Stories for February 16th 2017

Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 16:30 UTC
Brazil forecasts record soy and corn harvests, on good climate conditions

Conab, the Brazilian crop supply agency lifted its forecast for the second-season corn crop by some 2.5m tons, citing good weather. Conab forecast the Brazilian safrinha crop, which is sown after soybeans are harvested, up 44% year-on-year, to 58.59m tons. This compares to the 56.10m tons Cobab forecast in January.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 14:33 UTC
Stacy Bragger appointed Falklands' Media Trust Chair

Stacy Bragger, Office Manager of the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce has been appointed Chair of the Media Trust. Stacy Bragger takes on the role from Janet Robertson who recently completed her four year tenure.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 13:20 UTC
Over 1000 fans celebrated the magic of Harry Potter in Argentina

More than 1000 people took part last week of the local edition of “Harry Potter Book Night” – a global initiative by Bloomsbury Publishing designed to celebrate the magical world created by British author J. K. Rowling and promote reading. The event was organized for the second year running in Buenos Aires by the British Embassy and FanCon.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 12:40 UTC
US producer prices in January record highest gain in four years

U.S. producer prices recorded their largest gain in more than four years in January amid increases in the cost of energy products, but a strong dollar continued to keep underlying inflation at the factory gate tame.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 12:30 UTC
China admits cooking stats numbers; pledges to punish data fraud

China must fight against data fraud and improve the quality of the country’s economic data, the head of the National Bureau of Statistics said, the second central government official over the past week to comment on the accuracy of economic data.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 11:54 UTC
Trump calls for the immediate liberation of Venezuela's Leopoldo López

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Venezuela to free jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez “immediately,” posting a picture of himself and Vice President Mike Pence with Lopez's wife at the White House.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 11:42 UTC
Venezuela pulls CNN Spanish off the air; channel accused officials of selling passports to Arab terrorists

Venezuela pulled CNN's Spanish-language television channel off the air on Wednesday, accusing it of spreading “propaganda” about an alleged visa racket at the country's embassy in Iraq. The state National Telecommunications Commission ordered “the immediate suspension of broadcasts by the news channel CNN in Spanish” in Venezuela, a government statement said.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 11:31 UTC
Trump on the phone with Macri; invitation to the White House

United States president Donald Trump was on the phone on Wednesday afternoon to speak with his Argentine peer Mauricio Macri. The five minute talk, according to Argentine sources, addressed the bilateral agenda, the Venezuela situation and an invitation for Macri to visit US sometime in April/June.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 10:59 UTC
Brexit Minister admits some parliamentary “ping pong”, but March timetable stands

British ministers are braced for a parliamentary battle and are prepared for the Article 50 legislation to be rewritten by the House of Lords, David Davis has indicated. The Brexit Secretary said he expected some parliamentary “ping pong”, with the Bill being sent back and forth between the Commons and the Lords, suggesting he expected peers to defeat the Government and make changes to the tightly-worded legislation.
Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 10:43 UTC
Thirty tons of Venezuelan currency are seized in Paraguay; smuggled from Brazil

Central Bank employees will count about 30 tons of Venezuelan currency seized in a private house in Paraguay, while officials try to figure out why the vast quantity of 50- and 100-bolivar bills was brought into the country. The cash was discovered in Salto del Guaira, a city about 370 kilometers northeast of the capital of Asuncion, on the border with Brazil in a region known for the contraband trade.