Stories for May 12th 2018

Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 08:45 UTC
Brazil becomes world's largest producer of soybeans for the first time

Brazil will surpass the United States as the largest producer of soybeans this year, taking over the top ranking for the first time in history, oilseeds crusher group Abiove said on Friday. The U.S. is expected to harvest 116.48 million tons of soybeans later on in 2018, falling short of Brazil’s estimated collection of 117 million tons for its crop year that is just drawing to a close, Abiove said, citing United States Department of Agriculture figures released on Thursday.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 08:40 UTC
Brazilian military presidents authorized execution of “subversives”, claims CIA declassified documents

The president under Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s personally authorized executions of “subversives,” according to a declassified CIA document published on Friday in the Brazilian media. President Ernesto Geisel ruled Brazil from 1974 to 1979, toward the end of the country's two decade long military dictatorship.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 08:33 UTC
Sunday surprise: populist/hard right government in the making in Italy

Italian anti-establishment and far-right leaders met on Friday to hash out a deal over a joint government that could be announced as soon as Sunday. Matteo Salvini, leader of the nationalist League, told reporters after meeting head of Five Star Movement (M5S) Luigi Di Maio at the lower house Chamber of Deputies that their aim was to reach an agreement “as soon as possible.”
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 07:50 UTC
Macri enlists further financial and political support, but Peso continued to slide

Argentina’s central bank sold US$1.1 billion in the foreign exchange market on Friday and the peso weakened 2.74% to an all-time closing low of 23.35 per U.S. dollar despite talks aimed at securing an International Monetary Fund financing deal.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 07:31 UTC
Falklands' Premier Oil figures commissioning three FPSOs in next seven years, reports GlobalData

South America, including the Falkland Islands, has the highest number of planned and announced floating production, storage, and offloading units (FPSOs) to be commissioned by 2025, according to a report by GlobalData. World wide 74 planned and announced FPSOs are set to become operational for the outlook period between 2018 and 2025.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 07:07 UTC
Argentina buys five modernized “symbolic” Super Etendard fighter-jets from France

Argentina has bought five modernized Super Etendard fighter jets from the French National Navy for 12.6 million Euros (US$ 15.1 million). The agreement of the operation between both countries is established as one of the forms of cooperation, says Official Gazette.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 06:58 UTC
MP Craig Mackinlay demands right for Gibraltar to elect an MP to Westminster

Brexit must make us think anew and refresh Gibraltar’s relationship with the UK. It is time for the Rock to have a Member of Parliament, writes MP Craig Mackinlay (*) The Overseas Territory that now sits in a unique constitutional position post-Brexit is Gibraltar.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 06:43 UTC
“Europe must take its destiny in its own hands, US will not protect us”, claims Merkel

Europe cannot put all of its trust in the U.S. when it comes to protection and should instead “take its destiny into its own hands,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. “It's no longer the case that the United States will simply just protect us”.
Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 06:35 UTC
Uruguay ratifies Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance

Uruguay on Friday deposited at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC, the instrument of ratification of the Inter-American Convention against all Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance, becoming the first state to ratify it. Uruguay is also the only one that has ratified all the binding legal instruments of the inter-American system.