Economy

Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 08:15 UTC
Cuban private farmers given more incentives to increase production

Cuba said this week it was doubling the amount of land it granted would-be farmers and the lengths of their leases in an effort to increase stagnating agricultural output. The state owns 80% of the land and leases most of that to farmers and cooperatives. The remainder is owned by some 400,000 private family farmers and their cooperatives.
Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 08:10 UTC
Chile doubles lithium carbonate exports: strong demand and prices

Chile’s exports of lithium carbonate reached US$ 85 million in July, more than double that of the same month the previous year, as demand and prices for the key component in electric vehicle batteries continues to rise, the central bank said in a release.
Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 07:13 UTC
Parana River low water level increasing freight costs for cereal transport

Large grain transport ships using Argentine’s port hub of Rosario have had to reduce their cargo by between 3,200 and 4,300 tons because of an unusually low water level in the Parana River, the Rosario grains exchange said this week.
Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 07:02 UTC
Argentina expecting a bumper 2018/19 wheat crop of some 20m tons

Argentine farmers are finishing this year's wheat sowing, helped by moist soils and cold weather that is prolonging the vegetative stage of crops, raising hopes of high yields and a record harvest, growers and analysts said on Wednesday. Cold Southern Hemisphere winter weather allows seedlings to grow more sprigs per plant. Harvesting starts in November.
Thursday, August 9th 2018 - 06:38 UTC
Pound falls below US$ 1.29 for the first time in almost a year

The pound has fallen below US$1.29 for the first time in almost a year on continuing worries Britain will leave the EU without a trade deal. Sterling also hit a nine-month low against the euro, and was down against the yen and Swiss franc.
Wednesday, August 8th 2018 - 09:50 UTC
UK farmers call to make food security a priority for a post Brexit scenario

British farmers have called on the government to make food security a top priority on the day the country’s cupboards would run bare if households relied only on British produce. A long-term decline in self-sufficiency that has stagnated at around 60% in recent years means around three quarters of the shortfall is imported from the rest of the European Union.
Wednesday, August 8th 2018 - 09:41 UTC
UK “bottom of the league” when improving life expectancy

The UK has fallen to the “bottom of the league” when it comes to improving life expectancy, it has been warned. The country experienced one of the biggest slowdowns in increased life expectancy between 2011 and 2016, according to new analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Wednesday, August 8th 2018 - 07:44 UTC
Trump warns “anybody doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States”

President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to anyone trading with Iran, following his re-imposition of sanctions on the country. “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States,” the president tweeted.
Tuesday, August 7th 2018 - 11:14 UTC
Falklands and Pobjoy release set of 50p coins with five breeds of penguin in color

Following the success of the first set of Falkland Islands Penguin 50p coins in 2017, Pobjoy Mint has announced the release of a brand new set of five coins featuring the five breeds of penguin that are resident on the Islands at some point during the course of the year.
Tuesday, August 7th 2018 - 07:48 UTC
US re-imposes first wave of sanctions on Iran; EU, China, Russia, India resist

At midday on Tuesday, the first wave of U.S. sanctions suspended under the Iran nuclear deal will snap back into place, as the Trump administration tries to ramp up the economic pressure on Iran. But without partners in Europe, let alone buy-in from countries like Russia, China, and India, it's unclear how strong that pressure will be.