations

Cities across Brazil are cancelling carnival celebrations as increasing economic woes hit Latin America's largest economy. Local governments are citing tightened budgets, with lower tax revenues and more important projects in need of funding.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:05 UTC
St Helena and its new airport get ready for tourism take-off

The Guardian Weekly has published a piece on prospects for St Helena with the opening of its international airport, most probably next May, and which is expected to turn the mid Atlantic's island economy, particularly with tourism, since none less that Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years until his death, almost two centuries ago.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:00 UTC
US Dept of Agriculture studying Brazil's success as an agricultural powerhouse

Over the last 25 years, the US farmer has become increasingly aware of the impact of South American agricultural output on the global supply of grains and oilseeds. For example, in recent years Brazil has risen to the number one position as an exporter of soybeans.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 07:37 UTC
Migration to foreign countries surged 41% in the last 15 years, says UN report

The number of people who migrated to foreign countries surged by 41% in the last 15 years to reach 244 million in 2015, according to a United Nations study released this week. Of those people, 20 million are refugees.
Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 07:32 UTC
UK confident of positive side for Gibraltar of Spanish royal family visit to UK

The visit by the Spanish Royal family to the United Kingdom, scheduled for March, will celebrate and strengthen the ties between both countries. This according to the British Ambassador in Madrid, Simon Manley, who highlighted the existing co-operation between the law enforcement agencies in Spain and Gibraltar.