International

Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 18:26 UTC
Bluefin tuna opens 2013 with record auction price at Tsukiji: 1.78 million dollars

The price of premium “Oma” bluefin tunas has reached a new record: JPY 155.4 million or 1.78 million dollars, in the first auction of 2013 at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market, compared to JPY 56.49 million (640.696 dollars) in the first auction of 2012.
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 18:18 UTC
Chilean fish exports total 3.8bn in ten months; salmon the main item with 1.2bn

Chilean exports of fishery products and aquaculture in the first 10 months of 2012 reached 3.8 billion dollars,1% over the same period in 2011. But the volume of exports increased 11.3%, according to the latest stats from Chile’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Under-Secretariat (Subpesca).
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 18:05 UTC
Maduro administration bans four clips on postponement of Chavez inauguration

Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) launched proceedings on 9 January against the terrestrial television station Globovisión over its broadcast of four clips about the postponement of the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez for a new six-year term, originally scheduled for the following day.
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 17:53 UTC
Methanex Canada to idle plant in Punta Arenas because of insufficient gas provision

Chilean Energy minister Jorge Bunster regretted on Friday Methanex Canada announcement on its decision to idle operations in Chile in March due to lack of adequate natural gas supply. The company stated that it does not have sufficient feedstock to keep the plant in operation given the natural gas supply challenges.
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 17:45 UTC
Cristina Fernandez meets Chavez family and has lunch with the Castro brothers

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez is flying Saturday to Emirates the first leg of a trade tour that includes the Far East after spending 24 hours in Cuba where she met the Castro brothers, visited the relatives of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez and late Friday held a mini summit with Venezuelan Vice president Nicolas Maduro and Peruvian head of state Ollanta Humala.
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 12:13 UTC
More signs that the UK economy contracted in the last quarter of 2012

Disappointing figures on industrial production and construction in November have added to fears that the UK economy contracted in the last quarter of 2012. The index of production grew 0.3% in November, compared with October, but had been expected to grow more as some North Sea oil and gas production resumed following maintenance.
Saturday, January 12th 2013 - 12:00 UTC
Twenty four South Atlantic countries meet in Uruguay to promote cooperation

Twenty four countries from South America and Africa with coast on the Atlantic Ocean will be debating next week in Uruguay how to increase cooperation in several fields such as environment, charting and seabed resources exploration and fighting organized crime.
Friday, January 11th 2013 - 08:32 UTC
An optimistic Dragui sees a “positive contagion” in the Euro zone economy

European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi spoke on Thursday of a “positive contagion” in the Euro zone economy, saying that the financial situation is improving and growth is set to return in the second half of the year.
Friday, January 11th 2013 - 08:21 UTC
Bank of England keeps monetary policy unchanged waiting for GDP figures

The Bank of England on Thursday decided not to extend its quantitative easing (QE) stimulus program, which has injected £375bn into the UK financial system. It is also keeping its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5%, where it has been since March 2009.
Thursday, January 10th 2013 - 18:56 UTC
FAO food price index finished the turbulent 2012 down 7% compared to 2011

The United Nations reported on Thursday that food prices fell for the third month in a row in December last year, balancing out sharp increases registered earlier in 2012, which had previously sparked fears of a food crisis.