Stories for January 15th 2010

Saturday, January 16th 2010 - 07:04 UTC
Mayor Johnson says top bankers fleeing from London over taxes

Thousands of high-earning bankers will flee London because of the Government's taxation policy, Mayor Boris Johnson has warned. He has written to Chancellor Alistair Darling asking for a meeting to discuss his introduction of a 50p income tax rate for top earners and a temporary 50% levy on banking bonuses over £25,000.
Saturday, January 16th 2010 - 07:01 UTC
China’s overseas investments expand 6.5% in 2009; 40% forecasted in 2010

China's overseas investment in non-financial sectors rose 6.5% last year from 2008 despite the economic downturn, the government said Friday, as the nation kept up its global hunt for resources.
Saturday, January 16th 2010 - 06:54 UTC
Lula da Silva yields to military eliminates “political repression” term

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva said that he’s not sponsoring a “witch hunt” when he proposes the creation of a Truth Commission to investigate cases of torture and killings of political prisoners during the long military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 11:17 UTC
Surviving Haitians desperate while disorganized relief efforts trickle

The Red Cross estimates 45,000-50,000 people have died in Haiti's devastating earthquake, as rescue teams race against time to find survivors. The US is sending up to 3,500 troops and 2,200 marines but correspondents say aid is so far only trickling in.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 11:14 UTC
Cobos will not summon Congress while Mrs Kirchner is out of the country

Argentine Vice-President Julio Cobos confirmed Thursday that he will not summon the Congress for an extraordinary session to discuss the Argentine Central Bank emergency decrees while Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is not at the country and added that those versions are “distrustful”.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 11:13 UTC
Mujica and Mrs. Kirchner willing to improve bilateral relations

Uruguayan president elect Jose Mujica said “there is no solution out there” for the situation of the Finnish paper mill Botnia, but “we are willing to improve the relationship between both countries”.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:45 UTC
One out of three US adults are obese and 17% of children age 2 to 19

Obesity rates in the United States are still sky-high, but for the moment they appear to have stopped climbing higher, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:40 UTC
Haiti sits on two seismic fault lines and a major disaster was expected

Seismologists have known for years that a devastating earthquake was likely to hit Haiti. They just did not know when. Although Tuesday’s devastation was wreaked by the most severe quake to hit Port-au-Prince since 1751, the island has been the victim of major seismic activity several times since.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:38 UTC
Brazilian project to cut poverty to “developed countries’ level” in six years

Brazil could achieve social indicators similar to those of developed countries by 2016 if the country is able to maintain the same rate of extreme poverty reduction and income redistribution as recorded during the 2003/2008 period, according to an official report from the Presidential Strategic Affairs Secretariat.
Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:33 UTC
China acts to prevent real estate bubble from developing

Chinese property prices rose at their fastest annual rate in 18 months in December according to official figures referred to the country’s 70 large and medium-sized cities. Real estate prices rose by 7.8% from a year ago - up from the 5.7% annual rise seen in November and renewing fears that an asset bubble is developing.