Stories for January 19th 2018

Friday, January 19th 2018 - 10:08 UTC
Global surface temperatures in 2017, the second warmest since 1880, says NASA

Earth’s global surface temperatures in 2017 ranked as the second warmest since 1880, according to an analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, globally averaged temperatures in 2017 were 0.90 degrees Celsius (1.62 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 1951 to 1980 mean. That is second only to global temperatures in 2016.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 10:01 UTC
Catalonia parliament speaker in round of talks to decide on Puigdemont's future

The new pro-independence speaker of Catalonia's parliament on Thursday started meeting party representatives to pick a regional president, with exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont in the lead for the post.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:56 UTC
Juncker pledges funding for Ireland's cross-border projects will continue after Brexit

The president of the European Commission has indicated that funding for Ireland's cross-border projects will continue after Brexit. Jean-Claude Juncker said he could see “no more important use” of the European budget than maintaining the peace process in Ireland. He was speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:49 UTC
Portugal, India, Indonesia and Spain win UNWTO awards for tourism innovation

Turismo de Portugal I.P (Portugal), Ecotourism Trust (India), Tryponyu (Indonesia) and SEGGITUR (Spain) are the winners of the 14th Edition of the UNWTO Awards for Innovation in Tourism. Fourteen projects among 128 applicants from 55 countries were selected as finalists of the 14th UNWTO Awards for Innovation in Tourism.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:44 UTC
Ex wife of Nisman claims he was killed to silence him and scare judges and prosecutors

Argentina solemnly marked the third anniversary of the murder of Alberto Nisman on Thursday, with relatives and colleagues of the late federal prosecutor — who spent more than a decade investigating Iran’s responsibility for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires — gathering at La Tablada Jewish cemetery in the Argentine capital in tribute.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:39 UTC
EU lifts anti-dumpling duties imposed on Argentine bio-diesel, as indicated by WTO

European Union ambassadors agreed on Thursday to withdraw an appeal to the European Court of Justice meaning the bloc will have to accept its verdict annulling anti-dumping duties imposed on imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:32 UTC
UK appoints a “minister of loneliness” to tackle the “hidden epidemic” that affects nine million Britons

Britain appointed a “minister for loneliness” on Wednesday to tackle what Prime Minister Theresa May described as “the sad reality of modern life” affecting millions of people. Tracey Crouch, a junior minister for sport and civil society, will take on the role as part of a broader strategy to combat loneliness in Britain.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:27 UTC
Beijing claims economy growth picks up after seven years, but there are doubts about Chinese stats

China's economy grew by 6.9% in 2017 according to official data - the first time in seven years the pace of growth has picked up. The figure beats Beijing's official annual expansion target of about 6.5% and is good news for the global economy since China's impact and the better-than-expected data is likely to cheer investors around the world.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:24 UTC
Emirates Airlines saves the Airbus A380 with a US$ 16bn order

The Emirates airline has announced an order for up to 36 Airbus A380s. The US$16bn deal amounts to a reprieve for the A380 after Airbus threatened to stop making the jet if it could not come to a deal with Emirates.
Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:18 UTC
A Falklands' Caracara escapes from London Zoo and spends ten days on the loose

A powerful bird of prey native to the Falkland Islands was captured on Wednesday after escaping from London Zoo and spending 10 days on the loose. There were repeated sightings of the two-foot tall raptor, called a Striated Caracara, in Camden this week, with one report that it was seen “ripping into a whole cooked chicken”.