Stories for July 2015

Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 08:16 UTC
Magallanes Region retains second lowest unemployment rate in Chile

Unemployment in Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile reached 4% in the March/May quarter, which is 1.2 percentage points higher than a year ago, and 0.3 percentage points more than the previous mobile quarter, according to the latest report from the country's Stats Office, INE.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 08:04 UTC
US jobless rate drops to 5.3% in June, but factory orders fell strongly in May

US employment rose by 223,000 in June, while the April and May figures were revised down, official figures show. May's figure was revised from a rise of 280,000 jobs to a rise of 254,000, according to the US Labor Department.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 07:45 UTC
Republicans anticipate they will not approve a US ambassador to Cuba

United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday that his chamber is unlikely to approve a US ambassador to Cuba, sending a quick rebuff to President Barack Obama and his drive to normalize relations with the U.S. neighbor and longtime Cold War foe.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 07:38 UTC
BP agrees to a $18.7bn settlement on claims from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill

UK oil and gas giant BP said it has reached an $18.7 billion settlement of damages claims from the US government and five states after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill. The US Justice Department said it could be the largest settlement with a single entity in US history and the total value would top $20 billion.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 07:12 UTC
Petrobras investigation looks into corruption by a dozen foreign companies

Brazilian police on Thursday arrested Jorge Zelada, former director of Petrobras' international division, as part of an ongoing investigation into bribery and corruption at the state-run oil producer, prosecutors have said. Zelada is suspected of money-laundering, appropriating public funds, corruption, tax evasion and contract fraud.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 06:55 UTC
US asks Switzerland for extradition of seven FIFA officials on bribery charges

The United States asked Switzerland on Thursday to extradite seven FIFA officials arrested in an investigation into a global bribery scandal at soccer's governing body, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) announced.
Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 06:26 UTC
Falklands' war: Chilean top commentator defends Chile's role in supporting UK

Only a few hours off from Saturday's last match of the 2015 Copa America when the best South American team will emerge, the rivalry between finalists Argentina and hosts Chile has erupted strongly and the Falkland Islands' issue is not absent from aggressive chants and insulting messages in the social networks.
Thursday, July 2nd 2015 - 06:37 UTC
Pacific Alliance summit takes off in Peru with business conferences

The Xth summit of the Pacific Alliance took off on Wednesday with the attendance of presidents from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru at the Peruvian sea-side resort of Paracas.
Thursday, July 2nd 2015 - 06:24 UTC
Chile insists with Pacific Alliance/Mercosur intelligent convergence

Chile will insist at the two-day Pacific Alliance summit which took off on Wednesday in Paracas, Peru, that a convergence with Mercosur is needed to ensure the integration of Latina America, and this is more evident now that both groupings face similar challenges such as falling prices for commodities, normalization of US monetary policy and an international context of slow growth.
Thursday, July 2nd 2015 - 06:13 UTC
Mercosur summit will establish 'action plan' to speed discussions with Europe

The Mercosur Council will establish an “action plan” at the next Mercosur presidential summit scheduled for 16/17 July in Brasilia, when the group's chair for the next six months will be handed to Paraguay by Brazil. Other issues on the agenda besides making Mercosur more flexible include addressing the 'special regimes' and the 'free trade zones' in the area, revealed Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa.