Stories for February 8th 2019

Friday, February 8th 2019 - 11:41 UTC
International Contact Group on Venezuela calls for fresh, transparent presidential elections

The European Union and a group of Latin American governments that have kept a moderate line on Venezuela called on Thursday for democratic and fresh elections, during a meeting held in Montevideo. The EU-backed International Contact Group on Venezuela said overly forceful intervention could aggravate the crisis.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 10:15 UTC
Global food prices started 2019 with a rebound, says FAO

Global food prices began the year on a buoyant note, as the FAO Food Price Index averaged 164.8 points in January 2019, up 1.8 percent from the previous month. A sharp rebound in dairy price quotations and firmer prices of palm and soy oils drove the increase, the United Nations agency said today.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 10:13 UTC
Vaca Muerta shale oil production soared 52% and gas 193%, during 2018

Vaca Muerta, the biggest shale play in Argentina, led a year-on-year increase in oil and natural gas production in 2018 in Neuquen, as more companies bet on the resources for growth in the southwestern province.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 10:10 UTC
Trade deal: Trump said no meeting with Xi before the March first deadline

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not plan to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline set by the two countries to achieve a trade deal.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 10:08 UTC
World's richest man exposed to “extortion and blackmail” with a political touch

Jeff Bezos, Amazon chief executive, accused the owner of The National Enquirer on Thursday of trying “extortion and blackmail” to stop his investigation into how his private text messages and photos with his mistress were leaked to the tabloid.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Emiliano Sala body recovered from the wrecked plane in the English Channel

The body recovered from the wreckage of a crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, Dorset Police have said. Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January. The body was recovered late on Wednesday after the wreckage was found on Sunday morning.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 09:18 UTC
Theresa May and Juncker issue joint statement and agree to further meetings

British Prime Minister Theresa May came away from a day in an increasingly impatient Brussels on Thursday with a pledge of renewed talks that held out some hope for a new Brexit deal, if no sign of compromise yet. Ms May is scheduled to fly to Dublin this Friday.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 09:13 UTC
Collapse in China sales hits Jaguar Land Rover profits

Jaguar Land Rover booked a loss for the last three months of 2018 as sales collapsed in China. The company booked a £3.1bn reduction in the value of its plants and other investments leading to a £3.4bn quarterly loss, its biggest to date.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 09:05 UTC
“Brexit fog”: Bank of England expects slowest growth since 2009

The Bank of England expects growth this year to be the slowest since 2009 when the economy was in recession. It is forecasting growth of 1.2% this year, down from its previous November forecast of 1.7%. The Bank said it had seen further evidence that businesses were being cautious in the run-up to Brexit, including evidence from its own survey of firms. As expected the Bank kept interest rates on hold at 0.75%.
Friday, February 8th 2019 - 08:49 UTC
Two more oil strikes off the coast of Guyana at the prolific Stabroek Block

Hess Corporation has announced positive results from the Tilapia-1 and Haimara-1 wells offshore Guyana, bringing the total number of discoveries on the Stabroek Block to 12.“These two discoveries demonstrate the continuing exploration potential on the prolific Stabroek Block and add to the previously announced gross discovered recoverable resource estimate of more than 5 Bboe,” said CEO John Hess.