Stories for 2015

Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 08:23 UTC
Brazil's top two construction tycoons arrested in connection to Petrobras case

Brazilian police arrested on Friday Marcelo Odebrecht, the head of Latin America's largest engineering and construction company Odebrecht SA, ensnaring the most high-profile executive to date in the corruption investigation at state-run oil firm Petrobras.
Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 00:37 UTC
Francis calls on swift global action to confront environmental degradation

Argentine Pope Francis called on Thursday for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront environmental degradation and climate change, blending a biting critique of consumerism and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action.
Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 00:24 UTC
Obama and Democrats support Pope's climate message, but Republicans dissented

The Obama administration and congressional Democrats welcomed Pope Francis' call for sweeping action against climate change Thursday, but the pontiff's message was swiftly dismissed by GOP lawmakers.
Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 00:14 UTC
Argentine congress members in Paris investigating HSBC with whistleblowers

Members of the Argentina's congressional bicameral commission investigating HSBC alleged illegal scheme to help Argentines evade taxes and siphon money out of the country, met in Paris with a group of French legislators and with UBS whistleblower Stéphanie Gibaud.
Saturday, June 20th 2015 - 00:08 UTC
Less millionaires in Latin America because of the fall in commodities' prices

Latin America posted a decrease in high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) as falling commodity prices affect the continent’s economies, especially Brazil which accounts for more than 50% of Latin America’s HNWI wealth.
Friday, June 19th 2015 - 23:58 UTC
Middle East carriers among the top ten 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards

Middle East carriers again outranked US airlines this year in the 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Qatar Airways took the top honor, up from second place in 2014. But the other Gulf airlines from the so-called Middle East Three group, Emirates and Etihad, were not far behind, in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Friday, June 19th 2015 - 23:51 UTC
Fourteen Caribbean BOTs blacklisted by EU as world's worst tax havens

Fourteen Caribbean countries are among 30 territories blacklisted by the European Union (EU) as the world’s worst tax havens. The list published by the EU on Wednesday includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Friday, June 19th 2015 - 23:45 UTC
Ecuador's Correa suspends controversial death duties debate until after Pope's visit

Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa announced he would temporarily withdraw two controversial tax bills from the legislature, saying he would give the public time to debate them. The bills, which would have raised taxes on inheritances and capital gains, generated uproar that led to mass street protests in recent days.
Friday, June 19th 2015 - 23:36 UTC
Venezuelan pickets stone and threaten visiting Brazilian senators

Brazilian senators seeking on Thursday to visit jailed opposition leaders in Venezuela said their minibus was stoned and blocked, forcing them to return to the airport. The group of opposition senators had planned to drive from the coastal airport of Maiquetía to the capital Caracas and then on to a military jail where hard-line opposition leader Leopoldo López has been for more than a year.
Friday, June 19th 2015 - 15:32 UTC
Joint IAATO-Lloyd’s Register workshop to prepare for the Polar Code

A dynamic, interactive and constructive workshop on how to tackle implementing the forthcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Polar Code has just concluded and fittingly, the workshop took place at London’s home of exploration, the Royal Geographical Society, Kensington.