International

• Saturday, February 6th 2016 - 05:33 UTC

  Africa's decisive 54 votes pledged to Sheikh Salam's bid for FIFA presidency

  

  The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is backing Sheikh Salman in the Bahraini royal’s bid to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president. Africa’s 54 members represent a large portion of the total of 209 FIFA voters who are eligible to cast a ballot. Not surprisingly, it’s believed that the candidate who gets the support of Africa will be a big favorite.

• Saturday, February 6th 2016 - 05:29 UTC

  US promotes major traceability plan for fishery products to combat IUU

  

  The United States National Oceanic and Atmosphereric Administration (NOAA) announced a proposal to implement a traceability plan for fishery products, aimed at combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to prevent fraudulent trade.

• Friday, February 5th 2016 - 08:31 UTC

  World cereal stocks are set to end 2016 seasons at 642 million tons, higher than they began.

  

  Weather patterns associated with El Niño are sending mixed signals about the early prospects for cereal crops in 2016, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, according to FAO's Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, released on Thursday.

• Friday, February 5th 2016 - 07:54 UTC

  Swiss Syngenta accepts takeover proposal by China Chemical: US$ 43bn cash

  

  Government-owned agrochemical firm China National Chemical announced this week an all-cash proposal to buy Swiss rival Syngenta for $43 billion in a deal expected to improve China's food production.

• Friday, February 5th 2016 - 07:31 UTC

  TPP Agreement bad for democracy, rights, public services and health, says ITUC

  

  The ITUC has called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) a major setback for employment and workers’ rights prospects, and signaled the determination of unions in TPP countries to oppose it. After five years of secret negotiations, twelve Asia/Pacific-Rim Ministers signed the agreement today in Auckland, New Zealand, amid strong criticism from trade unions and other civil society organisations.

• Thursday, February 4th 2016 - 07:45 UTC

  Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal signed by 12 member nations in New Zealand

  

  The Trans Pacific Partnership, one of the biggest multinational trade deals ever, has been signed by ministers from its 12 member nations in New Zealand. The ceremony in Auckland brings the huge trade pact, which has been five years in the making, another step towards to becoming a reality. But the TPP continues to face opposition.

• Thursday, February 4th 2016 - 07:29 UTC

  “Attacks on Islam are attacks on all religions” says Obama at Maryland mosque

  

  President Barack Obama visited an American mosque on Wednesday and declared that attacks on Islam were an attack on all religions, in an effort to counter rhetoric from Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates that has alienated Muslims.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2016 - 07:23 UTC

  Argentina agrees to pay Italian bond holders including “a reasonable interest”

  

  Argentina announced Tuesday that it reached a $900 million preliminary accord to settle its pending debt with 50,000 Italian holders of defaulted Argentine government bonds. Finance minister Alfonso Prat-Gay said that the agreement with Italian bondholders includes the Argentine government's acknowledgement of the debt “and reasonable interest”.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2016 - 05:52 UTC

  Norway's Statoil confirms interest in Uruguay's offshore potential, acquires 15% of exploration block

  

  Norway's Statoil giant announced on Tuesday an agreement with French Total to acquire a 15% working interest in an offshore exploration block in Uruguay's continental shelf. The announcement comes only weeks before Total is preparing to drill its first exploratory well in Uruguayan waters.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2016 - 05:38 UTC

  BP reported its biggest annual lost and announced 7.000 job cuts

  

  BP slumped to its biggest annual loss last year and announced thousands more job cuts on Tuesday, showing that even one of the nimblest oil producers is struggling in the worst market downturn in over a decade.