Politics

• Monday, September 21st 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  Brazil Justices ban corporate contributions to political campaigns and parties

  

  Brazil's Supreme Court banned corporate contributions to political campaigns and parties, a hot issue as investigators in the country's biggest corruption scandal say such financing was used by businesses to win lucrative contracts with state-run oil company Petrobras.

• Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 08:36 UTC

  Pope Francis arrives in Cuba, but dissidents are skeptical about any changes

  

  Pope Francis praised Cubans' “spirit” in the face of adversity in a message broadcast ahead of his trip to the impoverished island. “It does me a lot of good and helps me to think of your faith in the Lord, of the spirit with which you confront the difficulties of each day,” the pope said in a message played on state television.

• Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 08:26 UTC

  US ease restrictions on US companies seeking to make business in Cuba

  

  The United States on Friday issued regulations easing restrictions on US companies seeking to do business in Cuba and opening up travel in the latest action to weaken the trade embargo amid warming relations with the Castro brothers regime.

• Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 07:32 UTC

  Falklands stall at the Prado rural show “a great surprise and greater success”

  

  The UK GREAT pavilion at Uruguay's main agri-business exhibition in Montevideo received the top prize for its category while a stall from the Falkland Islands, tended to by Islanders, is estimated to have been visited by 10% of the more than half million visitors that attended the week-long Expo-Prado.

• Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 07:15 UTC

  UK economists debate on further interest rate cuts to combat low inflation

  

  The Bank of England may have to cut rates to combat low inflation, rather than raise them as its next move, its chief economist Andy Haldane has said. UK inflation may not pick up in the second half of the year, and there are risks of fallout from emerging economies, he said in a speech.

• Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 06:44 UTC

  Falklands: “thank you” to the people of Uruguay for being so warm, welcoming and supportive

  

  A business delegation from the Falkland Islands participated in Uruguay's main agri-business show at the Prado grounds with a stall in the British GREAT pavilion. The week attendance was described as 'surprising and successful' and Falklands lawmaker Gavin Short addressed an open letter thanking all those involved in helping with the Islands' presence.

• Friday, September 18th 2015 - 08:07 UTC

  Cabañas becomes first Cuban ambassador in the US in over half a century

  

  The former Chargé d'affaires at the Cuban Embassy in the United States, Jose Cabañas, on Thursday presented his diplomatic credentials as ambassador to U.S. President Barack Obama in a new step toward the normalization of bilateral relations.

• Friday, September 18th 2015 - 07:58 UTC

  FIFA's investigation reaches Valcke, who is released from his duties until further notice

  

  FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has been put on leave and released from his duties until further notice. A Fifa statement said it had “been made aware of a series of allegations involving the secretary general”.

• Friday, September 18th 2015 - 07:52 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged on concerns about a weak world economy

  

  The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday in a nod to concerns about a weak world economy, but left open the possibility of a modest policy tightening later this year. In what amounted to a tactical retreat, the US central bank said an array of global risks and other factors had convinced it to delay what would have been the first rate hike in nearly a decade.

• Friday, September 18th 2015 - 07:37 UTC

  Brazil opposition parties file request in Congress to impeach Rousseff

  

  Brazil's opposition parties on Thursday filed a request in Congress to impeach President Dilma Rousseff for breaking fiscal rules by allegedly manipulating government finances to benefit her re-election last year. The request was backed by some members of Rousseff's main political ally, the fractious PMDB party, Brazil's largest, whose votes would be needed to succeed in ousting the president.