Stories for December 2015

Wednesday, December 2nd 2015 - 09:52 UTC
Facebook's Zuckerberg will give away 99% of shares to good causes

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan say they will give away 99% of their shares in the company to good causes as they announce the birth of their daughter Max. Zuckerberg made the announcement in a letter to Max on his Facebook page.
Wednesday, December 2nd 2015 - 09:28 UTC
China and Brazil agree on further cooperation and on climate change

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff met in Paris on the sidelines of the ongoing climate talks, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas including a common position regarding global warming.
Wednesday, December 2nd 2015 - 08:52 UTC
RBS and Standard Chartered, weakest in Bank of England stress test

Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered were the weakest of Britain's seven largest lenders in a Bank of England stress test. For the second year, the central bank has subjected the UK's biggest lenders to tests to measure whether they would survive a financial shock.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 08:19 UTC
Spanish minister anticipates 'spectacular' relationship with Macri government

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo became on Sunday the first foreign official to be received by president-elect Mauricio Macri after he won the November 22 runoff election, and announced a new 'spectacular' era is beginning in Madrid’s relations with Argentina.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 08:15 UTC
“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters” Francis tells Africans ravaged by sectarian conflict

Pope Francis on Monday said Christians and Muslims were “brothers” and urged them to reject hatred and violence as he visited a mosque in the Central African Republic's capital which has been ravaged by sectarian conflict.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 08:11 UTC
India outpaces China in economic growth boosted by domestic demand and manufacturing

India's economic growth picked up in July-September, outpacing China on improving domestic demand and manufacturing activity, and the acceleration could persuade the country's central bank to keep interest rates unchanged at its Tuesday meeting.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 08:01 UTC
Venezuelan Defense minister denies any coup, 'self-coup' or civilian-military junta

The Venezuelan government sought Monday to downplay security fears around the country's upcoming legislative elections, rejecting the possibility of violence or a coup. With polls showing President Nicolas Maduro's populist movement on track for a landmark defeat by the opposition in Sunday's vote, speculation and rumors have swirled about possible violence or moves by the ruling party to cling to power.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 07:53 UTC
Yuan joins the exclusive club of IMF's basket of reserve currencies

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that China's currency, the Yuan, will join the fund's basket of reserve currencies. Currently just the US dollar, the euro, the yen and the pound are in the group.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 07:45 UTC
Brazil on alert on possible link between Zika virus and micro-cephalic babies

Brazilian health authorities, who alerted the nation Monday to the rapid spread of the Zika virus, confirmed that up to now it has caused one death and that another six victims are in critical condition and under medical examination.
Tuesday, December 1st 2015 - 07:40 UTC
Macri's victory was narrower than expected, according to the final vote count

Argentina’s conservative, business-friendly president-elect Mauricio Macri won the presidential election earlier this month with 51.34% of the vote, according to final results released Monday. His rival, incumbent Daniel Scioli, finished with 48.66% percent, said the head of the national electoral authority, Alejandro Tullio.