United States
United States feedLagos calls for dialogue with the US and admits disappointment with Mercosur
Former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos called for a closer dialogue between Latinamerica and Washington while de-mystifying the alleged negative influence of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in the region. He also admitted he expected “much more from Mercosur”.
US banks “too big to fail” could be dismantled under new legislation
A key US House of Representatives committee has voted to give the government the power to take apart banks that are “too big to fail”. The bill would give a proposed new council of regulators the right to dismantle firms whose scale could hurt the economy - even if they are healthy.
US construction industry and housing market remain stagnant
Construction of new homes in the United States fell sharply last month, showing potential weakness in the economy’s recovery, while consumer prices rose slightly more than expected.
Influential US Congress members call for an end to Cuba travel ban
Two key United States lawmakers say that Washington should allow its citizens to travel to Cuba to help promote ‘democratic reforms’ in that country. Veteran Republican Senator Richard Lugar and Democratic Congressman Howard Berman insist that the Cuba travel ban has been obsolete and should be discarded as a foreign policy measure.
“Generous” contributions to US lawmakers to uphold embargo of Cuba
Since the United States 2004 election cycle, a network of Cuban-American donors and political action committees (PACs) has donated in excess of 10 million US dollars to more than 300 US federal candidates in order to thwart any changes in the US embargo of Cuba, claims Public Campaign, a US citizens group working for “clean money, clean elections”
Federal Reserve working to “help ensure that the US dollar is strong”
United States Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke said Monday that US policymakers are mindful of the sliding US dollar. Bernanke said he is “attentive” to the decline in the currency and is working to “help ensure that the dollar is strong”.
Brazil warns of “deterioration” of US relations with South America
Brazilian Foreign Affairs minister Celos Amorim warned that relations between United States and Latinamerica are deteriorating and called on President Barak Obama to begin a dialogue with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
US trade deficit widens fuelled by auto and oil imports
United States trade deficit widened in September by the most in a decade, reflecting rising demand for imported oil and automobiles as the economy rebounded from the worst recession since the 1930s.
Three candidates to challenge US dollar as dominant reserve currency
A new report from researchers at the International Monetary Fund sees at least three candidates that could eventually challenge the US dollar’s role as the world’s dominant reserve currency: the Euro, the Yen and the Chinese Yuan.
Gorbachev urges Obama to withdraw from Afghanistan
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has urged the United States to withdraw all its military forces from Afghanistan. Gorbachev told CNN in an interview on Sunday that “withdrawal from Afghanistan should be the goal.“
