Stories for 2009

Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Five South American presidents spurn Davos meeting

While bankers and politicians met this week in Davos for the World Economic Forum a rival summit in the Brazilian city of Belem challenged them and blamed the capitalist system for the current global crisis.
Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Unemployment in EU: 18 million and another 3.5 m by 2010

Unemployment in the Euro zone countries climbed to 8% in December, the highest in over two and a half years, with the total number of jobless reaching 12.472 million in the Euro zone and 17.911 million in all the 27 EU member states according to a Eurostat study released on Friday
Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Topsy-turvy: US economy contracts 3.8%, below forecast

The US economy shrank at an annual rate of 3.8% in the last quarter of 2008, according to the latest report from the US Commerce Department. This is the worst performance of the US economy since 1982.
Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Ban Ki-moon urges Davos leader to forge “”Green New Deal”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world's business and other leaders to use the current economic crisis to launch a global “Green New Deal” that creates jobs and fights climate change by investing in renewable energy and technological development.
Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Bankers at Davos call for a review of financial rules

The chairman of one of the world's leading banks headquartered in London, HSBC, Stephen Green has said that the current financial rules must be “fundamentally revised” as they had deepened the financial crisis.
Friday, January 30th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Release of Colombian hostages planned for Sunday/Wednesday

A Colombian delegation headed by Senator Piedad Córdoba left for Brazil on the first leg of a multi-day journey to obtain the release of six hostages held by the FARC guerrilla group. The first stop is at San Gabriel de Cachoeira in Brazil's Amazon jungle, where the group will coordinate the hostage release
Thursday, January 29th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Unemployment reveals impact of crisis on real economy

The global economic crisis is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people joining the ranks of the unemployed, working poor and those in vulnerable employment, the International Labour Office (ILO) said in its annual Global Employment Trends report released on Thursday.
Thursday, January 29th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Chilean ruling coalition agrees on presidential candidate

Chile's Party for Democracy, or PPD, named former president and leader of the Christian Democrats Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle as presidential candidate for the December election.
Thursday, January 29th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Davos: China admits crisis; Russia cuts defence outlays

China admitted the global financial crisis has had “a rather big impact” on its economy and Russia warned of over relying on the US dollar as a reserve currency, at the major World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Thursday, January 29th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Argentina swaps 4.3 bn USD local debt for long term bonds

Holders of 15.1 billion pesos (4.3 billion US dollars) of Argentine local debt agreed to swap the securities for longer-term bonds in an exchange the government set up to help cover its growing financing needs.