Economy

• Friday, December 14th 2018 - 08:58 UTC

  Travel group Tui profits up on rise in hotel and cruise bookings

  

  A rise in hotel and cruise bookings has helped European travel group Tui sail through another year with more than 10% growth in profits. It said next year, profits would grow a similar amount as customers also bought more excursions and holiday activities. Tui has seen double-digit growth for the last four years.

• Friday, December 14th 2018 - 08:54 UTC

  A third of the Argentine population is considered poor

  

  Poverty in Argentina has risen to its highest in eight years, a new report has revealed, with more than a third of the population now considered to be poor. The new survey, from the Catholic University of Argentina's Social Debt Observatory, found that 33.6% of Argentines were living below the poverty line in the third quarter of the year.

• Friday, December 14th 2018 - 08:45 UTC

  EU leaders tell Theresa May that Brexit deal is “not open for renegotiation, only clarifications”

  

  European Union leaders have said the Brexit withdrawal agreement is “not open for renegotiation”, despite appeals from Theresa May. She wanted legal assurances on the Irish backstop to help her deal get through Parliament after she delayed a Commons vote in anticipation of defeat.

• Friday, December 14th 2018 - 08:33 UTC

  Falklands approves government financed travel credit for residents: £1,826 in five years

  

  The Falkland Islands' Executive Council approved travel credit scheme legislation at the December 12 meeting. The scheme will give £1 a day to residents over the age of 18 with Falklands status and 50p to those under the age of 18 with status.

• Friday, December 14th 2018 - 08:28 UTC

  Falklands' government operating surplus stands at £9.4 million

  

  The Falkland Islands Government Standing Finance Committee heard on Wednesday that the forecast operating surplus for the whole of the year now stands at £9.4 million. Expenditure is expected to ramp up over the remainder of the financial year, with plenty of infrastructure work being scheduled for the summer months.

• Thursday, December 13th 2018 - 10:22 UTC

  Uber lands in Paraguay, starts taking applications from would-be drivers

  

  The international carpool company Uber made its official arrival in Paraguay Wednesday and starts receiving applications from potential drivers as of Thursday, it was announced. The service will become available for now in the cities of Asunción and Encarnación.

• Thursday, December 13th 2018 - 08:49 UTC

  US consumer prices in November unchanged, with sharp decline for gasoline

  

  The United States consumer prices were unchanged in November, held back by a sharp decline in the price of gasoline, but underlying inflation pressures remained firm amid rising rents and healthcare costs. The strength in underlying inflation reported by the Labor Department on Wednesday supports views that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its Dec. 18-19 policy meeting. The U.S. central bank has hiked rates three times this year.

• Thursday, December 13th 2018 - 07:07 UTC

  Spain's minimum wage will increase by 22% in 2019, announces PM Sanchez

  

  Spain's minimum wage will jump by 22% in 2019 - the largest annual increase in more than 40 years. It means millions of low-paid workers could see a pay rise from €736 ($835; £665) to €900, effective from January. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the increase on Wednesday, declaring “a rich country cannot have poor workers”.

• Thursday, December 13th 2018 - 06:57 UTC

  Brazilian central bank keeps interest rates at an all time low

  

  The Brazilian central bank on Wednesday held interest rates at an all-time low, as widely expected, and hinted that it will hold off from raising them for longer than expected. The bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee, Copom, kept the benchmark Selic rate at 6.50 percent for a sixth straight meeting.

• Thursday, December 13th 2018 - 06:22 UTC

  Falklands goes ahead with negotiations and contract for second commercial flight

  

  The Executive Council has today Wednesday authorised the Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands Government to complete the necessary negotiations with LATAM Airlines Brazil and to finalise a contract, subject to agreement with MLAs, to establish and operate a new weekly route between Sao Paulo and the Falkland Islands.