Stories for 2019

Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 10:03 UTC
Global commodity trading firms investigated in Switzerland and by the FBI

Pressure is growing on global commodity trading firms with strong ties to Switzerland for their alleged involvement in the “Car Wash” corruption scandal in Brazil. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating two Vitol executives in the Americas, according to Reuters news agency.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:37 UTC
Chevron will remain in Venezuela in “coordination with US government agencies”

Chevron Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth pledged to work closely with the U.S. to remain in Venezuela despite a spiralling crisis that has led rival oil major Total SA to retreat.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Pope refers to Maduro as “Mr.” and recalls previous dialogues accords' were not honored

Pope Francis has sent a letter to Nicolas Maduro responding to a recent invitation to mediate in the Venezuelan political crisis, according to an Italian newspaper. Milan daily newspaper Corriere Della Sera published a report saying that previous peace efforts in Venezuela were “interrupted because what had been agreed in the meetings was not followed by concrete gestures to implement the agreements.”
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:23 UTC
Falklands' king penguins among the top wildlife photos of the year

A beautiful image of two male lions rubbing each other's faces in Tanzania has been crowned the People's Choice wildlife photo of the year. The picture, entitled Bond of Brothers, won the contest organized by London's Natural History Museum after 16,000 nature lovers took part in a public vote.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:19 UTC
Brexit no-deal would be catastrophic, says Ford and warns it would do “whatever necessary” to protect the business

Ford has said a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the firm's manufacturing operations in the UK and that it would do “whatever is necessary” to protect its business. The comments come after a report the carmaker was stepping up preparations to move production out of the UK.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:13 UTC
UK January inflation at at two-year low and below target

British annual inflation hit a two-year low point in January, undershooting the Bank of England’s 2.0 per cent target on falling oil and other energy costs, official data showed on Wednesday.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 08:37 UTC
Bolsonaro back in Brasilia: government should get moving again

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro left hospital on Wednesday, ending a 17-day hiatus at the helm of Latin America's biggest economy during which several high-profile political issues were put on the backburner.
Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 08:30 UTC
Crew of Taiwanese jigger that caught fire in Falklands' waters en route to Montevideo

The Falkland Islands government confirmed on Wednesday that the Taiwanese jigger Jung Ron which caught fire approximately 60 nautical miles north of Stanley, is now drifting to a position 110 nautical miles NE of Stanley and continues to head away from the Falkland Islands coastline.
Wednesday, February 13th 2019 - 09:41 UTC
Stable low inflation and expansion forecasted by Brazilian financial market

Brazil's financial market has cut its forecast of the country's inflation rate from 3.94 to 3.87 percent for 2019 and kept the rate at 4% for 2020, the Central Bank of Brazil reported. According to the Focus survey conducted by the bank among Brazil's main financial institutions, the forecasts are within the official target of 4.25 percent, with a tolerance margin between 2.75 percent and 5.75 percent.
Wednesday, February 13th 2019 - 09:35 UTC
Growing concerns in Brazil about a power vacuum and cabinet bickering

Brazil is going through a rudderless period as President Jair Bolsonaro lies in a hospital bed following stomach surgery, with high-priority political issues such as pension reform on the backburner until he recovers, analysts and observers say. The limbo, which has lasted more than two weeks, might finally be coming to an end this week, according to reports.