Stories for January 2012

Thursday, January 12th 2012 - 04:16 UTC
US: Romney consolidates as Republican presidential front-runner

Mitt Romney cemented his status as the Republican presidential front-runner on Tuesday with a win in the New Hampshire primary that left rivals fighting for a chance to derail his march to the nomination as the race moves south.
Thursday, January 12th 2012 - 04:14 UTC
Argentine president recovering fast and back at the helm with the big decisions

Argentine President Cristina Fernández is recovering much faster than anticipated from her thyroid surgery and on Wednesday actively discussed a range of government issues with Vice-President Amado Boudou and Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina, amongst others.
Thursday, January 12th 2012 - 04:13 UTC
Federal Reserve ‘Beige Book’ confirms US economy modest expansion

The US Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that all but one of its 12 banking districts experienced modest expansion from late November through the end of the year. The survey known as the Beige Book showed that the final weeks of 2011 were among the strongest.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:38 UTC
Brazil targets record harvest of 160.3 million tons of grains and oilseeds in 2012

The Brazilian government lowered 0.1% its estimate for the 2012 harvest that should reach 160.3 million tons, considered a record volume. Overall this year’s harvest should be 0.3% above the 159.9 million tons of 2011, according to data from the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Office, IBGE.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:36 UTC
EU warns Euro crisis is not over and asks for patience with Greece

Greece is nearing an agreement with private-sector bond holders on a debt swap crucial to a second bailout package for Athens, the European Union's top economic official said on Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:34 UTC
Falklands' conflict Harrier fleet sold to the US Marines for spares

The fleet of vertical take-off Harrier aircraft, a crucial weapon in the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict has been sold to support the US Marine Corps in a deal worth £110m, reports the British press.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:33 UTC
Argentina imposes new restrictions to slow consumer goods’ imports

Argentina will impose new restrictions on consumer goods’ imports, according to a resolution from the Revenue Office published this week in the Official Gazette and effective next February first.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:30 UTC
Argentine farm leader says Agriculture minister is not qualified and knows little about droughts

An Argentine farmers’ leader said that Agriculture Minister Norberto Yauhar who tried to downplay the seriousness of the current drought for crops, “is not qualified for the job, plus knows very little about droughts”.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:29 UTC
Latin America a “top priority” for President Rajoy’s foreign policy

Spanish president Mariano Rajoy said that Latin America is a “top priority” of his administration’s foreign policy and his target is to have the “best possible” relations with the Ibero-American community.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 - 06:27 UTC
A divided EU to decide on oil embargo on Iran January 23

European Union governments agreed Tuesday to bring forward a meeting of foreign ministers expected to decide on an oil embargo on Iran by one week to January 23. In its statement confirming the date, the EU said the decision to bring it forward from January 30 was taken to avoid a scheduling clash with a summit of EU leaders set for that day.