Stories for December 28th 2018

Friday, December 28th 2018 - 09:20 UTC
Argentina's economic activity in October falls 4%, year-on-year

Economic activity in Argentina fell 4.0% in October versus the same month last year, the government said on Thursday, marking the seventh straight month of declines as the country grapples with recession and high inflation.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 09:17 UTC
Jerusalem controversy: Arab ministerial delegation plans to visit Bolsonaro in January

An Arab ministerial delegation plans to travel to Brazil in January to convince the incoming Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, not to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an official Palestinian source said on Thursday. Bolsonaro announced in November that he intends to relocate the Brazilian Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 09:12 UTC
Netanyahu will visit president elect Bolsonaro this Friday in Rio

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left on a historic six-day trip to Brazil, the first ever visit the largest Latin American country made by a sitting premier of the Jewish state. Besides boosting diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries, Netanyahu is scheduled to hold a one-to-one meeting with president-elect Jair Bolsonaro this Friday in Rio de Janeiro.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 09:05 UTC
Buenos Aires public transport rates up 40% in three months, beginning January

The Argentine government announced on Thursday new increases in public transport rates, some 40% on average that will apply from next January to travel by bus, train and metro.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:55 UTC
Oil prices remain under pressure from US stockpiles and concerns with the global economy

Oil prices jumped as much as 3% on Friday to win back a chunk of the ground they lost in the previous session, but growth in U.S. crude stockpiles and ongoing concerns about the global economy kept markets under pressure.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:52 UTC
MPs urging a “more meaningful role” in ratifying deals, beginning with Brexit

Parliament must be given a veto over any trade deals the UK signs after Brexit, a committee of MPs has urged. Ministers hope to begin negotiating deals with key partners once the UK leaves the EU in March and start implementing them from 2021 onwards.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:49 UTC
Sir David Attenborough still has hope for the future of the planet

Sir David Attenborough says he still has “hope” for the future of the planet. But the Blue Planet and Dynasties narrator says that human beings have to turn their gaze away from themselves.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:44 UTC
Pakistan to resume negotiations with Mercosur for a free trade agreement

Pakistan has officially requested to resume negotiations with Mercosur for a free trade agreement, with discussions expected to begin in early 2019. Islamabad believes it is an opportunity to bridge the trade deficit with countries of the South American bloc.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:40 UTC
Chile, “darling” of foreign investors has seen number of slums double since 2011

The number of slums in Chile, one of Latin America’s most prosperous and stable economies, has nearly doubled since 2011, the government said, as an influx of migrants increasingly faces a lack of low-income housing and rising rents.
Friday, December 28th 2018 - 08:35 UTC
Indonesia volcano activity on the rise: exclusion area expanded and flights rerouted

The alert level for Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano has been raised to the second-highest level possible, after a series of eruptions, while all flights around the volcano have been rerouted and a 5km (three-mile) exclusion zone has also been imposed.