Stories for December 2017

Friday, December 8th 2017 - 06:31 UTC
Falklands promotes fish in China from Fortuna's new processing plant in Stanley

Products from the Falkland Islands Fish Company, the trading name of Fortuna Ltd’s new Stanley fish processing plant, were featured recently in China and attracted favorable attention from trade media.
Friday, December 8th 2017 - 06:18 UTC
Chinese government oil company suing Venezuela's PDVSA in US courts

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the state-controlled oil company, is suing Petroleos de Venezuela SA in U.S. courts for unpaid bills. Sinopec, as the Chinese company is known, also filed a request for arbitration against PDVSA at the International Chamber of Commerce, as it alleges damages of at least $23.7 million, according to court papers.
Friday, December 8th 2017 - 01:26 UTC
UN Environment Assembly pledges to stop plastics seeping into the oceans

The world's environment ministers have pledged to stop plastics seeping into the planet's oceans in a step “towards a pollution-free planet”. Delegates at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Kenya, have called for a radical change in how goods are consumed and produced to tackle the world's rubbish problem.
Friday, December 8th 2017 - 01:10 UTC
UK disagrees with US: Jerusalem should be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states

Prime Minister Theresa May has said Great Britain disagrees with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, as the Israeli capital, and underlines that Jerusalem should be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. She added that the UK embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and there are no plans to move it.
Friday, December 8th 2017 - 00:38 UTC
British Embassy in Buenos Aires celebrated centenary of ambassador's residence

The British Embassy in Buenos Aires celebrated the first 100 years of the Ambassador’s Residence, a building that is on Argentina’s national heritage list and regarded as one of the most beautiful British diplomatic residences in the world.
Friday, December 8th 2017 - 00:13 UTC
The Queen commissions UK's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II has commissioned the UK’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy. The Queen spoke at a ceremony in Portsmouth’s naval base on Thursday morning, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and military chiefs.
Thursday, December 7th 2017 - 09:01 UTC
Mercosur and EU confident a framework agreement will be announced this month

Mercosur is confident a framework agreement with the European Union will be announced next week despite resistance from farmers in Europe to permit tariff-free beef imports, a Mercosur official said. “There is more than a 70% chance of reaching a deal,” said the official close to the negotiations that have dragged on for almost two decades.
Thursday, December 7th 2017 - 08:52 UTC
Chavista heavyweight purged by Maduro, and blamed for PDVSA corruption

Venezuela's former oil czar resigned as ambassador to the United Nations, on what he said were orders from President Nicolas Maduro, a sign of growing divisions in the ruling socialist party amid a deepening economic crisis.
Thursday, December 7th 2017 - 08:35 UTC
Brazil cuts rates to an all-time low, 7%, and hints at another reduction

Brazil’s central bank cut interest rates to an all-time low on Wednesday and hinted at a smaller reduction early next year, although it said it would be extra cautious going forward. The bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee, known as Copom, cut the benchmark Selic rate by 50 basis points to 7.00%, capping a 725 basis-point decline since October 2016.
Thursday, December 7th 2017 - 08:04 UTC
Russia offering Argentina MIG-29 aircraft, reveals Moscow top official

Russia has sent Argentina all the necessary materials for taking part in a tender for fighter jets with its Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Anatoly Punchuk told TASS news agency.