Economy

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 07:32 UTC

  Falklands has offered 105 licenses for the new Illex squid season

  

  The Illex squid fishery season starts on February 14 and 105 licenses have been offered confirmed Director of Natural Resources John Barton. He added: “Not all vessels which applied received licenses. The number of licenses offered is the same as the last few years.”

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 10:58 UTC

  Chile joins Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay in bid to host the 2030 World Cup

  

  Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Chile's President Sebastian Piñera announced on Thursday. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay had already submitted a joint bid to host the centenary edition of football's most prestigious tournament, but Piñera said on Twitter that those countries' presidents had agreed to Chile's participation in the “joint candidacy”.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 10:24 UTC

  Agribusiness lobby in Brazil shows its muscle: US$ 52bn in subsidized farm loans

  

  Brazil could double spending on subsidized farm insurance in 2020 and may expand subsidized loans, the country’s agriculture policy secretary said on Thursday; even though the new government’s economic team has pledged to cut spending.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:57 UTC

  Netherlands mock Brexit with a giant Muppet-style monster

  

  The Dutch government sees Brexit not as the elephant in the room but as a giant Muppet-style monster lying on a desk. That is the picture tweeted by Foreign minister Stef Blok, with the warning: “make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way”. There is a link to an official website where Dutch firms can see the potential impact of Brexit on their business.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:55 UTC

  Germany on the edge of recession following weak trade performance

  

  Germany's economy just about avoided falling into recession during the final three months of last year. Europe's largest economy registered zero growth during the fourth quarter of 2018, the country's Federal Statistics Office said. That means it avoided two consecutive quarters of contraction, which is the usual definition of a recession.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:54 UTC

  JP Morgan breaks ground and creates a crypto-currency, JPM Coin

  

  US investment bank JP Morgan has created a crypto-currency to help settle payments between clients in its wholesale payments business. JPM Coin is the first digital currency to be backed by a major US bank.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:49 UTC

  PM's May approach to Brexit talks again rejected in Parliament: 303 to 258

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:47 UTC

  Amazon drops plans to build HQ in New York because of fierce opposition from politicians

  

  Amazon has said it will not build a new headquarters in New York, citing fierce opposition from state and local politicians. The dramatic turnabout comes just months after the firm named New York City one of two sites selected for major expansion over the next decades. City and state leaders had agreed to provide about US$3bn in incentives to secure that investment.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:21 UTC

  “Venezuela should honor its debts obligations”, Russia reminds Maduro

  

  Venezuela should honour its debt obligations to Russia despite the political situation in Caracas, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday. ”Russia hopes that Venezuela, even in case of a change of power in the country, will fulfil its obligations under the debt to Russia, Siluanov told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:15 UTC

  End for a symbol of Europe technology: Airbus will cease production of the A380

  

  The world’s largest airliner has run out of runway after Airbus decided to close A380 production after 12 years in service due to weak sales. The decision to halt production of the A380 superjumbo is the final act in one of Europe’s greatest industrial adventures and reflects a dearth of orders by airline bosses unwilling to back Airbus’s vision of huge jets to combat airport congestion.