International

• Saturday, March 8th 2014 - 06:02 UTC

  February experienced a sharp increase in FAO Food Prices Index

  

  Weather-related events and increased demand came into play as the FAO Food Price Index registered its sharpest increase since mid-2012, averaging 208.1 points in February 2014. The new level is 5.2 points, or 2.6%, above a slightly revised index for January, but is still 2.1% lower than last year at the same time.

• Friday, March 7th 2014 - 05:02 UTC

  OAS leader compares the 'dynamic imbalance' in trade talks EU/US and EU with Mercosur

  

  The dynamic imbalance in trade negotiations is clearly evident in the case of trade negotiations of Canada and the US with the European Union, and what happens with EU/Mercosur trade talks that have been going for seventeen years, with no clear results yet, according to OAS Secretary General Miguel Insulza.

• Friday, March 7th 2014 - 04:48 UTC

  MSC Certification for Falkland Islands Toothfish reflects high management standards

  

  Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification has been granted to the Falklands Islands Toothfish longline fishery, announced on Thursday Consolidated Fisheries Ltd. (CFL). The fishery is the first in the Falkland Islands to be certified and reflects the high standards of fisheries management and environmental measures practised within the Islands on the Patagonian toothfish fishery.

• Friday, March 7th 2014 - 04:41 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez wants France to lobby before the Paris Club

  

  President Cristina Fernandez is expected to visit France for the opening of Paris Book Show, with a great display of Argentine culture and conferences, but most important she will be meeting on 19 March with her peer Francois Hollande to strongly lobby for a better deal with the Paris Club for the payment of a defaulted debt of 10bn dollars dating back to 2001.

• Friday, March 7th 2014 - 03:08 UTC

  UK health authorities warn travelers to Brazil World Cup about tropical diseases

  

  UK's Public Health England (PHE) and National Travel Health Network and Center (NaTHNaC9 have produced a factsheet for football fans going to Brazil for the FIFA Football World Cup from 12 June to 13 July 2014 with information on how to stay healthy and keep safe.

• Thursday, March 6th 2014 - 21:45 UTC

  Foreign Office minister Swire will visit Uruguay on Wednesday 12 March

  

  Hugo Swire MP, FCO Minister for Latin America, will be visiting Uruguay on Wednesday 12 March where he is scheduled to hold several political and trade meetings. The minister will be returning from Santiago de Chile where he will attend the inauguration ceremony of Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.

• Thursday, March 6th 2014 - 21:40 UTC

  Jamaica pledges to decriminalize cannabis ('ganja') “later this year”

  

  Jamaica's Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce (CCMRT) says it has been given an assurance that the country later this year will decriminalize marijuana as the island seeks to establish a medicinal marijuana industry.

• Thursday, March 6th 2014 - 21:13 UTC

  UK interest rate held at 0.5%, making it a record low of five years

  

  UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% for another month, the Bank of England announced on Thursday. The decision by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee comes five years after the record low level was first introduced.

• Thursday, March 6th 2014 - 21:07 UTC

  Fearing deflation Euro bank leaves interest rate unchanged at record low

  

  The European Central Bank (ECB) kept on Thursday its benchmark interest rate at its record low of 0.25%, despite fears inflation could get stuck in a “danger zone” below 1%. The bank slightly raised its forecast for growth to 1.2% in 2014, but dropped its inflation estimate.

• Thursday, March 6th 2014 - 12:48 UTC

  WHO public consultation on sugars intake to help combat obesity and dental caries

  

  The World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a public consultation on its draft guideline on sugars intake. When finalized, the guideline will provide countries with recommendations on limiting the consumption of sugars to reduce public health problems like obesity and dental caries (commonly referred to as tooth decay).