Stories for 2018

Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:59 UTC
Argentina receives 32 bids for six road projects totaling US$ 8 billion

Argentina announced it received 32 bids for six road projects requiring around US$ 8 billion in investment, in a big test of how public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help cash-starved Latin American governments beef up infrastructure.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:53 UTC
Macron enchants US Congress while questioning some of Trump's policies

French President Emmanuel Macron has used his speech to the joint houses of the US Congress to denounce nationalism and isolationism as threats to global prosperity. The speech was widely interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on President Donald Trump's America First agenda.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:46 UTC
Trade skirmish: China halts purchases of US soybeans, gives priority to Brazil

China’s purchases of U.S. soybeans have come to a grinding halt, trade and industry sources say, as fears of further action by Beijing to curb imports of U.S. crops following last week’s anti-dumping move on sorghum rattles the agriculture industry.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:41 UTC
Major companies launch “UK Plastics Pact” to eliminate plastic packaging by 2025

Dozens of companies have signed up to efforts to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging by 2025, it has been announced. Under the “UK Plastics Pact”, the businesses have also agreed targets to make 100% of their plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable and to ensure 70% is effectively recycled or composted.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:37 UTC
Outbreaks of FMD in swine farms in China and Korea

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) posted a new global swine disease monitoring report on earlier this month, with information on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) activity in China and Korea presenting the highest concern.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:31 UTC
Brazil soybean planting forecast to break a record for the ninth year running

Soybean planted area in Brazil is forecast to set a record for the ninth consecutive year at 35.8 million hectares, according to an April 24 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:26 UTC
“World Penguin Day”: funny on land and graceful and rapid in the sea

April 25th is “World Penguin Day”, undoubtedly the world’s most popular bird – think of Happy Feet, March of the Penguins, Pingu just to name a few uses in popular culture. These charismatic flightless birds are funny to watch on land but are graceful and rapid in water. They occur only in the seas of the Southern hemisphere; there are seventeen species of penguin ranging from the Galapagos to Antarctica.
Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 15:17 UTC
Repression and protests in Nicaragua do not mitigate: Daniel Ortega as Nicolás Maduro?

“Ortega and Somoza are the same thing” protesters in Nicaragua yelled last week against the government of Daniel Ortega, after the announcement of a Social Security's reform that unleashed a wave of protests marked by repression and excessive use of force by the authorities. Human rights organizations have announced that at least 30 people have died in the demonstrations, including students, police and a journalist. This surprise wave of civil protests suggests comparing the crisis in the Central American country with the lived in the Venezuela of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro for years.
Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 09:18 UTC
Trump/Macron summit: much personal chemistry but not so in the Iran issue

President Trump vowed Tuesday to look for common ground with his French counterpart in dealing with Iran but made no commitment to stick with the nuclear agreement he described as “insane” and “ridiculous.” Receiving French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit at the White House, Trump repeated his criticism of the agreement to freeze Iran's nuclear program, saying it doesn't address Tehran's missile program or its attempts to foment unrest in the region.
Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 09:14 UTC
The yield for 10-year US Treasury bonds breaks 3% yield rattling markets

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield has broken through the “psychologically important” level of 3%, leaving analysts contemplating what it could mean the future of asset markets and, more importantly, the global economy. The yield on the benchmark bond — which helps to set prices for debt instruments all over the world — inched past 3% on Tuesday, a level that many market players deem dangerous for investments and the economy.