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Deep divide in Congress over domestic food aid in massive farm bill

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 16:45

WASHINGTON - The House and Senate Agriculture Committees laid the groundwork this week for reducing the size of the federal food stamp program, approving farm bills that would shrink food aid and alter the way people qualify for it. The two chambers are far apart on how much the $80 billion-a-year program should be cut, however, reflecting a deep ideological and at times emotional divide on the role of government in helping the poor.

US consumer prices fall 0.4% in April

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 09:16

US consumer prices fell 0.4 percent in April, driven by a sharp fall in gasoline and other energy prices, the Labor Department said Thursday. Food prices were barely higher and core prices -- excluding food and energy -- were up just 0.1 percent, confirming earlier indications from wholesale prices that there is little inflationary pressure in the US economy, despite the Federal Reserve's huge stimulus program.

House panel set to OK cut in food stamps as conservatives demand that the program be trimmed

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 19:30

WASHINGTON - A House committee rebuffed Democratic efforts Wednesday to keep the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the poor. The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year — or a little more than 3 per cent — from the food stamp program, which is used by 1 in 7 Americans. The committee rejected an amendment by Democrats to strike the cuts 27-17, keeping them in the bill.

US wholesale prices fall 0.7 pct. in April, most in 3 years, driven lower by cheaper gas, food

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 09:54

WASHINGTON - Sharp drops in fuel and food costs reduced a measure of U.S. wholesale prices in April by the most in three years. Outside those volatile categories, inflation stayed tame. The producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, fell a seasonally adjusted 0.7 per cent in April from March, the Labor Department said Wednesday. It was the second straight monthly decline and the steepest since February 2010.

Prices paid by US importers fell 0.5 per cent in April, pushed lower by cheaper imported oil

The Canadian PressMay 14, 2013 14:46

WASHINGTON - Prices paid by U.S. importers fell in April for the second straight month, pushed lower by another decline in imported petroleum. Falling import prices help keep inflation in check. The Labor Department says import prices fell 0.5 per cent last month compared with March, when prices had fallen 0.2 per cent. It was the largest decline since a 0.6 per cent drop in December. Imported petroleum products fell 1.9 per cent in April. Excluding petroleum, import costs fell only 0.1 per cent. Import prices have fallen 2.6 per cent over the 12 months ending in April.

Aviation industry meets ahead of efforts to find a global solution to emissions

The Canadian PressMay 13, 2013 16:15

MONTREAL - It's vital that the UN agency that oversees civil aviation reach a political agreement on a global solution to reduce environmental emissions from air travel, the head of an industry group said Monday. "The alternative, which is a system whereby every state makes up its own policies, ... would lead to a patchwork approach which could only be detrimental to the future sustainable growth of aviation," Paul Steele, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group, told a news conference.

Brazil's food inflation: don't blame it all on the weather

Thomson ReutersMay 8, 2013 18:09

By Caroline Stauffer and Silvio Cascione SALTO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil, an up-and-coming agricultural superpower with abundant fertile land, is struggling to provide consistently affordable food for its population. To understand how, consider the tomato.

Indonesian inflation slows to 5.57 percent in April

Agence France-PresseMay 1, 2013 03:45

Indonesian inflation eased to 5.57 percent on-year in April due to lower food prices after the government eased some import restrictions, official data showed on Wednesday. It slowed from 5.90 percent in March, but it was still above the upper limit of the central bank's target range of 3.5-5.5 percent. In particular, a "drastic drop in garlic prices" helped to push inflation lower last month, said statistics agency chief Suryamin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

US inflation falls on plunge in gasoline prices

Agence France-PresseApril 16, 2013 09:15

A sharp drop in gasoline prices eased US inflation in March, government data released Tuesday showed. The Labor Department said its consumer price index fell 0.2 percent from February, mainly due to a 4.4 percent drop in gasoline prices. The decline in CPI was slightly more than the 0.1 percent drop expected by most analysts. Gasoline prices at the pump in March fell sharply amid declining energy after surging in February. The March energy index fell 2.6 percent in March after a 5.4 percent rise in February. Food prices were virtually unchanged.

World food prices rise slightly in March

AsianetApril 12, 2013 17:34

World food prices edged slightly higher in March, their first rise so far this year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Thursday, though prices stayed within the narrow price band where they have stayed since November. With rice prices almost unchanged from February, the cereals index -- the largest single component in the overall index -- was unchanged compared to February.